Johnny Depp was a huge box office draw for the somewhat confusing Pirates sequels and producers are hoping he’ll sign on for the next Batman installment. The latest Batman film, the Dark Knight, is drawing praise for the late Heath Ledger’s harrowing performance as the joker and has grossed $342 million so far. With Depp possibly playing villian the Riddler, the follow-up could do pretty well at the box office too.
Hollywood insiders tell The Enquirer that the screen hero who made kooky Captain Jack Spaarow famous in the “Priates of the Caribbean” trilogy has the inside track to play the green-garbed super-villian famous for his “Riddle me this” dialogue. And word is producers are also approaching Academy Award-winner Philip Seymour Hoffman to play the Penguin.
[From The National Enquirer, print edition, August 11, 2008]
It’s a wise idea to sign Depp on to the next installment to continue the vast success of the series. Depp is the second highest-paid actor in Hollywood after Will Smith and made $72 million last year. He is also one of the three actors who will play Heath Ledger’s character, his part left unfinished when he died, in the fantasy film The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus.
Jim Carrey played Riddler in 1995’s Batman Forever with Val Kilmer as the caped crusader.
Johnny Depp is shown on 2/24/08 at the Academy Awards. Credit: Juan Rico/Fame Pictures
Oh please let this be true!
If this is true, he would be excellent in the role. This franchise is raking in the $$.
That would so rock !
I love Johnny, but I’d feel like he was selling out if he took this role. It would be sweet if Tim Burton was still doing the Batmans (since I’m always up for a Tim Burton/Johnny Depp movie), but he’s not.
More quirky movies!!!! Make a Crybaby sequel, or another movie with Tim Burton!!
I’d consider Pirates selling out before I’d say that about the recent Batman movies. I can’t quite picture Depp as The Riddler, and I kept thinking that Catwoman would be the next victim.
Depp would be really good – but it does seem like he bring a *stillness* to The Riddler. Isn’t The Riddler supposed to be very hyperactive?
The Riddler has been portrayed many different ways in the comic books. Ignore that idiot Jim Carrey and what you saw in the old series.
In fact, the current Riddler is very dark, almost emo, and doesn’t wear that ridiculous outfit anymore. Since Nolan is making such realistic films, I would be willing to bet they won’t write the Riddler as a hyperactive caricature.
Johnny Depp also wanted for role of father of my children.
Amy-ITA. I actually couldn’t stand the previous Batman films (except the first 2) and I love how Chris Nolan is doing these. I think Johnny Depp would be a very interesting and smart choice for the Riddler.
And while I think PSH would make a great Penguin… I don’t think Penguin should be in the 3rd movie. I’d rather that they go with another villain not featured in the films (like they did with Scarecrow and Rahs Al Ghul in the first one)
I’d pay $10 for a ticket to a movie to watch Johnny Depp read his grocery list. 🙂
ZOMG Adleisia! PSH would be a great Penguin!
I’d love it if Catwoman were the next villain, just to get another woman in there besides the love interest but that won’t happen.
Christopher Nolan doesn’t seem particularly interested in women at all which is a shame because other than that I think the movies have been a real improvement over the other Batman films.
I hope this is true, i love love love Johnny depp.
YEA!MY FAVORITE RIDDLER SO FAR…..
GOOOOOOO JOHNNY!
If this is true, I’d go see it again and again… and again. Johnny was a wonderful villain in Sweeney Todd, and I’d love to see how they make his costume(perhaps without spandex?)
And there’s also been buzz that Philip Seymour Hoffman is being considered for the Penguin.
I found this photoshopped poster:
http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o48/Mindreaper21/riddler.jpg
It’s clearly something photoshopped onto a poster for The Dark Knight, but the outfit looks believable, nothing too showy.
I just hope they wont get angelina jolin as catwoman! saw some news about havin her as catwoman.. she is too old.. and high possibility of ruinin another cute co-star’s marriage life. let there be mercy.. save christian bale from the ‘sex craved cat’!
LMAO ri23!
Johnny Depp playing the Riddler as he played a creepy Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Jolie is the only current actress that could truly play a femme fatale….She is the only choice for Catwoman. She’d join the ranks of Julie Newmar and Michelle Pfeiffer for taking the role and making it their own. Depp as the Riddler…As CW would say….purrrfect.
Angelina is hot,yes. But a buxsom catwoman! Please. The carrot sticks she eats have greater curves!
Johnny on the other hand, would be the perfect Riddler. If he was to take the roll, i doubt he would be ‘selling out’, while he doesn’t like the ‘hollyood’ scene, he was a great friend to Heath, and that could be a motivation in it’s self…That and the fact that he’s the best man for the job!
It would be a nice tribute…
As pointed out in the Catwoman thread, it’d be unlikely (but not impossible) that Nolan would pick again The Riddler while there are still so many Batman villains that haven’t been introduced in the movies.
Anyways, more Depp on screen is always a good thing!
Hasn’t Nolan said that he doesn’t want to use Riddler, and is determined not to incorporate Penguin?
As much as Nolan wants to create a more realistic Batman, the truth is that Batman is a fictuanal comic book hero and even though some of the villians are over the top, they still play an importan part in Batman’s world and Nolan needs to use them. I also liked the first two batman movies that Tim Burton directed because they were dark enough but it still had that fantasy comic book element. I will always prefer the first two movies over any other Batman movies, including Batman Begins and The Dark Night.
I love me some Johnny, but this casting is just too predictable. I’d rather see someone unexpected, like Heath, playing a villainous role and making it their own, instead of bringing their actor status to the table.
Same goes for PSH– he already looks like a penguin, so it’s not much of a stretch now, is it?
I should be the next catwoman!
That would be great if Jonny Depp signed on. Heath Ledger was the best part of the new Batman movie because the rest of it was awful! One of the worst movies I have seen in a long itme!
ugh, i am a big johnny depp fan but i do not think that he should play the riddler. that is just insane, and pretty much retarded.
Johnny as the riddle would be interesting, just how he potrays his characters in willy wonka and sweeny todd, though im pretty sure any movie with angelina jolie would be bad a s s and would be a great movie if she played as catwomen
I’m sure that if Johnny Depp played the Riddler in this series…his portrayal would be as different from Jim Carrey’s hyperactive, lime green bodytard-sporting loudmouth (God, that movie sucked) as the Heath Ledger portrayal of The Joker was from Jack Nicholson’s.
I would love, love, LOVE for Depp to play the Riddler. I think that they did such a wonderful job with the Joker in the last film, it was completely epic. So they could really pull this off.
Would love to see johnny as the riddler. Was hoping that he would have done joker, but ledger was awesome so no harm done.Anjelina jolie would suck as catwoman. Hope nolan wont make the mistake of casting her.
Tracie, ARE YOU INSANE?! The Dark Knight is the best Batman movie ever made. Methinks for the Riddler, David Hyde Pierce if Nolan is going for an older Riddler. For a younger Riddler, Elijah Wood should be pretty good.
I’d rather see Kevin Spacey as the Riddler, with him playing more of the guy he played on the movie “seven”.