Johnny Depp talks The Riddler and Batman

Johnny Depp says playing The Riddler in a new Batman movie would be a "fun gig".

The 'Pirates of the Caribbean' star admits starring alongside Christian Bale in the third movie in Christopher Nolan's film franchise is an exciting prospect.

When asked about the rumours, Johnny replied: "I heard about that. It seems like it'd be a fun gig for a while, yeah."

The Riddler is a manic super-villain who baffles Batman with his cryptic criminal clues.

If Johnny took the role, he would be solving Christopher's problem of how to replace Heath Ledger's The Joker following the actor's death from an accidental prescription drugs overdose in January.

It would not be the first time Johnny has stepped into one of Heath's roles.

Following the 28-year-old's death, Johnny teamed up with Jude Law and Colin Farrell to replace Heath in 'The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus'.

The movie sees Heath's character Tony transported into three separate dimensions, which he accesses via a paranormal mirror belonging to a travelling theatre troupe.

Johnny, Jude and Colin will each portray Tony in different realms of the fantasy epic.