Keira Knightley

Keira Knightley

Keira Knightley, Natalie Portman, Anne Hathaway and Rachel Weisz are among the six stars vying for roles in the new Batman movie.
 
Director Christopher Nolan has also lined up two blondes - Blake Lively and Naomi Watts - to meet with as he casts two leading ladies for The Dark Knight Rises, the upcoming third instalment of the superhero franchise.
 
According to Deadline.com, the super-secretive filmmaker is on the hunt for a female villain and a love interest for Christian Bale's Bruce Wayne.
 
Speculation has been rife about the forthcoming blockbuster's plot details, with recent reports suggesting Tom Hardy will play Batman's foe in the follow-up to 2008's The Dark Knight.

The Dark Knight grossed in excess of $1 billion at the global box office when it was released in the summer of 2008.

Nolan returned to the director's chair this summer with Inception, which was another critical and commercial success for the filmmaker.

As well as shooting Th Dark Knight Rises the director will also be excecutive producer on the new Superman movie,