Earlier this year, Christopher Nolan offered only a brief teaser of his involvement with the third "Batman" film, which is highly anticipated after the phenomenal success of "The Dark Knight." And while Warner Brothers and DC haven't yet officially confirmed his return to the director's chair, even Nolan seems to have conceded that it is all but certain.
"It’s becoming inevitable, I’ll put it that way," Nolan told Empire Magazine. "I feel myself falling into it, I guess. And getting it all figured out and I’m pretty excited about what we’re doing so… If I haven’t announced it, I think that people probably all know at this point that I’m doing it."
When asked to clarify if that meant fans could assume his statement indicated that he will direct the next "Batman," Nolan replied "I think you can at this point, yes."
Back in March, Nolan told the Los Angeles Times that he was working on the story with his brother, Jonathan Nolan and David Goyer.
“Without getting into specifics, the key thing that makes the third film a great possibility for us is that we want to finish our story,” said Nolan. “And in viewing it as the finishing of a story rather than infinitely blowing up the balloon and expanding the story.”
“I’m very excited about the end of the film, the conclusion, and what we’ve done with the characters,” added Nolan.“My brother has come up with some pretty exciting stuff. Unlike the comics, these things don’t go on forever in film and viewing it as a story with an end is useful. Viewing it as an ending, that sets you very much on the right track about the appropriate conclusion and the essence of what tale we’re telling. And it harkens back to that priority of trying to find the reality in these fantastic stories. That’s what we do.”
Meanwhile, Michael Caine — who memorably portrayed Alfred in Nolan's first two "Batman" films — mentioned the sequel during an appearance on BBC Radio 1. According to Obsessed With Film, Caine said "Batman 3,' probably starts in May." Caine then added that he‘assumes I’m in it but you never know in this business’.
Caine also stated that ‘no one apart from Chris and his brother know who the baddie is yet."
Of course, Caine has famously said in the past that Johnny Depp would play the Riddler and Phillip Seymour Hoffman would portray the Penguin; which he later recanted.
The third "Batman" film is expected to be released in 2012.
