What about The Riddler? MTV interviews Johnny Depp and Christian Bale

With Johnny Depp and Christian Bale playing the leads in Michael Mann’s Public Enemies, MTV Movies editor Josh Horowitz couldn’t resist using some of his interview time with each actor to fish for information about a possible third Batman film. He reminded Johnny Depp of last summer’s fanboy push to have JD play The Riddler in installment #3 . . . bear in mind, however, that there is no script for a third film, and it is by no means certain that The Riddler would even appear in it. This is pure speculation.

MTV: [With] you and Christian in this one [Public Enemies] . . . obviously the Batman franchise . . . you were rumored as a potential fan favorite to play The Riddler. What do you think?

JOHHNY DEPP: That’s what I heard. I did hear that [about being the fan favorite]. Um . . . it seems like it would be all right. I always liked The Riddler. I always liked Frank Gorshin [who played The Riddler in the 1960s TV series]. Frank Gorshin was brilliant. I always thought he was a great actor. So . . . um . . . if the opportunity came, I’d definitely juggle it.

But the current Batman, Christian Bale, refused to be drawn into any speculation and kept emphasizing that there is no guarantee there will even be a third film in the series.

MTV: Do you have a horse in the race, though, in terms of if-and-when another Batman film is made, what villain you would like to see? [. . .] Is there somebody . . . a character you’d like?

CHRISTIAN BALE: [interrupting] I truly don’t know that we’re ever going to see another Batman movie.

MTV: Does that sadden you? That it might not happen, if Chris [director Christopher Nolan] doesn’t feel like doing it?

CHRISTIAN BALE: You know, I wouldn’t see Chris as being as whimsical as that. It would be purely that he would need to find a story that was good enough. And, if he can’t find that, then it wouldn’t happen.

MTV: There’s been talk recently–and again, this might be just something that’s conjured up on the web [like casting Johnny Depp as The Riddler], that Chris may not do the third one and may hand off to another director. Is there any conceivable way you would do a third film with a different director?

CHRISTIAN BALE: I don’t even want to think about it. Listen–I don’t even know if there will be a third.

I guess Deppheads should not hold their breath waiting for The Riddler to appear on JD’s schedule. You can hear interviews with both Johnny Depp and Christian Bale on MTV’s Rough Cut: Public Enemies. For Johnny’s video clip about The Riddler, CLICK HERE. The Zone thanks Theresa for sharing the clip.

To see a larger version of the photo of Johnny Depp at the press junket in Chicago, CLICK HERE. –Part-Time Poet