Christopher Nolan is looking at some of Hollywood's leading actresses -- as well as a few emerging talents -- for major female roles in The Dark Knight Rises, his next Batman film.

Sources tell Heat Vision that Keira Knightley, Anne Hathaway and Jessica Biel (pictured, top left) are due to test for roles in the Warner Bros. superhero tentpole in the next two weeks. Also testing are relative newcomers Kate Mara (top right) and Charlotte Riley (bottom left). Hot British actress Gemma Arterton (bottom right) has also scheduled to test but, as Heat Vision first reported last week, Arterton just landed the female lead in Paramount's Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters and might now have scheduling issues.

Dark Knight Rises needs to fill two big female roles, a villain and a love interest. Sources say one character is Talia, the daughter of villain Ra's Al Ghul, who was portrayed by Liam Neeson in Nolan's first Gotham-set crime pic Batman Begins. In the comic books, Talia is both Batman's lover and antagonist, ultimately siring his alter ego Bruce Wayne's son.

While Knightley, Hathaway and Biel are well-known actresses, the other two are up-and-comers. Mara had brief roles in 127 Hours and Iron Man 2 in 2010. Her sister Rooney Mara is currently shooting David Fincher's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo in the title role. Riley is a British actress who has done mostly TV work. She is engaged to Tom Hardy, who co-starred in Nolan's summer smash Inception and has already booked an unspecified role in Dark Knight Rises.

Despite some online reports, Naomi Watts and Eva Green have not been cast. Although there has been interest in Watts, the Australian actress can't even do meetings as she is busy shooting the tsunami disaster drama The Impossible with Ewan McGregor in Thailand. (Watts can't be completely discounted, though, since she will wrap before Dark Knight Rises begins.) Green, meanwhile, is due to star in the business drama Arbitrage with Al Pacino, which shoots in April.

The film, written by David Goyer, Nolan and his brother Jonathan and produced by Nolan, Emma Thomas and Charles Roven, is looking at a May start, with shooting to take place in London and Los Angeles, according to insiders. Christian Bale is set to return as the Caped Crusader.

Nolan and Warner Bros. declined to comment.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/blogs/ ... film-70529

The third film in a series usually harks back to the first in some way, so I'd guess Talia is likely...

Judge Dredd remake villain could be Lena Headey

Terminator star may be Ma-Ma



Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles actress Lena Headey has reportedly been cast as the villainess in the new Judge Dredd movie.

Fansite Judge Dredd Movie News have announced that Headey has been cast as Madeline Madrigal aka Ma-Ma, the leader of a gang who have taken over the Peach Tree City Block.

Which will come as a surprise for anybody who’s seen the script, which describes the character as in her late 50s with “a big scar through her cheek and lip”.

Though Headey’s clearly younger than that, she could rock the scar look in her sleep. This is the woman who played Sarah Connor after all.

A more faithful version of the original 2000AD comic than Sly Stallone’s film, this new 3D Dredd stars Karl Urban and Olivia Thirlby, and is being directed by Pete Travis with a script by Alex Garland.

Source: Judge Dredd Movie News

http://www.totalfilm.com/news/judge-dre ... ena-headey

Sheer hotness

Stan Lee confirms he has a cameo in Spider-Man reboot

“It’s the best one yet”

http://www.totalfilm.com/news/stan-lee- ... man-reboot

I can never tell if Stan Lee is trying too hard or if he's a genuine throwback

I didn't know this, but in the Batman comics Bane was trained by al Ghul's League of Shadows, so I'm now wondering if there's any chance that's who Tom Hardy's playing in the upcoming film

First official Spidey pic:

http://s3.amazonaws.com/coolproduction/ ... 1294949568






http://www.aintitcool.com/node/48061

Less ,

David O. Russell adapting comic book 2 Guns?



http://www.totalfilm.com/news/david-o-r ... ook-2-guns

*Goes off to find more info*

Someone has to do Sinister Dexter.

…and this is Downlode - the city which chews you up and spits you out…

Todd McFarlane: ‘Spawn’ could be the ‘Jaws’ of superhero films



http://herocomplex.latimes.com/2011/01/ ... ero-films/

Bring it on!

Spawn has already been filmed and it made for a very dull and stupid movie; it was one of those ones that may work OK as a comic but doesn't translate to a movie.



Oh dear.

I'm amazed Spawn has made it to 200 issues, McFarlane must be doing something right. I bought the first 20 or so issues and got bored with the character, plus I didn't really like the artwork.

Frank Miller’s ‘Holy Terror’ leaves Gotham: ‘I’ve taken Batman as far as he can go’



http://herocomplex.latimes.com/2010/07/ ... he-can-go/

I know where you're coming from but I don't mind one-note characters in comics where there's good action/script, and with the likes of Spawn or the Punisher I find it hard not to have hope for a good film, simply because it would transcend the source material

From Wikipedia... I really hope he can do it

Long story short, it's looking likely that Talia al Ghul will be the lead female villain in the next Batman film, as opposed to Catwoman...