Intrepid internet scourer BatGirl567 has provided links to two articles discussing the possibilities of the third Batman movie.

Cinema Blend believe that The Joker was originally written into the first draft of a Batman 3 story and that all references have since been removed. I would interpret this as nothing more than rumor with no credible source - mainly because their ’scooper’ tells them that Two-Face will feature prominently in the next film, “covering his origins” - the general consensus is that this will not happen. They continue to suggest that the graphic novels The Long Halloween and Dark Victory will also be referenced.

With Two Face and the Joker gone, we need some new Villains… MSNBC have some suggestions, although there are also some stark ommissions (Harley Quinn and Bane both being repeated suggestions in our ongoing discussions). I have paraphrased, added pictures and provided appropriate links.

Catwoman and Talia al Ghul

[...] Jewel thief Selina Kyle [Catwoman] is a habitual criminal, but she does adhere to a moral code of her own, even if it often puts her at odds with Batman.

[...] Talia al Ghul is perhaps even more complicated; she’s the daughter of R’as al Ghul, sometimes aiding her father’s plans for world domination, and sometimes siding with her lover. Although Batman has repeatedly foiled the illegal schemes of both father and daughter, R’as approves of Batman’s romance with Talia and would like to see them married; in some stories, Talia and Bruce Wayne even have a son.

Nolan-ability rating: Catwoman: A-. Talia al Ghul: B-
Catwoman seems almost certain to show up eventually if the current Batman series continues. Talia, on the other hand, probably won’t unless R’as al Ghul also returns, given her character’s intertwined relationship with both men.

Costumed crime lords: Penguin, Black Mask, Scarface and The Ventriloquist

[...] The dapper, gentlemanly Penguin, [...] is portrayed these days in the comics as an eccentric but efficiently scheming criminal who controls much of Gotham City’s underground. Though this Penguin’s not as flamboyant as past versions have been, it’s still hard to take him seriously out of the comics’ operatically weird world, and Nolan himself has said moving Penguin into the movies would be “tricky.”

[...] Black Mask, a ruthless and brutal crime boss who takes his name from his ebony skull disguise, and comes with the twist that he bears a grudge against Bruce Wayne rather than his Batman alter ego.

[...] Arnold Wesker, a mild-mannered ventriloquist who keeps a bloody grip on his criminal empire but will only speak though his dummy, Scarface, a wooden doll carved to look like a 1930s gangster. [..] The duo would probably be laughed out of the theater.

Black Mask would fit perfectly, especially if they need another villain in Two-Face’s evil mode.

Nolan-ability Rating: Penguin: D. Black mask: B. Scarface: D.
FofR: Black Mask is an interesting suggestion; I wouldn’t want to see a new incarnation of The Penguin.

Monster men: Man-Bat, Killer Croc and Clayface

[...] Man-Bat is the Mr. Hyde-like double of scientist Kirk Langstrom, who transforms uncontrollably into a giant winged mammal after a lab accident. Killer Croc, similarly, is a mutated beast-man who’s slowly becoming less human and more crocodilian over time. [...] Clayface, but the most well-known version is a bloblike creature that can change its shape and eats humans to survive.

Nolan-ability Rating: B+ for all three. “Overtly fantastical elements.”
FofR: Monsters in Nolan’s universe? I don’t see it happening - the power of The Dark Knight lies with its storyline firmly rooted in reality.

The puzzlers: The Riddler and Cluemaster

[...] Edward “Riddler” Nygma wears a trademark green suit covered with question marks [...]. His jester-like qualities sometimes make him something of a low-rent Joker, but lately in the comics he’s turned over a new leaf and reinvented himself as a detective, solving puzzles instead of creating them.

[...] Cluemaster, who turned to a life of crime as after being fired from his high-profile TV job, with a signature attention-grabber of leaving clues behind for Batman to follow. Even the Riddler, not exactly the least gimmicky of villains, felt contempt for Cluemaster’s shtick, which he thought was a rip-off of his own.

Nolan-ability Rating: The Riddler: B. Cluemaster: D.
The Riddler’s apparently got a pretty good shot at a future film, if you can believe comments made recently by Gary Oldman [anyone have a link to these comments?]. “Doctor Who” star David Tennant reportedly would love to do it.

Penny Plunderer

[...] Joe Coyne’s particular peccadillo was possibly the most pathetic of any of them: He was obsessed with pennies, going to ludicrous lengths to steal rare coins and one-cent stamps, and defended himself by hurling rolls of copper coins at Batman’s head.

Nolan-ability Rating: C-. “He’d work as comic relief” - [no he wouldn't]
FofR: No.

Chandell

[...] A pair of twins [from the 1960s television show] — famous pianist Chandell and his evil brother Harry, who schemed to steal a fortune from Batman’s Aunt Harriet and blackmail his own brother in the bargain.

Nolan-ability Rating: D-. [...] “camp,” exactly what Nolan’s avoiding.
FofR: No.

Bat-Mite
[...] Batman has his own magical imp who pops in every now and then to sow trouble.

Nolan-ability Rating: F.
FofR: Not a chance, seems like this writer was lazy in their villain shortlist - seriously.. Bat Mite!?

Also, whilst I am going over the villains, remember Zsasz in Batman Begins?

Know a lot about Batman villains?

We’re looking for some people to make Batman 3 villain proposals whilst providing some solid grounding to support them. We’d like to have some articles covering the lesser known potentials for Nolan’s straight-up Batman universe. Contact us

Christopher Nolan has stated an interest in the extensive and elaborate 70 year history of Batman - particularly the interesting parts that have not yet been in the movies or the sixties television show.

Meanwhile, The Riddler, The Penguin and Catwoman are all villains that have been bandied about as potentials for the next movie; I personally doubt whether we will see these characters pop up in the next feature. Instead I think we will see Nolan opt for a villain that impacts more on Batman/Bruce Wayne’s profile. As seen so devastatingly with The Joker, when the villain really messes with the Hero in every which way, the stories become much more intertwined, complex and exciting.

So - on that note:

Which villain(s) do you want to see in Batman 3?

The less obvious, the better - feel free to include your casting wishlists.

Talking with MTV, David Goyer says that he already “knows the theme” for the third Batman movie, although he also reiterates that a third movie is not set in stone and it could “go either way“.

“I think that’s the scariest thing – to think, could we come up with a third movie that was as good as the first two? Can we top ourselves?” screenwriter David Goyer asked aloud, almost rhetorically, in a recent conversation with MTV News. “Doing it a third time would be a big proposition.”

Make no mistake about it, though, a third film HAS been discussed, Goyer confessed, revealing that, while nothing is concrete, both a villain and a theme have been bandied about.

“We’ve only talked loosely about it, though, Chris and I,” Goyer said.

Interestingly, it’s the theme, and not the villain, that most interests me, especially given how the latter seems inexorably tied to the former in this new modern Batman universe. (Fear the predominant issue in “Begins” precipitating the introduction of Scarecrow, escalation in “Knight” similarly calling for The Joker.

The fact that Goyer has a theme he wants to keep in mind for a possible “Batman 3” means he also has a direction, a crisis, and, yes, a villain.

So what is it?

“I have one,” Goyer said laughing. “But I’m not going to tell you. Chris is very particular about that.

“I do think, though, that if there’s not a third film – these two movies stand on their own,” he added. “I think it could go either way.”

/Film have also spoken with Christian Bale and Christopher Nolan about Batman 3 - everything is still up in the air:

Nolan: “I don’t know what I’d do next, or what would happen next. I felt in doing a sequel that it would be a big mistake to try to hold anything back for future films. You have to put everything you can into this movie and try and make it as great as it can be.”

Christian Bale: “I always like to have to think when I’m leaving the theater. I do love any movie that leaves me questioning what has happened, what is going to happen. I see that in finishing the movie I want to know what will happen, what is going to happen. But it is completely in the hands of Chris, weather he decides to do that or not. It will be a lot of money that he didn’t give you any indication if that was going to happen or not? But it’s completely his decision. I can’t imagine doing this without Chris. I don’t even want to consider that because he’s created this. This is his.”

And in an older EW article, Bale says something similar:

Interviewer: So do you think there will be a part 3 of Batman?
Christian Bale: Um, look, let’s wait and see…

Interviewer: Or, I guess it’d be part 6.
Christian Bale: No, no, no, no, no. [Smiling] Part 3 is what I’d consider it, yeah, I don’t say part 6. Batman begins - that was the beginning there, with all due respect to the others. We are re-creating this. You know, obviously the decision is out of my hands. I would, knowing the Dark Knight story, I would like very much to complete a trilogy. And I think that knowing the story of The Dark Knight, it leaves you anticipating something that really can get very, very interesting for a third. Now, the question would be: Is Chris going to be doing it? Because to me I find it tricky to imagine working on it without it being a collaboration with Chris.

Thanks BatGirl567!

Now that The Dark Knight has been out for over three weekends, I will begin to splatter more spoiler-ish information into posts as we begin to discuss “Batman 3″, or whatever name we can derive for the next film.

Christopher Nolan hasn’t yet signed on for a third Batman movie, and his screenwriter John Nolan is still on the set of Terminator Salvation. Until the key players sign-on, including David Goyer, ANY casting rumors that you see are most likely wishlists or articles looking to capitalize on The Dark Knight’s popularity.

Taking this point into consideration, I now present you the three main rumblings that are spreading across the internet:

Angelina Jolia as Catwoman

This rumor seems to have originated from an NY Daily News article which reckons that Angelina Jolie should play Catwoman in the next Batman incarnation - or so former Catwoman and ‘Batman icon’ Julie Newmar thinks.

“Angelina would own the part. My industry friends tell me [she] has made inquiries about the role. I can understand how it would pique her interest. Catwoman is Batman’s one true love. She’s tremendously popular with women because she’s both a heroine and a villainess. When you look at the staggering box office of this current film, which actress wouldn’t want to jump in?”

Although this goes against Nolan and Goyer’s inclination NOT to bring back the humanoid feline.

Johnny Depp as The Riddler

Meanwhile, the suprious and terrible National Enquirer, via Jake and Hollywood.com are tipping Johnny Depp to play The Riddler. That’s the extent of the news feature.

“(Producers) are convinced that the role of the Riddler is perfect for Depp. Johnny’s a pro. He’ll be able to take direction from director Chris Nolan and still make the character his own.”

(SPOILER: I’ve also read rumors that Depp would be a good substitute for The Joker should they wish to bring him back in some capacity.)

Philip Seymour Hoffman as The Penguin

The tabloid also thinks:

“And what better Penguin is there than Philip Seymour Hoffman.”

I can guarantee that come 12 months, none of these predictions will be close. Fan reactions to these rumors are also entirely inconsequential - we all remember how masses reacted when Heath Ledger was cast as The Joker.