Johnny Depp Addresses ‘Batman 3’ Riddler Rumors; Bale says Batman 3 may not happen

[GreenScar]

I'm not one to get too excited for Batman rumors, but this one would really get me excited if it happened.

“If the opportunity came, I’d definitely juggle it,” he said.

While director Christopher Nolan’s future with the Batman franchise is very much up in the air, speculation surrounding a follow-up to last year’s “The Dark Knight” continues unabated. One persistent rumor — perhaps fan-created — is the possibility of Johnny Depp joining the cast as the Riddler.

When MTV News caught up with the actor while he was promoting his upcoming Michael Mann film “Public Enemies,” Depp told us he’s open to taking on the role of the puzzle-hurling villain.

You can check out the video here.

In the same junket this is what Bale had to say:

If not for the offer of “whipping lessons” from Michelle Pfeiffer, the Catwoman of 1992’s “Batman Returns,” last week would have been a complete downer for Batman movie fans. On Wednesday, a rumor hit the ‘Net that director Christopher Nolan might not return for a third film after “Batman Begins” and “The Dark Knight,” and we’ve seen little reason to disqualify it thus far.

Heck, when we spoke to Batman actor Christian Bale on the set of his upcoming film “Public Enemies,” even he sounded uncertain about the Dark Knight’s big-screen future.

“I truly don’t know that we’re ever going to see another Batman movie,” Bale told MTV News.

Bale, whose contract requires him to play Gotham’s greatest hero in at least three films, said Nolan’s participation is likely to be decided by the quality of script over any other factor.

“It would be purely that he would need to find a story that was good enough,” said Bale, “and if he couldn’t find that it wouldn’t happen.”

While Bale is obligated to put on the cape and cowl again, the same isn’t true for Nolan. “The Dark Knight” director is currently working on “Inception,” so if “Batman 3″ did enter the equation, production couldn’t begin until 2011 at the earliest.

As it is, Bale said the idea of a Batman movie without Nolan wasn’t something he was willing to consider at this point, but reiterated that he wasn’t sure if audiences should ever expect a third film in the current franchise.

“I don’t even want to think about that,” said Bale. “I don’t know if there will be a third.”

You can check out the Bale video here.