Maggie Gyllenhaal will star opposite Christian Bale in upcoming Batman film 'The Dark Knight,' says Variety. She replaces Katie Holmes as Bruce Wayne's friend and confidant Rachel Dawes, the assistant DA with a heart of gold.
Nolan is set to begin filming in the late spring, with a possible summer 2008 release.

Rachel Dawes is an original character to the films, one some critics of "Batman Begins" argued would better be served by the comics canon character Harvey Dent. As Dent will appear in "The Dark Knight" as played by Aaron Eckhart, fans will have plenty of room to compare and contrast the two characters.