The Dark Knight Rises

[matt35mm]

Have you ever watched E!?  That is E! to a T.

[B.C. Long]

E!T. phone home.

[Gold Trumpet]

The tabloid report of the day. If this is true then it will be so bad that the Dark Knight will look pretty good in my eyes, but I got this from Imdb.com:



Murphy And Labeouf For Batman
17 December 2008 5:29 PM, PST


Eddie Murphy and Shia Labeouf have been lined up to star in the next Batman movie, according to reports.

The Beverly Hills Cop actor will star as The Riddler and Labeouf will play the caped crusader's sidekick Robin in the next instalment, tentatively titled Gotham.

Actress Rachel Weisz is reportedly in the frame to play Catwoman. Christian Bale will return as Bruce Wayne and Michael Caine will again play his assistant Alfred, according to British newspaper The Sun.

The movie, which is slated for a 2010 release, will be directed by Christopher Nolan, who made The Dark Knight such a huge success when it was released this year.

A source says, .Chris wasn.t sure if he wanted to do another movie but as soon as he decided to, he got the wheels in motion. Eddie.s a fantastic addition. Everyone.s excited to see what he does as the Riddler..

[cron]

this is like that time that robin williams would play the joker, right? RIGHT?

those two shits would invalidate everything that's good about the new franchise.

[MacGuffin]

It's false; SuperheroHype says so. I can't remember where I heard it, but it was said that Nolan doesn't want to do a Robin storyline.

[Kal]

So I met Christian Bale last night at the Admirals Club in LAX. He said he is not even discussing anything about the film for now, they have not started working on a script, much less casting or dates.

[Gamblour.]

The minute my wife told me about this, I knew it wasn't true. This shit wasn't even a rumor first and then she read about it CNN? Like this would come up out of nowhere. What a dumb rumor.

[modage]

never ever ever happen.  everybody knows marlon wayans is robin.

[MacGuffin]

'Batman 3' Rumor Report: 'Eddie Murphy As Riddler' Reporter Stands By His 'Gotham' Casting Story
Source: MTV

Sure, we all had a good laugh at the expense of the U.K.-based tabloid The Sun after they announced that Eddie Murphy and Shia LaBeouf would portray The Riddler and Robin, respectively, in "Gotham" (what The Sun claimed to be the title of the follow-up to this summer's "The Dark Knight"). After all — as we've made perfectly clear — Warner Bros., director Christopher Nolan and various high-level execs attached to the franchise have all gone on record saying that there's been absolutely no movement on the film, let alone a script or preliminary casting.

However, the source of the speculation — Sun reporter Gordon Smart — has come forward in the face of the fanboy firing squad to defend his reporting, saying that he stands by his story based on "a reliable contact" close to the film. And while it's still safe to shrug and smirk this rumor off, it might be worth noting that Smart claims that the same anonymous source who kick-started the recent "Batman 3" casting rumors was responsible for another rumor back in 2005 that proved true in a big way: the casting of Daniel Craig as the new (at the time) James Bond.

In a recent post on The Guardian's Film Blog — in reference to the "Craig as Bond" rumor that came true — Smart is quoted as saying, "Everyone had a crack at us when we published that one. I was almost laughed out of conference that day, but it turned out to be spot on. I wish I had had a bet on it."

The Guardian follows that up with a report that, off the record, Smart revealed his unnamed source, and points out that — if credible — it appears to be very reliable.

So while we here at Splash Page still have our doubts about this rumor, it appears as though this story isn't going away anytime soon.

[Big Owl]

There's no way. I'd love to put money on it but .... Shia Le BUFF.

[MacGuffin]

'Dark Knight' Producer Talks 'Batman 3' Casting, Status
'Chris [Nolan] and David Goyer are talking and thinking,' Chuck Roven tells MTV News.

While "The Dark Knight" amasses a Batcave full of award nominations — and fans of the flick anxiously wait to see if it will get the attention of a fella named Oscar — we here at MTV News continue to look toward the future of the franchise: "Batman 3."

So, naturally, when we caught up with "Dark Knight" producer Chuck Roven on the People's Choice Awards red carpet, we simply had to ask for an update on the film. The good news is, it looks like director Christopher Nolan could be officially on the project (after months of online speculation that he was still on the fence). But no one — not even the producers — know what's in store for the third, ridiculously anticipated film.

"I know that Chris [Nolan] and [writer] David Goyer are talking and thinking," Roven said. "We're hoping, of course, that they find and rest on something that they'll find is worthy to do, but we don't know anything more than you do right now."

Meanwhile, fans are also dying to know what villain — or villains — the Caped Crusader will possibly face off against in the follow-up to 2008's box-office titan and, also, what actors will be playing the parts. Again, the Internet has been ablaze with rumors regarding possible rogues and casting — some good, some bad and some downright laughable — so we checked to see if Roven had any ideas.

"All I can say — because I really don't know more than you do — is that I see no reason why, tonally, Chris would do anything different than he's done in the first two films," the producer said.

As Hollywood buzzes with speculation regarding a possible posthumous Academy Award nomination for Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker, it's nearly impossible to talk "The Dark Knight" and not bring him up. And while Ledger has managed to become synonymous with the role — and considering that viewers were left with the impression that the Joker may indeed show up in future Batman films — we wondered, considering the tragedy of Ledger's untimely death, if the producers would've done anything differently regarding that character.

"We have to separate the actors from the role," Roven said. "On a personal level, Heath was a friend of mine. We had worked together before 'The Dark Knight,' but I still think that 'The Dark Knight' is its own thing, and we have to separate them. So I guess the answer is, I think we still would've done the same thing."

[MacGuffin]

Batman 3! Flash! Season of the Witch! We got updates
Source: SciFi Wire

Speaking at a news conference in Beverly Hills, Calif., Thursday to promote The International, Roven added that a sequel to Get Smart is also in the works for 2010. The following Q&A features edited excerpts of the news conference.

Christopher Nolan says he'll only make a third Batman if he has a worthy idea. Do you think he'll get there?

Roven: We know that he's thinking about what another one would be like, if he can think all the way through [development]. We'll know if he's gotten to the end of that process when he tells us he's gotten to the end of that process.

Is there anything you can do to make him feel comfortable developing it?

Roven: You know, Chris is his own guy. That's all I can say, so when he's come through the process that he's going to come through, he'll tell us what he wants to do.

Casting rumors have already started. Have you started approaching actors for the new villains?

Roven: Nothing's been done. There's no story, so we wouldn't be casting anybody without a story.

Nolan did The Prestige in between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. Do you think he'll do something else before a third Batman?

Roven: My guess is if he decides he wants to do another Batman that he would put a movie in between.

Get Smart was another hit for you this summer. Are you thinking about a Get Smart 2?

Roven: We're definitely developing a Get Smart sequel, definitely. So I'm hopeful that we'll make that movie in 2010.

Would it still be with Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway?

Roven: That's our intention, certainly.

The Flash has floated around for a while, too. Any progress on that?

Roven: Nope, it's all shrouded in mystery.

Well, shrouded in mystery is better than dead.

Roven: No, no, it's definitely not dead. Definitely not dead, but it's shrouded in mystery.

Is Season of the Witch a supernatural witch?

Roven: Yeah, it's supernatural. I'm in the middle of shooting in Hungary right now. Dominic Sena is directing, a guy by the name of Bragi Schut wrote. It stars Nick Cage and Ron Perlman. It takes place during the plague in the 14th century. They have to transport a woman that's accused of being a witch who started the plague to an abbey where her innocence or guilt will be determined.

Sounds intense. Would it be R-rated?

Roven: No, PG-13.

[RegularKarate]

there wasn't an ounce of batman info there... why do they feel the need on reporting all of the Qs & As and not just say "We talked to him and there's no news on batman... on to bullshit"

[MacGuffin]

Nolan and BATMAN 3: FAR From a Done Deal?
Source: Batman On Film

When I got the chance to visit with David Goyer and Jonathan Nolan a year ago, one of the things I heard them tell us media folk was that they had to lobby and "convince" Chris Nolan to do THE DARK KNIGHT and they'd probably have to do the same thing for there to be a Nolan-helmed BATMAN 3.

Maybe the sale-job on Chris for a third BATMAN is going to be a really tough one this time.

Despite the fact that BOF has had some unofficial assurances that Chris would indeed return and direct a third BATMAN, industry scuttlebutt says – and has been saying – differently.

I've been told that while they desperately want another Chris Nolan BATMAN, Warner Bros. does have a shortlist of directors (Zack Snyder's reps told BOF that he wasn't interested) they'd consider and ultimately turn to if (and when) Nolan's done with The Caped Crusader. And frankly, it certainly wouldn't be prudent of them not to have such a list.

Several (and unrelated) industry friends of BOF have been telling me over the last year that it's far from a given that Chris will do another one. And alarmingly, this one's starting to pick up steam.

Case it point, a report I received from an old friend of the site overnight via email. This cat works in the business behind the camera and has proved to me long ago to be legit. With that said, this again is what I term "Industry Scuttlebutt," so keep that in mind. Also, if any of my friends at Warner Bros. or reps of Mr. Nolan want to refute the following, you've got an open forum here. Anyway, according to our source...

* The death of Heath Ledger in January of 2008 rocked Mr. Nolan hard. So hard that Chris was convinced that TDK was going to be it for him and Batman on film.

* The Joker was going to return in BATMAN 3.

* "You are correct in reporting that he is developing story ideas with [Jonathan Nolan] and David Goyer, but it will be until AT LEAST 2012 before we see the Caped Crusader back [in theaters]. And that is only an EARLY ESTIMATE at best right now. They are even saying it might not be until 2013."

* Basically, the BATMAN film franchise is back to square one. As far as a story or a BATMAN 3, "Right now, there is none," says our guy.

Now, there was some other stuff that was off the record (mainly to protect our guy's identity), but really, it doesn't affect the jest of this story. The bottom line here is that we may be a ways away from a BATMAN 3 -- with or without Chris Nolan.

Look, I want Mr. Nolan to return as much as anyone else and have TONS of respect for him, Emma Thomas, Charles Roven, David Goyer, Jonathan Nolan, and the rest of the folks who've given us the BEST two BATMAN films ever. But if Chris is done, then he's done and I'm sure as hell not going to begrudge the guy. Despite the fact that I am a "Batman Fan" first and foremost, I've also grown to be a big Chris Nolan fan as well. BUT...

As a Batman fan, I certainly hope that Warner Bros. has a contingent plan in place – and one much better than the one they had back in the early 90s.

Despite the bummer vibe that permeates this report, let me remind you of the positives. One, Warner Bros. has not officially announced that Chris is done and the search is underway for a new Bat-director. Secondly, Nolan himself has admitted to "musing" with David Goyer about the storyline of a third film. Third, back in February, IGN reported that Chris is the only screenwriter attached to B3 per the WGA. And finally, the same industry scuttlebutt that produced today's story also says that Chris' deal with WB for INCEPTION included at least a handshake agreement for BATMAN 3.

Keep those fingers crossed Bat-Fans!

[picolas]

fock.