It looks as though The Batman takes real-life inspiration from the Zodiac Killer, with a far grittier Riddler than we’ve ever seen before. Director Matt Reeves goes as far as to say his superhero detective story is "almost a horror."

During an interview with Movie Maker, director Matt Reeves revealed the grizzly inspiration behind his version of The Riddler:

“The premise of the movie is that the Riddler is kind of molded in an almost Zodiac Killer sort of mode, and is killing very prominent figures in Gotham, and they are the pillars of society,” he said. “These are supposedly legitimate figures. It begins with the mayor, and then it escalates from there.”

Paul Dano stars as The Riddler – a serial killer and nemesis of Batman who weaves an intricate puzzle to solve. But it looks as though, as always, the great and good of Gotham City aren’t all they’re cracked up to be.

“In the wake of the murders, [The Riddler] reveals the ways in which these people were not everything they said they were, and you start to realize there’s some kind of association,” he explained. “And so just like Woodward and Bernstein, you’ve got Gordon and Batman trying to follow the clues to try and make sense of this thing in a classic kind-of-detective story way.”

The Batman stars Robert Pattinson as a younger version of Bruce Wayne, and it looks as though the early days of his vigilante career will be focused on bringing Dano’s obsessive serial killer to justice. But don’t expect it to be easy. Although the recent trailer gives us a glimpse of a focussed and determined Batman, Reeves explains that the film occasionally has more in common with a horror movie, while still acting like a detective story at its heart.

“This idea of a place that is corrupt, and you try to swim against the tide in order to fight against it and make a difference, is quintessential Batman,” he said. “At the center of those noir stories is almost always the detective, right? And that’s why he is the world’s greatest detective. And so, this story is, in addition to being almost a horror movie, and a thriller, and an action movie, at its core, it’s also very much a detective story. It’s very narrative.”

All of that said, there will seemingly still be some pulling back from the true horror at its heart, given that The Batman has been confirmed as a PG-13 movie (as well as being the longest-ever Batman film).

Robert Pattinson stars as The Batman alongside Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon, Colin Farrell as Oswald Cobblepot, and Paul Dano as The Riddler.

The Batman is directed by Matt Reeves, based on a screenplay by Reeves, and Peter Craig. Walter Hamada is listed as executive producer alongside Simon Emanuel, Chantal Nong, and Michael E. Uslan. Matt Reeves, Dylan Clark, and Toby Hefferman are on board to produce.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Marvel Comics will once again have two different Captains America in 2022. Sam Wilson will once again wield the shield alongside Steve Rogers as Marvel launches two different, monthly Captain America titles this spring.

Sam will be the star of Captain America: Symbol of Truth, which is written by sci-fi author Tochi Onyebuchi and drawn by artist RB Silva (Powers of X). Steve, meanwhile, will be the focus of Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty, co-written by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly (The Harbinger) and drawn by Carmen Carnero (Miles Morales: Spider-Man). Both series will spin out of April's Captain America #0, which will be co-written by all three writers and drawn by Mattia de Iulis (Invisible Woman).

"What's interesting about Captain America #0 is that, unlike a lot of zero issues, we're not gonna spend a lot of time building the plot for both books or teasing out a bunch of amazing stuff," Lanzing told Entertainment Weekly. "The issue #1's are gonna do that. Issue #0 is effectively a conversation between Steve and Sam about what it means for both of them to be Captain America simultaneously. But that conversation isn't had in a room sitting down over beers, that conversation is had while flying/holding onto the side of a massive rocket heading into the sky to obliterate all of mankind because Arnim Zola is back and he's got a bad plan."

This marks the second time Sam has taken up the mantle of Captain America in the comics. He previously shouldered that burden in 2014's Captain America #25, stepping in after Steve Rogers had the Super-Soldier Serum drained from his body. Even after Steve regained his strength, the two heroes co-existed as Cap until the aftermath of 2017's Secret Empire crossover. Sam looks to be sticking to his old Captain America costume, but this time around he'll have his own vibranium shield. That won't be the only difference.

"We've seen Sam Wilson deal with the legacy of Captain America and race in very inward terms with regards to America: What does it mean for America to accept a Black Captain America?" Onyebuchi said. "One of the things I'm teasing in my book is, what does it mean for the rest of the world to accept a Black Captain America? That's another part of the equation. If Captain America is in many ways a mimesis of America, with all the good and bad pathologies, what does that mean for the way in which America interacts with the rest of the world?"

As for Steve, he'll have a personal struggle of his own to face, as his series reflects the growing social and political divides in the US.

"Steve is a member of the Greatest Generation. That's so important, especially now, because he's seen so much of the 20th century and he's really able to weigh it," Kelly said. "With our story, what we really wanted to start looking at was, how has America changed? What does it mean to be a patriot now? Because it means something very different, even in the last two or three years. We've seen a radical shift in our country and, especially for a lot of young people, a real fury and disappointment at what our country has started to do to itself. Cap can't turn his back on America, neither of the Caps can, because the idea is good. The core is good and worth fighting for, but both need to wrestle with what that means in the year of our Lord 2022."

Captain America #0 is scheduled for release on April 20, with Captain America: Symbol of Truth #1 following in May and Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty #1 in June.

It's not surprising to see Marvel Comics put Sam Wilson back in the red, white and blue costume considering recent developments in the MCU. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier showcased Sam coming to terms with his newfound responsibility, setting the stage for a fourth Captain America movie starring Anthony Mackie's hero.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

Marvel Comics will once again have two different Captains America in 2022. Sam Wilson will once again wield the shield alongside Steve Rogers as Marvel launches two different, monthly Captain America titles this spring.

Sam will be the star of Captain America: Symbol of Truth, which is written by sci-fi author Tochi Onyebuchi and drawn by artist RB Silva (Powers of X). Steve, meanwhile, will be the focus of Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty, co-written by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly (The Harbinger) and drawn by Carmen Carnero (Miles Morales: Spider-Man). Both series will spin out of April's Captain America #0, which will be co-written by all three writers and drawn by Mattia de Iulis (Invisible Woman).

"What's interesting about Captain America #0 is that, unlike a lot of zero issues, we're not gonna spend a lot of time building the plot for both books or teasing out a bunch of amazing stuff," Lanzing told Entertainment Weekly. "The issue #1's are gonna do that. Issue #0 is effectively a conversation between Steve and Sam about what it means for both of them to be Captain America simultaneously. But that conversation isn't had in a room sitting down over beers, that conversation is had while flying/holding onto the side of a massive rocket heading into the sky to obliterate all of mankind because Arnim Zola is back and he's got a bad plan."

This marks the second time Sam has taken up the mantle of Captain America in the comics. He previously shouldered that burden in 2014's Captain America #25, stepping in after Steve Rogers had the Super-Soldier Serum drained from his body. Even after Steve regained his strength, the two heroes co-existed as Cap until the aftermath of 2017's Secret Empire crossover. Sam looks to be sticking to his old Captain America costume, but this time around he'll have his own vibranium shield. That won't be the only difference.

"We've seen Sam Wilson deal with the legacy of Captain America and race in very inward terms with regards to America: What does it mean for America to accept a Black Captain America?" Onyebuchi said. "One of the things I'm teasing in my book is, what does it mean for the rest of the world to accept a Black Captain America? That's another part of the equation. If Captain America is in many ways a mimesis of America, with all the good and bad pathologies, what does that mean for the way in which America interacts with the rest of the world?"

As for Steve, he'll have a personal struggle of his own to face, as his series reflects the growing social and political divides in the US.

"Steve is a member of the Greatest Generation. That's so important, especially now, because he's seen so much of the 20th century and he's really able to weigh it," Kelly said. "With our story, what we really wanted to start looking at was, how has America changed? What does it mean to be a patriot now? Because it means something very different, even in the last two or three years. We've seen a radical shift in our country and, especially for a lot of young people, a real fury and disappointment at what our country has started to do to itself. Cap can't turn his back on America, neither of the Caps can, because the idea is good. The core is good and worth fighting for, but both need to wrestle with what that means in the year of our Lord 2022."

Captain America #0 is scheduled for release on April 20, with Captain America: Symbol of Truth #1 following in May and Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty #1 in June.

It's not surprising to see Marvel Comics put Sam Wilson back in the red, white and blue costume considering recent developments in the MCU. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier showcased Sam coming to terms with his newfound responsibility, setting the stage for a fourth Captain America movie starring Anthony Mackie's hero.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

Critical Role's The Legend of Vox Machina has lined up some major guest stars for its first season, with David Tennant, Stephanie Beatriz, and Tony Hale all on board to lend their voices.

Tennant will bring to life General Krieg, while Beatriz voices Lady Kima, and Hale takes on Sir Fince in Prime Video's upcoming animated series, which is based on Critical Role's popular D&D web series. Other members of The Council of Emon include Felicia Day as the Captain of Emon, Khary Payton as Sovereign Uriel Tal'Dorei, and Indira Varma as Lady Allura Vysoren.

They will be joined by several other supporting players, including Dominic Monaghan as Archibald Desnay, Gina Torres as Keeper Yennen, Sunil Malhotra as Gilmore, Stephen Root as Professor Anders, Grey Griffin as Delilah Briarwood, Rory McCann as Duke Vedmire, Kelly Hu as Dr. Anna Ripley, and Darin De Paul as Kerrion Stonefell.

The guest stars for the first season will be rounded out by Anjali Bhimani as Head Cleric, Eugene Byrd as Jarrett, Esmé Creed-Miles as Cassandra de Rolo, Bobby Hall aka Logic as Palace Guard, Max Mittelman as Desmond, Mason Alexander Park as the Tavern Keeper, Stacey Raymond as Bryn, and Tracie Thoms as the Everlight.

The core cast of Critical Role players from the live-streamed TTRPG series will reprise their D&D characters for the animated show, with Laura Bailey, Taliesin Jaffe, Ashley Johnson, Liam O'Brien, Marisha Ray, Sam Riegel, and Travis Willingham returning to their roles alongside Matthew Mercer who will voice Sylas Briarwood and several minor characters.

The Legend of Vox Machina was originally intended to be an animated special, but the record-breaking Kickstarter fundraiser grew so large that the special also grew into an animated series, which was later picked up by Amazon. IGN previously spoke to some of the Critical Role cast about the Kickstarter's impressive success, and their excitement for the adaptation.

The first season of The Legend of Vox Machina will premiere on Prime Video on January 28, with batches of three episodes releasing every week, for four weeks. Amazon ordered two seasons of the animated series before the show had launched, meaning that a further 12 episodes will arrive at a later date to fulfil the second season.

Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

Critical Role's The Legend of Vox Machina has lined up some major guest stars for its first season, with David Tennant, Stephanie Beatriz, and Tony Hale all on board to lend their voices.

Tennant will bring to life General Krieg, while Beatriz voices Lady Kima, and Hale takes on Sir Fince in Prime Video's upcoming animated series, which is based on Critical Role's popular D&D web series. Other members of The Council of Emon include Felicia Day as the Captain of Emon, Khary Payton as Sovereign Uriel Tal'Dorei, and Indira Varma as Lady Allura Vysoren.

They will be joined by several other supporting players, including Dominic Monaghan as Archibald Desnay, Gina Torres as Keeper Yennen, Sunil Malhotra as Gilmore, Stephen Root as Professor Anders, Grey Griffin as Delilah Briarwood, Rory McCann as Duke Vedmire, Kelly Hu as Dr. Anna Ripley, and Darin De Paul as Kerrion Stonefell.

The guest stars for the first season will be rounded out by Anjali Bhimani as Head Cleric, Eugene Byrd as Jarrett, Esmé Creed-Miles as Cassandra de Rolo, Bobby Hall aka Logic as Palace Guard, Max Mittelman as Desmond, Mason Alexander Park as the Tavern Keeper, Stacey Raymond as Bryn, and Tracie Thoms as the Everlight.

The core cast of Critical Role players from the live-streamed TTRPG series will reprise their D&D characters for the animated show, with Laura Bailey, Taliesin Jaffe, Ashley Johnson, Liam O'Brien, Marisha Ray, Sam Riegel, and Travis Willingham returning to their roles alongside Matthew Mercer who will voice Sylas Briarwood and several minor characters.

The Legend of Vox Machina was originally intended to be an animated special, but the record-breaking Kickstarter fundraiser grew so large that the special also grew into an animated series, which was later picked up by Amazon. IGN previously spoke to some of the Critical Role cast about the Kickstarter's impressive success, and their excitement for the adaptation.

The first season of The Legend of Vox Machina will premiere on Prime Video on January 28, with batches of three episodes releasing every week, for four weeks. Amazon ordered two seasons of the animated series before the show had launched, meaning that a further 12 episodes will arrive at a later date to fulfil the second season.

Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

Nintendo has announced that The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask will be the next game to feature as part of Nintendo Switch Online's expansion pass service.

As detailed on Twitter, Nintendo has stated that Majora's Mask will be the next N64 game to launch on its premium online service.The game is set to launch in February, but a specific release date has not yet been given.

Save Termina before it’s met with a terrible fate!

The Legend of #Zelda: Majora's Mask comes to #NintendoSwitch for #NintendoSwitchOnline + Expansion Pack members in February! #Nintendo64 pic.twitter.com/WN2Q0Wqc8Q

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) January 21, 2022

Nintendo just recently launched this month's expansion pass title in the form of Banjo-Kazooie. The colorful platformer sees players take control of Banjo (a bear) and his loveable feathered friend Kazooie as they attempt to thwart the evil escapades of a witch named Gruntilda.

Majora's Mask isn't the first N64 Zelda game to have been ported over to the Switch Online Service. Last year, Nintendo added The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time to the collection, though the game suffered performance issues at launch. At the time, one player went as far as to claim that the game was actually worse than the one featured on the Wii U's virtual console. Hopefully, Majora's Mask will arrive in a more agreeable state.

For those who might not have played the N64 classic, Majora's Mask plays out differently from other games from within the franchise. In Majora's Mask, Link is tasked with saving the land of Termina and has just three days to do so before the moon comes plummeting down into the world. Darker thematically than other Zelda games, Mask initially launched for the N64 in the year 2000, where we awarded it a 9.9/10 review. A 3D remaster was subsequently launched for 3DS in 2015.

For more from the Nintendo Switch, make sure to check out this article detailing how Nintendo promised late last year to 'improve and expand' on its online service.

Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Nintendo has announced that The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask will be the next game to feature as part of Nintendo Switch Online's expansion pass service.

As detailed on Twitter, Nintendo has stated that Majora's Mask will be the next N64 game to launch on its premium online service.The game is set to launch in February, but a specific release date has not yet been given.

Save Termina before it’s met with a terrible fate!

The Legend of #Zelda: Majora's Mask comes to #NintendoSwitch for #NintendoSwitchOnline + Expansion Pack members in February! #Nintendo64 pic.twitter.com/WN2Q0Wqc8Q

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) January 21, 2022

Nintendo just recently launched this month's expansion pass title in the form of Banjo-Kazooie. The colorful platformer sees players take control of Banjo (a bear) and his loveable feathered friend Kazooie as they attempt to thwart the evil escapades of a witch named Gruntilda.

Majora's Mask isn't the first N64 Zelda game to have been ported over to the Switch Online Service. Last year, Nintendo added The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time to the collection, though the game suffered performance issues at launch. At the time, one player went as far as to claim that the game was actually worse than the one featured on the Wii U's virtual console. Hopefully, Majora's Mask will arrive in a more agreeable state.

For those who might not have played the N64 classic, Majora's Mask plays out differently from other games from within the franchise. In Majora's Mask, Link is tasked with saving the land of Termina and has just three days to do so before the moon comes plummeting down into the world. Darker thematically than other Zelda games, Mask initially launched for the N64 in the year 2000, where we awarded it a 9.9/10 review. A 3D remaster was subsequently launched for 3DS in 2015.

For more from the Nintendo Switch, make sure to check out this article detailing how Nintendo promised late last year to 'improve and expand' on its online service.

Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever continues to face setbacks just as filming for the sequel was set to resume. A COVID-19 outbreak on the set has caused yet another production pause for the Black Panther sequel.

THR reported the challenges of filming during the pandemic as a new COVID variant sweeps across the country. Among the productions affected is Black Panther 2 which just resumed production after Letitia Wright returned to the set after a stunt accident.

According to the report, several cast and crewmembers tested positive for COVID including Lupita Nyong’o, who is reprising her role as Nakia in the sequel.

The Marvel production is just one of several Hollywood productions affected by the post-holiday surge in coronavirus cases. It was recently reported that production on Star Trek: Picard was shut down after 50 people tested positive.

This is yet another blow to Black Panther which was just about to resume production after halting late last year. The reasoning was due to an on-set stunt accident that left Letitia Wright, who plays T’Challa’s younger sister Shuri, with a shoulder fracture and concussion.

The Black Panther 2 production team continued to film all the remaining scenes that didn’t require Wright but paused production once she was required back on set.

Despite the increase in outbreaks, sources say there’s not much hope in stricter vaccination rules on set. Hollywood productions have adopted a multi-tier system where members in the highest tiers, usually actors and those around them, have stricter safety requirements, those in lower tiers like postproduction do not and there are concerns that there could be outbreaks there that impact projects.

Regardless of the outbreak, Black Panther 2 is still set to be released in 2022 alongside other Marvel projects including Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness and Thor: Love and Thunder.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever continues to face setbacks just as filming for the sequel was set to resume. A COVID-19 outbreak on the set has caused yet another production pause for the Black Panther sequel.

THR reported the challenges of filming during the pandemic as a new COVID variant sweeps across the country. Among the productions affected is Black Panther 2 which just resumed production after Letitia Wright returned to the set after a stunt accident.

According to the report, several cast and crewmembers tested positive for COVID including Lupita Nyong’o, who is reprising her role as Nakia in the sequel.

The Marvel production is just one of several Hollywood productions affected by the post-holiday surge in coronavirus cases. It was recently reported that production on Star Trek: Picard was shut down after 50 people tested positive.

This is yet another blow to Black Panther which was just about to resume production after halting late last year. The reasoning was due to an on-set stunt accident that left Letitia Wright, who plays T’Challa’s younger sister Shuri, with a shoulder fracture and concussion.

The Black Panther 2 production team continued to film all the remaining scenes that didn’t require Wright but paused production once she was required back on set.

Despite the increase in outbreaks, sources say there’s not much hope in stricter vaccination rules on set. Hollywood productions have adopted a multi-tier system where members in the highest tiers, usually actors and those around them, have stricter safety requirements, those in lower tiers like postproduction do not and there are concerns that there could be outbreaks there that impact projects.

Regardless of the outbreak, Black Panther 2 is still set to be released in 2022 alongside other Marvel projects including Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness and Thor: Love and Thunder.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

The Squid Game universe has only has just begun, according to Netflix co-CEO and Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos.

Sarandos acknowledged today that Netflix's most popular series ever will be returning another season, confirming earlier remarks from series creator Hwang Dong-hyuk. According to Variety, the remarks came during Netflix's fourth quarter 2021 earnings interview, where Sarandos was asked about the show's future.

"Absolutely,” Sarandos said. "The Squid Game universe has just begun."

Squid Game was one of last year's breakout streaming hits and IGN's best television show of 2021, reaching a "mind-boggling" 214 million subscribers worldwide. It depicts a "candy-coated" battle royale in which 456 contestants are forced to play children's games for a large prize pool and their lives.

Hwang Dong-hyuk previously confirmed that Squid Game would be returning, and even said that talks are underway for a third season. He also said main character Seong Gi-hun will return.

"I will promise you this, Gi-hun will come back," Hwang said. "He will do something for the world."

Sarandos did not say when Squid Game Season 2 will premiere.