I suppose this should be filed conveniently under RUMOR but it does come from some credible people like say an ACTOR in the movie and someone the company at Warner Bros but is it as it seems? Is it?!?!

Michael Caine talked to MTV and he just comes out and says it,

They've already got (the villains) in mind. ... It's Johnny Depp as The Riddler. And The Penguin is Philip Seymour Hoffman. I read it in the paper.

Well the paper, that proves it all! Just like when they were talking about Catwoman who whoever else. But there is "better" proof. Caine then talks with a Warner Bros. Executive and...

I was with [a Warner Bros.] executive and I said, "Are we going to make another one?" They said yeah. I said, "How the hell are we going to top Heath [Ledger as The Joker]?" And he says "I'll tell you how you top Heath — Johnny Depp as The Riddler and Philip Seymour Hoffman as The Penguin." I said, "(Expletive), they've done it again!"

So not completely new and not completely confirmed but pretty much? Kind of makes sense but then Depp had to speak his mind on this to throw it into more confusion when he talked on a radio interview.

I heard about that. Not that I know of. ... It seems like it'd be a fun gig for a while, yeah.

Okay, so that one is a maybe, probably? And what about the penguin? Well Hoffman was asked at the Toronto International Film Festival and answered, "I don't think so." He goes on to geek out about Batman and excited about it and ends with this quote,

...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.

Not sure where that leaves us but the stupid press needs to shut up. The movie has only been out for what, two months-ish? Sure you want more, don't know why, but can't you wait till the DVD/Bluray is out? Just seems a tad bit out of hand.

And I seriously don't want Johnny Depp to be in this movie. He might be able to do a decent job (although I'd rather a less obvious choice, it worked for Heath) but that's not the reason. It was bad enough seeing 7+ Hot Topic kids dressed as Joker at the opening night. With Johnny Depp (who is even a bigger Hot Topic star), they will surely be more "Riddlers" running around the movie theater to facepalm at. I mean three of them even went to PAX. I mean c'mon!

Hoffman on the other had, I am fine with. He could do a good job and make it not suck like Heath Ledge/Aaron Eckhart did. Is it so wrong that I would go see a future Batman film to NOT see Batman? Maybe if they got a new caped crusader but kept the same Bruce Wayne...that would totally work!

I believe it was a waste to put two villains in and deal with both of them at the same time. More could've been done with Two-Face in a sequel but nooooo, he has to be DEAD. This two villain thing almost reminds me of the forgotten years of Batman, aka Forever and & Robin. We don't need anymore of that. Or at least have one be developed and set up for a sequel!

Anyways, you think any of this is legit?

[Via IGN]