Dark Knight sequel update

The creators of (possibly) one of the most hyped movies of all time, “The Dark Knight,” are already speculating about the third film in the eventual trilogy (at least according to Christopher Nolan they will stop at three films). David Goyer, who’s had a writing credit on both “Batman Begins” and “The Dark Knight,” has given his two cents about the potential villains in the next film, according to movies.ie:

Catwoman and Penguin, who have both been featured in past Batman movies, won’t even be considered as characters in this reinvention of Gotham City, said Goyer. Although both The Joker and Two-Face have been featured in Batman movies before, Goyer said the team on this trilogy wants to dig deeper and find villains that have never hit the silver screen, like they did for Scarecrow in “Batman Begins.”

Goyer had this to say:

Batman has been published for 70 years. In the first movie, we used Ra’s Al Ghul and the Scarecrow, who had not been in the movies before, and had not been in the ’60s TV show before.

“There are dozens if not hundreds of other characters that fit that bill. Everyone says it’s got to be the Penguin or Catwoman [in the next film]… well I completely disagree.”

It’s an interesting choice to eliminate the two most recognizable villains that have yet to be used in this trilogy, but I definitely see where he’s coming from. I feel like they’re trying to incorporate more of a Gangster/Underground, organized crime feel to these movies. That’s what the first one played like, and “The Dark Knight” takes on a similar pace, according to reports and reviews I’ve read so far.

Catwoman has been made a complete joke thanks to Hollywood, especially after Halle Berry’s rendition, and wouldn’t play well in that kind of villainous role. But I could definitely see the Penguin, or “the gentleman of crime,” as a bad guy in the next film. All that would have to be done is to forget DeVito’s Penguin character and start from scratch, just like Heath Ledger did for The Joker this time around. Then The Penguin could be the mobster-type villain he was meant to be. Just because the character’s been used before doesn’t mean it can’t be original. I hate to use Ledger twice in a row to make my point, but he remade The Joker with his own interpretation; He didn’t base his performance around Jack Nicholson’s.

So far, Two-Face is rumored to come back, and Nolan and crew will introduce The Riddler…. what? How can you completely dismiss the Penguin because he’s been in a Batman movie before, and then turn right around and use The Riddler, who was played by Jim Carrey in 1995’s “Batman Forever”? Lame.

I really don’t know much about comic books, seeing as how I don’t read them, so I’m not too well-versed in the villains that haven’t ever been used in a Batman movie, but Wikipedia is great for that kind of thing. So, strictly based on their writeups on Wikipedia, these are some villains that I think would both be interesting to watch and well-placed in Nolan’s more realistic interpretation of Gothman:

1. Black Mask

Roman Sionis, a former business executive who originally hated Bruce Wayne rather than Batman, wears a Black Mask and leads the cult-like False Face Society of henchmen. Black Mask eventually became a mob boss controlling large sections of Gotham’s criminal underworld.

I think that backstory sounds fitting, but there is one problem: after “The Dark Knight,” there may already be one major crime boss, especially if they bring Two-Face back for the third. One of the reasons I really think “The Dark Knight” will be great is the dynamic between the two villains; The Joker has been described as a character like the shark in “Jaws,” attacking at completely random times with no rhyme or reason. Two-Face is more like a mob boss, and it might be confusing to introduce to competing crime world rulers.

2. The original Clayface

This one’s really confusing, because there are apparently many different adaptations of the character.

Basil Karlo, was an actor who was driven mad when he heard of a remake of the classic horror film he had starred in, The Terror. Adopting the persona of the film’s villain “Clayface”, he became a serial killer targeting the cast and crew.

This could be an interesting character, and one that won’t interfere with Two-Face’s criminal underworld meddling.

3. Killer Moth

Cameron van Cleer/Drury Walker was an anti-Batman who aided criminals just as Batman aids the police, but only for money.

That could be an interesting confrontation, I think. But only if they make him look less ridiculous than this picture on the right.