Riddler On The Roof: Fan Trailer Teases Fourth Christopher Nolan Batman Film

Not all heroes wear capes, some lurk behind computer desks and superimpose Nightwing masks to Joseph Gordon Levitt. For those who are still mourning the loss of Christopher Nolan's uber-gritty Dark Knight trilogy, fear not, the internet offers us up what could've been a fourth round in the ring for Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, and Joseph Gordon Levitt.

YouTuber StryderHD has gifted us a full trailer for the fan-made feature, which features some of #Batman's greatest foes and the triumphant return of the Riddler to Batman's cinematic world — complete with green bowler hat and signature cane.

Riddle me this.

The Dark Knight: Enigma may not be the most original name for the film, but it is one of the best thought out ideas for a Nolan film we have seen, and certainly offers up an interesting premise. It is a mash-up of footage from the likes of Gone Baby Gone, Assassination of Jesse James, and Fox's #Gotham, intertwined with footage from Nolan's three films. Pitting Joseph Gordon Levitt's Blake (in Nightwing form) against a masked Red Hood, Enigma brings #ChristianBale's Bruce Wayne out of retirement to battle the Riddler, this time played by Casey Affleck (oh the irony).

While it is obviously just a pipe dream, you can't help but pine for the Batman of yesteryear. It certainly seems that #BenAffleck's Batman solo film is on the ropes following the departure of Matt Reeves, and some have even called for Nolan to once again boot up his Batcomputer and return to the director's chair. Had Affleck's #TheBatman been a direct continuation of The Dark Knight Rises then perhaps, but five years since we left Bruce and Selina at their Florence cafe, Nolan and Bale's tenure is too far gone.

With a bit of jigging around, the Nolanverse could certainly adapt into the current #DCEU, but it would require a lot of effort. We have seen Jason Todd's abandoned Robin suit in the Batcave, signaling that the events of A Death in the Family have already happened and Jason must be on his way to becoming the Red Hood, however, there is a huge continuity problem. Although some people would love to, there is no way you can discount #BatmanvSuperman from Batman's extensive film history, making The Dark Knight: Enigma pretty much impossible to create, even with a new cast of stars.

Follow the clues.

There is a glimmer of green hope though. Alongside Jason Todd, we also know that Nygma is out there somewhere in the DCEU, it is just a case of following the clues to where he is. Zack Snyder's Batman v Superman saw an ominous question mark graffiti during its big battle scene, prompting fandom to go into overdrive that the Riddler could be Batman's next foe. Hopes are high, and it would seem likely that the Riddler is a case of sooner rather than later.

Let's not forget, that although we never got to it, there were also hints of Riddler in the Nolanverse. There were rumors that Joshua Harto's Coleman Reese may have turned into the Riddler after the events of The Dark Knight, but that didn't go much further than the Easter Egg of his name, Mr. Reese (mysteries). It was once rumored that either Leonardo DiCaprio or David Hyde Pierce might have slipped into some puzzling green attire, while elsewhere others called for David Tennant to be cast as Ed. However, as we all know, none of the above came to pass and Nolan bowed out after rounding off his trilogy.

Despite a cutesy cameo in The LEGO Batman Movie, we last saw Jim Carrey bring the Riddler to our screens in 1995's mixed bag that was Batman Forever. Bordering on the campiness of the '60s series, fans have since been clamoring for a more realistic Nygma to strike fear into the heart of Gotham. Cory Michael Smith is currently undergoing his transition into the well-known villain over on Gotham, but it isn't enough dammit!

Looking at Rocksteady's Arkham games, Riddler started as a crackling voice behind a computer screen in the first game, before emerging from the shadows, especially for final the third game, Arkham Knight. As an emaciated and filthy hacker, Arkham Knight's Riddler screamed Hyde Pierce; sure, we know that Nolan loves to use his own Tarantino collection of actors and DiCaprio would probably have been his first choice for Riddler, but you can't help but imagine how amazing Hyde Pierce would've been at bringing Nygma to our screens.

You only have to search "Riddler" and the internet is awash with mock posters of what could've been brought to life in the Nolanverse. With the script for Affleck's The Batman reportedly finished, we already know that Catwoman won't feature, and it is presumed that they will want to move away from having Leto's Joker as the villain — you know, been there, done that — meaning that the Rogues Gallery is getting ever smaller. With such a loyal fanbase out there for Nygma, it isn't too puzzling to see why we are calling for his inclusion in the DCEU, let's just hope that Geoff Johns and co. can crack the cipher and give us the Batman film we all deserve.