Batman 3 Gets an Official Title & No Riddler!

In an interview with the LA Times, Christopher Nolan finally gave us some information regarding his final Batman film. First off, the official title of the film  will be The Dark Knight Rises. While it’s not the most original title, I think it gives a general idea of the direction of the film. Last we saw the Bat, he was on the run, having taken the blame for the death of Harvey Dent. Will we be seeing the Batman become the hero of Gotham?

Next up, Nolan may not be talking about who the main villain will be, but he has confirmed who it isn’t. It looks like the much speculated Edward Nigma won’t be featured in the film. Many people felt it was the most logical choice for the next baddie, being that he is among the more grounded characters from the rogue gallery of Batman. Nolan has also said that Mr. Freeze won’t make the cut either.

That’s when he did agree, however, to eliminate a villain candidate, namely Edward Nigma, the green-suited Riddler, who many people (myself included) assumed was the next natural choice.Earlier, I got Nolan to take Mr. Freeze off the list and, yes, this is like pulling teeth but don’t think for a minute that I mind.

So who does this leave for the main bad guy for The Dark Knight Rises? If you stick with the more “grounded” characters, like Nolan has been doing, there are a couple characters who come to mind.

With the recent news that Nolan is looking to cast a new female lead for the film, it makes you wonder about Catwoman. Selena Kyle could not only fill the role of villain, but also the role of love interest now that Rachel Dawes has gone the way of the buffalo. Problem with this idea is that the Catwoman character is steeped mysticism, but that could easily be worked around.

Next up, you have another popular choice in Black Mask. In the previous two films, the villains have been based around the gangs and mafia-type groups. Black Mask could easily fit into that role. He’s not the most well known character to the general public, but Scarecrow and R’as Al Ghul weren’t either.

Finally, you have a more modern villain in the character of Hush. Again, another popular choice. Problem here is that you have a lot more story to set up, assuming they decide to go that route. As with any comic book movie, directors and writers are not afraid to manipulate a characters back story to make things work.

There is always the possibility that they could come up with a completely original villain for the film as well, which was also discussed in the LA Times article. But that is highly unlikely. There are also many other villains that could make an appearance: Bane, Talia Al Ghul, Hugo Strange, The Ventriliquist & Scarface or even Killer Croc.

A script is currently being worked on for the film, which is scheduled to release in the very busy summer of 2012. Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman are all set to reprise their respective roles.