It took two days and 80 takes to achieve the iconic closing scene starring Battinson and Paul Dano’s Riddler in The Batman.
Gotham City was destroyed by Paul Dano’s Riddler. The Batman, directed by Matt Reeves, was the first DC movie to star Robert Pattinson as The Dark Knight, and it featured Bruce Wayne meeting three of his most infamous foes. However, Paul Dano’s dark portrayal of The Riddler was outstanding. Reeves recently referred to Dano as “indefatigable,” which is a quality that denotes someone who works tirelessly and consistently. This trait is evident in his work ethic when creating the most recent version of Batman. The final showdown between Batman and the Riddler was actually filmed over the course of two days and around 80 takes.
Reeves said in an interview with The Guardian:
“Paul loves doing a lot of takes, as do I. We took two days on the final scene between him and Robert Pattinson as Batman, and we must have easily done 70 or 80 takes. Paul loves exploring. He’s obsessive that way. There were all these moments as the Riddler where he’d be tickled by something and then fly into a rage.
And you never knew from take to take where that switch would come. I’d be sitting there with the headphones on, trying to stifle my laughter because he’d always do something surprising. Paul would ask me: ‘Was that crazy? Was that too much?’ I’d say: ‘No it’s fantastic. Let’s do another.”
@ThebatmanFilm_ tweet the confirmation of taking “70 to 80 takes” for the final scene of the Riddler & the Batman, the tweet gained over 725.2k views.
Director Matt Reeves confirms they filmed “70 or 80 takes” of the Riddler and Batman’s final confrontation in #TheBatman:
“Paul loves doing a lot of takes, as do I. We must have easily done 70 or 80 takes. Paul loves exploring. He’s obsessive that way. He would ask me: ‘Was that… pic.twitter.com/oMQr9D0Fb2
— The Batman Film News 🦇 (@TheBatmanFilm_) September 16, 2023
The Batman & Riddler Showdown Was Successfully Captured After Around 80 Attempts
The Batman shows a heated exchange between Paul Dano’s Riddler and Robert Pattinson’s Dark Knight after the villain is held captive in Arkham. The Oscar-worthy acting by Dano, who is performing at a level comparable to Heath Ledger, plus the masterfully written dialogue contributed to one of the best Batman scenes in cinematic history.
It will also be impossible to listen to Ave Maria in quite the same way again after the epic verbal battle between Batman and the Riddler in the final confrontation. From the start, Dano was aware that he was a part of something exceptional. The actor was aware that his work with Reeves would result in an altogether unique and enduring live-action portrayal of the Riddler.
Dano said in a recent interview with GQ:
“By Matt having such a specific point of view, and a new one, it gave me a lot of freedom, you know. Like this Riddler, like I’m not gonna worry about the other ones, or the comics. I tried to take all the archetypal energy I could from the comics, and I read a ton of them — and I’m writing a comic now about the Riddler — and I was shocked how much I loved putting out the film and engaging with that fan base.”
After successfully carrying out his big plan, Riddler abandons Gotham City as a drowned wasteland. Once in Arkham, the Puzzling Prince encounters the Clown Prince of Crime, played by actor Barry Keoghan in his new on-screen role as the Joker. Unfortunately, the development of The Batman 2 has been postponed until 2024 due to continuous WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, so fans will have to wait endlessly to find out what happens next.
