the riddler Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Back in December when new Batman rumors were swirling faster than the wind between buildings in Gotham City, the Brits from across the pond were having a blast chucking out one false casting rumor after the next. The truth at the time (and it still is to a degree) was that Christopher Nolan hadn't even started work on a script for the next Batman movie, and casting the thing was still a ways out.

One rumor that popped up had to do with Eddie Murphy becoming The Riddler in the new film. We all knew it was bullsh*t at the time, but it was finally confirmed by the man himself, Eddie Murphy, during an appearance on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien last night. The clip isn't online yet (I'm sure it'll hit Hulu in the next day or so), but Conan actually brought up the Riddler rumor to Eddie and the actor laughed it off as such after acknowledging that he heard it too and thought it was hilarious. After that, though, he did say that he'd actually like to star in (and I'm paraphrasing) "one of those Batman type films," which means we could see Murphy donning a tight superhero suit one day soon. Will he be The Riddler? Probably not. But I wouldn't be surprised if Eddie gets in on this superhero craze in some way, shape or form in the near future.

Update: Thanks to commenter John for reminding me that Murphy said he'd love to play Egghead instead of Riddler, and proceeded to do the Egghead voice as Vincent Price. Funny stuff.

Update 2: Video of this interview is now available at NBC's site. And I'm not reminded that they also discussed James Brown, and Eddie said he'd love to see Wesley Snipes take on the role.

And don't forget to vote for your favorite all-time Eddie Murphy character over at Moviefone.

Yes, in case you're curious, I will only be writing about The Dark Knight today. And I apologize to those who are tired of hearing about the film, it's just there's so many juicy little nuggets hitting the internets that it's impossible for me to ignore. Brendon over at Filmick has received an email from someone who claims to be very close to the production, so much so that he's read the shooting script (or parts of it) and can confirm certain aspects of the film. Since Brendon told us to take all this with a grain of salt (he's still trying to get firm confirmation on whether this spy is legit), I'm going to tell you folks the same thing. Oh, and if you absolutely hate spoilers, then you might not want to read on.

According to the email, the biggest news is that Anthony Michael Hall (who we recently reported had been cast in the film) will be playing "a good guy named Mr. Edward Nygma." On the surface that doesn't mean a whole lot, but if you're at all familiar with the comics then you'll know that Edward Nygma is The Riddler. Could it be that Christopher Nolan is setting up a third film to feature both Two Face and The Riddler, just as Schumacher did for Batman Forever? If this info is correct, it would certainly appear that way.

The scooper also confirms that the private detective Jason Bard also plays a role in the sequel, and that he's introduced when a drug addict (selling the same type of chemicals that gave Scarecrow his powers in Batman Begins) is apprehended (no word yet on who is playing Bard). Now this could go one of two ways -- either it means the Scarecrow himself will once again make an appearance, or the rumors that have suggested he is in the film are confusing the part with the drugs -- meaning Scarecrow is gone, but his chemical mix has stayed to wreak havoc on Gotham City. Interesting stuff; make with it what you will. The Dark Knight (currently filming in Chicago) is set to be released on July 18, 2008.

Just when you thought The Dark Knight was shaping up to be the mother of all Batman sequels, word trickles out that Freddy Prinze Jr. has been cast as one of the Caped Crusader's most infamous villains, The Riddler. The trades report this morning that Prinze Jr. has signed on to two Batman-related films, so we're not sure whether he will appear as The Riddler in The Dark Knight or wait until the third pic, where Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) will most likely make his transformation and become Two Face. Needless to say, it looks like director Christopher Nolan and his team are interested in going the Batman Forever route with the series and include both Two Face and Riddler as the villains in one pic. You'll remember, in that film Jim Carrey played Riddler, while Tommy Lee Jones took on the role of Two Face. Not for nothing, but I'm, um, speechless.

Says Nolan about the casting, "Freddy brings all the right ingredients to the role of Riddler. He's charming and good-looking, but there's something a little bit off about the guy. What is that? Where does it come from? That's what we're looking to explore here." Of course, now that Prinze Jr. is signed on, does this mean there's some truth to those Sarah Michelle Gellar rumors? The other day, I reported on a rumor that claimed Gellar had also signed on to play a role in The Dark Knight. So, either both husband and wife will play roles or, when Gellar said she was too busy to take on another role because of Batman, that meant she would be staying on set with her husband. Heck, what better way to help someone get into character as The Riddler than to make them hang around Sarah Michelle Gellar? The Dark Knight is set to begin production this spring; currently it's scheduled to hit theaters on July 18, 2008. Thoughts? Reactions?