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Today's WSJ chronicles how CAA has undertaken the daunting task of resuscitating the career of onetime actress and stay-at-home war bride Katie Holmes, whose last memorable role was that of "Glassy-Eyed Woman Clutching A Baby in the Window While Pondering a Series of Poorly Thought-Through Life Decisions" in the Bracciano production Tom N' Katie's Italian Wedding Spectacular, a much buzzed-about, but critically derided, foray into experimental theater. With Batman Returns follow-up The Dark Knight now officially out of the picture (both the Holmes camp and Warner Bros. seem to have their no-fault, "timing"-related story straight about why she won't be back to reprise her performance as Gotham City's most doe-eyed assistant D.A.), the agency is hoping that smaller, budget-conscious productions might throw their out-of-work client a lower-paid bone:

Led by CAA agent Hylda Queally, who also handles clients like Cate Blanchett and Kate Winslet, Ms. Holmes's representatives are working to end that hiatus. But they're trying to pick their spots. Earlier this month, Ms. Holmes rebuffed the "Dark Knight" offer, say people involved with the project. The studio is searching for a new actress who can replace Ms. Holmes in the big-budget picture, for which the salary range likely would have been $1 million to $2 million, say these people, compared to the roughly $1 million she earned for "Batman Begins."

"We never got to the negotiating stage" for "Dark Knight," says Julie Polkes, a spokeswoman for Ms. Holmes. "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." A spokeswoman for Warner Bros. concurs that Ms. Holmes dropped out because of timing.

Ms. Holmes currently is leaning toward accepting a role in "Mad Money," a comedy about three female Federal Reserve workers who pull a scam to pocket old currency before it's destroyed. Tentatively budgeted at about $12 million, "Mad Money" is slated to begin shooting in a couple of months, these people say, and may also feature Queen Latifah and Diane Keaton. Callie Khouri, who wrote "Thelma & Louise" and directed "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood," is planning to direct. But to keep within its slim budget, Ms. Holmes would have to cut her usual fee to about $250,000, say these people, who stress that the deal isn't finalized. Spokespeople for the two other actresses didn't have any comment.

Should the Mad Money role fall through, either due to an inability to come to financial terms or the production's refusal to believe CAA's threats of "It would be a real shame if Katie didn't get the part and Queen Latifah decided to light herself on fire inside her trailer out of sadness," the agency may ultimately accept that the only way to get Holmes working again is to further discount the actress's price, hoping that a quote of "SAG scale, plus craft service for fifteen Scientology-provided acting techs" might entice someone to take a chance on her.