Could Joseph Gordon-Levitt be The Riddler in Christopher Nolan’s next Batman movie?

Could Joseph Gordon-Levitt be The Riddler in Christopher Nolan’s next Batman movie?

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If you’re still of the mindset that Joseph Gordon-Levitt is just that kid from 3rd ROCK FROM THE SUN, you really need to educate yourself with films like BRICK, 500 DAYS OF SUMMER, KILLSHOT and WOMEN IN TROUBLE… or perhaps the upcoming Spencer Susser movie HESHER, which made quite an impression at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.  He’ll also soon be seen in director Christopher Nolan’s film INCEPTION.  I had said before on the Bigfanboy Livecast (our weekly Thursday night podcast) that Joseph Gordon-Levitt would be the perfect actor to take over the role of The Joker, should Nolan decide to bring the character back in the third Batman film.  Then again, after the saddening demise of Heath Ledger, many feel that having anyone take on the role from this moment forward would just be too weird, despite the fact that JGL looks a LOT like the deceased actor (just do a quick Google Images search to see what I mean).  Recently Nolan stated that The Joker would not return in the third outing, taking Joseph (or any other actor for that matter) out of the potential running for that role.  But many feel that the most natural villain for the next film would be The Riddler.  And now it looks like Joseph Gordon-Levitt may in fact be going head-to-head with the Caped Crusader after all… possibly.  A site called HollywoodLife is claiming he is Nolan’s first pick to play The Riddler in the next installment of the Batman franchise.

Chris really dug Joseph [as an actor],” a source close to the director tells HollywoodLife.com exclusively. “There was a joke at first between them [on the set of Inception] that Joseph wanted to read for Batman 3 and things heated up as filming continued.”

Adds the insider, “It’s not 100% confirmed that he’s getting [the role of The Riddler] but there’s certainly talk about it. Joseph is definitely on the short list.”

Now as with the INDIANA JONES 5 news that hit this week, take all of this with a serious grain of salt.  That said, considering Joseph Gordon-Levitt spent so much time on set with Nolan for INCEPTION, it’s not unusual to consider the director would be taken with him, and be thinking about using him for THE DARK KNIGHT sequel.  Incidentally, the script for the third outing is still in progress, so official casting may be a way off.  BATMAN 3 (title not final) is set to be released July 2012, but look for INCEPTION next month (July 16) and decide for yourself whether JGL has the chops to face off with Batman.  Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.

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About the Author

Born and raised in Dallas, Mark has been a movie critic since 1994, with reviews featured in print, radio and National TV. In 2001 he started the Entertainment section of the Herorealm website, where he contributed film reviews and celebrity interviews until 2004. After three years of service there, he started Bigfanboy.com, which has become one of the Dallas film community's leading information websites. Bigfanboy hosts several movie screenings in the Texas area, and works closely with film and TV studios and promotional partners to host exciting events and contests. The site also features a variety of rare celebrity and filmmaker interviews, and Bigfanboy.com regularly covers the film festival circuit as well. In addition to Hollywood reporting, Mark has worked for many years as an advertising and sci-fi/comic book artist. Clients have included Lucasfilm Ltd., Topps Trading Cards, The Dallas Mavericks and The Dallas Stars. From 2002 until 2015 he managed the Dallas Comic Con, Sci-Fi Expo and Fan Days events in the DFW area. He currently catalogs rare comic books and movie memorabilia for Heritage Auctions, and runs the Dallas Comic Show conventions, but remains an avid moviegoer and cinema buff.