After having the likes of Liam Neeson, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman in supporting roles in your first venture, I always said any villains they hire for the potential sequels have to be Oscar nominees at the minimum if they're going to be taken with any credibility.

Now, Batman on Film scored a report from a scooper adding to a rumour earlier this week that this year's most likely Best Actor Oscar winner may be up for a the secondary villain role in the next film - "I live in the Rochester, NY area, which is where Philip Seymour Hoffman grew up. The media has been covering his Golden Globe nomination for Capote, and in a recent interview with his old high school drama teacher (who remains close to him) on a local news program, she confirmed that Hoffman has been in talks to take on The Penguin in the upcoming BATMAN sequel and is very interested in the role".

As for The Joker, the role is many months away from casting as yet though Sam Rockwell is apparently campaigining to try and get the part. Personally if I had a vote, Geoffrey Rush would be my pick.