While Stephen Amell already plays a comic book character on television, that doesn't prevent him from being asked the same question that every other actor in the world gets asked on pretty much a daily basis. You can't swing a cat without hitting a reporter asking somebody which comic book character they'd like to play on the big screen. Stephen Amell, who is currently playing a comic book character on the small screen but not a superhero, has been asked the question yet again. This time, he's decided to change up the answer. He went villain, rather than hero. He'd like to play the Riddler.
As part of the media for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, Cine Pop asked Arrow star Stephen Amell the never ending question regarding what comic book superhero he'd like to play in the movies. The actor decided to look at the other side of the coin, and chose a villain instead, mostly because, he said, at this point, all of the superheroes are taken.
I always get this question. I think all the superheroes are taken now. I'll play The Riddler, okay? It's a villain, but I like The Riddler.
We'd be remiss if we didn't point out, that Stephen Amell now has played a comic book hero, if not a super one, in the movies. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are comic book characters, and his character of Casey Jones got his start in the comics as well. This point notwithstanding, the Riddler is actually a very interesting choice for Amell. He's the antithesis of the parts that we've seen the actor play in recent years. Casey Jones and Oliver Queen are very similar characters, for the most part, vigilante heroes who try to improve their cities. They're very physical characters. The Riddler, on the other hand, is the polar opposite of that. He's a villain who uses his brains and, generally speaking, is incapable of handling himself in a physical fight. Amell might not have been our first choice to play a part like that, but that doesn't mean he couldn't pull it off.
With the rebooting of Batman via the recent Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the doors are open for the return of all of Batman's rogues' gallery (except The Joker, who has already been cast) so the possibility of somebody playing The Riddler down the line is certainly there. It's been awhile since we've seen a big screen Riddler, as the character never made an appearance during Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy. We know that Ben Affleck is currently working on a Batman movie as part of the DCEU, so who knows, maybe there's a place for The Riddler in there someplace.
Would you like to see Stephen Amell play The Riddler in a future DC movie? If not, what hero, or villain, do you think he'd be best suited for?
