The Riddler is crossing the line between reality and fiction with a new secret website promoting Matt Reeves’ The Batman. While fans discovered the secret website at the beginning of the month, the page now features a game of riddles that rewards fans with some Gotham City Police Department sketches of Robert Pattinson’s Batman.
The Batman’s marketing campaign is centered around the mind challenges created by The Riddler (Paul Dano) while the villain tries to prove he’s superior to the Caped Crusader. So, as soon as some strange symbols showed up in promotional materials for The Batman, fans tried to decipher the code, hoping to find a clue to the movie’s plot. It turns out that the secret message spelled “You are el rata alada," or “You are the winged rat” in English. And you know what “You are el” sounds like? Well, “URL”, as in “website address.” That’s how fans can access a secret website registered under the domain “www.rataalada.com”, which contained only static and a big question mark — at least until yesterday.
As soon as Reeves released a new motion poster for the film, the secret website was updated with a game of riddles. The website simulates a direct conversation with the Riddler while fans try to find the answer to some clever question. Answering three questions generates a new link that leads to a set of sketch drawings of Batman made by the Gotham City Police Department. But perhaps the most exciting development is that The Riddler promises to come back at the end of the game, which means the website may be updated again before the film hits theaters next year.
The Batman's cast also includes Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman, an unrecognizable Colin Farrell as the Penguin, Andy Serkis as Wayne's butler Alfred Pennyworth, Jeffrey Wright as Commissioner Gordon, and John Turturro as Carmine Falcone. The story will take place in Year Two of Bruce Wayne being Batman, when the vigilante has already gained the trust of Gotham’s citizens but is still getting used to fighting supervillains. Warner Bros. is confident in The Batman’s success, as the company has already confirmed there are two spin-off series coming to HBO Max. The first will focus on Gotham City Police Department, while the second will explore Farrell’s incarnation of The Penguin.
The Batman hits theaters on March 4, 2022. Check out the film's official synopsis:
Two years of stalking the streets as the Batman, striking fear into the hearts of criminals, has led Bruce Wayne deep into the shadows of Gotham City. With only a few trusted allies — Alfred Pennyworth, Lt. James Gordon — amongst the city’s corrupt network of officials and high-profile figures, the lone vigilante has established himself as the sole embodiment of vengeance amongst his fellow citizens.
When a killer targets Gotham’s elite with a series of sadistic machinations, a trail of cryptic clues sends the World’s Greatest Detective on an investigation into the underworld, where he encounters such characters as Selina Kyle/aka Catwoman, Oswald Cobblepot/aka the Penguin, Carmine Falcone, and Edward Nashton/aka the Riddler. As the evidence begins to lead closer to home and the scale of the perpetrator’s plans becomes clear, Batman must forge new relationships, unmask the culprit, and bring justice to the abuse of power and corruption that has long plagued Gotham City.