Of two things pertaining to CBMs I am certain; we can all agree we’re eager for Christopher Nolan’s last Batman feature, and none of us can agree what it should be like.
Of particular note are the villains; some want ones that have never been adapted for live action, while some prefer the classics that have already been done. There are those who want to see a villain to truly test Batman’s intellect while others want a physical villain for a change.
Nolan’s my favorite director, possibly of all time. I do not fret what will happen because the man does not disappoint and I’m certain he will deliver. He is a man of vision and isn’t a film studio stooge, so whatever he decides to do, I’ll accept it and wait to be awed once again.
That being said, here are the actors I’d like to see portraying the characters I hope Nolan choose to use.
I’d been working on a proposed plot to go with this as well, but with the announcement of Tom Hardy’s casting, I thought I’d get this out there while I still could. Maybe I’ll post my proposed plot at a future time. However, I’ve included a description of what I imagine a Nolanized version of each character would be like.
Primary Antagonists
Roman Sionis
Though the Sionis mob was once one of the most prominent in Gotham and had warred against the Falcones in the seventies, the late eighties saw them become legitimate and forsake their criminal ties. This never sat well with Roman Sionis, who viewed legitimacy as a mere façade while the Sionis remained cutthroats to the core. Upon inheriting the family company he intentionally squandered it away by making bad business decision, forcing the family to return to their criminal roots.
Guy Pearce is a tremendous actor and was my pick as Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight before Eckhart was cast. He previously worked with Nolan on Memento, which helps his chances.
Selina Kyle
This probably warrants some talk.
Catwoman isn’t an immensely popular choice, I realize. There’s a portion of those who harbor animosity toward the character due to that Halle Berry fiasco. Others think she simply has been done before and that since this is Nolan’s last stab at the Batman mythos, they’d rather have him work on an underutilized character.
To the first group, I’d say if they allowed one horrible movie – which was certainly Catwoman in scant but the name – to ruin your opinion of the character, then you probably weren’t a fan of the character to begin with.
The second group actually has a valid point; what’s the point of more of the same? Sure, Joker and Two-Face may have been been done before, but those still had untapped potential. Some would say Catwoman is more an anti-hero than a credible villain, and that she does impressive acrobatics in tight black leather and flirts with Batman. Hell, even those who do want Catwoman tend to envision her as one of two things; a thief that Batman becomes infatuated after having mourned Rachel Dawes for so long, or the exact same thing only she’s also a streetwalker. Catwoman would be pretty a supremely uninspired choice.
Or would it?
Before Ledger’s portrayal as a misanthropic bringer of chaos who wanted to crush the spirit of the people of Gotham, The Joker was consistently as a psychopath who killed a lot of people. That isn’t bad per se, but I think we can agree that The Joker presented in TDK is markedly more interesting than the average depiction.
Point is, the Nolans and David Goyer were quite adept at distilling a long running character into something essentially the same but completely fresh. I am more than confident that they – should they choose to, that is – are capable of depicting a fresh portrayal of Catwoman as a credible threat without resorting to hackneyed clichés like making her the requisite love interest as a main function.
If done well, it could prove to be more than just a great conclusion to the trilogy, but an achievement in film. How many female villains to male protagonists can you name that don’t fall into the category of the vamp? For my part, all I can think of is Alien.
How could he do it? I can only guess, but, look at the primary villains we’ve seen so far. Quite similar to Batman yet his polar opposites in significant ways. Ra’s wanted to curb injustice, but he was ruthlessly pragmatic while Bruce was idealistic and compassionate. The Joker was a larger than life force of nature, but he stood for chaos rather than order. Two-Face had a dual nature to himself, but he’d failed to make his peace with it like Bruce did.
Like Batman, Catwoman was shaped by an upbringing marked with parental absence, but while one was born to privilege, the other wasn’t as lucky, and so each had gone down a different road, dealing with their ordeals differently. While Bruce Wayne chose to resist the order of things and make a change, Selina Kyle adapted to it.
Imagine if you will Selina Kyle as an orphan who grew up on the streets of Gotham. Perhaps her father was a low level criminal murdered by the element he was in. She develops a hardened personality to survive, and in time she comes to travel the United States and the world, learning the criminal arts. She eventually returns to Gotham, armed with criminal expertise and fighting prowess to rival Batman’s. She commits a series of robberies, with the purpose of pursuing a greater agenda. What’s her agenda? I haven’t figured that one out, honestly, maybe she’s trying to take over the mobs, maybe she wants to destroy them, maybe she’s doing it for the lulz. I can’t figure out what I’d like to see her achieve, but I have that idea of how.
Unfortunately, fans casting Catwoman – and when you get to it, female comic book characters in general – seem mostly geared to who would look best in a tight black leather cat suit, that’s how we end up with ideas like Jessica Alba, Megan Fox or Ashley Greene. Perhaps that betrays something about how female characters are perceived generally. Don’t get me wrong, the actress playing Catwoman should be stunning, but acting range and depth are the deciding factor.
Naomi Watts has looks reminiscent of movie starlets of the thirties and forties, like Rita Hayworth and Alida Valli. Heck, she’s starring in a Marilyn Monroe biopic. Watts has got class and is she has acting chops in spades.
Secondary Antagonists
While Catwoman and Black Mask are my choices for our villains, I chose not to stop there. The following characters are ones I’d like to see in some capacity, but not by necessity, and definitely not as main villains. They could be mere cameos or they could be of a similar magnitude to Gambol or Falcone.
Oswald Cobblepot
A gentleman of crime and proprietor of The Iceberg Lounge, who rather than directly commit crimes, provides various services to other criminals for a share of their profits. Batman tolerates his activities in exchange for a steady flow of intelligence on the criminal underworld.
Andy Serkis is an underrated actor. He’s pretty plump and stands 5’8”, not really diminutive but some camera work would sort that out. He’s also worked with Nolan in The Prestige.
Dr. Harleen Quinzel
An Arkham Asylum worker assigned to The Joker. However, rather than breaking through to him, it is she who becomes wrapped around his finger as he used her to manage his criminal interests from behind padded walls.
Nolan said he wasn’t going to recast The Joker. Fair enough, but you can’t just forget him after proclaiming that he and Batman are “destined to do this forever”. He may be unseen, but he should be acknowledged and shown to maintain a presence, even if it is by proxy.
Amanda Seyfried is who I pick.
Supporting Characters
These would be small roles; characters that fit archetypes I think would be necessary for any Batman movie. I mean you can be sure there’ll be a couple of cops in it, but why not instead of some random cops have some memorable characters like…
Colm Meaney as
Lt. Harvey Bullock
The new commander of the Major Crimes Unit. He’s coarse and violent but also an honest and effective policeman. He tenaciously pursues Batman, though he reconsiders his position when faced with graver threats.
I expect Gerard Stephens from The Dark Knight to be the new MCU commander, but Meaney would be cool.
Leonor Varela and Roger Cross as
Det. Rene Montoya and Det. Crispus Allen
A couple of partnered MCU detectives who have opposing opinions regarding the Batman.
Patricia Arquette as
District Attorney Janice Porter
Harvey Dent’s successor who has continued his work prosecuting the crime syndicates of Gotham.
Kirk Acevedo as
Mario Falcone
Carmine Falcone’s son and the new boss of the dwindling Falcone mob. He stands on the brink as the last figure of ordinary organized crime in the face of a new breed of criminals like Black Mask.
… But what about The Riddler?
The Riddler is among the most iconic Batman villains, every bit as much as Catwoman. He’s among the most intellectual Batman villains and he can match wits with the detective in Batman. On the other hand, he can be perceived as a less intimidating, less threatening, modified Joker.
What’s more is that Ledger’s portrayal of The Joker had some Riddler-like tendencies. Remember the part where Batman has to pick who to save between Dent and Rachel? That’s pretty much how I expected a Nolanized Riddler to operate, by setting up extremely difficult Catch-22 situations for the Batman to resolve. But with Ledger’s death, he’s in grave danger of looking like a Joker-surrogate.
That being said, I’d welcome the Riddler if that’s who Nolan chose. And who would I like to see playing him then?
Eric Bana was one of my all time favorite villains in Star Trek. He was by far the best thing about Troy. And god damn it he was an underrated Bruce Banner.