Inevitably, there is a sequel in the works to last year's wonderful Batman Begins.

Christian Bale is already signed to return as The Batman/Bruce Wayne, Gary Oldman as Jim Gordon, and Michael Caine as Alfred.

According to reliable sources the villains planned for the second film are The Joker, Black Mask/Roman Sionus, mob boss Salvatore Maroni, and Oswald "The Penguin" Cobblepot(reportedly a small, cameo-like role as a British arms dealer). The plotline will follow the partnership between Batman, Gordon, and the newly minted District Attorney Harvey Dent as they team up to take on corruption in Gotham's police department, and the mob. Meanwhile mob boss Salvatore Maroni(who has connections to Bruce's father) is working with a mysterious criminal known as Black Mask; whose true identity is that of Roman Sionus, the heir to a multi-billion dollar cosmetics company that he drove into the ground(and was subsequently bought by Bruce Wayne). Sionus was infuriated by Wayne taking his birthright and the billionare(in contrast to Bruce) turns to organized crime. So he serves as an antagonist to both The Batman and Bruce. Maroni and Sionus are orchestrating a huge arms deal with British arms dealer Oswald "The Penguin" Cobblepot. However, none of them bargained on there being a Joker in the deck. The story also reportedly includes an ATF agent named Sarah Essen(character from the comics, but she was GPD in the comics) who has a history with Gordon, and the transformation of Harvey Dent into Two-Face(who will be the villain in the third film, and its rumored it will be filmed back-to-back with this one).

The story is very similar to the classic mid-90s Batman graphic novel, "The Long Halloween" by Jeph Loeb.

I'm very excited about it(perhaps even more so than I was for Begins).

Anyway, the main point of this thread is: who do you think should be cast in what roles?

My picks are the following:

Roman Sionus/Black Mask.

http://photos.imageevent.com/batmanonfilm/bofimagesbofimages/icons/blackmask1.jpg

Josh Lucas(Poseidon, A Beautiful Mind, American Psycho). http://www.sacticket.com/static/movies/news/images/lucas.jpg

Decent actor. The role needs someone close in age to Bale, and the "leading man type".


Oswald "The Penguin" Cobblepot.

http://photos.imageevent.com/batmanonfilm/bofimagesbofimages/icons/penguin1.jpg

38-year-old Phillip Seymour Hoffman(The Talented Mr.Ripley, The Big Lebowski, Capote). http://photos.imageevent.com/batmanonfilm/bofimagesbofimages/icons/hoffman1.jpg

One of the most underappreciated actors of his generation, he has the right build, and the ability to melt into whatever roles he takes on.


Sarah Essen.

http://photos.imageevent.com/batmanonfilm/bofimagesbofimages/icons/sarahessen1.jpg

Julianne Moore(The Big Lebowski, Hannibal, Boogie Nights, The Hours). http://photos.imageevent.com/batmanonfilm/bofimagesbofimages/icons/jmoore1.jpg

Need I say more? She looks the part, shes the right age(45, Gary Oldman is 47 so them having a past would work onscreen), and she most definitely is a good enough actress.

Harvey Dent - D.A. of Gotham City

http://photos.imageevent.com/batmanonfilm/bofimagesbofimages/icons/lh_dent1.jpg

Liev Schreiber(The Manchurian Candidate, Hamlet, Phantoms, The Sum Of All Fears, Jakob The Liar). http://photos.imageevent.com/batmanonfilm/bofimagesbofimages/icons/liev1.jpg

Liev has the ability to balance being charming and comely with having a dark side, and he looks a LOT like Dent from the comics IMO.


The Joker - Clown Prince Of Crime

http://217.126.98.187/~batmanweb/previews/img.previews/JokerLLPoster.jpg

*drumroll*

34-year-old Brit, Paul Bettany(The Da Vinci Code, Master & Commander: Far Side Of The World, A Beautiful Mind, Gangster No.1, A Knight's Tale). 

http://www.movieguide.co.nz/images/pics/Paul%20Bettany.jpg

Hes a fine actor with the right build, look, and age. His role in Gangster No.1 shows he has the right qualities for the role acting wise, I think. He can also dissappear into the role. And just look at this photo manipulation of him as The Joker..

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y284/bondstreet/014.jpg

if you'll notice, theres been no mention of Rachel Dawes(Katie Holmes' character) so far. Also with the rumor that Katie might leave acting(as well as that Warner Bros. was unhappy with how her thing with Tom distracted from Batman Begins) theres a good chance we will not see Rachel Dawes in the sequel. Which I don't mind at all because that makes room for the ESSENTIAL female character in Batman's universe, Selina Kyle/Catwoman. I hope they at least introduce Selina in this movie(if they don't have her as Catwoman yet). Perhaps they could bring her in and introduce her character as Selina first, and then have Catwoman in the third film. She'd go well with Two-Face. The theme of the third film could be duality(Harvey Dent struggling between his two identities, Bruce between his, and Selina between her's).

My pick:

Catwoman/Selina Kyle

http://www.operagloves.com/Modern/ComicBookStars/ComicBookHeroines/catwoman.jpg
http://www.vacuumboy9.com/tlh/1p6.jpg

Jennifer Connelly(Dark City, Requiem For A Dream, A Beautiful Mind, House Of Sand And Fog). http://www.wittylibrarian.com/JConnellyMB01.jpg

Shes a good actress, shes sexy, she looks a lot like Selina from The Long Halloween, and I think she can play a strong woman well enough. Plus she has a mysterious air to her which is good for Catwoman.

I'd say Monica Bellucci just for curves alone.

I'd say Monica Bellucci just for curves alone.


I don't think that I have seen her act. Could you recommend a movie shes in?

And oh yeah, heres hoping Cillian returns sometime down the line. Perhaps even in this movie. Bats said at the end of Begins they didn't catch him, so maybe they could start off BB2 with a cameo from Scarecrow, being captured by Batman. Ya know, Bond style. Open the movie with the hero foiling a villain, then move on to the main plot.

Murphy NAILED The Scarecrow. He was perfect. I can only hope that they get actors for the roles above that will do them as much justice as he did for Scarecrow/Dr.Crane.

I don't think that I have seen her act. Could you recommend a movie shes in?


She was recently in 'The Brothers Grimm'

I never would have considered the Black Mask for the second movie at all.....this might be really good...again. 

Its more or less the Long Halloween minus The Roman.  this is gonna be cool

I never would have considered the Black Mask for the second movie at all.....this might be really good...again. 

Its more or less the Long Halloween minus The Roman.  this is gonna be cool


Well, minus The Roman and plus Black Mask(who was not in nearly as heavy usage in the mid 90s as he is now..right now hes arguably the most well written villain in the comics, hes making his rise into the "top tier" quite quickly).

Yeah Maroni basically takes the place of The Roman(Falcone). Hes even going to have ties to the Waynes like Falcone(I wonder if they will use the gunshot angle..).

If they really wanna make it TLH they need Selina Kyle(if not Catwoman). I say combine her character arcs from Year One and TLH. At the beginning of the movie introduce her escaping from a bad situation like in Year One(where she was a prostitute at the beginning), then include a couple of scenes with her and Bruce during the movie, maybe them meeting at a social function and hitting it off, and then maybe a brief date type scene(like TLH), then near the end of the film show her going out as Catwoman for the first time(like YO). Whaddya think Billy?

Its alot for one movie(even if its 2 hours+ like BB, which I assume it will be), but Goyer and Nolan can handle it. They juggled several intermingling plot lines and characters just fine in Begins, plus they will have twice as long this time because Bats' origin has already been done.

EDIT: I have three more casting suggestions. James Caan(The Godfather) as Boss Maroni. Another suggestion for the Black Mask: Jason Isaacs. And finally another suggestion for The Joker: Benicio Del Toro(watch the "car ride scene" in Sin City!).

Well, minus The Roman and plus Black Mask(who was not in nearly as heavy usage in the mid 90s as he is now..right now hes arguably the most well written villain in the comics, hes making his rise into the "top tier" quite quickly).

Yeah Maroni basically takes the place of The Roman(Falcone). Hes even going to have ties to the Waynes like Falcone(I wonder if they will use the gunshot angle..).

If they really wanna make it TLH they need Selina Kyle(if not Catwoman). I say combine her character arcs from Year One and TLH. At the beginning of the movie introduce her escaping from a bad situation like in Year One(where she was a prostitute at the beginning), then include a couple of scenes with her and Bruce during the movie, maybe them meeting at a social function and hitting it off, and then maybe a brief date type scene(like TLH), then near the end of the film show her going out as Catwoman for the first time(like YO). Whaddya think Billy?

Its alot for one movie(even if its 2 hours+ like BB, which I assume it will be), but Goyer and Nolan can handle it. They juggled several intermingling plot lines and characters just fine in Begins, plus they will have twice as long this time because Bats' origin has already been done.

EDIT: I have three more casting suggestions. James Caan(The Godfather) as Boss Maroni. Another suggestion for the Black Mask: Jason Isaacs. And finally another suggestion for The Joker: Benicio Del Toro(watch the "car ride scene" in Sin City!).


For some reason I dont like Selina Kyles portrayal in Year One.  And since The Long Halloween is suppose to be year two and three I was always confused as to how she got from her portrayal at the end of year one to the begining of Long Halloween. 

They need Selina Kyle as the "Love interest"...but I dont think they need Catwoman at all.  If anything, bring Catwoman in in the third movie. 

I hope its still Maroni that causes Harvey Dent to become Two Face, but watch, it'll be the Joker or someone. 

The Penguin better not be a major character. 

For some reason I dont like Selina Kyles portrayal in Year One.  And since The Long Halloween is suppose to be year two and three I was always confused as to how she got from her portrayal at the end of year one to the begining of Long Halloween. 

They need Selina Kyle as the "Love interest"...but I dont think they need Catwoman at all.  If anything, bring Catwoman in in the third movie. 

I hope its still Maroni that causes Harvey Dent to become Two Face, but watch, it'll be the Joker or someone. 

The Penguin better not be a major character. 


Well, D.C. is kinda infamous for breaking their own continuity. Hopefully the ongoing "Infinite Crisis" will clean some of the clutter up. i don't think its a re-start like the original Crisis arc though; just a re-tweaking.

I agree that Selina Kyle is needed as the love interest(IMO she is as important to Bruce's character as Alfred), and that Catwoman should be second to that. But still I'd like to see her at some point(maybe not in this movie, but if Two-Face is the villain in the next one like reported she would fit in better there).

Well, I hope so too about Maroni. But unfortunately your prediction is dead on. Goyer said in an interview a few months back(in September I think) that he was planning for The Joker to scar Dent. Which IMO would screw up the story for the third movie(assuming they will be modeling it after Dark Victory). Because in DV you have the whole dynamic between The Joker and Two-Face, and having The Joker scar him would screw that up royally. Lets hope Goyer comes to his senses(or someone else makes him lol). Now, I think it would be interesting if perhaps The Joker was in on it but didn't actually do it himself, and then in the third film Two-Face finds out(wow, that would be very interesting..).

As for The Penguin..well heres my take on him. In the silver and golden ages he was a pretty damn boring villain. He was basically Burgess Meredith(an old, bald man in a tux who committed bird-related crimes). That is why Burton had to change the character so much for Batman Returns. He didn't really have very much of a character to work with. Starting with 1997's "No Man's Land" storyline though, that began to change. The Penguin for the last several years has been made into more of a hard-nosed gangster who tries to be classy(they've gotten rid of most of the camp). Still not a great character, I don't think he should ever be the main villain in a Batman film again.

Hopefully they willl portray him how hes been done recently, and keep it to a cameo-like role as rumored.

If they did use The Joker again, a good choice would be Diedrich Bader, the guy who played Oswald on The Drew Carey Show

http://eur.yimg.com/i/xp/premier_photo/2/2af69f1ef7.jpg

Maybe they could get Sarah Michelle Gellar to play Joker's sidekick Harley Quinn

I don't think that I have seen her act. Could you recommend a movie shes in?

And oh yeah, heres hoping Cillian returns sometime down the line. Perhaps even in this movie. Bats said at the end of Begins they didn't catch him, so maybe they could start off BB2 with a cameo from Scarecrow, being captured by Batman. Ya know, Bond style. Open the movie with the hero foiling a villain, then move on to the main plot.

Murphy NAILED The Scarecrow. He was perfect. I can only hope that they get actors for the roles above that will do them as much justice as he did for Scarecrow/Dr.Crane.


She was Persephone in The Matrix films.

Yes, I'm hoping he returns, though I loved him prior to Batman Begins anyway.

She was Persephone in The Matrix films.

Yes, I'm hoping he returns, though I loved him prior to Batman Begins anyway.


Persephone? Must be from one of the sequels.

You actually saw 28 Days Later?  ;D

I say bring back Batman ala Adam West.  Bring back the camp, bring back the fun!

:) :) :)
http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/interactive/entertainment/0506/gallery.batman/02.west.jpg
na na-na na-na na-na na BATMAN! BATMAN!

I say bring back Batman ala Adam West.  Bring back the camp, bring back the fun!

:) :) :)
http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/interactive/entertainment/0506/gallery.batman/02.west.jpg
na na-na na-na na-na na BATMAN! BATMAN!


;D

To quote Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska: "NO!!"

I enjoyed that television show as much as anyone, however, Batman has been done the campy way, he has been done the Burton way(goth fantasy), but now with this new franchise its time for the actual source material; over 60 years of writing that includes work from Alan Moore, Denny O'Neil, Steve Engelhart, Frank Miller, Jeph Loeb, etc. and classic story arcs like "Year One", "Son Of The Demon", "The Killing Joke", "The Long Halloween", "Dark Victory", "Arkham Asylum" etc. The only thing on-screen that has ever been a pretty faithful representation of the Batman that I know from the comics is the mid-90s "Batman: The Animated Series"(which actually won an Emmy I believe).

The previous movies got it wrong. The Joker didn't kill Batman's parents; his origin is not known to Batman. In the comics one of the essential elements is the friendship between Commisioner Gordon and the Batman, but it was ignored by the previous films. Part of the Batman world is the corruption of Gotham City's power structure. In the comics a large part of Batman's mission is devoted to fighting corruption within the system; hes not a cop in a cape in cowl. Yet that was ignored by the previous franchise. Batman is a detective, infact one of his nicknames is "The World's Greatest Detective". Yet that element of his character was only briefly touched upon in the first film. The mob is also an essential part of the Batman mythos that was almost totally ignored by the previous franchise. And the single biggest thing that the previous movies got wrong was HOW they told the stories. They were all done outside the point-of-view of Batman/Bruce; he didn't seem like the star(the villains were made into the stars). In the comics everything is presented essentially from Batman's viewpoint; he is the star.

From moviehole.net:

"A few more Batman rumours to chew on
Posted by Clint Morris on January 12, 2006

Take it with a grain of salt for now, but have just had a bit of a chinwag with a scooper who seems to be as on the ball as you can get when you

Here is a manip of Johnny Depp as The Joker:

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b165/pazzhamilton/DEPPJOKER.jpg

Could be a better one; but it gives you an idea..

Persephone? Must be from one of the sequels.

You actually saw 28 Days Later?  ;D


Yes, I own a copy. Why? Is it b/c I'm American? LOL

Yes, I own a copy. Why? Is it b/c I'm American? LOL


No, because I thought it was a fairly obscure film.

No, because I thought it was a fairly obscure film.


I love nonconformity; therefore, I will quite often find me with the obscure.

No, because I thought it was a fairly obscure film.


It was in theatres everywhere...wasnt really that obscure...I saw it in theatres...

It was in theatres everywhere...wasnt really that obscure...I saw it in theatres...


So what do you think about the possibility of Talia being in the next film(and Rachel Weisz playing her)? I'm mixed on it. It could be good..I just hope that this doesn't mean they are going to use the Lazarus pit angle.

What about Depp as Joker? He does seem to become his characters..its just I'm not sure if he can be evil enough.

So what do you think about the possibility of Talia being in the next film(and Rachel Weisz playing her)? I'm mixed on it. It could be good..I just hope that this doesn't mean they are going to use the Lazarus pit angle.

What about Depp as Joker? He does seem to become his characters..its just I'm not sure if he can be evil enough.



Rachel Weisz would be the perfect Talia...Id rather have Selina Kyle in this one though...

It's odd if they use Son of the Demon.  It was taken out of continuity...but that didnt stop them from killing off Joe Chill (The Horrible Batman Year Two was also taken out of continuity and thats when Chill dies). 

egh...Im sure Nolan will make it all work out.

Depp would be a horrible Joker...Crispin Glover would be interesting. 

Ok heres the rundown since last time:

WB definitely wants a femme fatale in the sequel, be it or Talia or Selina Kyle(I hope its Selina), and they are hoping to get Rachel Weisz(or so it seems).

The word now is that you can count on Paul Bettany playing the Joker..

Liev Schreiber is still definitiely in the runnning for Harvey Dent but apparently Jake Gyllenhall(sp?) is also getting alot of attention, it might be one of the two.

Bob Hoskins might play Boss Maroni.

Theres still no word on who might be playing the Black Mask/Roman Sionis.

Bill Earle(Rutger Hauer) will be back and will be working with Oswald Cobblepot to get revenge on Bruce Wayne.

Phillip Seymour Hoffman(Capote, hes also the villain in MI:3) is up for Cobblepot(aka The Penguin).

Dr.Jeremiah Arkham will be included, but they don't say how yet; no word on who might play him.

Harley Quinn will not be in the movie, but Dr.Harleen Quinzel will have a small role. Nolan is supposedly lookating at a "attractive British actress in her late 30s". Helena Bonham Carter, perhaps?

Still no word on who might play Sarah Essen.

Ok i checked batman-on-film again, and a new update says the actress being considered for Dr.Quinzel is Emily Watson. Thats if she is in the movie, apparently they haven't decided whether or not to include her for sure.

The Joker field isn't closed quite yet. Its been narrowed down to Paul Bettany and two other actors who aren't "names" per se but are good actors. I'm pretty sure Lachy Hulme is one of them..maybe Adrien brody is the other..

Another update:

According to Batman-On-Film's sources, Dr.Leslie Tompkins will have a role in the next movie. Vanessa Redgrave is being considered. Harvey Dent's wife, Gilda, also may play a role. Also, its comes out now that Karl Urban is being considered for Black Mask/Roman Sionis. 

Heres a compilation of characters/actors rumored thus far:

The Joker...Paul Bettany, Lachy Hulme, Sam Rockwell
Harvey Dent...Liev Schreiber, Josh Lucas, Jake Gyllenhaal
Talia or Selina Kyle...Rachel Weisz
Oswald "The Penguin" Cobblepot...Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Bob Hoskins
Black Mask/Roman Sionis...Karl Urban
"Boss" Salvatore Maroni...Bob Hoskins
Dr.Lesley Tompkins...Vanessa Redgrave
Dr.Harleen Quinzel...Emily Watson
Dr.Jeremiah Arkham...Brad Dourif
Agent Sarah Essen...none rumored yet
Gilda Dent...none rumored yet

In addition to the obvious ones(like Batman/Bruce, Gordon, and Alfred) Earle(Rutger Hauer), Flass(Mark Boone junior), Commisioner Loeb(Colin McFarlane), and Thomas Wayne(Linus Roache) are all supposed to be back as well. So with the ones above thats a total of 18 characters. I hope its not too crowded.  :-\\