Bale and Depp to Battle in Michael Mann's 'Public Enemies'

Two of the hottest actors on the planet right now are Johnny Depp and Christian Bale. And I don't mean "hottest" as in "sexiest," honest, although I'm sure there are a few women out there who might disagree. So who is the director that could bring Batman and Captain Jack Sparrow together in one movie? Scorsese? Spielberg? Uwe Boll? Nope, it's Michael Mann, a filmmaker who clearly knows a little something about getting the most out of his leading men.

According to Variety, Mr. Depp and Mr. Bale will co-star in Mann's Public Enemies, with the former playing infamous bank robber John Dillinger and the latter portraying persistent FBI agent Melvin Purvis. Damn. Already I want to see this movie. Production on the Universal project (which is based on a book by Bryan Burrough) is expected to begin in March ... which means the film could be ready for the end of the year! (Couldn't it?)

Check out Chris Campbell's earlier report on this project right here. Obviously we'll bring you more news on this one as soon as it comes in.