'Dark Knight Rises' to add two actresses
Posted Thursday, November 11, 2010 at 4:20 PM Central
Last updated Thursday, November 11, 2010 at 10:12 PM Central
by John Couture
Now that director Christopher Nolan is able to turn his full attention to The Dark Knight Rises, details are beginning to emerge. Deadline is reporting exclusively that a short list of six actresses are being considered for two new roles.
The first role is for a new love interest for Batman's alter-ego Bruce Wayne, which may indicate that previous love interest Maggie Gyllenhaal will not be reprising her role as Rachel Dawes. Katie Holmes originated the role of Rachel in Batman Begins, but there's no indication that she'll be back for The Dark Knight Rises either.
So, the question remains, is this a new love interest or simply the next incarnation of Rachel Dawes?
The short list of actresses includes Natalie Portman and Keira Knightley who have been seemingly interchangeable in casting calls since Keira played one of Natalie's decoy queens in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. Most recently the pair have been linked as main candidates for the lead role in Ridley Scott's Alien prequel.
Given their and fellow short-lister Rachel Weisz's general likeness in appearance to Gyllenhaal and Holmes, one could easily see them fitting into Rachel Dawes' legal briefs. However, the remaining actresses on the list, Naomi Watts, Blake Lively and Anne Hathaway, differ from the Rachel Dawes' mold in many ways.
As to which villain Nolan might have in mind, it's anyone's guess. The general consensus seems to think that the female villain is Catwoman, but I'm not so sure. Tom Hardy has already been cast as an unnamed villain (but we know for sure that it's not The Riddler) and to me, Catwoman just seems too obvious for Nolan.
We also know that the Joker won't be returning in The Dark Knight Rises due to Heath Ledger's untimely passing, but that doesn't mean that it will be easy to simply sweep him under the Arkham Asylum mat. No, I think an interesting choice for the female villain would be none other than Dr. Harleen Quinzel, aka Harley Quinn.
According to the comic books, Dr. Quinzel falls in love with The Joker while working at Arkham and becomes his lover and sidekick. In keeping with the Nolan Batman universe and his desire not to return to The Joker storyline, I wouldn't be shocked at all to learn that The Joker dies off-screen at Arkham.
Sure, it's a small ret-con that will certainly anger comic book purists, but I think the death of her lover would surely provide a reasonable break with reality for Dr. Quinzel to assume her alter ego and join Hardy's character to get revenge on Batman. Can you imagine a stark-raving mad Weisz or Portman as Harley Quinn?
Now that could be cinematic gold. What do you think? Which female villain do you want to see in The Dark Knight Rises and which actress would you cast?
The Dark Knight Rises hits theaters on July 20, 2012.
Dead is Dead
Thanks to Jayson, Robert and I'm sure many more who will email in and correct the above comments. I had a simple brain fart when I wrote this article and forgot that Rachel was blown to bits in The Dark Knight.
Man, I guess that means that it's time to watch it again. Yay!
So yes, it would appear that the love interest would indeed be a new character unless Rachel rises from the dead. I suppose weirder things have happened.