Not a lot of flicks get this much buzz before its existence even announced. It’s got to be good to be Christopher Nolan when not only are the regular folks anxious to see this off the ground — with him at the helm of course — but even the celebs have started to express interest to get involved.

According to Coventry Telegraph blog, “Only few days ago Charlize Theron was saying how she would be delighted to play Catwoman in Christopher Nolan’s next Batman movie.” Miss Theron must love being clad in those tight-fitting leather suit — which she donned in Aeon Flux — alas, she’s not the top contender according to an internet fan poll. Today’s birthday girl Marion Cotillard, the french Oscar-winning actress (for playing Edith Piaf in La vie en rose), is apparently the top choice, with Rachel Weisz second, and Charlize Theron third.

It’s interesting that she’s worked with both Christian Bale and Nolan in Public Enemies and the hotly anticipated 2010 thriller Inception, respectively. Not that it’s any indication she’ll be cast though. Geez, there’s not even Batman 3 in the can yet so this is all just fans’ wishful thinking. Just for fun, check out a fanboy poster by DeviantArt of Cotillard in full catsuit costume at awardsdaily.com. Looks pretty realistic, they even made up the cast that includes Dr. Who‘s David Tennant.

I’m just meh on this idea, the reason I love Nolan’s Batman films are largely because they’re short of the ‘freaks’ the comics are laden with. Now, I realize it’s unavoidable if they continue the franchise, but we can trust Nolan’s ability to elevate a comic book movie beyond a mere circus freak show. So, as long as he and Bale are in, the rest of the characters are basically just icing on the cake.

On a related Nolan news, Filmonic.com reported that the British director is auctioning off a visit to the highly-secret set of his thriller Inception. The aim is to help raise funds for the nonprofit Pablove Foundation, which supports pediatric cancer research and treatment. Here’s what the lucky winner would get:

You and your guest’s (2)-hour set visit will also include lunch with Christopher where you will be able to ask him questions about his career and work as a screenwriter and director, and get tips from one of the best in the business.

The set is located in Los Angeles and the location will be revealed to the auction winner only, The set visit will take place week of Oct 12, 2009. Exact date the week of Oct 12, 2009 is TBD. No other dates are available for this visit.

The bid on eBay was closed at about 5pm PDT, with 31 people bidding and the last bid price was $3, 650! WOW, that’s a hefty price indeed. Filmonic is betting that the winner is an obsessive Batman fan who will use his 2 hours to probe Nolan about the next Batman installment. I couldn’t agree more!