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It looks like Christian Bale's busy post-"Batman" schedule has forced him to bow out of Darren Aronofsky's "Noah." According to Variety, Bale has passed on the leading role in Aronofsky's long-developing biblical epic, opening the door for 2011 "It Man" Michael Fassbender to step in and replace him.

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Tags christian bale, darren aronofsky, Michael Fassbender, Noah

"Dark Knight Rises" watchers, today's your lucky day! We're kicking the week off right with no less than three items straight out of Gotham City and into your virtual reading space, including new interviews with Christian Bale and some terrifying thoughts on what the new "Dark Knight Rises" trailer might look like.

Get all that and more after the jump!

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Tags christian bale, the dark knight rises

Christian Bale is set to continue his Academy Awards takeover. Last year, the "Dark Knight Rises" star won his first Oscar for his supporting role in "The Fighter," and this year one of his movies will be eligible for a golden statue as well.

China has chosen Bale's film "The Flowers of War" as its official selection in the foreign-language category at the Oscars this year. It comes from director Zhang Yimou, best known in the US for directing the 2002 movie "Hero." The film will receive a limited US release starting in late December, after its world premiere in China on December 16. "The Flowers of War" is set against the backdrop of the Nanking Massacre during the second Sino-Japanese War in 1937.

Check out the rest of today's film news after the jump!

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Tags bryan fuller, christian bale, clive owen, Leonardo, Paradise Lost, Recall, rufus sewell, The Flowers of War, Where's Waldo

With only three months of filming left for "The Dark Knight Rises," the world is Christian Bale's oyster. The Oscar-winning actor currently doesn't have any films lined up once the final installment of Christopher Nolan's Batman movies wraps, but he certainly does have options.

Variety is reporting that he has five films that he could potentially join, though he's not attached to any of them yet and none are considered front-runners at this point.

The first is in the Beyonce-starring remake of "A Star is Born," which is being directed by Clint Eastwood. There's also Michael Mann's "Gold," Scott Cooper's "Out of the Furnace," Spike Lee's "Old Boy" remake and Darren Aronofsky's biblical epic "Noah." Bale is in the prime of his career right now, so any of those options would be a good one. It will be interesting to see what direction he takes his career in now that his commitment to Nolan's franchise is finished.

Check out the rest of today's casting news after the jump!

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Tags A Star Is Born, Alexandra Maria Lara, christian bale, clifton collins jr, Game of Thrones, Gold, jonah hill, Neighborhood Watch, Noah, Old Boy, out of the Furnace, Pacific Rim, Paradise Lost, Patrick Malahide, rufus sewell, Rush

They've been green with envy, nursed a hangover and invaded the Green Lantern Corps. But now, it's time to really meet "The Muppets."

It still doesn't give us a very good idea of what the plot of "The Muppets" will be about, but at least the trailer advertises this actual movie. That means the trailer comes complete with plenty of musical set pieces, Chris Cooper, Amy Adams and Jason Segel sightings, and a whole lot of Muppets. Unlike what Adams' character says in the teaser, we doubt this is going to be a very short movie.

There's more movie news past the jump, including a new release date for "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" and the first photo of Tom Cruise in "Rock of Ages."

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Tags Bridesmaids, christian bale, darren aronofsky, Magic Kingdom, Michael Chabon, rock of ages, The Muppets, tom cruise, transformers dark of the moon

At long last, two of the most important roles in "The Hobbit" have been filled out.

"Immortals" actor Luke Evans will star in Peter Jackson's two-part "Lord of the Rings" prequel as Bard the Bowman, a man of Laketown who fights against the devious dragon Smaug. Speaking of Smaug, Deadline confirms that the previously (and accidentally) revealed Benedict Cumberbatch is providing both the voice and motion-capture for the fire-breathing beast.

Check out the rest of today's biggest casting news past the jump, including word of an actor making a surprising return for "The Dark Knight Rises" and an amazing role for an "Always Sunny" star.

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Tags Benedict Cumberbatch, Charlie Day, christian bale, Heroes of Nanking, Infinitely Polar Bear, Luke Evans, mark ruffalo, Pacific Rim, the dark knight rises, the-hobbit, zoe saldana

After leaving "The Wolverine" behind, all eyes have been on Darren Aronofsky's next big move. And while it doesn't seem likely that he's abandoned one superhero project in favor of another, there is some speculation that Aronofsky's next will team him together with a new superhero actor.

Multiple reports reveal that Aronofsky is currently shopping around a big-screen version of "Noah," his long-developing retelling of the timeless tale of Noah's Ark. "Noah" reportedly comes with a $130 million budget, but without a leading man already in place, perhaps Aronofsky's big-budget biblical blockbuster is a bit of a tough sell… which is why he's calling in Batman for air support.

That's right: New York Magazine is reporting that the "Black Swan" director has been speaking with "The Dark Knight Rises" star Christian Bale about starring in "Noah" in an effort to secure studio backing for the film.

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Tags christian bale, darren aronofsky, Noah

If there was still a small part of you that thought that Marion Cotillard and Joseph Gordon-Levitt's casting in "The Dark Knight Rises" as some cruel joke, let those fears officially be put to rest.

Warner Bros. released a statement today announcing that Christopher Nolan's oft-rumored "Inception" collaborators are indeed a part of "The Dark Knight Rises," though not necessarily in the roles you'd expect. Cotillard will play Miranda Tate, a board member at Wayne Enterprises, and Gordon-Levitt has been tapped for John Blake, a Gotham City cop under Commissioner Gordon. Despite that, though, our friends over at Splash Page think Nolan might still be keeping some tricks up his sleeve. They think there's still a chance Cotillard could be playing Talia Al Ghul, and we're betting that there's more than meets the eye to JGL's cop as well.

After the jump, "Fast Six" gets a writer, "Red State" makes a profit, and finally some good news for "Gravity."

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Tags 13 Women of Nanjing, alfonso cuaron, christian bale, christopher nolan, david heyman, Fast and the Furious 6, Gotti: Three Generations, Gravity, joseph gordon-levitt, kevin smith, Marion Cotillard, Nick Cassavettes, red state, the dark knight rises

Bradley Cooper, here's hoping you know how to fly.

Splash Page reports that "The Hangover: Part II" star is in talks to headline Juan Carlos Fresnadillo's remake of "The Crow." Not only would Cooper have the not-so-easy-task of taking on the iconic and beloved character Eric Draven, but he'll have to do so while preserving the memory of the late, great Brandon Lee, who died in the process of making the original movie. Nothing has been confirmed yet, but sources say the actor is "keen to board the project."

Check out the rest of today's biggest casting news from Hollywood, including Sean Penn and Christian Bale snapping up "The Last Photograph" and Rufus Sewell taking a bite out of "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter."

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Tags Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, bradley cooper, brandon lee, Casting Call, christian bale, joaquin phoenix, michael clarke duncan, Nico Tortorella, odd thomas, paul thomas anderson, rufus sewell, sean penn, the crow, The Green Lantern, the last photograph

From its world premiere at the AFI Fest in November to the theatrical release in December to the awards-show circuit that wrapped up with the Oscars late last month, director David O. Russell has spent the last six months talking nonstop about "The Fighter."

And just when he thought he was done, the boxing drama's DVD and Blu-ray arrived this month. Once more back into the fray!

But here's the thing: he doesn't mind at all. While Russell would admit to a bit of "Fighter" fatigue during a recent MTV News interview, he said he continues to welcome the chance to chat about the movie. "Sure, there's some of that," he said about PR overkill. "At the same time, I love this movie so much and it was such a special experience."

It's no surprise, then, that he still has an urge to sit back and check out Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale and the rest of the "Fighter" cast do their stuff on screen. "I wanted to watch it yesterday. I was listening to some of the music in my car," he laughed. "I like watching the first 15 minutes of it. I just think they're really good."

Now, with the DVD and Blu-ray on shelves, you not only have the chance to watch the Oscar-winning flick again, but you can also check out a never-before-seen deleted clip that MTV News has exclusively obtained. Watch it past the jump!

The deleted scene takes place fairly early in the film as Micky Ward (Wahlberg) waits at the boxing gym ready to work out. An HBO documentary crew is in place but his brother and trainer, Dicky Eklund, is nowhere to be found. Dicky, it turns out, has been up all night on a drug-bender. When he realizes he's late for training, he takes off running. The new clip shows some of Dicky's wacky encounters on his way to the gym. He stops in front of a neighbor's door for a smoke break and confronts a few kids who call him a loser.

"Look at me!" he tells the kids with that familiar jokey yet menacing manner. "You better watch it or I'll set my sisters on you. You don't want that."

Tell us what you think of the clip in the comments section and on Twitter!

Tags christian bale, david o russell, the fighter