Christopher Nolan talks Batman 3

Christopher Nolan has confirmed he will follow this summer’s Inception with the much-anticipated Batman 3 .

Speculation as to how Nolan can possibly follow The Dark Knight - which brought Nolan both a $1 billion dollar gross and the status of comic-book adap king - has been rife ever since, yet Nolan suggested that planning was well under way:

“We know we're aiming for 2012. That's been talked about. We're just working on the script, really. My brother has been hard at work on it for quite some time.”

That Jonathan Nolan has returned to help pen the sequel will be good news to those with high expectations for what will be the franchise finale, but of greater interest will be plot specifics – namely the character details.

Thus far Johnny Depp, Robin Williams and Joseph Gordon-Levitt have been linked to The Riddler, though given Nolan’s penchant for the gritty it is hard to see Williams being given a shot. The choice of villain is also far from certain.

Indeed, Nolan’s insistence that the third film of the series will be the last poses a new set of questions regarding the makeup of Batman 3 .

Will the Riddler have time to impose himself on the trilogy sufficiently so as to provide a suitable finale for the franchise? If not, surely no villain from the comic book series stands a chance – has Nolan gained the right to invent his own characters?

And what of that other franchise reboot? Nolan’s long-held wish to helm a Superman reinvention is no secret, but given his immanent re-immersion into all things Gotham, another return of Superman now seems a very long way away.

Thoughts? Comment below...