With Batman behemoth The Dark Knight pleasing audiences and critics alike, it's time for some rabid speculation about the casting of the next film in the rebooted franchise. The Sun froths this morning that the incandescent Johnny Depp is in line to play the Riddler, the bodystockinged bastard last played by Jim Carrey in Batman Forever.

Depp, a pretty safe pair of hands for almost any role, already has Batman connections. He took over the lead role in Heath 'Joker' Ledger's final unfinished film, Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, along with Colin Farrell and Jude Law. Depp is also sharing screen time with Christian 'Um, Batman' Bale in the forthcoming Public Enemies, in which our Johnny plays infamously cocky* gangster John Dillinger.

Everyone's favourite morality-and-mammaries rag also reckons that Philip 'Boogie' Seymour 'Nights' Hoffman might be coaxed into playing the Penguin, a role previously occupied by Danny 'Throw Momma From The Train' DeVito.

The El Reg film desk hereby tips Angelina 'Hubba hubba' Jolie for Catwoman. ®

Bootnote

* Although of course he actually wasn't.

Related stories

• Dark Knight eyes Producers Guild award (6 January 2009)
• Batman sues Batman over Batman (12 November 2008)
• MPs lambast BBFC over Batman (5 August 2008)
• CGI furnishes filmstar with fur (28 July 2008)
• Updated Batman cuffed over alleged assault (22 July 2008)
• Best Buy nixes in-store Heath Ledger shrine (25 January 2008)
• Batman logo manifests in tomato (14 January 2008)