Michael Cain As Alfred In Batman: The Frightening

Michael Caine may serve Batman

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – Michael Caine, the sardonic cockney actor embraced by Hollywood for his quintessential Britishness, could be stepping into the shoes of Alfred, Bruce Wayne’s butler, for an upcoming instalment in the “Batman” series of films.

Caine would join Christian Bale, who plays Wayne, the millionaire playboy by day who is the crime-fighting Caped Crusader by night. The script, which is being kept tightly under wraps, has been written by director Christopher Nolan and David Goyer.

Caine has a pair of supporting actor Oscar wins — for 1986′s “Hannah and Her Sisters” and 1999′s “The Cider House Rules.” He most recently starred in New Line’s “Secondhand Lions” and will next appear in Sony Pictures Classics’ upcoming Holocaust thriller “The Statement.”

The character of Alfred, an integral part of the Batman mythos, was played by Michael Gough in the most recent movies, starting with 1989′s “Batman” and running up to 1997′s “Batman & Robin.”

Warner Bros., producers of the Batman movies, declined comment.