May 9, 2008

Batman 3 Update

Movies.com recently posted this:



The Dark Knight star Aaron Eckhart, who plays D.A. Harvey Dent turned baddie Two-Face in the comic book flick, hinted in an interview with the Los Angeles Times that the facial scars he'll suffer in the July 18 movie are much worse than fans can imagine.


And if a photo that's popping up on fan sites of the post-burned Dent is real, he wasn't exaggerating.


ComicBookResources.com originally put up the photo, which is currently posted on Cinema Blend after being removed at Warner Bros. request by several sites, and it shows Dent in full Two-Face mode, with a horrendously scarred half-face that's light on the comic touch and heavy on the gruesome.


It's a far less cartoonish makeup job than Tommy Lee Jones' Batman Forever Two-Face and every bit as disturbing as Eckhart describes. More Batman news: As the most recent trailer suggests, Harvey Dent/Two-Face will continue to be a big part of the action in Batman 3, according to a Cinema Blend scooper, who also says The Joker (Heath Ledger) was going to play a major role in the sequel before Ledger's death earlier this year. The next sequel, which is likely to be director Christopher Nolan's last Batflick, says Cinema Blend, will be based on the two graphic novels The Long Halloween and Dark Victory, and it may also introduce Batman's (Christian Bale) Boy Wonder sidekick, Robin.

So let's do some casting, shall we?

First off, let's start with Robin. So far, on screen, this role has been portrayed by Douglas Croft (1943's The Batman), Johnny Duncan (1949's Batman & Robin), Burt Ward (1960's TV series/film), and Chris O'Donnell (Batman Forever, Batman & Robin). So who should portray him if he is indeed in the next film? For some reason, the only person I can think of is: Casey Affleck. After his tremendous performances in Gone Baby Gone and The Assassination of Jesse James, he would be a terrific choice. However, let's say the part is in the film and Affleck is cast, he should not be so eager to jump into costume. The role should be all about the evolution of Robin, just as the first installment was about the evolution of Batman.

Now, looking on Wikipedia at the list of new characters "introduced" in The Long Halloween are Poison Ivy, the Riddler, and the Mad Hatter. It also brings back the character of Scarecrow (portrayed by Cillian Murphy).

So, let's cast those parts, shall we?

First off... Poison Ivy. So far, this role has been played solely by Uma Thurman (Batman & Robin). While Thurman made for an "okay" Pamela Isley, her portrayal of Isley's alter-ego Poison Ivy is rubbish. So who should be cast as Isley/Ivy? Let's take a look..

1) Elizabeth Banks. She is no stranger to comic book movies (she had a recurring cameo in the recent Spider-Man series). In her other roles, she has showed her range from comedy (The 40-year-old Virgin and Scrubs) to drama (Seabiscuit). While I do not think she would be the best choice, producers may be looking for a fresh new talent.

2) Rachel Weisz. A recent Oscar winner. A great actress. No stranger to blockbusters (see: The Mummy series).

3) Penelope Cruz or Tilda Swinton. Okay, so maybe I am stretching it now. There is no way any of these women will do a Batman film. This may be true for Cruz but both Weisz and Swinton (Chronicles of Narnia) have done blockbusters before and may very well do so. Also, no American Penelope Cruz film has been a success.

Now, let's discuss 'The Riddler'. So far this part has been played by Frank Gorshin (who earned an Emmy nod for his portrayal in the 1960s television series) and Jim Carrey (Batman Forever). So who would make a good riddler? I agree it must be a stand-up comedian, much like Carrey, who knows the ins & out of comedy, someone like Dane Cook. Suprising choice. The recent darkening-of-looks of characters like The Joker and Two Face (a pic is online) could prove for a very sarcastic, more-humanlike portrayal.

And finally, there's the Mad Hatter. So far, on screen, this character has been portrayed by little-known actor David Wayne, star of the stage (Finian's Rainbow) and screen (The Andromeda Strain), no relation to John Wayne, in four episodes of the 1960s television series. However, in the 90s, legendary former child star Roddy McDowell provided the vocals to an animated Mad Hatter in various animated television productions. So who should play him?

First, take a look at the following picture of the Mad Hatter in The Long Halloween:


Now, I can easily see this character being switched from a looney old guy to a looney, rebellious youth. Someone like Golden-Globe nominee Kieran Culkin, brother of Macaulay, who has been notably absent from the screen since his Golden Globe nominated performance in the 2002 indie drama Igby Goes Down. Finally, in 2008, he will return to the screen in Kenneth Lonergan's ensemble drama Margaret, opposite Anna Paquin and Mark Ruffalo, among others.

Now looking at Dark Victory, it has the characters of Poison Ivy, the Scarecrow, the Riddler, and the Mad Hatter. So it's a safe bet we'll see all, if not most, of those characters in the next installment. It also has the characters of the Penguin (after Danny DeVito's portrayal, no one wants this character to reemerge on screen unless done absolutely right). It also has the characters of Mr. Freeze (Ah-nuld is likely to reject the opportunity to reprise said character), Two-Face (who is likely to return after this summer's film), and perhaps the most interesting of villains: Solomon Grundy, a large zombie super-villain, portrayed by Mark Hamill in a recent animated series. A character yet to see the light of day in a live-action adventure. A fresh character which may be what is needed to add authenticity and originality to the recent reboot of the Batman franchise.

So who could portray Mr. Grundy? I don't have a clue. Does anyone out there have an idea?

10 comments:

  1. I might cry if Dane Cook was to be in a Batman movie. That would be...too annoying.

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  2. I think these are the casting choices from hell

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  3. haha i don't think that any of these choices are terribly good ones...of course, i probably couldn't do any better, but oh well

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  4. it wouldn't be as bad as "Batman and Robin", you have to admit that. i too am no fan of dane cook but for all we know, he may be good as the riddler

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  5. I could see Casey Affleck as The Riddler. For Robin, WB would probably go for Shia or someone around his age.

    Poison Ivy and The Penguin are too campy, I don't see them making the third film.

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  6. if shia labeouf goes anywhere near the next Batman, I AM going to cry. but i'll leave the rest of my comments for when I see the new Indiana Jones film...

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  7. This is what i think i think poison ivy should not appear in the rest of them. I think the Riddler should be played by Casey Affleck I think he can portray someone like the Riddler. As for Robin if they do so put him maybe Shia im not sure. Mad Hatter i think that Robin Williams should play him i think he fits the character perfectly.

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  8. Just given the tone of the first two movies, I don't see Nolan piling on an avalanche of villains like this without taking decent time to set them up. In terms of sheer ridiculousness, I'd say Poison Ivy, Solomon Grundy, probably The Mad Hatter, and even The Penguin (who Nolan has said in interviews is too far-fetched), are all out.

    That leaves Riddler and Robin, plus it's cool to bring back Two-Face and Scarecrow (those three grounded villains should compensate for a lack of Joker, unless they really want to be stupid and try to recast Heath Ledger's last performance).

    I could see Casey as Robin more than the Riddler, he has that apprentice, young, eager learner thing down-pat after Jesse James (even if, in real life, he's only a few years younger than Christian Bale). Shia is a possibility simply because he's on a roll right now, but I'm not sure his patented Robert Downey Jr, Jr. technique of acting will really work for the character.

    No idea on who should play Riddler. I have this overwhelming urge that I want Guy Pearce to make an appearance in these movies, just because I feel he would be right at home in the universe, but I don't see him as Riddler, and I can't think of anyone else for him.

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  9. Leslie Jordan would make a perfect Mad Hatter!

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  10. if Dane Cook is cast as the Riddler I will burn down the movie theatre. I think a serious actor is required for the Nolan adaptations, not some hack comedian. Someone like Michael C. Hall (TV's Dexter).

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