The UK tabloid “The Sun” is reporting on a rumor that comedian and actor Eddie Murphy will be playing the Riddler, also known as Edward Nigma (”E. Nigma”, or enigma) in the next Christopher Nolan Batman film, which will be following “Batman Begins” and this past summer’s blockbuster “The Dark Knight”.

The paper also gives a rough 2010 release date for the as-of-yet announced film, though multiple other names have been rumored to be attached to it, including Johnny Depp in the same role, and Rachel Weisz as the sultry Catwoman. Their source, an unnamed insider who said that “[Christian Bale] wasn’t sure if he wanted to do another movie but as soon as he decided to, he got the wheels in motion. Eddie’s a fantastic addition. Everyone’s excited to see what he does as the Riddler.”

The Riddler is a DC Comics villain, an archenemy of, and in the mid-2000s, a partial ally to, Batman. Created by Bill Finger and Dick Sprang, the character first appears in “Detective Comics” #140 in 1948. The Riddler is usually characterized by his green question mark-themed attire and an almost pathological need to create deathtraps and heists with clues to solving them in the forms of riddles. Since then he’s been also portrayed in most of the media adaptations of Batman, including the 1960’s TV show by Frank Gorshin, and in 1995’s film “Batman Forever” by Jim Carrey, opposite Val Kilmer as Batman.

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By Costa Koutsoutis, (Source: io9.com)