Nolan Confirmed to Direct Next BATMAN Film; Possible Start Date Revealed

Dark Knight and Inception director Christopher Nolan has finally announced that he will helm the next Batman movie for Warner Bros; while actor Michael Caine teases a production start date.

Although Christopher Nolan has mentioned that he and his brother are hard at work creating a script for next installment of the Batman franchise, it has yet to be made official whether or not he would helm the film. Today the speculation ends as Nolan, who has successfully presented two Batman films to worldwide audiences, confirmed his directorial duties on the project. During an interview with Empire Magazine, Nolan was asked whether at this point fans can safely assume that he will return to direct the yet to be titled Bat-film; to which he responded, "I think you can at this point, yes."

"I don’t know if it’s announced or if it’s not announced. It’s becoming inevitable, I’ll put it that way. 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."

While appearing on BBC Radio 1's The Chris Moyles Show , Sir Michael Caine, who portrays Bruce Wayne/Batman's loyal butler Alfred Pennyworth, stated that the production on Batman 3 would "probably start in May next year." Sir Michael went on to say that he assumes he will be a part of the cast, and that the Nolan brothers are remaining tight-lipped about the possible villains they plan to include.

Warner Bros has scheduled a theatrical release date of July 20th, 2012 for the film.