So what were the fans to do with themselves after the box office juggernaut "The Dark Knight" dominated theaters?
Start rumors about the next film, of course. As we all saw in "The Dark Knight," Heath Ledger blew everyone away with his incredible performance as The Joker. From his violent, yet shocking pencil magic trick to his assistance in turning Harvey Dent into Two-Face, Ledger nailed the character's psychotic persona.
So how is anyone going to top that? Everyone has been pondering whom director Christopher Nolan will choose next as his villain(s) in the third "Batman" film -- including the actors themselves.
Rumors fueled the hot topic when conversation began about which two very well known actors would be playing the roles of the Riddler and the Penguin.
While at the Toronto Film Festival, Michael Caine seemed confident in confirming rumors regarding the third film's villains.
According to MTV's Splash Page, Caine, who plays Alfred the butler in the "Batman" films, told interviewers on Monday that Johnny Depp and Philip Seymour Hoffman are the choices in mind for the characters of Riddler and Penguin, respectively. This led to the question on everyone's mind -- was he just reading the gossip pages in fanatic sites and magazines?
Apparently not. The actor said he confirmed the news regarding the characters through the studio while speaking with a Warner Brothers executive. Caine, skeptical about Ledger's casting as the Joker compared to Jack Nicholson's original performance, had no second thoughts or uneasiness regarding Nolan's likely casting decision.
So how will fans feel about hearing this news? Personally I'm thrilled. Both twisted and maniacal, the role of the Riddler needed someone unique, talented, and versatile -- and Johnny Depp is absolutely a great match for all three attributes. Nolan's take on the "Batman" films have been darker than any of the previous ones, which leads to a mystery for the fans.
We don't know how Nolan will make these characters exactly. When he developed the Joker's character, many were shocked that there was a complete lack of the dry and clown-like humor that Jack Nicholson displayed throughout the original 1989 film.
Instead, we were given a completely off-the-charts psychopath so evil and insane that when we laughed we wondered how we could do so.
Depp has taken on so many characters, and his acting versatility must have been one of the key elements in Nolan's decision to give him the role. From Captain Jack Sparrow to Willy Wonka to murderous barber Sweeney Todd, Depp can do it all -- and do it well. I have no worries that if he is the chosen actor for the role he will deliver an excellent performance. It will certainly be a better choice than Jim Carrey in "Batman Forever," during which the audience was given a dose of Carrey's normal flamboyant humor wrapped up in a green spandex suit with question marks on top.
The same goes for the other actor said to play the gun-happy Penguin.
Philip Seymour Hoffman has amazed me throughout his various performances, such as the dumb-witted sidekick to Ben Stiller in the comedy "Along Came Polly" to his Oscar-winning performance for Best Actor in the dramatic film "Capote."
There's no doubt that he can deliver the squawking laugh that Burgess Meredith did in the 1960s version of the television show or the dark, deformed psychopathic traits that Danny DeVito showed in "Batman Returns."
Besides how these actors would do in their individual roles, the other question asked is how they would work with each other in the film.
Depp and Hoffman would be a new on-screen team, but their differences could be a great asset to making them believable as villains. It looks as though Nolan will be delivering yet another great Batman flick in the future.