Not even a month after director, Christopher Nolan officially confirmed that he would return to direct a third Batman film back in September, within the following days a group of rather intriguing rumors began to surface.
Dating all the way back to August, the first rumor to reach the internet was when several websites learned that Batman 3 was to begin shooting in April of 2011 in the city of New Orleans. One speculated reason for this is that Warner Bros. would like to take advantage of the tax incentives that the city has offered after they have formed a strong relationship during the shoot of the upcoming Green Lantern film and the summer flop, Jonah Hex. There are a lot of issues with this rumor; the first being: why? Why would Christopher Nolan choose to shoot in New Orleans and not in Chicago for his third and final film? That's a good question, especially when we know several things about Christopher Nolan as a filmmaker. As mentioned on the website already, Nolan has stated repeatedly that he does not like to use CG when it is not necessary. If he were to shoot the film in New Orleans, CG would become a major part of the production.
However this rumor has no support behind it, given that the websites that broke the news, SuperheroHype and Comingsoon.net learned this from "unofficial" sources. So much for true and honest journalism these days. I don't see New Orleans replacing Chicago as Gotham City anytime in the near future, but Nolan and company could definitely shoot scenes outside of Gotham in New Orleans. After the first two Nolan films, Chicago is just a perfect fit for Gotham, I don't see Warner Bros. turning away from it now, no matter what the cost difference is.
After the resurfacing of the, "New Orleans" rumor, a new rumor spawned. After the announcement of Batman 3 shooting in New Orleans, comic book writer Mark Millar quickly posted up a few "interesting" tweets on his twitter account. Basically, Millar stated that through con-gossip, he learned of the huge scene outside of Gotham, which was at a timely location. In addition, he also mentioned that he knew who the villain(s) were and that one was a favorite of his from his childhood. Reporters and internet gossipers put two and two together, and came up with Killer Croc. Is Killer Croc even a logical possibility? Absolutely, in my opinion, any villain or character is fair game, and while Croc has some abnormal characteristics, I don't believe they would be terribly difficult for a movie audience to grasp. However, saying that, again, like the previous and following rumors, there is no "truth" behind them, so take that for what you will. What do you guys think? Would Killer Croc make for an interesting villain in the third Batman film?
Another was on August 29, 2010, ComicBookMovie reported that actress Marion Cotillard had apparently been approached by Warner Bros. to play either Selina Kyle/Catwoman or Talia Al Ghul, but turned down both roles. It was reported that Cotillard wanted to work with Nolan again after she worked with him on the summer blockbuster, Inception, but was concerned that the planned shooting schedule for the film would clash with projects that she was already committed to. Obviously, there is no way to prove whether or not this is true, but ComicBookMovie has since removed their report due to instructions put forth by Warner Bros., which could mean that this could have been a bit more than just speculation. What do you think? Would Cotillard have been a good choice for either character? None the less, Cotillard is not the only Inception cast member to join the rumor mill.
Rounding out the recent rumors, Deadline.com reported on October 13th that Tom Hardy has joined the cast of Batman 3. While many sites have seemed to accept this news as truth, Warner Bros. has yet to confirm the hire, and until that happens, this remains purely a rumor. However, Deadline reported that Hardy had signed on in a lead role for the film, and the role remained secret. Assumptions have been that Hardy is up for a role as a villain, but he could also possibly portray a protagonist, it remains unknown. If you are having doubts about Hardy's ability to play a villainous role, I strongly suggest that you and check out the 2009 film, Bronson, which is Hardy's most acclaimed role to date. None the less, if this turns out to be true, Hardy would make an excellent addition to an already excellent cast. What do you guys think? Who could Hardy play?
Well, there you have it, the rumors just keep adding up, and they will continue. We must remember that Batman 3 is a long ways away and there is plenty of time for more and more rumors to circulate. While rumors can be exciting, we must always remember that they are fiction until proven to be fact. On behalf of everyone at TheBatmanUniverse.net, I promise you that we will continue to keep you up to date on the latest rumors, but will never steer you towards believing those rumors. We will always separate the fact from fiction, no untruthful reporting here.
Posted by Zach
