Today at Multiversity Casting Couch, we’re going to take a new approach. Rather than cast a set book with set characters, we’re going to provide our take on a hotly debated internet topic: what villains will appear in the next Batman film by Christopher Nolan?
There were a couple rules here, though. The first is that we have to take into account the laws of Nolan’s verse: no super powers. These are all characters who are all, more or less, ordinary. They all have bases in reality. We also have to take into account as a second rule how Christopher Nolan likes to work. You’ll notice that the casting here might seem a bit out there, but at the same time there are a lot of people who are repeat players in Nolan’s work. Many of them have to match up with Bale as well.
While we are positive that most of these villains aren’t characters Nolan would want to use, they’re all characters or actors we like. So today, we present to you the latest collaboration between MC EIC Matthew Meylikhov and guest editor Jessica Graham for Batman’s last film (until some other director comes along).
Catwoman- Olivia WildeEveryone wants Catwoman to be in the film. She’s Batman’s “true love” in many circles. While some of us at MC might not be huge Catwoman fans, we will say this – we love Olivia Wilde. Did you see the Black Donnely’s? I LOVE THAT SHOW. Now Olivia Wilde is on House, and she’ll be appearing in Cowboy’s and Aliens. The long story short of it is that Olivia Wilde is smart, sassy, appropriately built, and has begun to dip her feet into the comic book waters.
She’s about 10 years younger than Bale, though, so I suppose it’s a good thing that she does look a tad older than she is.
The Penguin – Philip Seymour HoffmanThis is an internet favorite, and the internet isn’t wrong. PSH is a fantastic actor, and he’s fantastic at being a creep (see: Doubt, Happiness, Synechdoche NY, almost any film he’s in). If Nolan did the Penguin, I imagine it would be a lot like Jason Aaron’s Joker Asylum one-shot, and if that’s the case then PSH would be phenomenal for the part. Heck, even if it’s not the case, he’d still be phenomenal for the part.
The Riddler – Joseph Gordon-LevittA lot of people were fans of Gordon-Levitt thanks to 3rd Rock from the Sun, and once he grew up we all loved him for Brick and (500) Days Of Summer. Then Nolan cast him in Inception and we all realized: woah. This is one BAMF. Seeing as Levitt already has a good working relationship with Nolan, it stands to reason that he could easily fit into Nolan’s Bat-verse. And those of you who have seen the wide variety of characters know that Levitt could pull off a creepy and dark Riddler or a cackling and mischievous one – whatever Nolan needs.
Hush- Eric BanaHush is my (EIC Matt Meylikhov) personal favorite villain. In a lot of ways, he is created specifically to be a foil to Bruce Wayne. In fact, Hush is Batman’s oldest friend (turned enemy). Tommy Elliott is such a fascinating character thanks to writers like Paul Dini, and I think that he could make an interesting character for a Batman film. So we need someone who can look and act opposite Bale as an appropriate foil in the same way that Elliott is a foil to Wayne. Originally we thought that Sam Worthington could fit the bill (who has an appropriate bill), but thanks to a random image in a Google search, we came across a picture of Bana paired up with Hush and realized – you know what? That works much better.
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Black Mask- Hugo WeavingBlack Mask is a kingpin of crime who hides under a mask. His face doesn’t matter as much, but he needs a voice that will strike fear as he murders left and right to make his way up the ladder of crime. This is where we cast Hugo Weaving. Hugo Weaving just
has that voice, and this isn’t going to be the first time someone puts him inside a mask in order to play a role. Check out V For Vendetta, Transformers, or even the upcoming Captain America film. Weaving is such a talented actor that even if we throw his face under a mask we know he’ll still nail it.
Deadshot- Tom HardyTom Hardy is an actor who has appeared on our Casting Couch before, and he’s also a Nolan veteran (thanks to Inception). However, those of you who have seen RockNRolla or Bronson will know him as quite the devious and insane little villain, and while Deadshot has grown into a rather well adjusted and sane character (kind of) in Secret Six, we think that Tom Hardy’d fit the bill.
It is interesting to note that Deadshot has been cast in MCC before, as Michael Fassbender. However, with no offense to Fassbender (or Gil), we think Hardy would be much better in the role.
Harley Quinn- Sheri MoonHave you ever seen a film called The Devil’s Rejects? Do you remember Baby? To me, that
is Harley Quinn. Flirting between deranged psychopath and adorable/slightly playful asylum patient, Moon has already pulled off this role perfectly. For all we know, Moon was just playing herself! I mean, she’s with Rob Zombie, right? While Quinn will most likely not show up in any Nolan film for any reason, if there was that slight chance she appeared on screen we’d give it to Moon in a heartbeat.
Talia Al Ghul- Marion CotillardTalia Al Ghul is one of the characters everyone is expecting. Ra’s was a big part of the first film, so it only fits that his offspring might return in the third film to get revenge, right? Plus, Talia has a very important relationship with the Batman in the comics. The flub up of course is that Ra’s in Batman Begins was nothing like Ra’s in the comics, considering Liam Neeson is most certainly not Middle Eastern. So instead we have to find someone who could
assumedly play his daughter. Cotillard is another Nolan veteran, she’s European (though not Irish like Neeson), and she’s an incredibly elegant and talented actress. While some people seem to think she should play Catwoman, we at Multiversity endorse her more as the daughter of the Demon.
Zsasz – Paul BettanyZsasz is another long shot of a casting, but when looking at “realistic” villains we thought Zsasz could offer up an interesting minor villain in a film. When we picked out the above picture by Brian Bolland, it just
screamed Paul Bettany. Plus, Bettany is no stranger to self mutilation, in the Da Vinci Code.
Of course, Zsasz was technically in Batman Begins, but we’re hoping that if we could call Bettany in for the role for whatever reason that the fanboy community would forgive us/them.
Killer Croc- Adewale Akinnuoye-AgbajeSome of you might be thinking, “Wait, what? What’s with this casting?” Well, you might remember that Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo put together a little graphicn ovel called Joker, which was largely set in a real world environment. In this, we had a Killer Croc who was more of a thug than a monster. If Nolan wanted to include this interpretation of Croc in his film, we think the perfect Waylon Jones would be LOST’s Mr. Eko – Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje. A large and intimidating man, we’ve seen him play a gangster on the show and be absolutely terrifying. Since Michael Jai White already had a role, we’ll give it to Mr. Eko.
Hugo Strange – Jeff BridgesOnce again, a villain you shouldn’t expect to see appear in the film. Why would he? Hugo Strange is not a largely loved character by anyone. However, he is a very good pick for a realistic villain, and he would fit in well with the Arkham crowd. Of course, some of you may giggle at our casting selection, but seriously – look at Jeff Briges as Obadiah Stane. He already looks the part! It’s a bit of a cop out, but let’s give him the role for that alone. The fact he’s a great actor is just a bonus.
