I know we have speculated on this in the past, but it looks as if the Depp/Hoffman team up in the next installation of Chris Nolan's Batman has some weight to it. According to MTV's Splashpage, Michael Cain let slip a little tidbit concerning Johnny Depp as the Riddle and Phillip Seymour Hoffman as the Penguin. This rumor has been going around for awhile now, but never from the mouth of such an involved party. While both of these actors are impressive in their own rights, I'm curious to see how they would hold up in Nolan's gritty take on the Gotham universe. I've never been fond of the Riddler, but maybe we culd see him reborn as some kind of intelligent yet quirky serial killer type who enjoys leaving clues at the scenes of his brutal murders. I could also see Hoffman play a nasty, sweaty, child porno loving Penguin character. That would be a newer realistic take on the characters that I might be able to find a bit more threatening than their past iterations. I'm just spit balling here though, what does everyone think?
7 comments:
DeVito's Penguin was ridiculous with his webbed fingers and pear shape, but still pretty dark. Jim Carey was the worst thing that happened to both the Riddler and the Batman franchise. I agree- interesting to see how this plays out. Maybe Depp can channel Jagger for the Riddler?
i feel like depp would be great, but it would not be a new role for him. he has played this before in parts and really it would be a blend of sweeny todd, jack sparrow, willy wonka.
but PSH as the penguin would be a huge success. probably similar to ledger as the joker. he is so versatile as an actor that he goes from terrible cruel villan in MI:III to crazy eccentric as capote. i think what nolan is doing for the series is fantastic. making it very much more like the comics, darker, perverse, but maintaining an element of humanity within it all. landing PSH would definitely perpetuate all of these themes.
Brandon makes a good point. Depp is amazing, and I love him (like that), but Im not that interested in seeing him in this role. Keanu suggested Ralph Fiennes, which I though sounded awesome. And PSH, sounds lovely. Delicious.
Also, get this, Frank Miller apparently suggested Sly Stallone for a Bruce Wayne in a Dark Knight Returns movie! Im of the opinion that there is stupid and then there's stupid. Mickey Rourke as Marv, not stupid. Sly as Wayne, stupid.
I hate to sound like a broken record, but I have the same feelings as Brandon and Casey on this one. No doubt Depp could pull it off, but he would be hard pressed to make it a fresh character. Still, he does have those acting chops in there somewhere, we just haven't seen him flex them since the late 90s. And yes, I do think Fiennes would make a far superior Riddler. I'm thinking a well composed, well dressed, extremely intellectual Riddler that you're just as likely to see dining at a fine restaurant with some CEO execs as you are to see him sawing up victims with some invented torture device in his basement. Just a thought.
frank miller must be high. i say stick with what works, why not mickey rourke for an aged bruce wayne? liam neeson would have been good but he has been used already in this franchise. i would also make an argument for christopher lambert. and ralph fiennes would be a fantastic riddler or perhaps a christopher walken nod deserves to be made. i think either of these men would make it more dark.
YOU PEOPLE ARE CRAZY. Don't underestimate Johnny Depp. Just stop it. While the moods of the Willy Wonka and Sweeny Todd films were similar (in that Tim Burton way), the characters were very different.
Also, Lonnie, do you actually think Jim Carey was worse for the franchise than the entire George Clooney movie? Because that is a bold statement. A bold statement indeed.
So Casey and I had a brief discussion about Johnny Depp as the Riddler, and it gave me a few ideas about the whole thing. I think something really dark, analogous to Kevin Spacey in Seven, would be awesome for the Riddler. After watching Heath Ledger as the Joker, the bar for the Batman villans has been set pretty high. I would really like to see a darker version of the Riddler than the abomination we witnessed as Jim Carey. I also agree with Brandon on the PSH as the Penguin. I can definitely see him as a creepy villan that would make the film work just as the Dark Knight did. I guess the bottom line to my thoughts is that Nolan needs to keep the movies as similar to the graphic novel as possible. I hate to bash my favorite super hero of all time, but if Batman ends up looking like Superman Returns, then I will be surely disappointed and quite upset.
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