'Batman 3' Rumors: The Greatest Hits Collection

Sunday

18Oct2009

'Batman 3' Rumors: The Greatest Hits Collection

Sunday, October 18, 2009 at 4:46PM

Before we go forward here, let's lay the foundation: There's nothing happening on the third Batman movie right now. Christopher Nolan and his team haven't written the script, the title hasn't been announced, the release date hasn't been set, we don't know who the villain(s) will be, and nobody has been cast in any of those roles.

However, because The Dark Knight was the biggest movie in a decade and we know another one is coming eventually, it's human nature to get caught up in the rumors surrounding one of the most anticipated sequels ever. And there have been plenty of rumors to occupy our time over the past year-plus. So here's a collection of some of the best and worst.

Johnny Depp as The Riddler

One of the first rumors to crop up and one of the most persistent. Michael Caine lent creedence to it last year saying he had heard Warner Bros. really wanted Depp for the role. When he was asked about it, Depp said he'd give it serious thought if it came up. But it hasn't come up. There's no indication either way that The Riddler will even be involved. In fact, Caine corrected himself within the past month saying more or less the same thing.

Angelina Jolie as Catwoman

Like the Depp rumor, this one seems like a natural fit. I know some people loathe Jolie for various reasons, but the bottom line is she's freaky enough and sexy enough to play the part, she's a good enough actress to fit seamlessly in Nolan's Gotham City, and she's the best actress possible to pull off the action scenes. This rumor has Jolie chasing the role rather than the studio coming to her, but an appearance by Catwoman in the next Batman movie is, in my opinion, more unlikely than The Riddler.

However, the more recent whispers that Rachel Weisz might be on the studio's radar for the role is equally interesting and probably more in line with what Nolan would want out of Catwoman, if he wants Catwoman at all.

The New Movie Will Be Called The Dark Knight Returns

I don't know exactly where this one came from. The title is rooted in the 1986 Frank Miller comic series, but it's not too likely that Nolan would look to any of these stories for what would probably be his last Batman flick. If they were going to do the Frank Miller stuff at some point, I would think that's either a standalone movie or a new series of films.

In any event, we premiered one of the first fake Dark Knight Returns posters back in mid-August of 2008. Now it's generally accepted that it will be the title of the next film, but there's been no concrete information about that.

Philip Seymour Hoffman as The Penguin

Third verse, same as the first.

More Two-Face

Aaron Eckhart said in an interview last year that as far as he was concerned, Two-Face died in The Dark Knight, and that was enough finality for him. "He is dead as a door nail," said Eckhart. "I'm not coming back. I think unfortunately, Heath [Ledger] was supposed to go on and that didn't work out."

The Next Movie Will Be Released in 2011

It's not unlikely that Christopher Nolan will start putting some hours in on Batman by the end of the year, just to give himself a break between production and post-production for Inception. It probably won't be a great deal of work, maybe just a few story meetings with his brother Jonah and David Goyer. I'm sure there are some things they've already ruled out just in the formation of this franchise as a trilogy.

But there won't be a full script this year, and it's probably safe to assume that's at least a year away. And this big if depends on Nolan doing anything this fall. If he doesn't, then the process wouldn't start until after Labor Day next year, well after the release of Inception. No matter what, it couldn't possibly go into production until early 2011.

Plus, Warner Bros. has been given that third Friday in July to Batman/Nolan and Harry Potter from 2008 to 2011, when the final Potter movie opens. There's no way the studio is shifting that date in two years and there's no way it won't open Batman on the same date later. Like 2012.

Eddie Murphy and Cher

A stupid tabolid page-filler had Murphy connected to The Riddler. And for reasons that should be obvious, that would never happen. Likewise, another tabloid rumor said that Nolan had pegged Cher for the role of Catwoman, perhaps in an effort to keep people from buying tickets.

Other Catwomen-in-Waiting: Charlize Theron, Megan Fox, and Kate Beckinsale

You could make a case for Charlize and Kate, but Megan Fox won't get anywhere near the set. I'd go with Beckinsale. But I'd also not go with Catwoman, so there you go.

Christian Bale Won't Be Back

Totally false. There was a Sam Worthington push this spring, but Bale already confirmed that even without Nolan, he'd have to return for the third film. So unless Warner Bros. rips up his contract, which would set up a dangerous precedent in the industry and would be feverishly challenged by the Screen Actors Guild, Bale's your Bruce Wayne for one more run.

Nolan's Guy Pearce Reunion

A reader suggested Guy Pearce should play Black Mask in a third Batman movie. From where I sit, Black Mask is the perfect villain for Nolan's darker Batman saga, and because Pearce has worked with Nolan before and Nolan loves recycling actors, this is the best casting dream I've seen so far. It probably won't happen unless Pearce enjoys some Depp-like renaissance that I can't see happening in the next year or so, but he's not opposed to the possibility.

The Entire Movie Will Be Shot in IMAX

This is a very intriguing theory, but it does kind of fall apart when you consider the expense. A third Batman movie will cost no less than The Dark Knight. It will be slightly more expensive to shoot a film in 2011 than it was in 2007 anyway, so even if it had a lower budget, inflation would level that out. But Warner Bros. would probably greenlight this movie up to $250 million, maybe even $300 million depending on other financial factors.

That's a lot of money, but it wouldn't cover the cost of making a two-and-a-half-hour IMAX movie that's also heavy on effects, pyrotechnics, and complicated stunts. The cameras are bigger and more expensive, it takes about three times as much film to shoot a single second of IMAX footage, and the endeavor would greatly extend the physical production and post-production time involved, just because of the different technology.

Alyssa Milano, Rhona Mitra, Brian Austin Green, Milo Ventimiglia?

No. None of them. But they've all been linked or have linked themselves to one role or another. It's never going to happen. Never.

So now, I think, you're up to speed on the most insidious - and in some cases, insipid - rumors related to the next Batman film. Hopefully, we'll get some real news in the next few months. But don't bet on it.

Colin Boyd |

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Reader Comments (5)

Thank God these were all just rumors! Although Depp as the Riddler would be something I wouldn't mind seeing!

Sunday, October 18, 2009 |

Layne

One of the best and most creative blog posts from GTBP, especially considering how everyone has followed this ludicracy.

Sunday, October 18, 2009 |

Nelson

I believe I am the reader who suggested Guy Pearce as the Black Mask. I am impressed with myself haha

Sunday, October 18, 2009 |

chris

johnny depp could play the mad hatter

Monday, October 19, 2009 |

beef

I'd read somewhere that, 'Knightfall' was going to be the third film?
Some body-builder was going to be the body of Bane (Jay Cutter or Cutler, not sure), Hugo Weaving the voice and face (CGI I guess?). As the Nolan send-off, there would be a load of cameos at the start of the film, where an exhausted Batman defeats them all before being broken by Bane in the middle of the story - some of these cameos were... PSH as The Ventrilaquist with that mini-me guy as his dummy (which, yeah, is pretty unbelieveable now I read it again), Michael Emerson (Ben in Lost) as Riddler... forgot the others.
Michael McConaughey as Bruce's friend, Jean-Paul Valley a.k.a Azrael - takes the mantle of the Batman and goes crazy killing villains. Wayne recovers and the two Batmen fight, Wayne wins, Gotham believes the fake Batman as the murderer from, 'The Deark Knight' and The Batman is welcomed back - a hero again, cue the new batsignal.
I was kinda looking forward to watching that movie LOL!

Friday, October 23, 2009 |

Tank

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