Welcome back to As The Bat Turns! Today we focus in on actor Lachy Hulme, who has long been a front runner for the Joker role in the upcoming sequel to Batman Begins. Poor Paul Bettany has been booted from the rumor mill, but Hulme is still running strong, and still a popular figure among fans. Hulme recently appeared on Australian radio program The Tony Martin Show and discussed his possible appearance in said film. Hulme admitted that big time roles such as the Joker usually go to bigger named actors than himself, but said he has talked with Warner Brothers about appearing in the film. He repeatedly insisted he wasn't allowed to talk about it, but did note he is collecting Batman stuff because it is now "tax deductible" for him. He has also done a lot of Batman comic reading, for reasons he left unexplained.

Certainly sounds like Hulme is planning on being involved with the Batman sequel in some capacity or another. Of course promises are never made and he could be out on the street in tomorrow's rumor mill -- but as for today he is looking good. Stay tuned for further updates ...

At last count, there were roughly 20 billion names swirling around the blogosphere in connection with the role of The Joker in the Batman Begins sequel. Out of the muddle, the three that seem to emerge most often are Paul Bettany, Crispin Glover, and Lachy Hulme, whoever that is. While second-hand reports suggest that Hulme is unlikely to play the role and the Glover rumors have recently quieted, the Bettany talk is still going strong. And now a new name can be added to the mix: King Kong (and, lest we forget, Oscar winner) star Adrien Brody has decided that he should get to play the role, though no one from the movie has actually ever approached him about it. Said Brody, "I would love to play The Joker. I think he would be deformed and creepier." (Creepier than what was never made clear.)

I know we've asked about your Joker casting ideas a dozen times already, but does the Brody rumor do anything for you? Personally, I love Bettany and would be more than happy to see him in the role.