The Batman: Someone has already cracked Riddler's coded message from the first trailer

It's been less than two days since Warner Bros. dropped the first teaser for Matt Reeves' The Batman, and one astute fan has already cracked the Riddler's coded message seen at the 44-second mark. Using detective skills that would make Bruce Wayne (or Robert Langdon) proud, Andrew Lane was able to decipher the seemingly nonsencial symbols scribbled in a sinister greeting card left behind for Robert Pattinson's Caped Crusader. "So hyped for Matt Reeve’s Batman Movie, I decided to solve The Riddler’s code. #TheBatman," Lane wrote on Twitter.

"I’ve always been a huge fan of Batman and his stories," he exclusively tells SYFY WIRE. "Naturally, I was very excited during the trailer reveal. I also have an interest in forensic investigations and true crime. I decided to kill some time and try to break the code. It all really came down to wanting to challenge myself and wanting to engage in two interests of mine."

He adds: "I don’t do any kind of code breaking professionally. It was a hobby I picked up about a year ago when I did some reading and researching on the Zodiac Killer." This connection is entirely fitting because we immediately felt a David Fincher vibe from The Batman trailer. As you'll recall, it was Fincher who made a movie about the infamous Bay Area serial killer in 2007.

Per Andrew's method, the once inscrutable pictographs translate into a rather corny punchline to the English-language riddle written on the card's opposite side: "What does a liar do when dead?" The answer? "He lies still." Those three words have a double meaning because for some reason, Riddler (played by Paul Dano) is fed up with lies, especially those being propagated by the Dark Knight.

Since posting the solution, Lane has seen his tweet go viral, netting over 1,000 shares and more than 5,000 likes. That number is sure to rise, particularly if Reeves shares it (which he definitely should!)

"I actually never expected my tweet to blow up," Lane says. "I spent about 40 minutes solving the code while my roommate watched. He actually gave me the idea and convinced me to post my work and solution. I’m beyond grateful to see all of these people enjoying my post and congratulating me on solving it."

When asked how he was able to work out the message, he detailed his process in a series of subtweets. It's a tad complicated, so we'll just let Andrew explain it in his own words...

Riddler is just one of the baddies who will roam the streets of Gotham in Reeves' take on the Batman mythos. Penguin (Colin Farrell), Catwoman (Zoë Kravitz), and Carmine Falcone (John Turturro) are also a part of the screenplay co-written by the director and Mattson Tomnlin (Project Power).

"I’m honestly excited for the whole film," Lane concludes. "I’m most excited to see Robert Pattinson’s take on Batman. I’ve really enjoyed his recent works, such as Good Times and The Lighthouse. I can’t wait to see his take on the Caped Crusader."

The Batman is currently slated to hit theaters Oct. 2, 2021. Production on the film was forced to stall in March amid the growing COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, only 25 percent of the script has been shot so far. The studio plans to restart the U.K.-based shoot in September. In the meantime, occupy yourself by checking out SYFY WIRE's in-depth breakdown of the first trailer right here.