[One of the actresses on the list has been officially cast. Find out who HERE.]

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 Hathaway
  • Charlotte Riley
  • Gemma Arterton
  • Jessica Biel
  • Kate Mara
  • Keira 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.

Eva Green as 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.

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Source: THR

Eva Green image edited from art by romero1718.