One of the biggest challenges for Warner Bros. in terms of coming up with a sequel to the highly successful and universally acclaimed “The Dark Knight,” the last installment of Batman, was to find a way to make it bigger and better now that Heath Ledger’s The Joker was gone. Despite rumors to the contrary, Gary Oldman says the film is a go, with a production start date set for next year, HitFix informs.

Oldman’s performance as Commissioner Gordon in the two films that reinvented the story of the famous caped crusader, “Batman Begins” and “The Dark Knight,” was hailed by critics as nothing short of brilliant. Being such an important member of the cast, it is being widely held that whatever comes out of his mouth regarding the franchise can only be well-informed facts, albeit not yet official. With this in mind, his statement at this year’s Comic-Con in San Diego can only bring joy to the millions of Batman fans around the world.

“While finishing up a panel promoting his new film ‘The Book of Eli’ at Comic-Con in San Diego today, Gary Oldman broke some massive news regarding Christopher Nolan’s ‘Batman’ franchise. When asked by a fan when the next movie would start filming, Oldman stunned the crowd by actually answering the question. ‘The next “Batman” is shooting next year. It’s at least two years away,’ Oldman says. Then realizing what he may have caused by answering, Goldman joked, ‘But you didn’t hear it from me’.” HitFix writes.

With Warner Bros. already making it more than clear that it wants a follow-up to the last film, Heath Ledger or not Heath Ledger, and amidst intense speculation among fans that the franchise cannot possibly stop short here, Oldman’s statement is the closest thing to an official confirmation we’ve got so far. Then again, there is also an older interview with producer Michael Uslan, dating from back in January 2009, where he half-confirmed that the next “Batman” flick would hit theaters in 2011, but that too was not even remotely close to an official stand from Warner.

Before that, Aaron Eckhart, who plays Two-Face in “The Dark Knight,” let it slip at the 2009 Golden Globes that his character, although believed to be dead, might return in a future Batman film, thus hinting that someone was already thinking and perhaps working on a sequel. “I think Harvey – if he’s not dead – is in a serious coma, and I’m not sure he’s coming out. They might pull the plug on him.” Eckhart said at the time, with a knowing wink.