When the Dark Knight has already risen, what's Christian Bale gonna do next?

Over the last decade or so, few actors -- or people in general -- have been as busy as Bale, who has not only been headlining one of the biggest film franchises in history with his "Dark Knight" movies but has also found time to appear in numerous other blockbusters ("Terminator: Judgment Day") smaller budgeted dramas ("The Fighter," for instance).

Which is why it's so surprising that his next role is... nothing.

But according to Variety, Bale is finally beginning to think about which project to pick up after "The Dark Knight Rises" finishes filming in November -- and which project he's going to choose may be the biggest guessing game in Hollywood right now.

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First, the ground rules: as we mentioned, Bale has a completely empty slate once "The Dark Knight Rises" ends filming, so literally anything is on the table for the worldwide action star. But while there are a number of solid projects with impressive pedigrees on the table right now, none of them appear to have quite the same box office potential as "The Dark Knight," meaning this is likely to be an even more personal pick than usual for the notoriously picky Bale.

Here are some of the leading contenders:

• Clint Eastwood reportedly is looking to direct Bale --opposite Beyonce! -- in a remake of the classic showbiz drama "A Star Is Born."

• Spike Lee has his own, decidedly different remake in mind for Bale: "Oldboy," a cult-classic horror gem from Korea.

• Darren Aronofsky ("Black Swan") is hoping Bale wants to get biblical for his epic version of the story of "Noah."

• Supposedly, Terrence Malick has a top-secret project and may or may not want the Oscar winner to headline it.

• Scott Cooper ("Crazy Heart") is yet another high profile director aiming for Bale, this time for the revenge flick "Out of the Furnace."

• Michael Mann ("Heat") imagines Bale as a prospector caught in a deadly duel over a vein of "Gold."

That's six top-notch directors, each with an impressive sounding project and each looking to hand Bale the keys to the car. But for our money, this is a little heavy on the drama and a little light on the action. And if there's one thing Bale has proven over the years with his choices, he likes to balance his career with a bit of both.

So we've got a couple of suggestions: Why not add some giddyup by reviving Ron Howard's currently defunct attempt at adapting Steven King's "The Dark Tower?" Bale is pretty much a dead ringer for lead gunslinger Roland and there's no doubt he has enough box office clout to get this back on track (no offense to former lead Javier Bardem). Or how about joining former "Walking Dead" producer Frank Darabont in his attempt to adapt the classic Ray Bradbury sci-fi novel "Fahrenheit 451?"

What do you guys think? Should Bale pick one of the six films set out on a platter for him? Or should he take our advice instead? Or perhaps you have some other project in mind yourself that Bale would be perfect for? Vote in our poll and let us know what you think.

Because with this many options, Bale is going to need all the advice he can get to make the right decision.