The co-writer for the upcoming movie The Batman Part II, Mattson Tomlin, has strongly defended actor Paul Dano following harsh criticism from acclaimed director Quentin Tarantino.Tomlin publicly praised Dano, whom he worked with on the first The Batman film (where Dano played The Riddler), calling him a "terrific actor" and an "astonishing director." In a post made on his X (formerly Twitter) on December 3, 2025, he wrote:This wave of support came after Tarantino's comments went viral. While discussing his favorite movies of the 21st century, Tarantino singled out Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood. He said the film could have been his number one pick if it wasn't for one "big, giant flaw," which he identified as Paul Dano.Paul Dano defended by The Batman Part II co-writer after Tarantino slammed himPaul Dano at The 82nd Venice International Film Festival (Image via Getty)In his recent appearance on an episode of The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast, Quentin Tarantino said that he really loves the movie overall, but he felt that Paul Dano’s acting performance was so bad that it kept the film from being his absolute favorite. The Once Upon a Time in Hollywood director claimed that there's a:“big, giant flaw in it… and the flaw is Paul Dano.”He further added:“Obviously, it’s supposed to be a two-hander. But it’s also drastically obvious that it’s not a two-hander. [Dano] is weak sauce, man. He is the weak sister. [Daniel] is eating him [alive]. Austin Butler would have been wonderful in that role. He’s just such a weak, weak, uninteresting guy.”The Django Unchained director wasn't just critical of Paul Dano's performance in There Will Be Blood; he argued that the imbalance between the two main actors fundamentally damaged the movie's structure. He added:“Daniel Day-Lewis shows that he doesn’t need a strong foil. The movie needs it. He doesn’t need anything. It’s supposed to be a two-hander and it’s not! … you put him with the the weakest fucking actor in SAG? The limpest dick in the world?”Following these comments, The Batman Part II co-writer Tomlin stepped up for the Spaceman fame and encouraged fans to support the actor and check out his directorial work, making it clear that the feeling in the Batman camp is one of respect for Dano's talent.Dano is widely known for playing smart, often intense characters in major movies. One if his major role was that of the silent, moody teenager Dwayne in the hit comedy film Little Miss Sunshine (2006).He is also famous for his Oscar-nominated work in There Will Be Blood (2007), where he played the twin brothers Paul and Eli Sunday. More recently, he gained attention for his terrifying, modern take on the villain The Riddler in Matt Reeves The Batman (2022).Stay tuned for more updates.