Hollyscoop reports that Johnny Depp will reportedly play The Riddler in the Batman sequel...and Philip Seymour Hoffman will play the Penguin.
What, no love for Patton Oswalt?
Of course, the first and best Riddler will always be Mr. Frank Gorshin:
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Johnny Depp To Play Riddler In Batman Sequel?
Hollyscoop reports that Johnny Depp will reportedly play The Riddler in the Batman sequel...and Philip Seymour Hoffman will play the Penguin.
What, no love for Patton Oswalt?
Of course, the first and best Riddler will always be Mr. Frank Gorshin:
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If it pans out, the choice of bad guys and actors sounds good. Both Riddler and Penguin would be easy to update and make realistic.
ReplyDeleteFrank Gorshin was good. I remember that laugh which always seemed a bit spookier than the Joker's.
If this comes to pass, those are great actors for those roles.
ReplyDeletePatton Oswalt would make a great Penguin, though.
Maybe it's just a function of imprinting, but Gorshin, Meredith, Kitt/Newmar/the other one, and yes, still, Romero, are pretty much definitive for my Bat villains.
ReplyDeleteThat show really had it going on, and on so many fronts.
But I hear this Depp kid may have some charisma. He was alright on Jump Street.
I read somewhere that David Tennant was being considered.
ReplyDeleteTo which I can only say, oh Jesus, god, yes PLEASE.
ben from lost should play the riddler
ReplyDeleteAm I the only one who thinks that Johnny Depp is a mediocre talent? There's a pervasive attitude that anything he touches is fantastic just by virtue of his involvement. He's really just an average actor who's very good looking.
ReplyDeleteThis will just be Jack Sparrow in a green suit.
"ben from lost should play the riddler"
ReplyDeleteYES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
yes, please.
Riddler? I dunno...
ReplyDeleteNow the Penguin as the capo of the 'freak' family in Gotham would be logical and interesting.
Hope they keep it grounded and bring back Two - Face.
There is something to the idea of trapping Batman in Arkham and introducing all these bad guys at once in a prison riot.
Although origins were the best part of the last two flicks and you'd be skipping over all of them with that set up.
I'm one of the vast legions of Depp enthusiasts (and most of my students are, too) but I think he's wrong for this part simply because his name value is too great. That's one thing that sunk the last Batman flick franchise- stunt casting.
ReplyDeleteBut amen forever on the Gorshin love. And yeah, Patton Oswalt for Cobblepot.
I really hope this isn't true. Johnny Depp would make a horrible Riddler.
ReplyDeleteI have trouble seeing Depp as the Riddler, at least in anything close to the Gorshin version.
ReplyDeleteBut since he's known for creating quirky characters, I could see him creating a Riddler closer to the Timmverse Batman:TAS version.
Hoffman as the Penguin could definitely work.
Sigh.
ReplyDeleteSounds like the new Bat-movies are going to be suffering from Supeheromovieitis. That's when the idiots making a superhero flick can't figure out that it's perfectly acceptable to have a single villain per movie.
Hell, The Dark Knight would have been a better film if they'd left Harvey in the hospital (or had him disappear from the hospital) and then brought him back as Two Face for the next go 'round.
If you haven't heard this before, it only reinforces Gorshin's greatness: http://www.recordgeek.com/MP3s/Frank%20Gorshin-The%20Riddler.mp3
ReplyDeleteYeah, I want the guy from Lost in there....he'd make more sense. Hell, Ben from Lost as The Mad Hatter.
ReplyDeleteIf they're going to introduce the Penguin as the capo of the freakshow, I'm more inclined to buy Hoffman in the role. You need someone who comes off as an older, more experienced 'legit' businessman.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the Riddler, I've long thought the Nolan series should introduce him in his most recent incarnation -- former career criminal now making a spectacle of himself as a private investigator. And for that interpretation, I'm more likely to trust Patton Oswalt than J. Depp.
I met Frank Gorshin about ten years ago. I think the man was a genius, and he will always be the best Riddler in my book. It doesn't matter the era or the campiness of the show. Gorshin's Riddler was *not* camp -- he was dangerous. He was damn serious. When he talked about killing Batman, he was not playing around.
ReplyDelete"That's when the idiots making a superhero flick can't figure out that it's perfectly acceptable to have a single villain per movie."
ReplyDeleteI do hate that. It demonstrates to me that Hollywood still doesn't have enough faith in superhero movies -- the thought that they need two villains played by big-name stars to carry the movie.
Yeesh. I feel like that Penguin rumor's got mold growing on it at this point.
ReplyDeleteWhile I wouldn't be averse to a Depp Riddler, I think Catwoman's a shoe-in for the next Nolan Batfilm. In my head, it's down to her, Hugo Strange and/or maybe Black Mask.
Agreed, Kelson. Edward Scissorhands, Jack Sparrow, Willy Wonka, Ed Wood... the man has got serious acting chops.
ReplyDeleteI'm picturing Ed Wood in a green suit.
ReplyDeletei too have heard that david tennant wants to play the riddler.
ReplyDeleteand i think that would be brilliant.
depp would work though, he's a great actor. the doctor fanboy in me just wants to see david tennant in the roll though.
and hoffman as the penguin just sounds funny.
a little bit of odd and haha.
I agree with KD Bryan. I think it will be Catwoman as a romantic interest/antagonist and some other maybe Black Mask to continue the mob theme.
ReplyDeleteA co-worker of mine had a cool idea though. Make the whole movie an origins story for Robin and then kill him at the end.
I've always felt that while Gorshin is a great Riddler, the current series needs a Riddler who is more... controlled. Calculating. Maybe someone planning a string of situations, one step ahead of Batman, each crime bigger and with larger fatalities...
ReplyDeleteJohnny Depp? Maybe. I would cast Sir Anthony Hopkins.
Now, even if it requires a sacrifice or curse, I would like to see Depp recast in "Good Omens" with Robin Williams.
The Penguin? Fah. No drama there.
And Catwoman would be a nice twist on the Duty vs Love theme we saw in the last movie. AND it would pull in the young female audience, if cast and written well.
Personally, I think having more than one villain in a superhero movie is a bad idea. Not enough time to explore the character. Look at Two-Face. Look at Bane and the Fluoronic Man.