That’s right. There are rumors running wild about who will play the new villains in Christopher Nolan’s next Batman film. Everyone is wondering who could top or even equal Heath Ledger’s performance as the joker. Apparently they think Johnny Depp and Philip Seymour Hoffman are the men for the job.

IMDB says that it’s Michael Caine is the one starting the rumors. Apparently in a recent interview with MTV and the Toronto Film Festival, Caine stated:

“I was with [a Warner Bros.] executive and I said, ‘Are we going to make another one?’ They said yeah. I said, ‘How the hell are we going to top Heath? And he says ‘I’ll tell you how you top Heath — Johnny Depp as The Riddler and Philip Seymour Hoffman as The Penguin.’ I said, ‘S–t, they’ve done it again!’”

The Telegraph speculates:

“Producers are convinced that the role of The Riddler is perfect for Depp. Johnny’s a pro. He’ll be able to take direction and still make the character his own. And what better Penguin is there than Philip Seymour Hoffman?” a source said.

Yet for the fulll story I think MTV has the best coverage, seeing as they got the interview:

“at the Toronto Film Festival, Michael Caine — there to promote “Is There Anybody There?” — seemed to confirm rumors that the next installment of the “Batman” film franchise will feature two very well-known names playing the roles of The Riddler and the Bumbershoot Bandit, The Penguin. “They’ve already got them in mind,” said Caine, when asked who he’d like to see take up arms against the Caped Crusader. “It’s Johnny Depp as The Riddler. And The Penguin is Philip Seymour Hoffman. I read it in the paper.”

So Caine is like the rest of us, reading gossip in the tabloids, right? Except for one thing…according to the actor, he confirmed the news through the studio itself.

“When Christopher [Nolan] said we were going to do ‘The Dark Knight’ next, I didn’t what that meant in Batman terms,” related Caine, who plays Bruce Wayne’s loyal butler, Alfred Pennyworth. “I said, ‘What’s the story?’ and he said The Joker. I said, ‘Oh, s–t! How are you going to top Jack [Nicholson]?’ He said, ‘Well, I’ve cast Heath Ledger. And I went ‘Ha! I couldn’t top Jack, but if anyone could, maybe Heath could.’ And he did.

“I was with [a Warner Bros.] executive and I said, ‘Are we going to make another one?’ They said yeah. I said, ‘How the hell are we going to top Heath? And he says ‘I’ll tell you how you top Heath — Johnny Depp as The Riddler and Philip Seymour Hoffman as The Penguin.’ I said, ‘S–t, they’ve done it again!’” [Laughs]

The only thing missing is one of these people ACTUALLY saying that they will take the part.

What does do Depp and Hoffman think about all this? Well, nobody knows. They’ve managed to keep quiet about the whole situation.

Will Johnny Depp join a series that Tim Burton revived, without Tim Burton? I have a feeling his performance would in no way resemble Jim Carrey’s in 1995, so that’s not a worry.

How will Hoffman add or change the role of the penguin which Danny DeVito’s already portrayed extremely well?

Will Angelina Jolie step into the role of Catwoman?

Hell, will Christian Bale even be back?

We’ll find out soon!

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