It’s hard to think of a franchise that has a bigger, or more devoted, following than Christopher Nolan’s (Inception) Batman series; which successfully bought DC’s most beloved hero back to the big-screen, with the impressively redesigned Batman Begins (which was thankfully nothing like the disastrous Batman & Robin), further cemented its legacy with its blockbusting sequel (The Dark Knight), and currently has a second sequel in the works.
Christian Bale (The Fighter) and Michael Caine (Harry Brown) are both expected to reprise their roles as Bruce Wayne/Batman and his butler Alfred respectively, for the sequel; which Nolan recently confirmed will be titled The Dark Knight Rises (making it only the second Batman movie ever produced to not feature the word Batman in the title).
The director also stunned many fans when he revealed that the film’s villain “won’t be The Riddler” (as many had wrongly assumed), but while the identity of the film’s villain hasn’t yet been confirmed, reports have recently surfaced that Nolan and crew are searching for a female actress to play a bad-guy in the new movie; most likely alongside Tom Hardy (Inception), who has signed on to play an unconfirmed part, that current consensus suggests will be Batman’s next adversary; although it’s unknown just which female rogue may eventually appear.
Harley Quinn is one possibility for a violent femme-fatal (especially seen as how she’s the psychopathic love interest of Batman’s last enemy; The Joker), as is Poison Ivy (an eco-terrorist who uses toxins from plants, and her bloodstream, in attempts to protect the environment), although the most well known woman in Batman’s world; Catwoman (the whip-carrying cat-burglar, whose often portrayed as a strong yet damaged character, and a strong-love interest for Batman); seems to fit within the world that Nolan has crafted, much better than the others.
Another female role is also up for grabs; the love interest of Bruce Wayne (the everyday persona of Batman); and while it’s not known who will play either role, there are a number of big-name actresses that have been reported to be top of the pile; including Rachel Weisz (The Mummy), Naomi Watts (King Kong), Blake Lively (The Town), Natalie Portman (Black Swan), Anne Hathaway (Alice in Wonderland), and Keira Knightley (Never Let Me Go); and while none of those names may be especially promising, fans would do well to remember how poor a choice Heath Ledger first sounded for The Joker (before amazing audiences with his fantastic performance), and be grateful that Halle Berry’s (Catwoman) name is nowhere to be seen.
Unlike most new blockbusters, The Dark Knight Rises will be released in 2D (as Nolan has rightfully convinced Warner’s to allow him to continue the franchise in the standard format, rather than converting to 3D), but will feature a number of high definition IMAX sequences, when it makes its debut on July 20th, 2012.
