Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice hits theaters on March 25, and for months now, fans and critics alike have been clamoring for details on the DC movie that’s expected to launch a whole series of films for DC Comic fans. While Suicide Squad’s summer launch will be the first time we see Jared Leto as The Joker, director Zack Snyder revealed that a few villains almost turned up in the upcoming Batman v Superman film.
According to Snyder, he told Collider that Gotham’s most notable villains could’ve popped up in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice .
“The Joker and The Riddler both came close to being in this movie. We talked about the possibility of putting them in. [Screenwriter] Chris Terrio and I talked about it a lot and felt that their mythological presence is felt in the movie and that’s cool, but I didn’t want to get my eye too far off the ball because I needed to spend the time, frankly, with Batman and Superman to understand the conflict.”
The First ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’ Premiere Reactions Have Arrived https://t.co/wXlInQXKoK pic.twitter.com/mTmFjQY1lQ
— Peter Sciretta (@slashfilm) March 21, 2016
That said, those who are interested in seeing how Batman and Superman size up to villains will have their fair share to take in. The trailers let viewers in on a sneak peak of some villains, including Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor and Doomsday with a hint of Darkseid thrown in the mix.
If the fans are disappointed, they won’t have to wait too long to see Ben Affleck’s Batman face off against Jared Leto’s Joker in Suicide Squad . It was also hinted that if Affleck signs off on three standalone Batman films, The Joker has a huge chance getting in on that, as does Will Smith’s Deadshot.
Deadshot + Batman + Superman pic.twitter.com/MEuydIfda2
— Superhero Feed (@SuperheroFeed) March 20, 2016
Back in December, it was rumored that Smith was teaming up with Affleck’s Batman in the anticipated film.
Latino Review reported, “Since he signed on for multiple appearances as Deadshot, the rumble behind the scenes is that he wants to be an ongoing part of Warner’s and DC’s plans…If Deadshot joins the Bat in the movie, it will be for a ‘major role’ for a ‘The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly’ scenario.”
As for who will play The Riddler, names like Ewan McGregor , Paul Bettany, and Sam Rockwell were thrown around, but as the Inquisitr reported , actor Neil Patrick Harris could be in the mix as well.
In a Twitter Q&A Neil Patrick Harris revealed that he was up to play the role.
Hey @ActuallyNPH , would you be open to portray The Riddler in Ben Affleck’s upcoming Batman trilogy if given the opportunity?
— Superhero Feed (@SuperheroFeed) December 1, 2015
Totally, but only if neither of us have to go full frontal. #GoneGirlGoods https://t.co/jezaVa7MHW
— Neil Patrick Harris (@ActuallyNPH) December 1, 2015
A fan even created a mock-up of Neil as The Riddler, which blew people’s minds.
. @ActuallyNPH We had our friend @Bosslogic draw up what we think you might look like. https://t.co/W4bN4EIE39 pic.twitter.com/UmMLrZB9OP
— Superhero Feed (@SuperheroFeed) December 2, 2015
If Neil Patrick Harris tosses himself into the ring, he would be stepping into pretty iconic shoes, considering Jim Carrey was the last actor to take on the role. So far, it isn’t yet known when The Riddler will come into play, but if he does, there’s bound to be a ton of opinions on who should be cast in the role, just like there was over Batman and The Joker.
Although Affleck hasn’t been locked on the standalone Batman film just yet, he and Henry Cavill will team up once again to shoot Justice League in April.
[Photo by Warner Bros]
