Three Actresses in Talks for Superman: Man of Steel Lead; Not Lois Lane

Casting rumors for Zack Snyder’s Superman reboot, Superman: Man of Steel continue to roll out of Hollywood.

Today we’re getting word that Snyder has narrowed down his list of potential actresses for the female lead in Man of Steel – a female lead that is not Lois Lane.

Despite rumors and speculation surrounding a-list actresses, such as Olivia Wilde and Rachel McAdams, Variety is reporting that Warner Bros. is looking to cast lesser-known talent for the part – so as to not overshadow there new Superman, Henry Cavill.

While it’s still unknown what character (either old or new) the leading lady will play, the studio has reportedly narrowed the field down to three actresses – Diane Kruger, Rosamund Pike, and Alice Eve.

Check out the candidates below:

Diane Kruger, Rosamund Pike, and Alice Eve

Diane Kruger is probably the most well known of the three, though she’s hardly a household name. Fans will recognize Kruger as Bridget von Hammersmark in Inglourious Basterds, leading lady Abigail Chase in both National Treasure films, as well as Helen of/in Troy.

Similarly, Rosamund Pike has had significant parts in a number of well known films including Maggie (Bruce Willis’ wife) in Surrogates and Bond Girl Miranda Frost in Die Another Day.

Alice Eve is likely the least familiar of the potential leading ladies with only a starring turn as Molly in the recent comedy She’s Out of My League to put her on moviegoers’ radar. That said, audiences will be seeing her soon as Emily in the Edgar Allan Poe/Detective mash-up The Raven starring John Cusack.

All three actresses have proven they’ve got what it takes to take the lead in a high-profile film but Diane Kruger is certainly the easiest to see headlining an enormous, high-stakes production like Superman: Man of Steel but, given the studio’s interest in a starlet that doesn’t outshine Cavill, could her resume actually hurt her chances?

Of course the biggest question remains: who will the winner play? Since the upcoming Superman film will focus on “the early days of Superman” it’s certainly possible we could see high school sweetheart Lana Lang – who was featured prominently in both Superman III as well as the CW’s Smallville. That said, since the filmmakers seem to be taking a fresh approach to the film franchise – it’s hard to imagine they’d rely on the same plot line as the recent TV series – with Lois inevitably overtaking Lana.

Superman love interests: Lori Lemaris and Lana Lang

Of course there’s always Lori Lemaris but working in the whole mermaid angle might be a bit convoluted for a franchise reboot – especially one executive produced by Christopher Nolan. Could Snyder take Nolan’s cue and create a non-canon love interest for the Man of Steel, similar to Rachel Dawes in Batman Begins? Of course, Snyder could also follow in Bryan Singer’s footsteps and cast the leading lady as Superman’s daughter… from the future… or something.

Whatever lady-character Snyder has selected, choosing to focus on a pre-Lois Lane female lead is a smart move on Snyder’s part – similar to what Marc Webb and Nolan did with their superhero love interests. Not only will it help differentiate this Superman picture from the Reeves and Routh projects, it’ll also give the filmmakers somewhere to go in future films.

Follow us on Twitter @iambenkendrick and @screenrant and let us know who you’d like to see get the role – and who you think the actress will play.

Superman: Man of Steel is targeting a December 2012 release date.

Source: Variety

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The Dark Knight Rises: Updated Shortlist of Actresses

Yesterday we posted up a series of details regarding The Dark Knight Rises, information that indicated director Christopher Nolan had chosen the two female leads to be introduced in his third Batman installment.

While nothing was official, the sources of this info hinted that Eva Green (Casino Royale) and Naomi Watts (King Kong) would be playing Talia al Ghul and Vicki Vale, respectively. For the next edition of rumor vs. rumor or “sources” vs. “sources,” the latest Batman 3 news contradicts that information, revealing that neither of these two have been cast and that Nolan is still testing for the two roles.

The new shortlist, provided by Heat Vision, places the following candidates in the running for the key roles in Warner Bros. next comic book epic:

Anne HathawayCharlotte RileyGemma ArtertonJessica BielKate MaraKeira Knightley

All of the actresses are reportedly scheduled to screentest for the parts over the next few weeks.

Arterton is the hottest up and comer of the bunch, coming off of lead roles in last year’s Prince of Persia and Clash of the Titans (another Warner Bros. film). She’s been landing jobs left, right and center ever since and may be too busy to meet the schedule demands of The Dark Knight Rises.

That leaves Hathaway, Biel and Knightley as the most well-known candidates and of these three I personally find Knightley the only one right for one of the rumored roles (Talia al Ghul). I had previously heard Knightley was almost locked so seeing her name back in contention, makes me think she’s the most likely of the group to be selected for a part.

If Eva Green was Talia al Ghul in The Dark Knight Rises

Of the two newcomers, Charlotte Riley is engaged to Tom Hardy, so whether or not that helps her land a gig in her first major film is an interesting discussion point. Kate Mara on the other hand, is coming off of roles in 127 Hours and Iron Man 2 and has nabbed the lead female parts in the smaller productions of Ironclad and Ten Year.

Heat Vision confirms that Eva Green and Naomi Watts have not been cast, and that Green is filming another project near when The Dark Knight Rises is scheduled to begin in May. Watts hasn’t tested for the part as she’s currently filming another movie, but production on that does end before the next Batman begins.

Thankfully, these rumors will be cleared up soon, then we’ll know who’s sources are providing false information.

The Dark Knight Rises begins production in May and is scheduled for theatrical release on July 20th, 2012.

Follow us on Twitter @rob_keyes and @screenrant

Source: THR

Eva Green image edited from art by romero1718.

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Christopher Nolan Meeting with Actresses for Dark Knight Rises

For weeks we’ve been hearing rumors about the The Dark Knight Rises casting – especially with regard to potential female leads.

While it’s still unclear exactly what lady characters will be portrayed in The Dark Knight Rises, a new report may have narrowed down the possible actresses moving to Gotham City, as well as lent credibility to the previous rumor of two female leads – one Bruce Wayne love interest and one Bat-villain.

Deadline claims that Nolan is schedule to meet with a group of eligible young actresses for one of two roles in The Dark Knight Rises. Similar to previous rumors, it sounds as if the film will feature two female headliners. The list of actresses up for the roles represent a terrific batch of young talent including Rachel Weisz, Naomi Watts, Blake Lively, Natalie Portman, Anne Hathaway, and Keira Knightley.

Of course, the identity of any potential characters is still tightly under-wraps; though, given the aforementioned list of potential leading ladies, any of the earlier possibilities, such as Catwoman or Talia al Ghul, could certainly still make an appearance.

That said, one interesting detail especially worth noting: the list (with the exception of Naomi Watts and Rachel Weisz) skews younger than the prior casting of Katie Holmes and Maggie Gyllenhaal. While not a huge point, a younger group of actresses could lend credibility toward rumors of Talia al Ghul, or even Harley Quinn, appearing as a villain in the film – while narrowing the Bruce Wayne love-interest down to Watts or Weisz (who, in terms of age, stick out a bit in this group).

Instead of creating another non-canon love interest (ala Rachel Dawes), could Nolan be planning on slipping Watts or Weisz into a more iconic Batman love interest role – such as Vicki Vale (previously portrayed by Kim Basinger in the first Tim Burton Batman film) or Julie Madison (played by Elle Macpherson in Batman & Robin)?

Could Naomi Watts be playing Vicki Vale in the Dark Knight Rises?

Sure, Bruce Wayne is a playboy but watching 36 year-old Christian Bale running around with Blake Lively, who is only 23 in real-life, seems like a stretch – something that a careful filmmaker like Nolan wouldn’t do (imagine Ellen Page as Leonardo DiCaprio’s love interest in Inception). Instead, the report seems to hint at a more intentional casting call – for younger actresses who can step into the role of a twisted, but youthful, antagonist.

Prior reports claimed that Nolan planned to cast an actresses in her late twenties or early thirties for the role of Catwoman; though, looking at the batch of actresses on the list, only a few seem capable of pulling off the Selina Kyle/Catwoman combo. That said, who would have thought Scarlett Johansson would have been so perfect for Black Widow?

Given the lashing that Halle Berry gave the Catwoman franchise, should Nolan move forward with the character, DC has got to be pushing for a Heath Ledger-level performance – to win back interest in Catwoman. Despite a myriad of talent on the list, Anne Hathaway or Keira Knightly seem like the more likely choices. Portman would certainly be interesting in the role but, given her affiliation with Marvel’s Thor franchise, it’s hard to imagine the prolific actress jumping into another comic book franchise female lead for awhile.

Watts (or even Weisz) would actually be my top choice for Catwoman, out the names on the list, but a love triangle featuring an older Catwoman/younger bachelorette for Bruce Wayne might get pretty complicated – even for Christopher Nolan. Maybe the director will just save that particular storyline for The Dark Knight Returns.

What do you think about the potential Bat-actresses? Who’ll make the cut – and who will they play?

Follow us on Twitter @iambenkendrick and @screenrant and let us know what you think.

The Dark Knight Rises begins shooting this spring – aiming to hit theaters July 20th, 2012

Source: Deadline

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