Tue Sep 9, 2008 — by Robert Greenberger

Hoffman as Penguin is news to Hoffman

Actor is NOT Confirmed for Third Batman Film

The problem with smash hit films is that everyone immediately begins speculating about the sequel.  After all, Hollywood is driven by success and “tent pole” films are necessary for business.  Its one reason, studios stake out release dates years in advance, sometimes before there’s even a script (see Spider-Man 4).

Since the box office records shattered with The Dark Knight, everyone has been running around guessing who might be in the running for the third film from Christopher Nolan. Actors have let it be known they’re interested whether appropriate or not to the part.  The merest hint news sends news around the Internet in a nanosecond.

As a result, retractions, clarifications or denunciations follow just a tad slower.

No sooner did the dust settle from the Cher-as-Catwoman nonsense, MTV began reporting that Michael Caine received Warner Bros. confirmation that the next movie in the series will offer up Johnny Depp as The Riddler and Philip Seymour Hoffman as the Penguin.

Of course, Nolan insists he hasn’t thought once about the next film, preferring to concentrate on a non-Bat feature as a palette cleanser before returning to Gotham City.

Hoffman, who would be terrific in just about any part short of Catwoman, told The Stone Report that ''Some friend of mine told me he read that [rumor]", Hoffman reported from the Toronto Film Festival. "First I heard of it. I don't think so.

"I grew up a comic book fan, so I love that stuff. I love going to that stuff. I think what they're doing with that whole Batman story is really true to what that whole Batman thing has always been. It's one of the darkest origins of a super-hero, to get all nerdy and geeky on you. That character sees his parents gunned down as a young child. I remember when I was a kid reading that story, so seeing it now come to life as the dark tale that it really is as an intense, really dark, very visceral, adult tale that they're doing now, all the great work people are doing on it, of course I wouldn't say, ‘Well, no, no no.' But I don't know the reality of it, so I wouldn't say ‘yes' to you."

Marvel isn’t immune from this nonsense either as they had to quickly stomp out the word that Will Smith was being cast as Steve Rogers in the Captain America movie.  Previously, rumor had it Cap would be played by Matthew McConnaughy.

 

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