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The Dark Knight

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“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]

 

http://splashpage.mtv.com/2008/09/08/dark-...is-the-penguin/

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. Today at the Toronto Film Festival, we went right to the source and asked Hoffman directly if he indeed had been cast as The Penguin.

 

“No one has talked to me about it ever — never,” replied Hoffman. “It happened, like, five years ago, too. It was a rumor back then and it’s still a rumor. [laughs] It’s just in the press. It’s funny.”

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Regarding Bane...do you include Azrael as possibly a more vicious version of Bale's Batman (which could lead to in-fighting between them while both trying to take down Bane), or do you just play it straight with Bane being entirely the focus?

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Philip Seymour Hoffman is thrilled he's among the names in contention for Batman villain The Penguin, because he has always wanted to play the comic book bad guy.

 

Despite The Dark Knight star Michael Caine's confirmation that the Capote star has already landed the role, Hoffman insists he's yet to be officially offered the part - but he can't wait for the phone call.

 

He tells TheStoneReport.com, "I grew up a comic book fan, so I love that stuff. I love going to that stuff. I think what they're doing with that whole Batman story is really true to what that whole Batman thing has always been.

 

"It's one of the darkest origins of a superhero, to get all nerdy and geeky on you. That character sees his parents gunned down as a young child. I remember when I was a kid reading that story, so seeing it now come to life as the dark tale that it really is intense, really dark, very visceral."

 

If he lands the role, he'll follow Danny DeVito, who played The Penguin on the big screen in 1992's Batman Returns.

 

The Ridder AND Penguin would be terrific!!!

 

 

 

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The above is the direct opposite of another report I read. Of course from CinemaBlend.com, which cites MTV.

 

One of the most persistant rumors surrounding the second and now potentially third Batman movie has been that Philip Seymour Hoffman would play an arms-dealing interpretation of The Penguin. Now I'm sure this can all be traced to some wish-fulfilment blogger's speculation years ago, but the rumor never really went away. As far as dream casting goes, it seems like a good idea, though Nolan made it very clear after Batman Begins that he found the character of Penguin to be uninteresting next to the other gallery of asssorted bat-villians he had to draw from and therefore the character would not appear in his movies.

 

The rumor resurfaced this week when Michael Caine claimed that execs at Warner Bros were already bandying around casting ideas which would top Heath Ledger's performance as Joker. Bear in mind here that Nolan hasn't even signed on yet let alone started writing a script and it was the lack of this kind of studio interference that made The Dark Knight the roaring success it was.

 

To try and find out the truth MTV went direct to Hoffman at the Toronto Film Festival and asked him straight out. His answer, as anyone with an ear for nonsense rumor might have predicted, was: “No one has talked to me about it ever — never. It was a rumor back then and it’s still a rumor.”

 

To put the final nail in the coffin, Hoffman said that he is too much of a fan of Nolan's movies to feel like he wants to star in one, adding: “What [Nolan]’s doing is taking it in a whole other exciting great place. I’m more a fan, so the interest of being in it isn’t that great. It’s more the interest in wanting to see the next one. It’s probably better that way.”

 

So there you have it. Nolan hasn't even signed on to direct yet, there's no script, and Hoffman is more interested in paying for his ticket to go see it than to spend 18 months having the viewing experience tainted by being in it. Of course this doesn't mean what Caine said isn't true. I'm sure in some penthouse at the WB execs are indeed plotting to try and get the likes of Depp and Hoffman interested in doing the third movie. However, that doesn't mean Nolan wants to hear their ideas or that the actors mentioned actually want to sign on. Nolan will have seen Spider-Man 3 just like the rest of us and will know only too well what happens when you sign on to a sequel where studio execs think they know best.

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As the Riddler? I'm sure they can do faaaaaaaaar better too. My brain's tired right now, but I'm sure if I put enough thought in to it I could think of at least 3 guys who would be much better.

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Yeah I doubt you'll find faaaaaaaar better than Johnny Depp.

 

This is sorta like how we all pegged Ledger as a top candidate for the Joker. No wait.

 

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When I first tried to picture Depp I couldn't see it...but then I started thinking of what a Riddler would be like in the Nolan Batverse. He'd likely have to be a disturbed obsessed guy...and not the over the top goof that Shumacher had. In that case I could start seeing a Johnny Depp Riddler.

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I still think Crispin Glover would make a positively perfect demented Riddler. Mainly because I really think Glover leaves riddles for people.

 

Depp is a great actor and I have no doubt he could pull it off, I just don't want to see him in this. I don't know why, I just am not feeling Johnny Depp in the Batman series.

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I'm sure someone will find this amusing: Through a glitch in our library's computer system, I now 'own' the two-disc edition of Batman and Robin. I still don't understand that myself. It was on hold from another library, I checked it out, but the computer never registered it. Still showed the item on hold. Even got a letter saying the hold had to be cancelled. So it never showed up in the check-out records. But I still have it.

 

... Yay me?

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I'll add to the agreement here...

 

Would Depp make a good Riddler? Yeah.

 

Do I WANT to see Depp as the Riddler. No.

 

Part of the fun of The Dark Knight is seeing Ledger COMPLETELY disappear into the Joker. You're not watching Heath play the Joker, you're watching THE JOKER. Depp's too big a name and way too big a presence to really disappear into that character. Anyway, I saw SM3 as well, and studio heads suck.

 

If I were casting The Ridder, I'd go for someone completely off the wall, never could believe that they'd pick them but it'll work to get that same sort of excitement and outrage that we heard with the Ledger pick.

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Javier is the only casting suggestion for Bane I've seen that actually makes me want to see him. I have zero interest in some wrestler or musclebound freak playing Bane.

 

What, you don't want to see KANE as Bane?

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I honest to God can't stop thinking of fucking Willy Wonka whenever I try to picture Depp as the Riddler...no matter how hard I try!

 

I was thinking Jack Sparrow myself. I think Depp can pull it off if he plays the role with a bit more reserved wackiness.

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I honest to God can't stop thinking of fucking Willy Wonka whenever I try to picture Depp as the Riddler...no matter how hard I try!

 

Whenever I see Depp as Willy Wonka, I for some reason think of the Mad Hatter.

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If it makes 80 mil on the re-release, it breaks Titanic's record.

 

In 1997, the special edition of Star Wars helped propel it past ET. I always thought that was pretty cheap, but the film will probably still be in theatres in January anyway, so I don't mind

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