Internet movie websites (yes, including The Movie Blog sometimes) are occasionally prone to jump all over wild unfounded rumors and start repeating them as facts. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a worse case of this than with anything regarding the new Batman Franchise.
Just 3 months ago it was flying all over the web that Johnny Depp And Philip Seymour Hoffman were joining the next Batman film as the Riddler and The Penguin respectively. Sounds like great casting doesn’t it? Yeah well… the only problem is that at that point Christopher Nolan hadn’t even signed on to do another Batman film, nor had he written one page of script for another movie let alone decided who the villains would be… never mind WHO would play those villains. You can see my original response to those rumors here.
Soon after those rumors got debunked, more rumors surfaced… then more… then more. Everything from Angelina Jolie being Catwoman to Anthony Hopkins replacing Michael Caine as Alfred. NONSENSE!!!
Look… don’t believe ANY Batman rumors you hear for at least 4 or 6 more months. Warner Bros president Alan Horn has come out in a recent interview and basically said there is NOTHING going on with the new Batman movie yet. NOTHING.
The folks over at Movieweb give us Horn’s words here:
“We’ve been talking to Chris Nolan and what we have to do is get him in the right place and have him tell us what he thinks the notion might be for a great story, but Chris did a great job and we’d love to have him come back and do another one.”
The site asked him if they would try to rush this film into production, and Horn said they were giving Nolan the time to develop the story.
“Yes. The story is everything and we are very respectful of Chris. We have a wonderful relationship with him and we are going to be respectful of his timing and we want to get it right. Also, I think the fans expect that – they want us to make a terrific movie – we have to give them another great movie.”
So if you see another big rumor online relating to the next Batman film… just ignore it.
I think Johnny Depp would do very well given the chance with the role of The Riddler. He would bring a new dark side to the criminals of Gotham. Nolan might be afraid that Depp would be just a cheap version of Heath Ledger, The Joker. Depp is a great actor. His creepy/funny side is second to none(Edward Scissorhands/Sweeney Todd/Jack Sparrow). He would take The Riddler role to the new level, just a Ledger did with The Joker.
Possible other villans/actors that would be awesome:
Catwoman- Angelina Jolie
Penguin- Phillip Seymour Hoffman
Poison Ivy- Milla Jovovich
Mr Freeze- Jason Statham
(none of these will probably happen but it’s fun to pretend)
THANK YOU for posting this…I’ve been telling my friend that the new Batman is nowhere near a casting stage, but because of the persistent rumors all over pop culture there’s no changing his mind. Although I think they would be amazing additions to the new Batman legacy.
It is great when producers realize that giving the director time to think of a script instead of rushing them is a great idea.
Catwoman fans: check out http://www.Catwoman-Resolution.com for a Jim Balent inspired purple and black latex catsuit!
My prediction. Mark my words, you heard it here FIRST. Chris Nolan will pass on directing another Batman movie, and FRANK MILLER WILL DIRECT THE NEXT BATMAN MOVIE AND BASE IT ON HIS “ALL STAR BATMAN & ROBIN” COMIC BOOK (which Nolan’s Dark Knight set up by ending it with Batman an outlaw, as he is in “All-Star”).
Most rumors have a slight basis in truth, such as the Jolie as Catwoman (started when someone asked fmr 60’s Catwoman Julie Newmar who would she endorse in the role-an opinion which has nothing to do with the third Nolan Batman) or if Talia Al Ghul would be involved (holdovert plotline/character from the ill fated JLA film) to a fan poll (recent Blockbuster promo)….or if some actors and directors have lunch together. For example, I figured out how the Depp as Riddler (false) rumor got started. Someone saw Depp and Bale hanging out together, and possibly Nolan met them for lunch. The rumor mill excludes the part where Depp and Bale are in fact doing a film together (Public Enemies) and that the film is directed by Michael Mann, whose 1995 film Heat had some inspiration on The Dark Knight.
I can understand rumors like those, because they all have a basis in polls, opinion or (incorrect) speculation.
But it seems in recent years, possibly due to the ‘net, that many wild and wacky rumors come about because either a) incorrect speculations that get spun out of control and belong more for the Nat’l Enquirer to figure out or b) someone wants to ‘scoop’ something that isn’t there.
Sadly, even that sort is no longer fun. It has to be something we can possibly believe. For example, today on IMDB/WENN, it was an update on the Riddler-Murphy-Sun story. Murphy denied ever being asked, knows next to nothing about it. Case closed…but WENN still reports that the next Bat-film is titled ‘Gotham’ and is planned to be out in 2010.
WE never bought the Murphy as Riddler story, but we would want to believe that a ‘planned’ target date and a tentative title is possible. It’s false, of course- but it’s wishful thinking, and possible. (Or there is a sad chance that the date and tentative title is falsely pushed out by a WB committee, who really want this thing wrapped up so they can go ahead with the evil plans for JLA Mortal)
Still, being the truly ridiculous, it takes the fun out of speculation. Remember when Spider-Man 3 was in development? That was *fun* wondering who was playing who, who might have been the fourth villain (there never was one- but it was clear how that got started, as early well guarded drafts had The Vulture-a role that was close to being cast until dropped for Venom)…but that was all for a film already being written/in active pre-production; not for a script that did not exist yet.
Now, if someone said ‘Riddler is not going to be in the next Batman; he appears in a movie based around Green Arrow’ could we buy it? Yes, although I think ‘Supermax’ (which Dave Goyer had a hand in) is dead. Why can’t crazy, unconfirmed, wild rumors have some actual substance to them where they “might” be true? When Nolan says ‘No Robin’ he means ‘No Robin’; when Goyer, who helps write the scripts to this point, suggests ‘untapped’ Bat foes and that can fit into the new Bat-film universe well are more priority (with the exception of Knight), I find it more refreshing and/or interesting.
But I don’t get it. The best (untrue) rumors are always those that have a speck of truth in them. And regardless of who you are or where you come from or shalt go, we *all* do our fan casting at one point or another.
good.
cher as catwoman is all the villiany we need for batman 3.
That sucks, I was looking foward to seeing Angelina Jolie as Catwoman and Eddie too, I’m beginning to dislike batman now.
@ audioout
https://www.themovieblog.com/2008/12/the-dark-knight-oscar-consideration-poster
and
https://www.themovieblog.com/2008/12/the-joker-wants-his-oscar
@ Matt
Well, click my name to go to my blog and you can find a rundown of the plot. The villains aren’t the focus of the film, Bruce Wayne is. They are only there to further the plot. They all have a purpose.
My only problem right now is I am barely using Gordon or Bullock… I need to work them into the plot better.
audioout
i like it, but it seems like there are too many villians
Levi, its Eddie murphy, not Bill murphy, haha.
Sorry for the huge post…
Okay, my pitch…
The story is about examining the way people can be manipulated and when is manipulation in the name of justice going too far? When is it considered corruption?
How is it about that?
Riddler uses people as if they were chess pieces.
Penguin uses people’s fears of Batman’s ideas of justice to get what he wants.
Deathstroke uses The League Of Shadows and their quest for justice for his own means.
Talia uses the eminent threat of The League Of Shadows to Gotham to get Batman to help her depose the current leader, Deathstroke.
Batman questions how far he is willing to go to manipulate an election to stop a corrupt politician (The Penguin as Oswald Cobblepott) and if that is even right for him to do.
My quick synopsis…
It’s been two years since the events of The Dark Knight. Gotham’s silent protector still stalks injustice even as the public grows to fear and loathe him. Mayor Garcia is up for reelection but his tolerance of the vigilante known as Batman and his support of Commissioner Jim Gordon, who has failed to show effort in Batman’s capture, has made his campaign vulnerable to defeat. An aristocrat citizen of Gotham by the name of Oswald Cobblepot is making a strong push to replace the embattled mayor running on an anti-Batman campaign.
Stars will be:
Edward Nigma (aka The Riddler)- Casey Affleck
Oswald Cobblebpot (The Penguin)- Leonardo DiCaprio (I’m not crazy, I don’t want fat Penguin)
Talia Al Ghul- Paz Vega
Harvey Bullock- Mickey Rourke
Slade (aka Deathstroke)- Sean Bean
Couple of key scenes…
The intro to the film will feature Batman tracking down and apprehending The Mad Hatter (played by David Tennant).
The Riddler uses a canister of fear toxin on the Gotham Stock Exchange, but for what purposes?
Deathstroke and Batman battle on a plane headed to Gotham City with an old Russian nuke on board. Also, Batman will have his Bat Wing…
Deathstroke and Batman (as Bruce Wayne) will also have a tournament style (think Bloodsport) battle for control of The League Of Shadows.
Riddler will take control of Wayne Tower (think Die Hard).
I actually am hoping to get the attention of someone that would be interested in my ideas for the next film… a guy can dream, right?
If you like this, let me know.
@Sean Dailey
I don’t remember The Movie Blog ever doing that.
maybe stop posting obviously fan-made posters as official then?
Dirty Rumours!!!
john i think everyono knows these rumors are all bullshit but thanks for reassuring us
I know nothing is true right now and it kind of bothers me how all these rumors are making the rounds, Of course this time it’s like a running joke because we know (think we know?) that Nolan has not officially signed onto a 3rd Batman movie and he’s still bumping around ideas.
It’s funny you just wrote this John… today at my job everybody was going off on the bill murphey and johnny depp rumors for the riddler. I kept on telling them that their all lies.