3. Rein In The Riddler
Jim Carrey is a great actor when he tries. The problem with Batman Forever is he was cast because of his success in Ace Ventura, which became a hit because of the slapstick comedy. And so the Riddler in Batman Forever became a total slapstick character, complete with bad jokes and Carreys manic performance. What was the point of the bright-red hair? Or all the cane-twirling? Or terrible lines like Like the jacket? It keeps me safe when Imjogging at night! And all the absurd cackling. Plus the bizarre Bruce Wayne fixation. But watch Carrey in a movie like The Number 23, which although flawed, still showed that he can do dark. If he brought more of that into his performance instead of trying to do a Frank Gorshin impersonation, he could have given us a really special Riddler. If we are going to talk about recasting the Riddler, though, go with Robin Williams. The story goes that back when Warner Bros was trying to get Jack Nicholson to play the Joker in Batman, Nicholson was being indecisive. They then offered the part to Williams, who accepted. Warner Bros then went back to Nicholson and told him if he doesnt accept the role, Williams will get it and at that point, Nicholson took the part. When Warner Bros approached Williams about playing the Riddler, he apparently said only if they apologized for using him as bait to get Nicholson. They didnt and so Williams said no. And if theres one comedic actor who can tackle dark roles, its Williams. He was awesome in movies like One Hour Photo and Insomnia and those give us a glimpse into what his Riddler could have possibly been like.