Katie Won't Begin Batman

Fri., Jan. 26, 2007 2:21 PM PST by Sarah Hall

The last time Katie Holmes shot a movie, she was single and childless.

What a difference a couple of years can make.

After taking a break from her acting career to be a full-time mom to Suri and wife to Tom Cruise, the erstwhile Joey Potter is ready to get back to work.

However, in her eagerness to resume filming, it seems Holmes may have overbooked her calendar.

Claiming "scheduling conflicts," the 28-year-old actor has confirmed she will not reprise her Batman Begins role in the upcoming sequel The Dark Knight, despite the fact that her character, Rachel Dawes, remains in the script.

Rumors that Holmes would no longer be a part of the Batman franchise have been floating around since Batman Begins opened in June 2005, when the New York Post's Page Six reported as much. In October, the fansite Batman on Film quoted a "reliable source" saying "Holmes will not be back for The Dark Knight."

But sources close to the production told the Wall Street Journal Holmes pulled out of the project earlier this month, turning down a salary estimated at between $1 million and $2 million—an increase over the roughly $1 million she was believed to have earned for Batman Begins.

"We never got to the negotiating stage," Holmes' spokeswoman, Julie Polkes, told the Wall Street Journal. "Katie was offered [Dark Knight], but was unable to accept the role because of scheduling conflicts. She was in the process of negotiating for another project. In addition, when she returns to work, she would like to tackle a new character."

With The Dark Knight officially a no-go, Holmes is reportedly leaning toward starring in the low-budget crime caper Mad Money, opposite Queen Latifah.

The film centers on three female Federal Reserve workers who devise a plot to make off with old currency before it is destroyed. It is slated to begin shooting in Shreveport, Louisiana, within the next couple of months.

The film's production budget is reportedly set at a thrifty $12 million, meaning Holmes would have to reduce her usual fee to about $250,000 in order to keep costs within range, the Wall Street Journal reports. No deals have been finalized.

Holmes' decision to eschew the Batman blockbuster in favor of a low-budget film might seem like an odd choice for an actor best known for such oeuvres as Dawson's Creek and First Daughter.

However, since hooking up with Cruise in the spring of 2005, Holmes has seemed content to focus on her high-profile relationship, while placing her professional concerns on the back burner.

Which is to say, she's made questionable decisions in the past.