As to what role he's playing, well ... apparently that's being kept a secret for now. But there's rumour that he's been cast as a "Batman wannabe", in which case, does this mean he's Jean-Paul Valley?
For those of you unaware, Jean-Paul Valley was/is the mysterious vigilante Azrael, raised by his father to be a living weapon wielded by an ancient religious knightley order.
When Bruce Wayne's back was broken by the villain Bane during the Knightfall story, it was Jean-Paul who stepped in to carry on the Batman mantle. But eventually Jean-Paul went a bit loopy, becoming increasingly violent and unstable. He forged his own brand of Batman armour ...
... before finally a recovered Bruce Wayne stepped in and took the mantle back in a climactic showdown.
The whole storyline was meant to be a comment on the grim-and-gritty trend in comics during the late '80s and early '90s. Fans were constantly saying how they wanted an edgier, darker and more violent Batman, so line editor Denny O'Neil (I'm pretty sure, off the top of my head, that that's whose decision it was) elected to give them exactly what they wanted. In spades. No surprise, they hated it, and were very glad to see the comparitively moderate Bruce Wayne back beneath the cowl.
Now this is all speculation on my part, but it'd be really cool if they've decided to incorporate elements of the Azrael-storyline into the film franchise, especially given that Anthony Michael Hall is such perfect casting for it. Jean-Paul's whole thing is meant to be how he's a combination of socially-stunted, nerdy sensitive guy with brainwashed killing machine. Given Hall's background, he's the perfect fit. I'll be very interested to see where all this leads.
As for the recently revealed Joker make-up that both Ben and Steph have posted on their blogs? I'm planning on posting about that at some stage, when I get the time.
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