6. Andrew Scott
The BAFTA-winning actor behind Moriarty on BBC Sherlock's might not be the most outside-the-box choice to play Batman's nemesis, but - forgive my lack of imagination - I think he's a fairly perfect one. Another skinny bloke of average height, Andrew Scott nevertheless is a black hole of charisma: not that he's lacking in it, but rather he's got so much that you find yourself irresistibly drawn towards him, even if he's playing the villain. As a counterpoint to Benedict Cumberbatch's Sherlock Holmes, he managed to outwit the hero at every turn, to bring him to a place where suicide seemed like the only option. Now, that's down to good writing, but it was Scott's camply murderous/murderously camp, smirking, snarling, scenery chewing performance; plus, I have it on good authority from a good friend of mine, who met Scott outside the National Theater after his one-man performance of Sea Wall, that he's a lovely chap to boot. For those not familiar with the BBC's Sherlock, here's a clip from the season two finale: Dark and twisted, Moriarty would seem to relate to The Joker in the same way that Sherlock does to Batman: for one thing, they've both staked a claim as the World's Greatest Detective, they both operate outside and in favor of the law, etc. While Batman/Holmes uses his abilities for good, The Joker/Moriarty just wants to watch the world burn. Just as The Joker's ultimate goal is to force Batman to break his one rule - to kill him - and thereby make the transition from vigilante to psychopath, Moriarty spends much of his screen-time trying to convince Sherlock, his one true rival, to make a turn to the dark side. There's something wonderfully mythic about their opposition, and, as Scott's Moriarty says, "Every fairytale needs a good old-fashioned villain". His role as Paul McCartney in Lennon Naked demonstrated he can just about pull off a Scouse accent - not too far away from his native Irish - but it remains to be seen if The Joker's voice is within his skill set. From an unnamed Solider on the Beach in Saving Private Ryan back in 1998 to roles in Locke (alongside Tom Hardy) and romantic drama miniseries Dates, Scott is very much on the move. His profile may be somewhat briefer than those that preceded it, simply because there's not much to say: he's a stunning actor who may or may not be looking to break out into Hollywood. In any case, if Cumberbatch can do Star Trek and Sherlock co-star Martin Freeman The Hobbit, Scott could certainly find a place in Batman.