I guess I can’t avoid this story when Production Weekly, a trade magazine no less with many inside studio sources, have this week listed BATMAN 3 on it’s development site with Chris Nolan’s name attached to direct.

Presumably that means he has scribed his signature on the next film’s contract. It’s also claimed that pre-production will begin in February, which is a good six months earlier at least than the time between BATMAN BEGINS and THE DARK KNIGHT.

Does this count as the official confirmation that we were waiting for?

I would suggest it certainly indicates that Nolan might not be directing another film between BATMAN 2 and 3 and what we do know for sure is that Nolan hasn’t been as quick announcing his follow-up to THE DARK KNIGHT as he was with BATMAN BEGINS.

By October 2005, we knew that Nolan was to work on THE PRESTIGE as his next movie and both Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman were already announced as being in talks for the film. This time around, we barely know what his next film will be, with small mutterings it could be a feature based on the classic 60’s Brit t.v. show THE PRISONER.

Now of course this is not 100% proof that Nolan won’t be doing another, more personal film but I say there is some smoke there. I can buy that very early development will begin on BATMAN 3 in February/March with casting then to follow in the Summer and production beginning in late 2009, for a Summer 2011 release.

That would give Nolan a bigger post-production time than he had with THE DARK KNIGHT but why not, you have to believe the budget for this one is going to be bigger than the last. Warner Bros. will be chucking millions and millions to get Nolan to do this movie soon, the still young director (38) might just like the idea of finishing his trilogy soon and then leaving his fantastic Bat-legacy behind for someone else to have a go.