Hollywood's hottest actresses Keira Knightley, Natalie Portman, Anne Hathaway and Rachel Weisz are apparently in the race to join the new
Batman cast. Director Christopher Nolan has also lined up two blondes - Blake Lively and Naomi Watts - to meet with as he casts two leading ladies for
The Dark Knight Rises, the upcoming third installment of the superhero franchise, reports the
Daily Express.
According to
Deadline.com, the super-secretive filmmaker is on the hunt for a female villain and a love interest for Christian Bale's Bruce Wayne. Speculation has been rife about the forthcoming blockbuster's plot details, with recent reports suggesting Tom Hardy will play
Batman's foe in the follow-up to 2008's
The Dark Knight.
The earlier
Batman films had Katie Holmes and Maggie Gyllenhaal playing the lead roles.