14 DAY TRIAL // In July last year, Gary Oldman, who plays Commissioner Gordon in the rebooted “Batman” franchise, including “Batman Begins” and “The Dark Knight,” let it slip that a third installment might start shooting as early as this year. Now, it’s official, as director Chris Nolan has confirmed for Bang Media that “Batman 3” will arrive in theaters as early as next year.
As fans must know, the biggest problem with the “Batman” franchise, bringing Christian Bale as the caped crusader, was the fact that the actor playing The Joker, Heath Ledger, passed away after it was released. Even if a script for a third film would not include the character of The Joker, one of the most accomplished villains of modern cinematography, as critics put it, thanks to the late Ledger, the issue of picking up the franchise again was, indeed, a very sensitive one.
However, it seems the studio will move forward with it, two years after “The Dark Knight.” “A third Batman film has been confirmed. Chris Nolan revealed the superhero movie was in the beginning stages of creation while in an interview with the New York Times, following rumors his brother Jonah and David Goyerm were working on the script. Discussing Jeff Robinov, the Warner Brothers president, ‘The Dark Knight’ director Chris said: ‘He is trying not to cling to the things that have worked in the past.’” the aforementioned Bang report says.
“As yet, no casting details have been confirmed, and it is unknown if Christian Bale will return as the caped superhero. However, it has previously been revealed Chris would play a mentoring role on the next Superman movie, although he will not direct it. In addition to a third Batman installment, which could be released as early as 2011, there are also plans to shoot a Wonder Woman film,” Bang further says.
As per ongoing and older reports, it’s almost unconceivable for Bale not to reprise his role. Moreover, it is believed that, aside from Bale and Oldman, Aaron Eckhart will return as well with his Two-Face, who might even be getting more screen time in the third film. Keep an eye on this space for more details as we’ll be keeping you up-to-date.