14 DAY TRIAL // It simply wasn’t enough that Warner Bros. and director Zack Snyder cast Ben Affleck as Batman in the highly anticipated sequel to “Man of Steel,” tentatively called “Batman vs. Superman.” It wasn’t enough that they got Jesse Eisenberg for Lex Luthor or Gil Gadot for Wonder Woman either.
Continuing the string of bad casting decisions, producers on the film have now chosen Michael Cera for the role of The Riddler. In other words, two of the biggest and most dangerous villains in the Batman universe are now played by two of the quirkiest – in the most adorable way possible – actors.
Talented, no doubt, but quirky and harmless looking.
JoBlo reports: “Michael Cera has been cast as The Riddler in Zack Snyder's superhero movie, putting him alongside Jesse Eisenberg's Lex Luthor as the second bad guy in the film. This will mark the second big screen incarnation of The Riddler since Jim Carrey played the part in Joel Schumacher's Batman Forever. Wow.”
Wow is right: “Man of Steel” was far from the success that Warners anticipated, but it was a decent release in terms of critical reception and box office gross. It was just what they needed to start building the Justice League universe but, while choosing Henry Cavill for Superman was a decision embraced from the get-go, since then, Warners has been making only bad calls.
“Cera will bring a less imposing presence as the man once known as Edward Nigma. Many may be considering this another nail in the coffin for the Man of Steel sequel, but the selection of Cera could provide a much more grounded and realistic villain for the franchise,” JoBlo says.
Even if that turns out to be the case and Cera delivers, that still leaves the three other actors to worry about. Ben Affleck, many fans believe, doesn’t have the range and that edge needed to play Batman, and Eisenberg is simply too quirky to ever be perceived as menacing.
Gil Gadot, on the other hand, is a model with a model’s body and she has to bring to life on the big screen the most popular female superhero ever. She’s yet to prove her acting chops as well, so, right now, that too is working against her as far as fans are concerned.
Adding Cera to the mix simply doesn’t seem like a good call and having so many unknowns in the “Batman vs. Superman” equation is making fans too jittery because it sure seems like Warner Bros. is taking way too many risks with a beloved superhero franchise. Let’s just hope they don’t completely mess it up.
Oh and…
