Michael Caine, who will play Alfred the butler in the upcoming new Batman film, told SCI FI Wire that director Christopher Nolan is eyeing Lord of the Rings star Viggo Mortensen to play the villain in the film, which is slated to begin production in April 2004. In an interview, Caine wouldn't specify which villain role Mortensen (Rings' Aragorn) is up for.
Sources told The Hollywood Reporter, meanwhile, that Katie Holmes is close to being cast opposite star Christian Bale as Rachel, the love interest, contingent on a screen test.
Caine said Nolan's Batman script creates a deeper role for Alfred than previous films. "We start when Batman is a baby, so I'm more like a father," Caine said in an interview. "I'm a father who knows how to lay a table with the knives and forks in the right places."
Caine said he spoke with Nolan for three hours about his vision for the film, which included some similarities with and some variations on the previously established Batman canon. "[Nolan] said, 'We're going to have a human hero in Batman. He's powerful because he does pushups. Where does he get all his weapons? Because he's a multibillionaire, and he's in the arms business, so he gets the secret weapons instantly. Why does he wear the bloody suit? To scare the s--t out of people, because he doesn't really want to fight.'"
-sci fi channel
so along with a new bat attempt we will get a new alfred. Michael Gough was awesome and i will miss him. i dont want caine. this should have been on a ballot and voted on. i enjoy batman movies(even though hes not a superhero). hopefully alicia silverstone will be in this one...and the guy who pays robin....but especially silverstone....who will the bad guy be(character)?
