Thursday
Sep042008
Thursday, September 4, 2008 at 8:24AM Guy Pearce as a Batman Villain? Count Me In
About six weeks ago, we asked the obvious question of
the moment: "Where should Batman go after
The Dark Knight?" Specifically, we wondered
who the next villain(s) should be. I felt that Two-Face
had first right of refusal, but
Aaron Eckhart has said
that won't be happening.
I then said that
Christopher Nolan should keep it simple, with
one villain, or two at the most (with the second not being a supervillain). My
choices are Black Mask - kind of an anti-Bruce Wayne in a lot of ways - and
Harley Quinn. The Harley angle makes sense since you want to keep the Joker
involved although he clearly can't be in the next movie, and Black Mask is just
a perfect fit for the types of movies Nolan is doing. He was actually an
original villain in The Dark Knight, back before they decided to go with
The Joker.
Anyway, those were my choices. We got literally hundreds
of suggestions. Somewhere in the middle of all that, a reader suggested, amidst
all the talk of
Angelina as Catwoman and
Johnny Depp as The Riddler, that
Guy Pearce should play the next villain. And
since that recommendation, I really haven't heard a better choice, not even Depp.
Johnny has become almost too mainstream, and despite how
great he is, I dunno...it just feels like that pick is going overboard at this
point. The same goes for Angelina as Catwoman. Of course, I'm far from convinced
that those characters will be in the third movie.
But MTV, perhaps realizing that Guy Pearce and
Christopher Nolan share some history (a little movie called Memento),
asked the actor about playing The Riddler.
"I'd love to work with Chris again," he said. "There hasn't been any
discussion, we'll have to wait and see. I have a lot of reluctance [to playing a superhero or villain], but doing it with someone
like Chris Nolan would certainly make it appealing."
That's the answer I'd expect from Pearce, who would be a
better Black Mask than a Riddler, in case you were wondering. I think Pearce has
more than earned this kind of shot, and I believe he'd absolutely kill it.
And while I have to commend MTV for prying Pearce open
for that one, I have to shake my head at their absolute inaccuracy as it relates
to the third film.
"Fans have unanimously agreed that The Riddler would be the perfect character to work into The Dark Knight sequel. Depp has already admitted that he would love the chance to step into the role, but now that Pearce has thrown his name into the hat, it should make for a very interesting new film."Uh...what? Fans have unanimously agreed? Every single one of them wants The Riddler? That's odd. We got far less homogeneity here. Certainly, it wasn't "unanimous." Also, Depp never admitted he wanted to play the part. Here's what he said over the weekend: "It seems like it'd be a fun gig for a while, yeah." Not exactly begging for the part, is he? Finally, did MTV bother to read their own story? Pearce didn't throw his hat into the ring. He was asked about being a Batman villain and if anything, sounded reluctant, perhaps because he used the phrase, "I have a lot of reluctance." So let's recalibrate the Batvillain Finder: The only people who have said they'd "love" to be in the third movie are Brian Austin Green and Milo Ventimiglia. Johnny Depp hasn't been asked, and neither has Angelina. Hell, Christopher Nolan hasn't even signed up for the film yet! This casting session is far from over.
Reader Comments (21)
Mr. Nolan will sign on when he is ready, and if were lucky we will have some idea of the script by Christmas.
I have a problem with fans insisting that The Riddler and Catwoman HAVE to be in the sequel. Remember when Vemon HAD to be in Spider-Man 3? I feel like Joker and Two-Face were expections, and I'm all for a villian that hasn't been used yet (must Depp and Jolie be suggested for everything? It's getting tiresome).
But since we are speculating, I have hoped Guy Pearce would find his way into the films since Nolan was first announced director. And I have to second Black Mask--not only would he fit in well with Nolan's world, but he is one nasty son-of-a-bitch.
One more vote for Guy Pearce.
No Riddler please ! A Riddler would just be like a miniature Joker. Why can't some guys just admit it? No Mad Hatter. No penguin. They are far fetched. No love interest for Batman. So perhaps maybe Selina Kyle could be but neither Catwoman nor Talia Al-Ghul PLEASE. Although everybody fully trusts Nolan to handle any character and make justice to it, I still think if any can fit block-to-block in the Nolan's universe and give Batman the competition, it HAS to be BLACK MASK and no one else. He is bad and interesting enough in the comics and far menacing and real serious and no jokes. Guy Pearce or whoever plays it, Nolan will surely manage it and Nolan will be the first guy to destroy the Superhero-Part-3-Failure-Syndrome. But there's a catch: Nolan has to sign up for the third installation first. And, yes... Could a secondary but not a main villian like Bane be possible just to break Batman's back?
I'm pretty sure Nolan won't cave to anonymous unanimous clatter. I'd let him go whatever direction he wants to go and just enjoy the ride. Guy Pearce? Aweomse. He is a truly skilled actor. If I had a say he'd definately be one of my first picks...right after Michael Emerson...
Sarah Palin IS Harley Quinn in...
wouldn't it be nice if the Bats franchise invented a new villain? The Shoemacher movies proved that once you dip into the secondary tier, you're on the fast track to camp city. I don't want to see The Penguin, Mr Freeze, The Riddler or any of the rest of them. Anyway, with the death of Maggie, the series is set up for a new, strong, female presence in the series--if not Catwoman (more camp), someone more interesting
Philip Seymour Hoffman I believe would make an excellent penguin.
the next villains for me are black mask and calender man.