With buzz building about the possibility that the new Batman-Superman movie will shoot in Detroit next year, longtime Eminem manager Paul Rosenberg was asked Monday whether his celebrated client might be involved in the film.
“There’s no Eminem in the ‘Man of Steel 2’ movie that I’m aware of,” Rosenberg told the Free Press, “although I’ve always thought he’d be a perfect Riddler.”
Eminem hasn’t starred in a feature film since the Detroit-made “8 Mile” was released in 2002. Director Neill Blomkamp told Wired magazine in July that he offered Em the lead role in his current sci-fi thriller “Elysium” but said the rapper passed on the film because it wasn’t shooting in Detroit.
Warner Bros. announced Thursday that actor Ben Affleck would play Batman in the upcoming “Man of Steel” sequel. Late last week, a source with knowledge about Michigan’s film incentive program said Warner Bros. would soon announce Detroit as a shooting location for the movie, due out in 2015. Ann Arbor native David S. Goyer is writing the script.
The Riddler, a well-known and cunning Batman antagonist, is a character who is obsessed with riddles, puzzles and word games. Actor Jim Carrey played the flamboyant bad guy in 1995’s “Batman Forever.”
Eminem is known to be a fan of comics and has a collection of comic books that has been described as “otherworldly.” He refers to himself and longtime producer Dr. Dre as “Batman and Robin” on the track “Business,” which appears on his “Eminem Show” disc. Another track on the CD is titled “Superman.”
“Em is a huge old-school comic book fan, obviously,” Rosenberg said. “There’s references all over his music.”
