Christian Bale Won't Shed Light on a Batman Return

Christian Bale, whose war drama Rescue Dawn hits theaters July 4, proved evasive when asked by TVGuide.com about the rumored return of Cillian Murphy's Scarecrow in the Batman Begins follow-up Dark Knight. "I won't confirm it, 'cause I never know what I can and can't say," he hedged (in what our Raven describes as "his seriously hot native-Welsh accent"). "I usually wait for other people to say it, then I know it must be common knowledge."That unsaid, Bale notes that the sequel — hitting theaters in July 2008 — enjoyed a seamless transition, with the returning likes of Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman and Michael Caine joined by newcomers Heath Ledger (as the Joker), Aaron Eckhart (Harvey Dent/Two Face) and Maggie Gyllenhaal (replacing Katie Holmes as love interest Rachel Dawes). "It's been a nice progression," he said, "and we have the confidence now," based on Batman Begins' strong reception. — Additional reporting by Raven Snook