BATMAN 3 WILL HAVE A NEW LADY LOVER -- AND A NEW LADY FIGHTER

Lively and Portman are already doing Superhero films, so i doubt either of them, specially Lively considering she is in Green Lantern.

gut tells me Wiesz, or Hathaway

Anne Hathaway as Harley Quinn is interesting.

Rachael Dawes was invented just for the films, right? The name, at least; I know the character draws on several comic and cartoon sources. I'm guessing Nolan does that again before naming a girlfriend Vicki Vale or Silver St. Cloud.

No. No.

Bad!

So its Catwoman or Talia Al Ghul, huh? Interesting. I would say Hathaway as Catwoman / Talia Al Ghul would probably be the best choice (though I love Weisz).

People have been 'clamouring' for Catwoman? Really? Who are these people?

Am I the only one that finds another go around with the whole 'female mirror to Batman' take they give the character every time pretty much done and tired?

Now Ra's little girl on the other hand, would at least make sense in the context of Nolans series.

Those "[BIG SEXY NAME HERE] AS CATWOMAN!!" screams started from somewhere, didn't they?

I've heard a lot of fans clamoring for Catwoman, though I think it was a frenzy that was equally driven by entertainment sites and shows. Catwoman is probably the most recognizable Batman villain outside of the Riddler and the Joker, and she's sexy. That means Catwoman+Angelina Jolie stories can be run so stupid people will understand them.

The coolest kids want Talia, though.

If the Joker was still an option, I'd be rooting for Harley Quinn. I had an idea for really awesome real world version of Harley, and if I could think of it, Nolan probably already had.

Rachel Weisz as Talia, please and thank you, but never going to happen because she hates comics, according to my made-up break-up storyline with Aronofsky.

Honestly, that list of names is really boring.

omgkristenbellasharleyquinnplz

I want Poison Ivy*, but Talia Al Ghul would be neat as well. I really like the Batman films, but I can already feel myself getting burnt out by these casting rumours.

*Having her as an eco-terrorist would continue Nolan's weird thematic thing of having villains who do terrible things for what they think is right.

Pegged Hathaway more towards Superman. I'll go with Weisz of those listed.

Funny, I've always pegged it the opposite. Weisz would be the perfect Lois Lane, whereas Hathaway has a darkness behind her smile that would work gangbusters in Nolans world.

Maybe it's just the fact that I'm halfway through Batman: Arkham Asylum but I really love this idea. She couldn't be in it without Joker, though.

I work with a girl who's obsessed with Catwoman, and swears up and down that Nolan hinted towards using the character later in part 3 with a line in TDK from Lucius mentioning that Batman's armor could "stop a cat". I hope to god it's Talia just so she's wrong.

Watts is much older than Bale, she has no chance as romantic interest (according to Hollywood cannon).
It will be Anne or Weisz. If they pick the later, Marvel has a thing over boobs.

You know that dude too? I used to work with him. That guy is such a misogynist.

OH SNAP HE'S INTERVIEWING LOS LANES AS WELL...

I like the actresses on that list and I've suggested before that Knightley could be an interesting Talia or Catwoman (if the role is physical, she'd need to put on some weight of course) so that's kind of exciting for me.

Portman is great, and gorgeous, but she's a goddamn gorgeous dwarf. Lively is on GL, no dice. Weisz is 40, but a stunner and a massive talent, so who gives a fuck? Hathaway is interesting.

Weizs and/or Hathaway would be my votes for Talia and Selina Kyle, respectively, but who knows?

I'm wary of a "straight" (read: non-costumed) love interest because I can't imagine it not feeling forced with Nolan looking to wrap up his take on the character with this film. I think Bruce/Bats will need a woman who gets and possibly shares his breed of masked crazy.

Phil brought up a great point. are we sure hes not interviewing for both movies?

the only way this news scoop can turn out to be good is if the female lover is Selina Kyle and the villain is Catwoman. not trying to sound like a misogynist but theres is absolutely no reason to cram TWO female leads into the already impressive, mostly male cast that is already set. hell, even the fact that there is for sure going to be two main villains already makes me groan. don't get me wrong, I loved Nolans take on Two-Face, but the character was given far far far too little time and should have been saved for this sequel.

with the information out at this time, im placing my bet on Catwoman and Black Mask. in Nolans world I couldn't see one working without the other.

Since the last film has established that Batman's public persona is of a wanted criminal, I think it might be interesting to see Catwoman or Talia being written as a Fatal Attraction type of romance.

Crazy idea: What if they twisted the Batgirl character into a psycho stalker.

Why even choose? Cast...Rachel Weisz as, Talia, and Anne Hathaway as Catwoman!

I don't know, the death of the Joker could be what pushes Harleen Quinzell over the edge and into being Harley Quinn.

Yeah, this. Introducing a love interest subplot is not only boring for Batman, it's already been done in the series. Why not tell an original story?

Then again, Nolan's going back to the origin well for Superman.

I just don't see how a romantic subplot - of any kind - helps the thematic story Nolans obviously trying to tell.

This is 25 wasted posts that could have gone in the The Dark Knight Rises Premature...er, Pre-release Thread.

I wish the Harley Quinn rumours would stop already. I love Harley Quinn. My favourite episode of "Batman: The Animated Series" is about her and I have a whole bunch of merch related to her, but I would be really sad if she appeared in a live action film. It's precisely because I love the character so much that I don't want to see her ruined like that. I don't care what she looks like in the Arkham Asylum game, as far as I'm concerned, she should always be a cartoon character and that is that. To me, putting her in a live action movie is as bad as the live action Grinch and Cat in the Hat were. I know they had her as a live action character in "Birds of Prey" and it wasn't completely implausible (just really boring), but I don't think it would be anything less than a fiasco to have her in a Batman movie.

Fortunately, I recall reading a long time ago that Nolan once laughed when an interviewer suggested her. I hope that's still his attitude about it and always will be. I'm rooting for Talia. She'd be a great choice. We've never seen her in live action before, and she's an interesting character. I can't help but wonder if she'll have the cheesy foreign Bond girl-like femme fetale accent like she did in "Batman: The Animated Series". Knowing Nolan, probably not, just like Black Widow's accent was ignored in "Iron Man 2", for the better. Catwoman would be neat to see as well, but I wonder what the hell they would call her. I don't see Nolan having people going around calling someone Catwoman, just as I was sure that if The Riddler appeared, he'd only ever being called Edward Nygma.

Catwoman as a love interest doesn't work for me. Nolan's Batman isn't a fetishist like previous incarnations of the character. Bruce saw Al Ghul's methods as the best way to bring Gotham back from the brink, and as soon as Harvey Dent was in place as the D.A., he was ready to hang up the cape and give it up.

The only reason Bruce is still Batman at the end of The Dark Knight is because the Joker succeeded in crushing Dent and turning him into a murderer. Someone had to absorb the blame for that. He's Batman at this point because he has to be. And I don't see the character doing the whole Val Kilmer "I'm not Batman because I have to be, but also because I choose to be" thing -- Nolan's Bruce Wayne doesn't get off on being Batman. He's already tired of it. Batman was a necessity, but the point was to use Batman to build up a Gotham that doesn't need Batman, so he can retire. To rob the character of that fulfillment and finality without a damn good reason would be a shame.

And hell, this incarnation of Batman doesn't condone anyone dressing up in a costume and doing what he does. He does it because he's the only one capable of doing what the law keeps the regular law enforcement from doing. Robin doesn't work in this "universe" for that reason, as well.

Selina Kyle could work in Nolan's universe, and I for one am curious about what he could do with her.

Fuck Catwoman. I'm with Spike - Poison Ivy all the way.

I more meant I don't think she's a strong enough character to be a primary villain in a film. While that motivation works, if she were the focus we'd probably be hearing a lot of "she's just Joker with tits" complaints. I think the only way she works is with him.

No Blake Lively plz. Also I have a feeling of those 6 being a "red herring" of sorts.

When did the Joker die?

And Nolan will never, ever use that name on a character in his films.

I'm thinking this, too, because Nolan's been consistently unpredictable with casting, especially for key supporting roles. Michael Caine's inclusion excepted, of course.

Actually Caine's initial casting as Alfred was pretty "WTF?", at least to me. He's the totally opposite of the reedy, prim type that Alfred's usually portrayed as.

I ask you guys this question: When it was announced that the Dark Knight would have Two-Face AND Joker, what stories did you come up with in your heads? Was the plot prognosticating this strong, or are all these predictions come from the enthusiasm of Nolan's last two movies being great?

Wat Nolan did correctly, in a nutshell.

Take the hit for us. Dive into those old threads and tell us, Patrick! What wonders you'll behold:

"Not all jokes are funny". Holy Hell.

Caine and Oldman are probably my favourite parts of Nolan's Batman universe. Caine is so damn perfect in that role, so much more layered than the usual surrogate-father type that Alfred is portrayed as. I love that he's not an upper-class Brit with a stuffy accent.

All I meant was that since BEGINS, a Christopher Nolan-helmed film will in all likelihood feature Michael Caine in some role. The rest of his casting has been brilliant but also highly unpredictable.

The Harley Quinn stuff is really dumb, and there are about 200 reasons why, not the least of which involves introducing a previously unmentioned character tied to another who will not be in this film due to the actor being deader than disco.

When I look deep into my soul I must admit that I find the character of Talia Al Ghul to be boring. I'll trust Nolan though if he goes that route.

I love the character of Selina Kyle, I just can't wrap my brain around another film version of Catwoman.

Poison Ivy? Harley Quinn? Guys, c'mon.

This is precisely my own take. I just can't bring myself to be excited about the prospect, but trust Nolan will bring something good from it.

Here, we part ways. I think the burglar/free agent iteration (such as in THE LONG HALLOWEEN and DARK VICTORY) of Selina would fit almost perfectly in with the Nolanverse, and is very different from the version we saw in BATMAN RETURNS. (I'm ignoring that quivering pile of fecal matter with Halle Berry. As I am sure most moviegoers will only gladly do, too.)

Ivy, with heavy, heavy reworking, could fit, but I find it highly unlikely. No way in hell will HQ appear - and I agree that she's useless without the Joker.

I'm surprised Ivy is even being mentioned, since Nolan has set up a pretty strict no-super-powers universe.

Devil's Advocate: Ra's Al Ghul, in the comics, is a supernatural character. It can be done, but it won't be done.

fuck it, let's just mix it all together, Ann Hathaway cast as Selina Kyle/Catwoman.. and at the end, it turns out Selina Kyle was just a fake name, she is really Talia Al Ghul coming to take revenge for her father's death. He did it with Ra's, might as well go full circle.

i want to see a big action set piece with Bruce Wayne, not Batman, kicking ass, ala Begins

That's pointlessly convoluted and silly.

no doubt, that's what I said "fuck it"... throw it all in the pot.

Plus, Nolan,... convoluted... Never?

Choice bits from that Dark Knight pre-release thread

Also, a lot of discussion about upcoming teasers, and speculation about what THOSE will be. I'm only on page 3.

EDIT: This website is actually still up.

EDIT EDIT:
(Regarding the first teaser where we hear Joker speak)

Yeah I know, but we're talking about the movies. The whole Lazarus Pit (supernatural) thing in the comics was replaced by simply different people taking up the Ra's mantle (decidedly non-supernatural) over the years.