Brian “Pac” Sostak
It’s funny what passes for news these days when we’re talking about the Batman franchise. Christopher Nolan has created so much buzz and angst surrounding the release of his 2012 sequel to The Dark Knight that if he sneezes and it sounds like an actor or actresses name it makes headlines. With that being said, I’m a complete sucker for all news (or rumor) Batman and I’m going to comment on it anyway.
Deadline is reporting that Christopher Nolan is meeting with a handful of actresses for two unknown roles in the third installment of his Batman franchise. Though the specific roles were not released, rumor is that one of the roles is a potential love interest for Bruce Wayne and the other… a villain. Names floating around the roles include Rachel Weisz, Naomi Watts, Blake Lively, Natalie Portman, Anne Hathaway, and Keira Knightley.
The same actresses have also floating around my dreams
This rumor is the second “news” of a villain coming to the screen in the next Batman film, remember not too long ago when we posted about Tom Hardy being cast to play an unknown villain. Personally, I could care less about who is cast to play his love interest I just hope it’s not someone who almost ruins the movie. The real news to me in this article is that Nolan is interested in casting a female for a villain lead. When thinking of female villains in the Batman franchise there are two names that immediately come to mind, Catwoman and Poison Ivy. I can’t believe that Catwoman will be the villain because this report states that he’s looking into two actresses, one to play the love interest and one to play the villain. If Catwoman were scripted as the next villain, one would believe that only one actress would be needed to fill both roles.
Poison Ivy seems like the more likely choice, and I like a few of these names for that character. The last time Poison Ivy appeared on-screen was not the greatest success, and I’d personally like to see Nolan go in another direction. My pitch to Nolan is for him to throw a dark horse out for a female villain, and bring us Harley Quinn. Quinn would be the perfect villain to conclude the Nolan trilogy; though she hasn’t been part of the Batman history for very long (she was first introduced in 1992), she has been a fan favorite ever since her inception. Introducing Harley Quinn would allow Nolan to continue on from the last film seamlessly despite the untimely death of Heath Ledger, leaving the Joker’s role in question. Furthermore, it could introduce the audience to an aspect of the Batman lure that we haven’t seen portrayed in film yet, Arkham Asylum.
The only PG picture of Harley Quinn I could find.
My infatuation with Natalie Portman has been documented previously in this blog, so it’s no surprise I’d love to see her play Harley Quinn. Second to Portman, I support the casting of Anne Hathaway. This would definitely break the type cast of Hollywood’s ultimate girl-next-door, but I think she is very capable of capturing this character.
...very capable
Brian Pac Sostak
Chris Petersen
Sarah Higgins
stjerome03
Chris and Pac Take on Hollywood 
I forgot about Harley Quinn, but I used to love her in the after school cartoons! I think she would be a great villain in the next movie!
And I could definitely see Anne Hathaway in that role!
As soon as i read that Nolan was looking at an actress to play the villain, i immediately thought of Harley Quinn. As popular as Ivy and Catwoman are, when it comes down to it, they’ve been done before. And thats not to say it can’t be done again, (case and point the Joker/Two Face) but i think a fresh take on a new villain is right up Nolan’s alley. I also completely agree with what you said about the transition from the second film. With the connection between her and the Joker, we could get a lot of the story of where he’s gone without having to recast or even include the Joker at all in the new film. And whatever story Nolan could come up with for what happened to the Joker could give motive to why Harley Quinn appears. I feel like she would make a great villain, and a great story could be written around it. As far as the casting goes, though, the choices for the actresses are interesting. I personally believe Rachel Weisz would work well with Nolan’s dark undertones, and some of the other actresses seem like they might not fit as well. Anne Hathaway i could actually see doing well too, though, despite her girl-next-door sort of type cast. As much as I’d love Portman and Knightley, i can’t see them really working (maybe as the love interest)
Brendan, thanks for commenting. I’m glad we are on the same page with Harley, hopefully Nolan is too. I really couldn’t see Knightley, Lively, or Watts playing the villain and I’m not too sure about Weisz either to be honest. Who knows though, Nolan’s last odd casting choice turned out pretty good.
I think Brendan is on to something with Weisz. She is a very underrated actress and is mainly sticking to indie films now. I saw her in the Constant Gardner, which she won an Oscar for, and she definitely has the artistic range and capability to play a Nolan villain. She may not have picked the best movies, but she has the talent.