The Dark Knight Rises

[MacGuffin]

Who Is Batman's Next Foe?

As the Internet rumor mill heats up about a possible foe for the next Batman film, writer David S. Goyer (who got a story credit for The Dark Knight) told SCI FI Wire that it's possible the villain may not even be one you've ever heard of.

"There's no reason why we necessarily have to use the same three or four that are still around," Goyer said in an interview at Comic-Con International in San Diego last month. "I mean, Batman's got a wide variety, [a] rogues' gallery. Certainly we used two in the first movie that hadn't been in the films before."

Goyer, who wrote the script for Batman Begins with director Christopher Nolan, was referring to Ra's al Ghul (Ken Watanabe and Liam Neeson) and Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy).

The Dark Knight, written by Nolan and his brother, Jonathan Nolan, features Batman's most famous enemy, the Joker (played memorably by the late Heath Ledger), and a second well-known nemesis, Harvey Two-Face (Aaron Eckhart).

And Goyer's comments come as Web sites speculate on which well-known villain (The Riddler? The Penguin? Catwoman?) and which actor (Johnny Depp? Philip Seymour Hoffman? Angelina Jolie?) would play him/her in an inevitable third film in the most recent incarnation of the Batman saga.

But there are plenty of others: Villains that Batman has faced in the DC Comics alone include such familiar and obscure names as Anarky, Bane, Batzarro, Black Mask, Blockbuster, Calendar Man, Catman, Clayface, Cluemaster, Deadshot, Firefly, Hush, Killer Croc, Killer Moth, the Mad Hatter, Man-Bat, Maxie Zeus, Mr. Freeze, Mr. Zsasz, Poison Ivy, Hugo Strange, Tweedledum and Tweedledee, Ventriloquist and Scarface, according to Wikipedia.

No decision has been made yet on whether to move forward with a third Batman movie, though it's likely one will come together eventually. "It's really up to Chris to decide, and he has not decided whether or not he wants to go back to the well again," Goyer said. "And if he does, I, you know, would be honored to work with him."

[Pwaybloe]

Going with a villain not well known (or even unknown) is a better idea.  Those villains listed are more in the supernatural realm, which I think would be counterproductive to the other two films' "realness". 

Dark Knight was pretty good, but I would rather see Nolan move on to another movie for now.  He made an excellent one ("The Prestige") in between the Batman movies. 

[squints]

Catman

There's a catman? I wasn't aware of this. Catman?!

How bout dogwoman.

[El Duderino]

Batman vs. Man-Bat.

I'd pay.

[picolas]

(fake)

[Kal]

Yeah probably fake. But looks pretty good!

[Gold Trumpet]

Depp & Hoffman In For Next "Batman"?
By Garth Franklin
Monday, September 8th 2008 11:11am


While Chris Nolan is still on break and hasn't begun considering a third "Batman" flick, Warner Bros. Pictures execs may have already got the next film's villains and who they want to play them in mind it would seem.

Talking with MTV News, Michael Caine revealed that he not only heard the rumors of the various villain casting choices for the next film floating throughout the media, but that he brought up the topic with a Warner executive who seems to have confirmed that some of them were right.

Caine says "When Christopher [Nolan] said we were going to do 'The Dark Knight' next, I didn't what that meant in Batman terms. I said, 'What's the story?' and he said The Joker. I said, 'Oh, s–t! How are you going to top Jack [Nicholson]?' He said, 'Well, I've cast Heath Ledger. And I went 'Ha! I couldn't top Jack, but if anyone could, maybe Heath could.' And he did."

He then added "I was with [a Warner Bros.] executive and I said, 'Are we going to make another one?' They said yeah. I said, 'How the hell are we going to top Heath? And he says 'I'll tell you how you top Heath — Johnny Depp as The Riddler and Philip Seymour Hoffman as The Penguin.' I said, 'S–t, they've done it again!."

Hoffman's name as a British or Russian arms dealer version of 'The Penguin' first floated around in 2006, right after "Batman Begins" but before the villains of "The Dark Knight" were set. Depp's link to 'The Riddler' is more recent but the most talked about of the rumors and Depp himself recently said he'd be open to considering the opportunity.

Of course all of this remains up in the air and depends upon the whim of Christopher Nolan who'll decide whether he wants to do the project and which villains and actors will be involved.

[Alexandro]

That Hoffman shit is inspired.

[OrHowILearnedTo]

'Oh, s–t! How are you going to top Jack [Nicholson]?'

knowing that Michael Caine says 'Oh Shit!' pleases me.

[Fernando]

That Hoffman shit is inspired.

Is it really? Not that he wouldn't play it great but to me it seems like the obvious choice, well Dustin would be too, Heath's was inspired because nobody saw it coming.

I guess inspired for me would be to choose an actor that doesn't seem obvious or a not so known villian like harley quinn and cast Jena Malone, Evan Rachel Wood or somebody like that.


BTW, I saw it for the third time this weekend in a non imax screen and damn, it's like day and night, guess I really saw it only two times.

[Stefen]

Yup. I think Hoffman and Depp are both predictable as fuck. I want someone you didn't see coming with casting I hate until a year later when I see where their actually going with the role. Then I love them.

[Gold Trumpet]

Depp is somewhat predictable, but I still think Hoffmann is inspired casting. It was considered as such when the idea was first proposed in 2006. At the time Hoffmann hadn't yet even ventured into action films so it was a completely new idea of how to picture him. I just think we had a few years to digest that idea as the recommendable choice so it doesn't seem so new, but it's still the best and most inspired choice.

[SiliasRuby]

It was considered as such when the idea was first proposed in 2006. At the time Hoffmann hadn't yet even ventured into action films so it was a completely new idea of how to picture him.

Was the idea proposed before or after he starred in the action movie, 'Mission Impossible 3'?

[Gold Trumpet]

It was considered as such when the idea was first proposed in 2006. At the time Hoffmann hadn't yet even ventured into action films so it was a completely new idea of how to picture him.

Was the idea proposed before or after he starred in the action movie, 'Mission Impossible 3'?

I believe before. He had already been cast in MI3 but it hadn't been released yet.

[Kal]

Hoffman denied any conversations about this and said he is a big fan of Batman movies but has no interest in playing a character... its all rumors.