A few weeks ago we reported that Christopher Nolan was planning to meet with potential actresses for an unspecified lead female role in The Dark Knight Rises. About a week later, rumors were circulating that Nolan was eying Charlize Theron, Vera Farminga and Kacie Thomas to play the roles of Detective Sarah Essen and Julie Madison; that latter of whom was most recently, and I might add, brilliantly portrayed by Elle McPherson in the timeless Batman and Robin. Picking up on my sarcasm, eh? That rumor was never substantiated. Today, Deadline is reporting that Nolan will be meeting with six A-list actresses for TWO lead female roles for his Batman finale.

As you can see in the image above, the potential leading ladies are: Rachel Weisz, Naomi Watts, Anne Hathaway, Natalie Portman, Blake Lively and Keira Knightley. One role Nolan is looking to cast is a new love interest for Bruce Wayne, the other is to be a villain. Before you start thinking of Catwoman jokes, we still don’t know what the roles will be. So just hold out until we have official confirmation.

Taking a look at this list of potential Bat ladies, there are a few things that need to be pointed out. Both Portman and Lively are already featured love interests in major upcoming comic-book franchises. Portman is starring in Marvel’s Thor and Lively in DC’s Green Lantern. Regardless of how persuasive their agents are, I can’t see Nolan and Warner Bros. over-looking the ultimate superhero slutiness that would arise if either of these actresses were cast. Also, standing alongside Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Tom Hardy, Lively would be completely out of her league.

Weisz has the beauty and acting chops to play either role. I could see her coming in to help mend Bruce Wayne’s heart as he mourns the death of Rachel Dawes. I can also see her turning on the menancing switch to play a truly compelling female villain, whoever that may be. So I say right now, I’m 1,000% team Weisz.

Watts is an undeniably gorgeous and talented actress, but she’s pushing 43 years-old, which could throw a wrench in her chances. Many of you might not know this, but Keira Knightley was seriously considered by Nolan to play Ariadne in Inception, which ultimately went to Ellen Page, so this could be the perfect opportunity for Nolan to work with her. As for Hathaway, I love her. And while she’s absolutely proved her dramatic acting ability in films such as Rachel Getting Married, for which she was nominated for an Oscar, but her consistent onslaught of fluffy romantic comedies makes it hard for me to imagine her fitting into such a seriously-toned blockbuster as The Dark Knight Rises. So for me, it comes down to Weisz, Watts and Knightley. That’s my take.

Who do you think should be cast AND what villain do you will be in Nolan’s story? The Dark Knight Rises hits theaters July 20, 2012.

What Do You Think? Discuss.

Just last week we reported that Tom Hardy was the first new casting addition to Christopher Nolan’s highly-anticipated sequel to The Dark Knight, currently titled Batman 3. I thought there would at least be a several week gap between that and the next casting rumbling, but alas Moviehole is reporting (via Screen Rant) that Nolan is meeting with a shortlist of young actresses to take the “lead female” role in his next Batman epic.

Moviehole’s source at Warner Bros. told them that “a revolving door will be in operation for the better part of this week” as Nolan, producing partner/wife Emma Thomas & Co. meet with potential candidates who have been vaguely described to be in their “late 20′s and early 30′s.”

“Well, WHAT’S THE ROLE?!?!” you may be asking. Unfortunately, as we learned with Hardy’s casting last week, and pretty much every casting process in Nolan’s career, he and the studio are keeping their mouths shut. But the fact that the story pretty much requires a new romantic interest for Bruce Wayne to cuddle up with after the death of Rachel Dawes, as well as inevitable villain speculation, one could guess that it’s one of the following female characters:

Harley Quinn

We know that the Joker will not be in Batman 3. Nolan has stated this several times leading up to the release of Inception. But that doesn’t mean his psychotic side-kick, Harley Quinn, couldn’t make an appearance. Perhaps she could emerge as a deep admirer of the Joker’s twisted logic, seeking to carry on his quest for chaos and anarchy. She could find out Batman’s identity and cozy up to Bruce Wayne in order to enact her revenge, while simultaneously providing that romantic dynamic. But the fact that Heath will tragically not return to reprise his role, I’d say it’s a long shot.
Chance: 20%

Talia al Ghul

Nolan’s ability to tell a story is so amazing because everything is connected, everything comes full circle. What better way to introduce a new villain and a new love interest, than introducing Talia al Ghul, the daughter of Ra’s al Ghul (Liam Neeson) from Batman Begins? In a similar fashion to Harely Quinn, she would have revenge on her mind, but due to her father’s connections to The League of Shadows, she could already have an army assembled to descend upon Gotham, forcing Batman to take one last stand.
Chance: 60%

Catwoman

You all knew it was coming. Possibly the most famous Batman villain/anti-hero tied with The Riddler, Catwoman/Selina Kyle has been a staple of the Batman comics, TV shows and film adaptions for decades. Her story could fit. As Batman is on the run, the streets are ripe for thieves and “cat-burglars,” an easy route for the script to take to introduce the two. Plus, out of all the women that Bruce Wayne has had on his arms in the DC Universe, no woman can manipulate and tempt him more than Catwoman. It would be a great personal conflict for Wayne to endure, while he’s dealing with Tom Hardy. Also, the Moviehole report did state some hints where given that Catwoman is most-likely the role that the female candidates were coming in to talk about, saying “Some of the beauties coming in to chat with Christopher, would suggest that.
Chance: 80%

Some New Character

As Nolan’s Rachel Dawes proved, he has no problem throwing his own original characters into the mix with those from the comic books. And as I worship Nolan’s every breath, I will say that character was the weakest aspect of both his Batman films. And as he’s already killed off one of his original female characters, I really can’t see him introducing another one for his last installment.
Chance: 5%

So there you have it. Nolan and WB are being ultra-secretive about everything regarding Batman 3 because they know they have a $2 billion film on their hands, but I hold out hope that we’ll get a villain/title announcement in the coming weeks. Batman 3 will kick off production in April, with a July 20, 2012 release.

Briefly, as Inception is still trucking along in theaters with a worldwide total of just over $815 million, the inevitable question becomes, “when’s the sequel?” Well, Christopher Nolan has never stated that he intended for Inception’s story to carry on past the ambiguous, thought-provoking ending involving that now-famous spinning totem. Unfortunately, studios are greedy and want to make sequels to successful films any chance they can get. So of course, What’s Playing is reporting (via Nolan Fans) that while Nolan may not want to continue his dream-espionage story, Warner Bros. certainly does. Here’s what the report had to say:

…Warner Bros wants another Inception – as in sequel. Doesn’t make a lick of sense creatively, but financially? well… it made ”a lot” of money for them. Can’t imagine Nolan wanting to do a sequel, let alone direct one. Also don’t imagine Jeff would want to piss off Nolan by doing one around him. All interest is on the studio side at this stage. We shall see comrade…

Don’t press the panic button yet, as I would currently categorize this under, “obviously.” Of course Warner Bros. wants to make a sequel to a film that made them hundreds of millions of dollars, possible Oscars and infinite respect in the industry. But, as that reporter stated, as much as they’d love to see an Inception 2, there’s no way they’d risk screwing up their relationship with Nolan, as they want to keep him right at WB headquarters for the next 25 years.

What Do You Think? Discuss.

I’ve had a stupid grin on my face all day. Did I just get back from a date with Evangeline Lilly? No. Did I win a free iPad? Nope. Did some concrete casting news surrounding possibly one of the most-anticipated movies ever finally break? Yup. Deadline has the exclusive scoop (via Nolan Fans) that Inception‘s Tom Hardy has been tapped by Christopher Nolan to appear in his sequel to The Dark Knight, currently labeled Batman 3. Is he going to play The Riddler? Maybe Black Mask? Perhaps Deadshot? Or possibly some mysterious new character that Nolan & Co. have cooked up? Find out after the break.

Sorry about that. We actually have no clue who Hardy is set to be in the next Batman blockbuster, other than he snagged a “lead role” in the film. Deadline’s insider at Warner Bros. wasn’t even able to confirm if he will indeed be playing a villain. But knowing Nolan’s knack for casting and Hardy’s intense, chameleon-like acting ability, I think it’s a safe bet.

Those of you who might be raising you eyebrow at my high praise of Hardy, probably haven’t seen his brilliant performance in Bronson from 2008. It’s one of the most insane, disturbing, tour-de-force performances I’ve seen in the last 10 years. Just watch the trailer for Bronson below, and you’ll see what I mean.

Yessir. That bald, psychotic maniac is Tom Hardy; the smooth-talking standout from Inception, whom you’ve come to adore as Eames. Just imagine if he can harness half the intensity and insanity from Bronson, and pour it into a Batman villain. Now, nothing, and I mean NOTHING, can ever top what Heath Ledger did with the Joker in The Dark Knight. That will go down in cinematic history as one of the greatest villain performances of all time. But Nolan knows what the hell he’s doing, and Hardy’s character, whatever it may be, will surely be something special to behold.

Nolan is currently putting the finishing touches on the Batman 3 script, with production to kick-off sometime in April of next year. Batman 3 bursts into theaters on July 20, 2012. Let the speculation commence.

What Do You Think? Discuss.

Well, this certainly shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. I mean, we’ve all pretty much known for months that Christopher Nolan would inevitably complete his brilliant reboot of the Batman franchise. But there hasn’t been anything but coy avoidance from Nolan, until now. In an interview with Empire (via First Showing) Nolan shed light on his long-speculated directorial status for Batman 3:

It’s becoming inevitable, I’ll put it that way.

More after the break.

Nolan continued:

I feel myself falling into it, I guess, Nolan adds. 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.

So there you have it. Any snippet of Batman 3 news, not matter how minuscule, gives me a complete nerdgasm every time. But what I’m especially geeking out about, regarding Nolan’s comment, is when he said “I’m pretty excited about what we’re doing…” So, the genius who brought us back-to-back genre-busting, record-shattering, industry-changing blockbusters with The Dark Knight and Inception, is “excited” about what he and his brother Jonah have cooked up for their final Batman installment. That makes me tingly all over.

In related news, Michael Caine “confirmed” that Batman 3 will commence shooting in May, following the similar summer production schedules of his last two blockbusters. All of this, of course, while he’s currently meeting with potential directors to helm his Superman reboot. Ladies and gentlemen: the man, the myth, the legend, Christopher Nolan.

Stay tuned to The Movie Mash for further updates.

What Do You Think? Discuss.

Deadline is reporting that Christopher Nolan has narrowed down a short list of five directors to potentially direct the David Goyer-scripted Superman reboot, which he is producing, due out in theaters December 2012. The report said that Nolan and wife/producing partner Emma Thomas have even begun meeting with said directors to discuss whether they’d be right for the project. He’s also doing all this as he’s working on the script for Batman 3 that his brother Jonah wrote. See which directors are on Nolan’s list after the break.

In alphabetical order:

• Duncan Jones (Moon, Source Code)
• Jonathan Liebesman (Battle: Los Angeles, Clash of the Titans 2 [upcoming])
• Matt Reeves (Let Me In, Cloverfield)
• Tony Scott (Man on Fire, The Taking of Pelham 123)
• Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen, Sucker Punch)

Very eye brow raising, isn’t it? There isn’t anything in the report saying how Nolan settled on these particular directors. Actually, I’m starting to second guess the legitimacy of these names. Both Snyder and Liebesman have prior obligations that would undoubtedly cause scheduling conflicts with fast-tracked, $200+ Superman movie. Snyder looks keen to direct Frank Miller’s 300 spin-off, Xerxes next. And Liebesman has already committed to directing Clash of the Titans sequel for Warner Bros. Also, Ain’t It Cool News head honcho Harry Knowles Tweeted:

fyi – SUPERMAN director story – “most of the names on that list have never been discussed” fyi…

So, even with the conflicting reports, it’s still fun to speculate. And there is surely some truth to the report, as Deadline is usually very reliable. If this ends up being the the fab five for Supes, here is how I would rank them in order of preference:

1. Duncan Jones–For those of you who haven’t seen his indie sci-fi drama Moon, you really should. Jones wrote and directed the film, which is a great character study of a man’s progression into madness,  featuring a brilliant performance by Sam Rockwell. Jones just recently wrapped production on his newest sci-fi drama Source Code, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, which is due out next year. Jones is a young, talented director, with a passion for science fiction, which Superman most definitely is. And he’s got a great sensibility for storytelling and character development, which Superman most definitely needs. I think with Nolan’s guidence, he would make the best choice.

2. Matt Reeves–He’s the guy who directed Cloverfield, which I really enjoyed. I thought was a very innovative sci-fi/action/disaster movie that he made very unique and memorable. His current film, Let Me In, is  getting RAVE reviews, and looks to be a home run. Reeves is also fairly young, 44, and seems to have a visionary sense that is just starting to grow. For me, Jones just “feels” right for the job, but if it ends up being Reeves, I’ll be  happy too.

3. Zack Snyder–Snyder has already proven that he “gets” comic books as source material, as both 300 and Watchmen were great graphic novel adaptations. He’s also worked with huge budgets before, so that would be a plus. BUT, Snyder has a very distinct and apparent stylized way of film-making that may not be right for Superman. If he were to get it, I would be totally fine with it. But again, scheduling could be a problem.

4. Jonathan Liebesman–The only movie if seen of this guy is Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The beginning from 2006. I mean, I think he did a good job directing? It was pretty much just Leatherface torturing people for two hours. But he did just wrap on Battle: Los Angleles, the slated alien invasion-action film that has been described as “Independence Day meets Black Hawk Down.” That is scheduled for a May 2011 release. So, I haven’t seen enough of Liebesman’s work to make an accurate judgment, which is why he’s #4.

5. Tony Scott–I’m just going to say this as plain as I can: HELL F*CKING NO! Look, I love a lot of Tony Scott’s movies. Top Gun, Crimson Tide and Enemy of the State are all classics, but his music video, seizure-inducing editing and puzzling current fetish with trains, makes Tony Scott is a no-brainer thumbs down. Plus he’s pushing 70 years-old. Superman needs a young, energetic vision to create a young, energetic reboot.

Stay tuned to The Movie Mash for more updates.

What Do You Think? Discuss.

Want to know the best thing about Inception? This statement is going to stir up some objections, and don’t get me wrong, I absolutely loved Inception. But in my opinion, the best thing about Inception is Nolan finally being done with it. That said, the road to the untitled Batman 3 sequel to The Dark Knight begins now. While Nolan hasn’t revealed hardly a morsel of information about the highly anticipated third installment, we know for sure the script is near completion and the official release date is July 20th, 2012. While most of this news is a week or so old, I thought I would provide you with single, thorough update.

Ok, so we know for sure is that Nolan himself has not really been involved in many of the proceedings with Batman 3 because of his immersion in the work involving Inception. Nolan has commented on how he is a “one project at a time” type of guy, but the release date of Batman 3 being two short years away is not impractical.

Christoper Nolan has worked with Warner Brothers since his 2002 film Insomnia, and he states “They (Warner Brothers) know me well enough to know what my process is. I do one film at a time. It’s one of my real inefficiencies. As I start to free up on this film (Inception), I’ll be thinking about what to do next.”

The acclaimed director has collaborated with his younger brother Jonathan Nolan on many of his films. The two have written the scripts for The Prestige and The Dark Knight together. Jonathan also wrote the short story Memento Mori which his older brother turned into a screenplay and eventually the 2000 cult classic Memento starring Guy Pearce. Jonathan has turned in some pretty impressive written work and he is currently penning the screenplay for the third Batman.

As for Jonathan’s progress on the script, Christopher states to the NY Times, “Oh, yeah. He’s been working on a script for a long time. And working very hard. So he tells me.”

Christopher Nolan’s involvement with the script writing process can be understood better from his interview with MTV News recently where he was asked if he is thinking about Batman 3 already.

“Yes and no I suppose would be the answer,” he said. “We know we’re aiming for 2012 [as a release date]. That’s been talked about. We’re just working on the script, really. My brother [Jonah Nolan] has been hard at work on it for quite some time. It’s based on a story that myself and David Goyer have written.” “I’ve been very completely in this movie,” he said about his work on “Inception,” which arrives in theaters on July 16. “In a couple of weeks, I’ll surface and figure out what I’m doing next and how I’m going to approach it.”

This past week Dallas held its annual Dallas International Film Festival. Three-time Oscar-nominated cinematographer Wally Pfister was presented with the prestigious Star Award for his contribution to movies. Pfister has become Christopher Nolan’s go-to Director of Photography, working on all of Nolan’s films. Cinematical caught up with Pfister for an interview after a screening of Memento, where Pfister also gave the lucky attendees a sneak-peek at Inception; the same three-minute footage that was shown at ShoWest in Las Vegas last month.

Nolan has been openly skeptical on the current 3-D craze, as he thinks that using 65-70mm film to be the most immersive and high-quality way to make movies. As most of you know, several key sequences in The Dark Knight was shot using 70mm film via IMAX cameras. Remember that breathtaking opening shot where the camera zooms in on the downtown skyscraper before the bank robbery sequence? It was jaw-dropping.

Nolan and Pfister could only use IMAX cameras on certain scenes that had no dialog as they are notoriously loud, heavy and expensive. The Dark Knight experiment with the technology has long-been rumored to have been a test for the eventual use of IMAX cameras to film Batman 3 entirely in the format.  Here’s what Pfister had to say about that:

“What Chris and I have talked about is doing something cool and something interesting,” Pfister said. “[Director] Brad Bird was [saying] ‘you’ve got to shoot the whole thing in IMAX!’ I was like, yeah, I’ve talked to Chris about that.”

As for 3-D, Pfister and Nolan are on the same page. The cinematographer said that he had used a 3-D camera on The Dark Knight for one shot, just to try it out, but it seems that it’s not quite his style:

“I did it for one shot of The Dark Knight because he said, you have to say you did it, and literally I had this strapped to my shoulder and I was carrying it. But I think Chris is game for doing something interesting like that, Lord knows that the 3-D fad might pass by the time that summer comes around.”

With the shooting in 3-D/post-conversion controversy, and the President of Warner Bros. saying that all future DC Comics adaptations will be in 3-D, Nolan and Pfister are standing strong and staying true to the way they want to make Batman 3:

“But I know one thing about the film that Chris is adamant about is that he wants to shoot on film,” Pfister said. “He doesn’t want to shoot on video, and I’m the same way.”

So, like I exclaimed in the title of this post, THANK GOD! Even if it’s their new business model, why would Warner Bros. want to tamper with something that’s perfect the way it is? Batman 3 is going to destroy the box-office, even if it was shot with Ashton Kutcher’s Coolpix camera. Nolan has the power and clout to say “NO!” to the WB execs who desperately want Batman 3 to be in 3-D. I think it’s quite easy to guess that if they had to choose between Nolan and 3-D, they’d choose Nolan in a heartbeat.

What Do You Think? Discuss.

“And here, we…go!” It’s official. It’s true. And man is it a great day to bee a comic-book movie fan. About a month ago we posted news that not only was Warner Bros. getting their crap together for a much needed Superman reboot, but that Batman savior Christopher Nolan was going to have an integral part in its development. At that time, it was not confirmed, it was just industry chatter. It is now a fact. And we know this, because the man of the hour has said so himself.

Geoff Boucher of the L.A. Times’ Hero Complex blog visited Mr. Nolan and his producing partner/wife Emma Thomas at his super secret editing suite attached to his Hollywood home, where he’s currently putting the finishing touches on Inception, opening worldwide July 16. While there, he was finally able to get Nolan to talk about those spiraling internet rumors regarding the “Will he/won’t he?” speculation of his involvement in a Superman reboot and the inevitable sequel to The Dark Knight; currently referred to by us movie bloggers as Batman 3.

The Man of Steel Begins…Again

Speaking the first time about Superman, Nolan shares where he’s at with making Supes fly:

It’s very exciting; we have a fantastic story. And we feel we can do it right. We know the milieu, if you will, we know the genre and how to get it done right.

This quote isn’t going to make Marvel execs jump out their windows due to panic and fear (maybe it will), but the fact that he is actually stating that they have an idea and is reiterating his team’s confidence in their comic-book adaptation abilities, is indeed very exciting.

Nolan then went on to elaborate on the conception of Team Nolan’s idea for this epic project in the DC movie universe. The idea came from Nolan’s friend and collaborative partner David S. Goyer (co-writer of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, creator of ABC’s Flash Forward). As they were brainstorming ideas for Batman 3, Goyer paused for a minute and asked Nolan his thoughts on an idea he had for Superman:

He basically told me, ‘I have this thought about how you would approach Superman. I immediately got it, loved it and thought: That is a way of approaching the story I’ve never seen before that makes it incredibly exciting. I wanted to get Emma and I involved in shepherding the project right away and getting it to the studio and getting it going in an exciting way.

So as of now, Goyer is currently in the beginning stages of writing the script for Superman, which will be based on the story he and Nolan come up with together. Nolan will also undoubtedly be consulted constantly as Goyer’s screenplay develops.

Another huge thing that Nolan revealed regarding his visions for the respective DC movies is that they will be completely separate; they being Superman and Batman. Nolan’s entire ambitious and unique vision for his take on Batman was to ground him in complete reality, where movie-goers could actually imagine a rich billionaire using his money to buy gadgets and fight crime. This approach, unfortunately for many, should spell a “No go” for the much talked about possibility of a Batman/Superman cross-over film:

Each serves to the internal logic of the story. They have nothing to do with each other.

Now, as I’ve made the respective rounds around the blogosphere today, a lot of fanboys and comic-book fans are spitting mad with such anecdotes as, “how can he say Superman and Batman have nothing to do with each other? There’s Justice League, and Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent often interact within the comic realm.” Well, I think it’s quite easy to infer from Nolan’s statement that he simply means, in his film adaptations of each character, they will have nothing to do with each other, as that is the superhero universe that has already been constructed with Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. So for now, it seems like a Justice League movie would be out of the question. FOR NOW.

The End of Nolan’s Batman Saga

As much as Warner Bros. wants to get a Superman reboot up and running, their first priority is getting going on Batman 3. I mean, all Nolan did was give WB over $1.3 billion, 10 Oscar nominations and and eternity of credibility. And I also think it’s safe to say that fans are willing to sacrifice their children for another Nolan Batman film, not sure the same can be said for a Superman reboot. With that said, Nolan confirmed that his brother Jonah Nolan (co-writer of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight) is currently hard at work on the script for Batman 3. He also spoke a little on where he is with the project and where envisions (kind of) the rewards of being able to end the Batman tale he started over six years ago:

Without getting into specifics, the key thing that makes the third film a great possibility for us is that we want to finish our story. And in viewing it as the finishing of a story rather than infinitely blowing up the balloon and expanding the story. We have a great ensemble, that’s one of the attractions of doing another film, since we’ve been having a great time for years.

I’m very excited about the end of the film, the conclusion, and what we’ve done with the characters. My brother has come up with some pretty exciting stuff. Unlike the comics, these things don’t go on forever in film and viewing it as a story with an end is useful. Viewing it as an ending, that sets you very much on the right track about the appropriate conclusion and the essence of what tale we’re telling. And it harkens back to that priority of trying to find the reality in these fantastic stories. That’s what we do.

Geoff did try and probe Nolan on possible Batman 3 villains, to which Nolan of course did not even dare go into. He did say flat out that Mr. Freeze is “out of the question. ” Thank god! “Chiiiilllllll!!! Chiilllll!!!”

So there you have it Movie Mashers. Batman 3 IS being written as you read and Christopher Nolan is FOR SURE going to be involved, although he did not confirm that he is going to direct it. However, that means absolutely nothing as Nolan has proven to be a filmmaker who shows great respect for the films he makes and never publicly commits to DIRECT a future project until the one he’s currently working on is blowing the minds of audiences in theaters. Inception doesn’t come out for another four months. Look for an official confirmation from his own words around that time.

What Do You Think? Discuss.

It seems as though Christopher Nolan is the new CEO, Chairman and creative controller of Warner Bros. He re-defined the superhero genre with his dark, gritty, character-driven reboot on the Batman franchise. Nolan’s Batman films have grossed nearly $1.5 billion worldwide, garnered universal critical acclaim and 10 Oscar nominations. He gave WB first dibs to buy his original script for Inception, which they gobbled up before any other studio could even look at it. Now, with time running out on WB’s copyright claim to the Superman property, which expires in 2013, they’re pulling out all the stops to make sure this newest incarnation of the Man of Steel proceeds in the right direction; by having Nolan “mentor the development” of the project.

Nikki Finke at Deadline.com has the scoop of Nolan’s new role as “Godfather” of the Superman reboot. Nolan is NOT directing or writing the Superman project (at least not yet anyway). The last we saw of the Man of Steel on the big screen was in 2006 with Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns, starring Brandon Routh. No mention of who will be directing, writing or starring in this reboot, but you can bet that Nolan will have an integral part in deciding who does what.

WB’s first priority with Nolan is, of course, getting him to return to the Batman franchise with a follow-up to The Dark Knight. Just yesterday it was “announced” that Batman Begins/The Dark Knight writers David Goyer and Nolan’s brother Jonah Nolan, are in the beginning stages of writing the script for Batman 3. In Ms. Finke’s Deadline report today, she claims the following: “he’s (Chris) also hatched an idea for Warner Bros’ third Batman installment.” He’s “hatched” an idea? Not quite sure what exactly that entails, but Ms. Finke is a usually reliable Hollywood source, so we should be able to nerdgasm at that very vague sentence.

Since the first Superman film franchise that ran from 1978-1987 starring Christopher Reeve, there have been many attempts by now high-profile filmmakers to make their mark on a rebooted Superman franchise. Tim Burton tried to make one with Nicolas Cage, a then-relatively unknown J.J. Abrams wrote the first script for a trilogy but wasn’t a big enough name to direct. Brett Ratner (Rush Hour trilogy) and McG (Terminator Salvation) then tried to do it with Abrams script, but both never got there. Then of course Bryan Singer got the nod in 06′ with Returns.

So now what are we to expect from Christopher Nolan’s Superman movie? The mythology and themes surrounding the Man of Steel in the comic-books is very different to that of Batman. Nolan was very successful in his psychological study of Bruce Wayne, and the grounding of the villains and the Batman universe in reality. But that’s not going to work for Superman. Superman has limitless superpowers and is invincible, minus his vulnerability to krypoinite. That fantastical, supernatural approach is something Nolan has not attempted yet (although I expect Inception to disprove that). Whatever happens, the fact that Christopher Nolan has been brought on this project in any capacity, is a damn good thing.

What Do You Think? Discuss.

So after yesterday’s post of the “reported” upcoming Warner Bros. announcement this January regarding Batman 3 and Christopher Nolan’s involvement, I thought it would be perfect timing to see who you guys think WB suits should try to woo if Nolan does indeed decide to pass on returning.

Analysis after the break.

All of these directors are currently at the top of their game and all but Aronofsky have been nominated for a Best Director Academy Award. NONE of these directors, that we know of, have been approached to takeover, but their names have been making the internet rounds as speculation fodder for months. The main thing that Warner Bros. suits will have to think about considerably, is choosing a director that would best be able to continue Nolan’s vision of a Batman universe grounded in reality.

Michael Mann would be a fine choice. He’s provided us with some of the best crime thrillers of the past 20 years with Heat, Collateral and Public Enemies. However, I think that Mann’s style and technique is TOO realistic, due to his signature use of digital cameras. Mann has been criticized for this because of the nauseating camera movement that some movie goers can find irritating.

Aronofsky was actually the leading candidate to revive the Batman franchise before Nolan was signed for Batman Begins in 2004, even having a script written, but WB wisely passed and went with the Memento director. Aronofsky’s style is dark and gritty, but I don’t think he would be able to handle a $200 million budget, as all of his films thus far can be categorized as “arthouse” and have had max budgets of around $5 million.

Danny Boyle is one of the best directors on the planet right now. He won an Oscar for Slumdog Millionaire last year and his resume is versatile and utterly impressive. However, his work on The Beach (with Leo), 28 Days Later and Slumdog created worlds that are bright, colorful and illuminating, a directing trait that would not compliment Nolan’s signature usage of dark tones.

So who should direct Batman 3 if Christopher Nolan doesn’t return? I say David Fincher! If there’s anyone who has a similar dark, gritty and meticulous style of directing to Nolan’s, it’s David Fincher. Think of Seven, The Game or Zodiac. Fincher already has created a thrilling serial-killer crime epic involving a killer who uses puzzles. The Riddler anyone? I honestly don’t know if Fincher would want to come in as the clean-up hitter for a superhero franchise, but if Warner Bros. were to, say, offer him a $50 million pay-check, I think Fincher would have to seriously consider it.

What Do You Think? Discuss.