The Dark Knight Rises Retro-cast the Rest of the Nolan Universe

[Sawyer]

The world that Batman inhabits is vast and although Nolan gave us a strong vision for many of those characters, he covered but a fraction of the Batman Universe.

Let’s fill in some blanks…

Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot - Philip Seymour Hoffman

Low-hanging fruit that may or may not have actually been in the works at some point, but it’s a good fit. Hoffman also would’ve presumably been the very classic gentleman version of the character that we haven’t really gotten with DeVito and Farrell.

Black Mask/Roman Sionis - Leonardo DiCaprio

A good dark counterpart to Bale’s Bruce IMO. Leo told Timothee Chalamet not to do superhero films, but I’ll bet he’s got a good villain in him.

Leslie Thompkins - Helen Mirren

I could see her as a good maternal counterpart to Caine’s Alfred. And ideally before the Fast franchise got its hooks into her, when she was still in her Prime Suspect/costume drama mode.

 

[Boom]

Hugo Strange ... Robin Williams (RIP)
Hush ... Guy Pearce
Mad Hatter ... Andy Serkis
Penguin ... Philip Seymour Hoffman (RIP)
Poison Ivy ... Jessica Chastain
Riddler ... Jimmi Simpson

 

[Sawyer]

Hugo Strange ... Robin Williams (RIP)

Oh hell yeah.

 

[BobJM]

THE DARK KNIGHT SAGA
dir. Christopher Nolan

MAIN
Bruce Wayne / Batman: Christian Bale
Commissioner Jim Gordon: Gary Oldman
Alfred Pennyworth: Michael Caine
D.A. Harvey Dent: Aaron Eckhart
Rachel Dawes: Maggie Gyllenhaal
Selina Kyle / Catwoman: Anne Hathaway
Lucius Fox: Morgan Freeman

ROGUES GALLERY
Joker: Heath Ledger
Ra’s al Ghul: Liam Neeson
Bane: Tom Hardy
Talia al Ghul: Marion Cotillard
Jonathan Crane / Scarecrow: Cillian Murphy
Edward Nashton / Riddler: Robin Williams
Jean-Paul Valley / Azrael: Leonardo DiCaprio
Deacon Blackfire: Javier Bardem
Dr. Victor Fries / Mr. Freeze: Jeffrey Wright
Jervis Tetch / Mad Hatter: Andy Serkis
Arnold Wesker / Ventriloquist: John Lithgow
Dr. Hugo Strange: Ben Kingsley

SUPPORTING
Det. John Blake: Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Dr. Leslie Thompkins: Charlotte Rampling
Andrea Beaumont / Phantasm: Jessica Chastain
Lt. Harvey Bullock: Laurence Fishburne
Det. Renee Montoya: Michelle Rodriguez
Vicki Vale: Piper Perabo
Barbara Gordon: Saoirse Ronan
Tim Drake: Tye Sheridan

ORGANIZED CRIME
Carmine Falcone: Tom Wilkinson
Oswald Cobblepot: Philip Seymour Hoffman
Roman Sionis / Black Mask: Benicio del Toro
Sal Maroni: Eric Roberts
Rupert Thorne: Brian Cox
Eddie Skeevers: Michael Kenneth Williams
Tony Zucco: Ray Liotta


FULL CAST GALLERY

MAIN
Bruce Wayne / Batman: Christian Bale

Commissioner Jim Gordon: Gary Oldman

Alfred Pennyworth: Michael Caine

D.A. Harvey Dent: Aaron Eckhart

Rachel Dawes: Maggie Gyllenhaal

Selina Kyle / Catwoman: Anne Hathaway

Lucius Fox: Morgan Freeman

ROGUES GALLERY
Joker: Heath Ledger

Ra’s al Ghul: Liam Neeson

Bane: Tom Hardy

Talia al Ghul: Marion Cotillard

Jonathan Crane / Scarecrow: Cillian Murphy

Edward Nashton / Riddler: Robin Williams

Jean-Paul Valley / Azrael: Leonardo DiCaprio

Deacon Blackfire: Javier Bardem

Dr. Victor Fries / Mr. Freeze: Jeffrey Wright

Jervis Tetch / Mad Hatter: Andy Serkis

Arnold Wesker / Ventriloquist: John Lithgow

Dr. Hugo Strange: Ben Kingsley

SUPPORTING
Det. John Blake: Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Dr. Leslie Thompkins: Charlotte Rampling

Andrea Beaumont / Phantasm: Jessica Chastain

Lt. Harvey Bullock: Laurence Fishburne

Det. Renee Montoya: Michelle Rodriguez

Vicki Vale: Piper Perabo

Barbara Gordon: Saoirse Ronan

Tim Drake: Tye Sheridan

ORGANIZED CRIME
Carmine Falcone: Tom Wilkinson

Oswald Cobblepot: Philip Seymour Hoffman

Roman Sionis / Black Mask: Benicio del Toro

Sal Maroni: Eric Roberts

Rupert Thorne: Brian Cox

Eddie Skeevers: Michael Kenneth Williams

Tony Zucco: Ray Liotta

 

[BobJM]

Jean-Paul Valley / Azrael: Leonardo DiCaprio

A decorated US Army veteran who begins a holy crusade against Gotham’s underworld after succumbing to the teachings of Deacon Blackfire.

Deacon Blackfire: Javier Bardem

A charismatic religious leader who preys upon the disenfranchised in Gotham City, leading an uprising against the Batman and the GCPD.

 

[BobJM]

Edward Nashton / Riddler: Robin Williams

A sadistic bomb maker who targets Gotham’s elite taunting Batman with a series of cryptic riddles that unravel a greater conspiracy.

 

[BobJM]

The world that Batman inhabits is vast and although Nolan gave us a strong vision for many of those characters, he covered but a fraction of the Batman Universe.

Let’s fill in some blanks…

Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot - Philip Seymour Hoffman

Low-hanging fruit that may or may not have actually been in the works at some point, but it’s a good fit. Hoffman also would’ve presumably been the very classic gentleman version of the character that we haven’t really gotten with DeVito and Farrell.

Still wish that Hoffman as Penguin had a role in TDKR. He could have easily been swapped for Daggett and helped Bane’s crew in return for controlling interest of Wayne Enterprises.

Also, I would have swapped Foley with Harvey Bullock (played by Laurence Fishburne)

Lt. Harvey Bullock: Laurence Fishburne

 

[Sawyer]

Edward Nashton / Riddler: Robin Williams

A sadistic bomb maker who targets Gotham’s elite taunting Batman with a series of cryptic riddles that unravel a greater conspiracy.

I love Nicholson’s Joker but it was a shame WB had to burn Williams like they did to get Jack. Williams could’ve killed as any number of Bat-villains.

Joker, Riddler, the Ventriloquist…

 

[BobJM]

Agreed; I think Williams as a cerebral / non-confrontational Riddler in the Nolan-verse would have been an awesome way to avoid any unwanted comparisons to Joker.

Reeves interpretation of the character could easily fit the TDK world—even the personal connection to the Wayne’s legacy. It would have been a good moral dilemma for Bruce to face.

 

[BobJM]

Dr. Victor Fries / Mr. Freeze: Jeffrey Wright

Shut off from the world and driven by his singular goal to cure his ailing wife, Fries sells his services to the Gotham underworld as a chilling hitman, utilizing ice bullets which melt inside their victims—leaving no ballistics trail for Batman or the GCPD to follow.

 

[BobJM]

Not a new character, but would have been nice to see Al Pacino re-team with Nolan to portray Carmine Falcone in Batman Begins. Would have made more sense to me than Tom Wilkinson (not that he was terrible), but maybe it was too small a role for Pacino.

 

[Sawyer]

Pacino in the TDK Trilogy would’ve killed.