Jason Isaacs

This idea was concocted by a few friends of mine, and I jumped up and down with excitement when they first told it to me. Most of you might recognize Jason Isaacs from his role as Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter movies, or the evil Colonel William Tavington in The Patriot (2000). And those who are more aware of his body of work might agree stronger with the notion that Isaacs is terrific at playing a smarmy bad guy.

The script for the next Batman movie is still in the works, but like everyone else we keep a close eye on all of the rumors that float around, one of which has been that director Chris Nolan is toying with the idea of including The Riddler as one of the next villains. Jim Carrey played The Riddler (aka Edward Nigma) in Joel Schumacher’s 1995 box office sensation Batman Forever, and it is pretty safe to say that Carrey is warmly remembered for his performance in that role. His cartoonish brand of comedy fit well with Schumacher’s vision, which attempted to capture the serial-comic flavor of the 1960s. However, being that Nolan sees the world of Gotham as a much darker, more mature place, goofy doesn’t seem likely to be the direction he’ll go if The Riddler is indeed destined to return to the screen. Enter Jason Isaacs.

The Riddler

With innumerable comic book appearances, starting with Detective Comics #140 in 1948, The Riddler is one of the best known supervillains in the comic book world. His persona might not be considered as dark as that of The Joker, but he has proven to be every bit as sinister. A portrayal in a Nolan-directed film would no doubt require that that malevolence be forefront and palpable, which Isaacs has been able to portray to varying degrees throughout his career. And aside from his acting abilities, the physical (or more particularly facial) features of Isaacs fit considerably well with that of the brilliant villain (the hairline, nose, jaw line, etc.).

Do you agree? Disagree? Have a better suggestion for who could play The Riddler? Drop us a line and tell us what you’re thinking!

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