‘Gotham’ Finds Its Riddler

Cory Michael Smith

Gotham, FOX’s upcoming series based on characters published by DC Comics, has already added some iconic characters from Batman’s rogues gallery. So far a young Selina Kyle/Catwoman and Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin have been confirmed to appear in the series. Now it seems they’re adding another player into the mix: Edward Nygma, a.k.a. The Riddler.

Arguably one of Batman’s smartest foes, The Riddler first appeared in Detective Comics #140 in 1948. Several onscreen incarnations of The Riddler have been done since then, including a version played by Frank Gorshin in the 1966 Batman series and another version played by Jim Carrey in Joel Schumacher’s 1995 theatrical release Batman Forever. Now the Riddler torch will be passed on to Corey Michael Smith.

Smith is a Broadway performer whose most notable credit was a role in the Broadway rendition of Breakfast at Tiffany’s. His TV and film credits are light, having only appeared in a handful of projects, including the HBO mini-series Olive Kitteridge and the indie film Camp X-Ray.

Of course, Smith’s Riddler will be a different and younger version of the character than we’ve seen prior. Smith will play Edward Nygma before he became the infamous Riddler. According to EW.com, Nygma will work for the Gotham City Police Department as a socially awkward forensic scientist who speaks in a cryptic language.

Smith will join a cast that already includes Ben McKenzie as Detective Gordon, Robin Lord Taylor as Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin, Sean Pertwee as Alfred Pennyworth, Camren Bicondova as Selina Kyle, and Donal Logue as Detective Harvey Bullock, all of whom can be seen in their recently released character posters below. In addition, the cast of Gotham includes Jada Pinkett Smith as new character Fish Mooney and David Mazouz as a young Bruce Wayne.

So, what do you think about FOX’s  latest casting decision? Are you looking forward to seeing Corey Michael Smith’s take as The Riddler? Let us know in the comments.

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Sources: 1, 2