This, with one difference I'd swich out Deadshot for Deathstroke since he's the DCU's premier mercenary and pretty much the Anti-Batman.
Very well pitched. There's so many clever ways of getting around the implausible aspects of these characters and getting them to fit right in to the Nolanverse.
Thanks to Batman and Robin in particular, I don't know that Nolan is going to touch Mr. Freeze or Poison Ivy with a ten-foot-pole, no matter how well they're pitched. Also, he did specifically say no Freeze. But you're absolutely right netkid, there are certainly ways to get around the more fantastic aspects of the villains to make them possible candidates without butchering their identities. Look at how they handled Ra's al Ghul's immortality, which was clever.
Bane and Deadshot as paramilitary operatives muscling in on Gotham's now-vacant drug trade using South American connections. Bane is a performance-enhancing mountain of a man and a brilliant strategist. Deadshot is an insanely lethal firearms expert who Bruce knew when he was younger, due to Deadshot being from a wealthy family, entering the military after a tragic incident his family had to cover up. Ramp up the action and go. - Coeloptera
Marvel doesn't stand a chance against the Batman. For a Villain... Penguin, Riddler or Bane would work. They don't have to stuff 2 Villains into the film but if they do, don't rush the second villain. Maybe i'm the only person but Two Face seemed like he didn't even belong in the DK.
I think the best bet would be to have The Riddler and Catwoman in the next movie--maybe The Penguin and/or Poison Ivy. If they're smart, they most certainly won't bring back The Joker, as I don't really see any way how they'd be able to top Ledger's performance. Also, I don't want to see Harley Quinn, since it just strikes me as being wrong without her puddin' involved. I also think it'd be quite interesting if they re-introduced Ra's Al Ghul--especially if they threw Talia into the mix. Because I figure that would be enough of a shock value to jolt the audience into the current plot and all--and figure it wouldn't be the first time Ra came back from the dead. That said, aside from no Robin please-and-thanks, I'm pretty much for anything--provided, of course, that they don't screw things up.
I'm really hoping for Bane. He'd be so easy to make realistic - some sort of steroid abuse / use. Although if they make him a "proper" Bane, quite why an intelligent person would be abusing steroids might be awkward to explain
Y'see this is the problem. You strip away the more fantastic elements, you're just left with mediocre second-rate characters. Nothing close to the level of the Joker. I think they should round the Nolan series out at a trilogy, then reboot with more of a stylised approach. Maybe do one in a period setting, or incorporate retro-noir elements like the nineties animated series. I'd love to see a Batman film with Man-Bat and a lankier,more comic-inspired Scarecrow. They could play it such that it wasn't clear whether Man-bat was a fear-gas hallucination or the real thing. The current approach worked brilliantly for TDK, but it somewhat restricts the full potential of what can be done with the characters. Some of the most memorable and effective elements of the series would just seem preposterous.
I hope for the Riddler or Bane, or both. They seem to be more plausible than some other characters, but are still big-name villains from Batman.
I think Killer Croc could be pulled off in the Nolanverse if they explain him as a giant thug with a skin condition, like he was in the Joker graphic novel. It sounds lame when explained like that (Oh no, run! He has eczema!) but I think Nolan could do it.
I like this, but with either Black Mask fighting against Bane/Deadshot for control of Gotham, or Red Hood trying to take them down (obviously with methods that Batman would not agree with). Also, Red Hood wouldn't have to be Jason Todd, can be anyone has long as it's a opposite of Batman, ie someone who kills. Would also like to see an ally for Batman, either Catwoman or Batgirl. I don't think a pre-teen Robin would work in Nolan-verse. Of course, with too many characters it probably wouldn't work on a runtime of 2 - 2 1/2 hours.
About Clayface, your going for the angle of Charmeleonesk villian from Spider Man? Any of these villians would be good. I've got a thing for Firefly. Mr.Freeze, I've always loved him. Poison Ivy, meh, without a bombshell female lead. I could see Bane.
What about David Cain? He could be a good antagonist set in reality. In the comics, Bruce trained with Cain for a while, then moved on when he realized what he really was. So they could easily make a connection with Bruce and Cain.
This is pretty much what I want to see as well. Except I'd have the mob families using costumed villains as enforcers. Just throw a whole much of random villains like Firefly, Mad Hatter, Bane, Deadshot, or the Riddler at Batman. No backstory or origins for any of them. They're just there and flooding Gotham because of Batman. Also, I'd have Black Mask and The Penguin as the heads of the rival mob families. I really disagree. As Gordan said in Batman Begins, it's all about escalation. From that approach the sky really is the limit even for the fantastical elements of the Bat-universe.
^Make him the Penguin. ^Make him the Riddler. Brittany Murphy was my choice for Harley Quinn but that wont be happening now....she was the only person who I think could have pulled her off.
^ excellent casting. Well that's a fair point. That'd be a very effective way to go about it. Some criminals aren't afraid of publicity and try to carve out a reputation for themselves. Then you put the blame on Batman for 'escalation' and attracting all the weirdos. You also have tabloid media that sensationalise things, so you could show the contrast between the reality and how it becomes almost comicbook-like through the distortion lens of the media. On the other hand it's still reality based, so any special powers or mutations would seem out of place. I still find 'gritty realism' restrictive for this genre and prefer movies that make the fantastic believable rather than like real life. If the characters and the writing is good enough I'm quite prepared to suspend disbelief.