The casting of Tom Hardy in Batman 3 two weeks ago was major news for many reasons. For one, following his performance in Inception, more Tom Hardy is always a good thing. More importantly, however, it means that the gears of pre-production for the next installment in the series are finally in motion and that we will start hearing more and more news about the project as we move towards the filming stage. That process continues now.

Movie Hole is reporting that Christopher Nolan has started meeting with actresses in their "late 20′s, early 30′s" for an undisclosed part in the superhero sequel. From the report, it seems as though Nolan isn't aiming for an A-lister and is instead looking for a fresh face. The site has some names of applicants, but they've requested to remain anonymous until they are certain that they have not gotten the part. The site does estimate that we will have the name of the actress selected in a few weeks.

Just like the Hardy casting, all we can do now is speculate based on what we know about Nolan's Batman films and the history of the Caped Crusader. It's entirely possible that the new actress will fill the role left after the death of Rachel Dawes in The Dark Knight as the new romantic interest, but let's have a little more fun, shall we?

At the foremost of everyone's mind is Catwoman. Following a glib remark by Morgan Freeman's Lucius Fox about cats in the 2008 blockbuster, audiences have been convinced that the character will be introduced in the next film. Not only would the character be a good villain, but could also pull double-duty as Batman's new love. (Editor's Note: As many of you pointed out in the comments, I was incorrect in talking about supernatural elements in Catwoman's bio. Rescinded.)

Next is the possibility of seeing Harley Quinn on the big screen. With The Joker guaranteed to not return (both because of Heath Ledger's death and because Nolan has said repeatedly that he refuses to recast), Quinn might strap on the jester's outfit to fill the gap that Joker left when he was thrown into Arkham Asylum. While I understand that she's a fan favorite and does deserve more exposure, the truth is that the character works best when working alongside Joker. Also, could Quinn really cause the same level of mayhem that the clown prince of crime did? Having Quinn as the villain would shrink the scope and following The Dark Knight, that's something that Nolan simply cannot afford to do.

Then there's Poison Ivy...it's not Poison Ivy. Her entire character and background is based in the supernatural and you can't transpose her into Nolan's hyper-real universe without destroying the basic elements of her character. Not gonna happen.

Lastly is the wild card - Talia al Ghul. Thanks to Batman Begins, the character's father, Ra's al Ghul, is already established in Nolan's universe and has a raison d'être: revenge. Much like Catwoman, the character also has romantic ties with the bat. Edit out the Lazarus Pits and you have a serious contender for the female lead.

Now I'll open the debate to the floor: what female character would you like to see in Batman 3?