Christian Bale's Strange role

Christian Bale is set to play another superhero.

The actor - who has played Batman in both 'Batman Begins' and 'The Dark Knight' - is said to be the number one choice to play Dr. Strange in movie studio Marvel's latest comic book adaptation.

A source said: "Christian is hot property right now, courtesy of Batman. Doctor Strange is a very different kind of hero to Batman and it's felt Christian is the sort of actor who can make the part work on screen.

"It is understood a deal could be struck in the coming weeks."

The Welsh-born star "tops the list" of movie bosses to portray Dr. Strange, a former surgeon who becomes a powerful sorcerer after a car accident leaves him unable to perform operations.

Bale also plays hero John Connor in the upcoming 'Terminator Salvation' and has signed on for two more sequels in the science-fiction franchise.

He has also expressed an interest in reprising his role as Batman if a third film is confirmed.

Source

Batman villain Johnny Depp

Johnny Depp will play a villain in the next Batman film.

The actor was linked to the role of The Riddler earlier this year and now one of the superhero franchise's stars Sir Michael Caine has confirmed both Johnny and Philip Seymour Hoffman will appear.

Michael - who played Bruce Wayne's butler Alfred Pennyworth in 'Batman Begins' and 'The Dark Knight' - told MTV: "I was with a Warner Bros. executive and I said, 'Are we going to make another one?' They said, 'Yeah'. I said, 'How the hell are we going to top Heath Ledger as The Joker? And he says, 'I'll tell you how you top Heath - Johnny Depp as The Riddler and Philip Seymour Hoffman as The Penguin.' I said, 'S**t, they've done it again!' "

Johnny recently described the prospect of playing The Riddler as "fun".
He said: "I heard about that. It seems like it'd be a fun gig for a while, yeah."

Work is expected to begin on the next movie, starring Christian Bale as Batman, some time next year.

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Lepaparazzi News Update: Christian Bale Prepared Himself For Potential Difficulty With Russell Crowe

Christian Bale was bracing himself for an uncomfortable time on the set of new movie 3:10 To Yuma - because he'd been warned his Australian co-star Russell Crowe was difficult to work with.

But the 33-year-old was left surprised when Crowe turned out to be not just friendly, but the "easiest damn guy I've ever worked with."

He says, "Everyone said, 'Man, you're going to have a tough time.' And I thought, 'Bring it on! Come on, buddy, give me the best you got!' I tell ya, he was the easiest damn guy I've ever worked with. He was so simple. We got along so well, and he just appreciates people who know what they're doing - that's it. He's a good guy."
[Source]