Riddles, hats, and boats - and one man for them all

You just can never tell where Johnny Depp will wind up. Especially if he has director Tim Burton leading him.

There are the rumors that Depp will play the Riddler in the next Batman Dark Knight film. Which would be one of the best choices since they picked Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne. It won't be the over the top performance of Jim Carrey, which is a bonus, but I wonder if it will capture the same manic and enjoyable frenzy that Frank Gorshen gave it?

Still you would wonder if he would have the time. His next film coming out in 2010 is Alice in Wonderland. Tim Burton is at the helm of this film. And almost anything can go in this film.

In a world created by Lewis Carrol while on drugs, massively it would seem, there is no normal. There is no up or down or foothold for the reader beyond Alice. The bizzare is no further than the next sentence, and your imagination just can't run wild enough.

That's the background of the film. Burton has taken that fixture and made it into a javelin, following up with the story years later. Thus almost anything is possible. And into this we will find Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter. Can you envision that?

I imagine a mix of Jack Sparrow on a very bad day, Edward Scissorhands on any day, with ample dashes of Ed Wood and Sweeney Todd. Perhaps even a bit of Sheldon Sands for a dark tone and Willie Wonka for a bit of humor. It's Raoul Duke on steroids (and other items to be sure). That's a character I would love to see.

But if the Mad Hatter is too far to the extreme for your tastes take solace in the fact that Disney is moving forward with Pirates 4. So Captian Jack will be back, likely still looking for the Fountain of Youth in Florida. Likely in as much trouble as he always tends to be, and playing both sides to his advantage.

I really like Johnny Depp. He bucked the Hollywood system, taking a path the may not have been the most lucraticve monetarily but brilliant in the range of characters he has produced over the years. He is perhaps the most truely artistic actor in our generation. Especially when he ventures into the mind of Tim Burton.

Honestly, I can't see a reason not to see any of the 3 films I am sure he will be in. And Will Smith better watch out as Depp may unseat his record of blockbuster films in a row.