Gary Oldman Talks Heath Ledger's Joker, The Riddler For Dark Knight Sequel

By Hunter StephensonJune 29, 2008 10:34 am EST

Last night in L.A., select film sites including Slashfilm were shown The Dark Knight. The collective positive buzz seems to have only increased in the hours since, reaching frenzied levels that are arguably unprecedented (especially for Twitter). Over the weekend, Movie Hole spoke to Gary Oldman about Heath Ledger's role as The Joker, and what he thinks will happen per villains for a third film. Note: Some readers feel that Oldman's quotes fall under spoiler material.

Update: Producer Douglas Urbanski, who is a friend/manager of Oldman, has contacted Slashfilm to say that he was with the actor at the time and believes the following quotes were "taken widely out of context."

Discuss: What do you make of Oldman's comments? Last time we asked, several readers felt that Hugo Weaving would make an excellent Riddler. Any other suggestions? And how about those early TDK comparisons (made by others) to Heat and The Godfather 2?

Note: If need be, does he believe The Joker will be recast, and if not, who's the next villain?...

"I don't see why not. I mean, they did it with Katie Holmes' character. I understand that this is a different circumstance, but I think another actor could do the job. I think Heath would want another actor to do the job." Oldman then took a moment to think about it some more, "Maybe we don't need the Joker. Because we'll have The Riddler."

Nice save, Oldman. Also, poor Katie Holmes analogy. The following question is bound to paint the Earth in the coming weeks, just as it did with the release of Batman Begins (and look how that played out): Will Christopher Nolan return?

"We don't really know if Nolan is coming back. ...I guess I have to come back. ...Nolan will come back for a third one. I think we all have to."

For over a year, the rumor has persisted that Anthony Michael Hall (Weird Science, Rusty Griswold) plays Edward Nigma aka The Riddler in TDK. A few commenters have referenced the rumors down below. Slashfilm can confirm that ADH plays TV anchor Mike Engel in the film (as credited on IMDB). Moreover, days ago, Hall shot the chatter down to Sci-Fi...

"...people thought I was playing the Riddler, that I had a cooler role than I actually did. ...But I was very happy to hear that there was talk online, I guess with Batman fans suggesting that maybe I was playing the Riddler. I wish I was, you know? I wish I was Batman, to be honest with you, but I think Christian has it locked up."