BATMAN 3 Into Theaters On July 20, 2012

On Friday, news of a release date for BATMAN 3 came from Box Office Mojo:

In one of the most anticipated announcements in recent memory, Warner Bros. officially set a date for the follow-up to The Dark Knight. Tentatively known as BATMAN 3, the movie will debut July 20, 2012 in conventional and IMAX theaters, almost exactly four years after THE DARK KNIGHT opened to record-breaking numbers.

At this time, there are no details available regarding the plot or the cast, though it is assumed that Christian Bale at least will be reprising his role as Bruce Wayne/Batman. Warner Bros. was also unable to confirm whether or not BATMAN BEGINS and DARK KNIGHT writer-director Christopher Nolan would be taking on those responsibilities again for part three.

The SPIDER-MAN reboot, set to debut on July 3, 2012, is the only other release currently scheduled for July 2012. Other high-profile movies scheduled for Summer 2012 are THE AVENGERS (May 4), MADAGASCAR 3 (May 18), BATTLESHIP (May 25), Disney/Pixar’s BRAVE (June 15) and the Untitled STAR TREK Sequel (June 29).

Not only is Nolan prepping BATMAN 3, but as Nikki Finke and Mike Fleming over at Deadline.com reported back in early February, he’s also being brought on board to save the SUPERMAN franchise.

…the brains behind rebooted Batman has been asked to play a “godfather” role and ensure The Man Of Steel gets off the ground after a 3 1/2-year hiatus… Let us emphasize that Superman 3.0 is in the early stages of development. And we doubt Nolan would direct. This wouldn’t be a sequel to Superman Returns but a completely fresh franchise.

Amen! What Bryan Singer did with SUPERMAN RETURNS was an utter travesty. Being the saviour of Warner Bros. two biggest franchises, Christopher Nolan looks to be one busy filmmaker over the next few years.

Nolan’s next project, the sci-fi action film, INCEPTION, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, will be in theaters on July 16, 2010.