Who Will Be the Next Batman Villain?

Several weeks into its run, The Dark Knight continues to make it big at the box office. At many theaters, it's not only still playing, but playing on multiple screens. The film's incredible execution and Heath Ledger's sure-to-be-legendary performance as The Joker have left some fans wondering...what could possibly follow that?

One thing's for (almost) sure - with a franchise this hot and profitable, another movie in this Batman series is sure to be forthcoming, and Batman can't have a movie without a nemesis. So can it be done? Can they pull another ace out of their sleeve and turn another of the classic Batman villains into the same kind of brilliant fodder they've given us so far? Something thrilling, but appropriately fitting for this darker, grittier, and more realistic incarnation of the classic comic hero's tale?

Probably not, many fans say. And to be sure, it'll take a lot to convince this writer that it'll even be possible to match, let alone surpass, the Heath Ledger Joker. But at the same time, I think that the classic cast of Batman characters still unused by this branch of the franchise contains plenty of potential from which to pull an impressive foil for Christian Bale's version of the caped crusader.

It'll be dependent utterly, of course, on the skills of the creative team, and the casting. As a writer, I thoroughly believe that making any of the Batman villains - even the seemingly comic ones - appropriate for a Dark Knight sequel is simply a matter of good writing and acting. After all, who among us could have predicted this particular interpretation of the Joker, or Two-Face?

Casting is a big part of it. Think Poison Ivy would be an impossible character to pull off? Well then, just imagine Alice Krige in the role, an inspiration for some serious creep in the writing of her character. How about Rene Russo as a high-powered, complex Catwoman? Personally, I'd love to see that.

Of course, realism can be a problem when considering a Batman milieu that requires far less suspension of disbelief than previous ones. I can't imagine any version of The Penguin that could be taken seriously after The Dark Knight, so if you can, I'd love to hear it.

Some characters could be hit-or-miss, like The Riddler or Mr. Freeze. There's a lot of flexibility in how these characters could be portrayed, so it would be easy enough to make them acceptable. But could you make them extraordinary? There's the rub.

Still others would be an excellent following act for The Dark Knight, such as Bane or The Ventriloquist. These guys are darker and more serious all on their own...but they're also less known. Personally, I'd feel somewhat saddened if we didn't get to see more of the classic bad guys, especially after the success of the two in the latest film.