Director Christopher Nolan is famous for his reticence so don't expect any tantalizing details about his Batman film, titled The Dark Knight Rises, to leak without a flood of speculation.

This week word got out that Nolan is meeting with a number of high-profile actresses in search of two separate lead female roles, the rumor machine went into overdrive.

No one knows who the actresses are or what these roles on offer will be, but many believe at least one of them is a love interest for Bruce Wayne, while the other will be a villain.

Will they feature names from the Batman stable of female villains with drag queen sounding names like Catwoman, Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn? Could one of them be the villain of the next film?

Last month it was announced that British actor and rising star Tom Hardy has signed on for an unspecified role in The Dark Knight Rises, perhaps playing a villian.

Meanwhile the following actresses are all on Nolan’s list of possible female leads: Rachel Weisz, Naomi Watts, Blake Lively, Natalie Portman, Anne Hathaway and Keira Knightley. We'll just have to wait and see who he chooses and what role they play. Curses, Batman!