(My dear readers, you have permission to treat this rumor as hostile.)
Not two days after wild rumors started circulating that Angelina Jolie was looking to play Catwoman in Christopher Nolan’s third chapter of the Batman Begins series, comes an even wilder rumor from out of the UK that Warner Bros. execs have begun eying top-notch actors Johny Depp and Oscar-winner Philip Seymour Hoffman for the roles of The Riddler and The Penguin in the next Bat-flick
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DON’T DRINK THE KOOL-AID JUST YET. For every new rumor of which villains will be featured in the next Batman film, comes another statement from Dark Knight scribes Jonathan Nolan and David S. Goyer, saying that they are trying NOT to take the obvious route of throwing the second-most iconic villains from Batman’s rogue gallery into the next film. However, as Spider-Man 3 taught us all, when a franchise reaches a certain $tature, the studio’s wishes quickly begin to trump any creative desires. Don’t be surprised to see The Riddler, The Penguin, or both, show up in the final draft of the script.
However, we won’t really know anything until a script for BB3 is actually done. But that hasn’t stopped fan debates from raging 24/7. Personally, I don’t think Goyer and Nolan should be working too hard to try to pull out obscure villains and/or plotlines for the next installment. If Heath Ledger’s performance in The Dark Knight taught us anything, it’s that an actor at the top of his or her game is able to take what is iconic and totally redefine it. (And fanboys, really, is that not the essence of all the best comic books: re-definition of the status quo?)
Which villains do you think should make into BB3?
Source: Comic Book Movie
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460 Comments
Let’s not forget one thing: the sure way to destroy the success of TDK with a 3rd movie is to pick villains that no one but us geeks have heard of. Though I like many of them for their dangerous and dark qualities, villains like Hush and Azrael will leave the broader audience scratching their heads. So, at least one of the more popular villains have to play a role.
Sorry but I could not disagree more with you Mark. At this point Nolan’s batfilms are so popular that they could do an unknown Villian if they wanted. Lets not forgot that no matter how popular he is in the comics most other people never heard of Raas either. This new franchise stands on it’s own at this point and would do just fine with Villains that the average public doesn’t know. Do you really think that TDK can become the fastest movie to reach 400M and yet when the next film comes out millions of people will think “i’ve never heard of this guy… I’ll skip that movie” Everyone has heard of Batman and that’s what matters. Because of people thinking that way lots of great villains get left out and don’t get a chance to shine because they were not featured on what the 1960’s Tv Show?
Good read Mark, Crispen Glover would be another great choice for Riddler, and I could even see Jason Alexander as Penguin. (Alexander would really be a hoot). But yeah Penguin, shouldn’t be the main baddy.
One thing to keep in mind is that whoever the Villain will be , Nolan will bring out the best in whoever is cast.
Daniel, Nolan could write the Riddler to be very dark and sadistic, (think about Jigsaw’s puzzles and install that in a larger scale in Gothem )
Forget about the Adam West Riddler, as Heaths performance sure made us for get about Burtons Joker.
I had forgotten about Deadshot, nice one Sang.
I’m warming up to the idea of Azrael, since he did impersonate as Batman during when he was recovering from Bane’s vicious attack.
Oh well, one thing’s for sure, the franchise is in good hands with Nolan. It’s almost as much fun to speculate what he’ll do next as it will be to watch the third movie.
I just hope that they would pick a good villain for the next installment. I think that Johnny Deep would kick-ass as the Riddler because I think he is a lot like Jack Sparrow kinda loopy but I think that he could do it. Philip Seymour Hoffman could do it but not better that Danny DeVito. Angelina Jolie would also kick-ass as Catwoman.
I also think they should put a villain that Batman can actual have a fight scene with that is good. He did fight Raas but not the greatest ever. They need a villain that is a threat like Black Mask, Hush, or even Azrial.
It seems everyone is split on who they want to see as the next villain for the third installment.
But, I’m sure we can all agree…NO ROBIN, NO BATGIRL. As soon as these kiddies show up, the franchise will inevitably become campy.
I think Two Face should retreat to the sewers, where “leper-like outcast” Killer Croc resides. It could be very interesting to use Killer Croc in a more realistic way.
Catwoman could be a vigilante in Batman’s absence. Black Mask would be a good choice to include with Catwoman.
Deadshot was in Gotham Knights, as was Killer Croc, so it is possible that he may be included in the 3rd movie. He could assassinate the mayor and put the city back into chaos, for example.
Hush would need to have a lot of backstory, and The Riddler would be a good compliment to this. The Penguin could definitely be turned into a mob figure with a funny nose and odd mannerisms or funny walk. “The Penguin” could be an insult nickname that people call him behind his back, for example. It could be interesting.
Bane is too extreme.
Poison Ivy is too farfetched as well.
Mr. Freeze is forever poisoned.
correction: Gotham Knight
also, a prisoner on the boat in The Dark Knight has tattoos that resemble Black Mask, and he was rumored in the original drafting of the dark knight script… just saying…
The only Villians I actually want to see are.
Two Face Returning some how
Black Mask
David Cain
Deadshot
Clayface (I know Nolan could come up with something awesome that would work in his world.)
Bain
or Even MR. Freeze
Please do not Use
Mad Hatter
Ventriloquist
Catwoman
I could deal with Riddler, but I would prefer he not be done.
hmmm no answer yet to the origins of this Depp thing.
All the articles I read on the movie sites say its coming from the UK…what does that mean. Is the government sending out a press release, or is UK the initials from some scoop, lol.
Some dude up above had a great idea of how the riddler would be portrayed as a detective who becomes obsessed with the batmans identity and that would be perfect, and we should all agree that the joker has to be recasted, considering that the joker doesnt look like heath ledger at all it shouldnt be all that hard, the only hard part would be topping his performance, the penguin would have to take over the mob boss position, while the main baddy should be Azrial who did impersonate batman during his recovery, and lets not forget about the bats little impersonators in the beginning of TDK.
Daniel Day Lewis, I don’t care who the villian is……excluding only the obvious (Catwoman, & Penguin). Besides that, I don’t care who the villian is, it would not even matter if the villains name was actually Daniel Day Lewis. This man is so naturaly scarry and has amazing acting ranges. He would be one of a few short list of people that I believe could follow up and maybe (MAYBE) surpass Mr. Ledger’s performance! God i’m excited.
i like the idea of talia al ghul and as her body guard – bane
Does anybody remember a DC Comics Special Edition from the early to mid eighties where Batman fought a guy named the Wrath who wore a red costume that was very similar to Batman’s and was Batmans equal in intelligence, hand-to-hand combat and gadgets but was a hitman. He was like a Bizarro Batman or Spiderman’s Venom only he was his equal in every way to Batman…He would have killed Bats too if not for his girlfriend…it was a brutal battle where the only way Batman was going to be able to win was to kill him…
Anybody else ever read this?
Cheers
First, Angelina Jolie needs to stay away from this movie. Second, I sure hope that the execs leave the creativity to Nolan and his crew. Once they get involved the whole thing could fall flat.
The Penguin would work. He could be some mob boss named the Penguin. He doesnt have to be a exagerated or flamboyant. He can be a hard core mob boss like Brando in the God father. I feel like they need to keep up with the mob aspect. Hopefully, we find out Two Face isnt dead and he returns as a boss or an independent who hates both the mob and the cops.
I’ve heard all sorts of crazy rumors about future plans for Bats, and I’m willing to believe almost anything at this point. But it’s silly to speculate, really.
I believe that the Wrath would make a GREAT anti-Batman. Only problem is, he’s quite obscure (A C-lister in my opinion), and Nolan could definitely do him well, but he needs to be complemented with an A-list villain, like Riddler or Penguin.
Make Riddler in the fashion that Bradical Beal mentioned, or have the Penguin be a pissed-off British mob boss who is only called the Penguin behind his back.
Johnny Depp would be an alright Riddler, but I imagine David Tennant would be better. I’ve never watched Doctor Who (don’t hurt me), but I’ve heard absolutely phenomenal things about it, and it has to be good to be on for forty years. I only saw him in Harry Potter 4, and he seems pretty good.
Philip Seymour Hoffman is the only choice for a revised Penguin. I can’t think of anyone better.
OK…I just have to say this and get it out there, cause none of the comments I’ve taken the time to read have said it…Isn’t Johnny Depp too “Tim Burton” to be in a Christopher Nolan film? Yes, he’s an amazing actor and I love his films…but most, if not all, of his roles are based in fantasy and dream-like worlds. Christopher Nolan’s Batman is based in reality. Cold, hard, gripping reality. I don’t think Johnny Depp as the Riddler would keep with Nolan’s style. Depp should have been the Riddler back when Burton was directing (sorry Jim, but it’s true).
I personally think the rumor of Mr. Reese from TDK being the Riddler would be brilliant if true (get it? Mr. Reese = Mysteries). I wonder, however, if Robin would play a role in the next Batman movie…and who would play him. How would, or should, they introduce his character?
p.s. Whoever said Azrael could be in the third movie is a genious…cause it would be a good way to turn around Batman’s character from where he is left off at the end of TDK.
Anyone who thinks The Joker could just be re-cast for the next movie is delusional. Even if the actor cast is an amazing actor, Ledger obviously brought something personal to the role that touched us all mentally and emotionally when we watched the film. Re-casting would just be insulting & disappointing to all.
TwoFace needs to come back in the third movie…whether another villain really needs to be introduced? I really don’t think so.
Johnny Depp could ABSOLUTELY work as the Riddler. He starts as a special investigator brought in by GCPD to track the fugitive Batman, he’s a wiz with crossword puzzles and solving cases. But the greatest riddle of all, “Who is the Batman?” plagues him. He thinks he catches Batman at one point, but it’s just an imposter, or Batman eludes him. He’s disgraced. He snaps, obsessed with proving he is smarter than Batman he starts committing crimes, forcasting them through riddle, just for the purposes of proving he’s smart enough to get away with it. If you’ve seen Once Upon A Time In Mexico, you know Depp could pull that off.
I’d hate to see them bring back Two-Face. That would be a cop out and hurt the integrity of the series. Speculation aside, the guy should be dead at the end of TDK.
I think Azrael would indeed be a great villain. Personally I hope they take their time and do it right if they make a third film. This one is going to be very hard to top.
Vic
I don’t think Nolan is going to crap out on us and cast Hollywood types for the next movie. Most of the main actors aren’t from the U.S., which I think rocks but anyway…
it shouldn’t be to important to have a familiar villain in the next movie just looking back/ahead at all the other superhero movies for example iron man is going to use Mandarin and has used iron monger which neither is really famous and
Spiderman used Sandman which was crap but still a money making movie.
Sooooo Im gonna still wish for Hush(which needs the riddler anyway) but Azreal is a good second. However if they use Azreal they shouldnt stop at a 3rd movie.
Spark you make some good points and then you say iron man is going to use manderin,, what’s your point & source on that ?
And do you really think Nolan is going to go with Hush and Azreal, 2 villians the mainstream has NO idea who they are ?
790, it’s been made clear many times before that whether or not a villain is “mainstream” is pointless. Poison Ivy and Mr. Freeze are relatively mainstream villains but look how badly they got screwed up, then look at how awesome Ra’s al Ghul was in Batman Begins. PPnkof’s idea of having the Riddler starting out as a detective obsessed with capturing and unmasking Batman would make him a perfect behind-the-scenes character who manipulates Azrael into defeating Batman for him. Again, if the studio insists on making a sequel to Batman, Nolan’s best move would be to pair a grittier Riddler with Azrael. Again, the movie could be prefaced by an even cooler ARG based around the Riddler, and Azrael could provide the sort of intense action sequences that the series has been keeping under restraint, all the while maintaining the profound depth of story set by TDK.
If anyone else has a better idea as to who should play Azrael (preferably not an A-lister), I’d be interested.
since bruce wayne’s love interest is no longer around, i wouldn’t mind seeing selina kyle WITHOUT her being catwoman. she could be a villain to bruce wayne, not batman. without cat suits suits, crazy mystic stuff, 9 lives crap, you could then have another villain for batman, that would give bruce/batman problems on both sides of his character…
more villains means less character development. we still need to address bruce’s personal losses…
as far as batman is concerned, lets not forget these are the early years of batman, and a great story was the long halloween. i realize that this story is in part an origin story for two-face (which was already told) but its original, based more in the real world, and follows the “true crime” style of story telling of TDK.
as the backdrop, you would have the city believing the batman is behind the killings, with jim gordon starting to believe that batman has indeed gone too far and losing his faith in him…
heck, you could even keep the riddler sequence where he is spared by the holiday killer…lets not also forget the dark victory villain the hangman. imagine corrupt police officers who happen to be on the batman case being found dead and gordon thinking batman is suddenly going to far.
my point is simply this…one of the many reason’s TDK was so awesome was because it stood on its own as a great story. if you took away ALL the costumes and comic book aspects out if it you had nothing more than a DETECTIVE story of good vs. bad and a hero fallen.
keeping with the theme, the bad guys don’t need costumes or superpowers. they need intentions and behaviors.
in case i have to pick a costumed villain though, my choice is the Reaper form batman: year 2
Vic Holtreman I have to disagree I think it’s more insulting to the entire history of the comic, all the fans and the Character him self to leave Two Face dead. He was one of the all time greatest villains in comic history and to just kill him off 10 mins after creating him is insulting.
Daniel,
I meant within the context of the movie series, not the comic book.
Nothing worse than killing a character only to bring them back and say to the audience “Psyche! He wasn’t really dead.”
I flippin’ HATE that.
Vic
so i found some crazy pic (http://flickr.com/photos/26546166@N06/2689071548/)
Depp is about the same height, weight, and his face is structured about the same as heaths, so why not? Depp could mimick heaths performance like a mirror
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