The geeking out apparently never ends

If I'm burned out on Superman posts, I know you guys have to be tired of reading them. (Though I'm currently reading the Superman Returns screenplay, and grinding my teeth over the cool scenes that were cut out. Help me, DVD - you're my only hope.)

But something else will soon likely take Superman's place on my geek mantle, subjecting you to posts of gleeful anticipation (and perhaps inevitable fanboy disappointment). Maybe it'll be the Transformers movie. Or Spider-Man 3. But I think the leader in the clubhouse would be the sequel to Batman Begins.

And with Comic-Con going on this weekend in San Diego (yet again, without me in attendance), lots of announcements about comic book movies are being released. For example, how about this guy...

... as this guy? Apparently, it's official. From Brokeback Mountain to Batman Whatever-It'll-Be-Called. Ennis Del Mar really is a "force of nature," eh?

Now if they could only get Jake Gyllenhaal to play the Riddler...

Paul Bettany (yay!) and Robin Williams (yeesh!) were frequently rumored as The Joker. I don't think Heath Ledger had ever been mentioned in those rumblings - which is why I think this is pretty cool. I don't know what the other movie/comic book fanboys will think, but I like this casting choice. You could've asked me to name 10 guys to play The Clown Prince of Crime, and I doubt Ledger would've come to mind.

And considering that Frank Miller portrayed The Joker as possibly being in love with Batman (or maybe their arch-rivalry as some kind of sick romance) in "The Dark Knight Returns," maybe some of that "Brokeback" subtext can carry over to Gotham City.

Just picture it: Under a brutal downpour, a demented Joker looks up at the Gotham City sky, lit up by the Bat Signal, and screams "I wish I knew how to quit you!" Or maybe that line would work better with these two arch-enemies up close, grappling in a struggle to the death.

Ooooh, Robin (if he existed in these new Batman flicks) would be so jealous...