Tom Hardy, the breakout star from this summer's Inception has joined the cast of Christopher Nolan's next Batman film, according to a report from Deadline.com. No one is confirming what role he'll play, or even whose side he'll be on, but if rumors are to be believed, Hardy may well be the next Riddler. Check out the gender-bender jailhouse biopic Bronson for proof of just how versatile the guy really is.
So to recap: we don't know who, what, or really anything, other than it looks really good that he'll be in the flick. Now you can start up with your speculations and wishlisting.
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Since we can’t yet say "great casting" (what with the role being unknown) we at least know he can undoubtedly hold his own against Christian Bale’s formidable screen presence. Good news indeed.
The Riddler? Black Mask? Maxie Zeus? The Penny Plunderer? Who knows?
He makes me doubt my sexual orientation a little bit.
He’d be a brilliant Black Mask! That would be cool!
Awesome! He was great in Inception.
Zsasz!
@Jimmy: Wow! YES!
Aunt Harriet
Black mask would be great. I still really wish nolan would use bane,I love bane. With bane you can have a great physical enemy that you can’t have with many other batman villians and it would make up for the bane we saw in the older batman films. I know he wont use bane but I still wish he would:)
I could see him as……no idea.
Never really heard of him until Inception. So I’m excited to see how he’ll be when it’s announced.
My money’s on him playing Catwoman.
I actually think the Zsasz idea could work in a Nolan inspired Batman flick. With a character like him, you could, as he the production did with the Joker, delve into the depths of one person’s crazy psyche and mirror that against Bruce’s struggling sanity.
In fact, pretty much all Batman’s villians could be different reflections of Batman’s shattered inner-self. I personally wouldn’t mind seeing the Riddler play out. Don’t make him a killer. He’s not into that. Just make him a guy who is known for besting the police, and Batman, and turn him, like we do in this media frenzied and glorified day and age, into a celebrity. Batman’s kinda miffed, cause he’s trying to do good, but, gets martyred, and Nigma is pulling the world over everyone’s eyes and getting the recognition Batman feels is misplaced.
I think something along those lines, and given Nolan’s great extrapolation of character, could be something quite enjoyable. To me anyway.
Mr. Zsasz was already in BATMAN BEGINS. He was on trial for murder in the beginning and was in the Arkham Asylum break out. He got tased at the end.
(Which doesn’t necessarily stop them from using him again, I’m just doubtful because he has already appeared.)
Actually if Hardy bulked up to the same level he did in "Bronson" Killer Croc is a better than average possibility
If he were to play the Riddler, I would want the movie to maintain as dark a tone as it has the previous two. Now keep in mind that I haven’t read that much Batman, but anything I’ve ever seen of Nigma, he was more of a silly character, which I wouldn’t want. Also, I think Carey’s role has tainted my image of the character as well.
Well, we did just have that killer crock rumor…
Honestly though, think he’d make a great riddler, even though I still wish it were JGL
Shave his head and he’s your Freeze. I feel like he’s too bulk to be the Riddler. For all we know he could be leading an anti-batman task force. Maybe he’s Bullock. Haven’t had that type of character since Eckhart.
calender
@ Conor. Yep. Totally forgot about Zsasz in BB.
Paul, did u put all those question marks over hardy to suggest something?
give him some weight, put him in a tux, and he could even be penguin.
This guy was my favorite part of Inception. Awesome.
i dont want to see the riddler in the next one.
Just by his current bulid. (Which means nothing he could slim down or bulk up even more) he could do a black mask, or I could even see Hush. Trying to think in the world of "real villians" I doubt we’ll see a Clayface or Man-Bat. But Hush, Black Mask. Hell I’d love to see him be a young Ventriloquist or Clock King.
Wow he’s got a Riddler presence all over him, this casting is already making me shiver with excitement I wonder what will happen next with casting? (Please bring back Two-Face! Please bring back Two-Face!)
Dude, he’s going to play Mr Blah Blah Blah who isn’t a famous character but is actually inner city child well-fare worker who represents some greater metaphorical importance in the story or something like that. Like Eric Roberts just playing gangster or Anthony Michael Hall playing a regular news anchor
Maybe.
What do i know.
I have no idea who he could play. I hope he doesnt play Riddler, not because I wouldnt want him in the role but really because I just dont want to see Riddler in the film. I love the Riddler but there is just no way that Riddler would match the threat level of Joker and Two-Face in the last film, he would look like a pansy compared to them because he is not a killer, in fact hes become way more interesting as a hero right now in the comics then he ever was as a villain.
If I had to take a guess though, Black Mask, Deadshot or maybe even Hush. But I kind of doubt b-list villains like those could hold films on their own
My prediction: they go really off the path they’ve established and the whole movie is about Etrigan the Demon, played by Tom Hardy.
He’s Dick Grayson
I can totally see Nolan pulling off riddler. ANyone watch Memento or Inception. Riddler offers up gads of potential for an enigmatic story like that.
After the ending of TDK i believe the most obvious antagonist for Batman to face in the third film is Jim Gordon and the GCPD. Seeing how bats is now a wanted murderer it makes sense for the people of Gotham to demand that he is brought in once and for all. But seeing how our caped crusader has often made short work of of the cops in the past, they would need help catching him. The Mayor could demand that they bring in a hired gun to help get the job done. This is where the Riddler comes in.
The trick with the Riddler is not portraying him as a Joker wannabe or a garish buffoon. By making him Batman’s intellectual equivalent and a possible replacement hero for the city, he becomes more of a threat to Batman. What if Edward Nygma is brought in to find out who Batman really is and help the cops get him, but he secretly has his own nefarious agenda?
This is my idea for how the Riddler should be protrayed in the third film (i really hope hes in it) and i believe Tom Hardy would be fantastic for the character. I would definitely have a second villian as well though. Maybe Two-Face could be brought back? But some of the more colourful members Batman’s rogues gallery might find a place as well. As the Joker told Batman, "You’ve changed things forever. There’s no going back." A third film could show how this has panned out, with the underworld being divvied up between increasingly eccentric criminals, such as The Penguin (who is perhaps never referred to by that name), Black Mask and maybe even the Ventriloquist. None of them have to be the main villain; they could merely be there to show how wild and bizarre things are getting in Gotham.
Thoughts?
@Gabe – …I dunno if Robin (or Grayson for that matter) has ever been portray that masculine.
Bronson is really good and on Netflix Watch Now if you are so inclined. I can’t see Killer Croc working, but maybe Nolan has a plan. Or maybe it’s The Riddler. Or a bad-ass Penguin.
Or maybe he’s another bank manager…
I could see him as anything he is a very charismatic actor However on the Totally Rad Show before this they mentioned he was rumored for Zod now that would have been awesome.
The Calander Man.
Nolan and his team have been so good at keeping their cards close to the vest!
It’s so great. Where every other movie is showing props and footage and stills left and right. Nolan gave us a name. That’s it. I love it!
I have an "out there" theory:
The Joker.
@Hornhead
I really like your take on this. Film#3 can totally be about the reaction of the population to Batman as a scapegoat.
Awesome news.. (Even thought i had hopes for JGL being riddler)
I love Nolan. I love Hardy. I loved "Dark Knight." I loved "Inception." So while perhaps not a surprise, this announcement gets me that much more excited for the third Batman.
He is gonna play Picard’s younger evil clone again. This dude is so type casted.