Casting Batman 3

For my money, The Dark Knight was one of the top movies of 2008. Apparently most everyone agrees with me judging by the box office gross and the fact that IMDB rates it as the 4th best movie OF ALL TIME. It's a no-brainer that with the success of the Heath Ledger vehicle that a third installment should be coming our way. Director Christopher Nolan has not confirmed he will be making Batman 3, but that hasn't stopped the rampant internet speculation of whom would be playing whom in the next film.



Today there was news from a UK source (The Sun) that Eddie Murphy is being considered for the role of the Riddler and Shia Lebouf is on tap to play Robin. Fortunately this was all fabricated by The Sun and is not true at all. As far as I'm concerned, Eddie Murphy's career died with this movie. And while I am actually a Shia fan, I think putting Robin in this new wave of Batman flicks is a BAD idea.

This did get me thinking about who should be cast in particular roles if the third film does get the green light. A lot of rumors are floating around about Phillip Seymour Hoffman playing the role of Penguin. While I think that is a pretty solid choice, I present a much better alternative: Paul Giamatti. He already has the balding look down and he's short, stocky and possesses the kind of demented humor you'd expect from the character. I think Giamatti is the perfect choice for Penguin if they decide to cast the role. Other ideas I have (depending on if Nolan decides to include the characters in the story or not) are:

Riddler: Steve Carrell
Catwoman: Angelina Jolie (I don't care if she's "too big a star" for a Batman movie, she's definitely the best choice)
Robin: If the boy wonder ever does get introduced into the new series of Batman films, I think Brian Austin Green (fresh off a strong career revival in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) should get the role

Any other creative casting ideas out there?