So Batman 3 is definitely full steam ahead. Today, in an interview with the LA Times’ Hero Complex Blog, Chris Nolan talked a little bit about the final installment in his Batman trilogy.

Although we had known for some time that Nolan would return to direct for the sequel to The Dark Knight, we now have confirmation that the film is moving forward. So, what do we know so far?

• The title is “The Dark Knight Rises.”
• July 20th, 2012 is the tentative release date.
• Christopher Nolan will direct a script written by his brother, Jonathan, based on a story by Chris and David S. Goyer.
• The villain is not The Riddler. And although Nolan previously pronounced Two-Face dead, that may have changed since then. Mr. Freeze is not up for consideration. One villain they haven’t ruled out is Superman, but I would be shocked if that was the case. He did hint at the possibility of the villain not being a comic-book character, which is not a bad proposal.
• Tom Hardy has been cast in a lead role, and the filmmakers are looking for a new female lead.
• Nolan said, “We’ll use many of the same characters as we have all along, and we’ll be introducing some new ones.” Ok, I respect the lack of information he releases on his upcoming film projects, but that is verging on nonsense.
• The film will be the final in Nolan’s trilogy and will bring the story to a conclusion, something rare and great to see in this era of milking a franchise until it disintegrates. I kind-of hope Bruce Wayne sacrifices himself at the end of the film.

Thoughts? Do you like the name? I’m not a huge fan, but it’s a nice twist on The Dark Knight and “The Dark Knight Returns” by Frank Miller. Villain ideas? Black Mask, Hugo Strange, a non-comic-book character possibly.

Alright, so that’s it for Batman 3, and I know it is enough to get me in the theater come summer 2012. Let’s try to forget about it for a year-and-a-half and enjoy the movie when it comes.

Today at Comic-Con saw less news, but much more high-profile announcements. Most of the action took place in Hall H, which was bogged down with some serious line management problems, but we’ve got it all summed up right here for you.

The first big presentation of the day was from Warner Bros. First, the first footage from Green Lantern was screened. Although nothing spectacular, the fans enjoyed it overall, but were disappointed with the lack of Reynolds in the suit. This only confirms the fact that the suit is a work-in-progress. Still, I am looking forward to this film and hope that it can be a simple, fun superhero origin story, which we haven’t seen a lot of recently. Also, I’m looking forward to the more fantastical elements of the hero. Producer Donald DeLine said that many other Green Lanterns are featured and that the movie is part space opera, which is a good sign that they’re not ignoring that area of the Green Lantern mythos. And although the Green Lantern announcements are cool, DC has really not stepped up their game to challenge Marvel’s cinematic dominance. Geoff Johns is now in charge of their creative decisions moving forward, which is a great move, but the company has not centralized their film properties as Marvel has to such enormous success. Also, there was no word on Batman, which was a huge missed opportunity. Still, I’m hoping that after Green Lantern DC gets their act together and makes something great, maybe a Justice League movie? (Although I’m torn on whether or not Chris Nolan’s Batman should be a part of anything like that.) After a short Harry Potter trailer and panel, Zack Snyder came onstage for Sucker Punch. This new movie is based on his idea and stars an ensemble cast of women who are breaking out of a mental institution and includes Carla Gugino, Jamie Chung, Vanessa Hudgens, Jena Malone and Emily Browning. I’m not sure what to think about this movie, but the footage got a fantastic reception and it sounds truly unique. Hopefully the trailer gets released online soon so we all can see it.

Let Me In, the American remake of the Swedish vampire film Let the Right One In, has had an enormous 360 when it comes to the public’s view. After a period of resenting the fact that such a movie was being remade, it seems like every detractor has been shut up by footage from the upcoming movie. I know I wasn’t too excited for this, but now its definitely on my radar. Matt Reeves (Cloverfield), from what I can tell, is doing a fantastic job helming the movie. He talked about how Steven Spielberg gave him tips for interacting with young actors, and that is what has me most excited for this film. Both Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Road) and Chloe Grace Moretz ((500) Days of Summer, Kick-Ass) have a lot of potential to give amazing performances and I hope they both pull it off. Check out this trailer for the film:

At this point, Hall H screeched to a halt after a fight broke out. It’s still unclear what actually happened, but the prevailing rumor is that someone asked another guy to move and when he didn’t, he stabbed him in the face with a pen. That’s speculation, but the scene was pretty grisly with blood everywhere and the victim being taken out on a stretcher, all with 8 or 9 cops in the vicinity.

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost then introduced their new film, Paul. In the movie, the duo travel to Comic-Con and then embark on a road trip to Roswell, New Mexico. On the way they meet an alien named Paul, who is voiced by Seth Rogen. Paul is directed by Greg Mottola (Superbad) and the supporting cast includes Sigourney Weaver, Jason Bateman, and Jeffrey Tambor. I am really looking forward to this movie as Pegg and Frost are consistently hilarious and the story is pretty original. Paul is not your typical alien – he basically thinks of himself as an everyday Joe. Road trips are always pretty fun so having one with this trio of comedians and an alien should be awesome.

Once again Jon Favreau showed his skill at captivating the geek demographic by creating huge anticipation for Cowboys & Aliens, his new movie starring Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, and Sam Rockwell. Although the idea is great, it takes skill to blend such two very different genres, but Favreau is going for a very Western feel. After explaining that he is trying to emulate the Sergio Leone/John Ford films of the 40s and 50s, while using practical effects from the 80s as well as CGI for the aliens, he decided to just screen some early footage. Although the crew has only been shooting for three weeks, attendees were very impressed by the scene. In a surprise appearance, Harrison Ford was brought on stage in handcuffs by two security guards. It was his first appearance at the convention and the crowd went nuts. This a natural reaction, of course, to the man who played Han Solo and Indiana Jones, as well as many other awesome characters. I hope Favreau can really nail the Western feel and deliver a really fun, interesting film due out next summer, July 29th.

Now the presentation you’ve all been waiting for: Marvel. What Marvel is doing with their properties on film is incredible. By going independent and forming Marvel Studios where writers can collaborate and come up with great, interlocking stories for all of their superheroes, the company shows that it knows what its doing. Hopefully the result will be incredible, but there are a lot of moving parts, and all of them must come together perfectly. Captain America was first, as a short teaser showed Chris Evans in full costume throwing the iconic shield at the camera. After some discussion, the filmmakers actually had some footage to show which involved Hugo Weaving as Red Skull searching for an artifact that has something to do with Odin. I really like the Indiana Jones/World War II period piece vibe I’m getting for this movie. I hope Joe Johnston can create a very good atmosphere and seeing Cap killing Nazis is going to be sweet. Next up was Thor, which is much farther into production. A lot of footage was shown, and I can’t wait to see the trailer. Apparently the costumes are not nearly as cheesy as they looked in the first images we were shown. Reactions were very positive, which is a relief. Finally, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige brought on The Avengers. After years of rumors, this movie is finally actually happening. The final lineup was announced: Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man, Clark Gregg as Agent Coulson, Scarlett Johansson as Natalie Rushman/Black Widow, Chris Hemsworth as Donald Blake/Thor, Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton/Hawkeye, and Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/The Hulk (see the full cast in the photo from the event). It’s going to be insane seeing so many heroes on screen at the same time. I hope Joss Whedon can bring together all of this madness and deliver an amazing film.

Behold the cast of "The Avengers"

Well that was a very big day at Comic-Con, and while we knew most of this going in, it was still awesome to see all of these projects materializing before our eyes. Its going to hard, but we can’t fuel the hype too much. I’m looking forward to all of these films as much as anyone, but I’m not going to let the anticipation ruin my enjoyment of the movies as movies.

The as-yet-untitled Batman 3 was included in the 20-film deal announced between Warner Bros. and IMAX last week, but no other information was given. Warner Bros. has now announced that they are releasing Batman 3 on July 20, 2012.

Director Christopher Nolan does not want to film in 3D, but sources believe that the movie will come out in both IMAX and conventional theaters. Nolan is working on the storyline for his next Batman installment, co-writing with David Goyer and brother Jonathan Nolan.

Christian Bale is set to return as the titular crime-fighter. Also rumored to return for Batman 3 are Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, and Gary Oldman.

Batman Begins earned $352 million worldwide, while The Dark Night topped out around $1 billion. As the movie is set to premiere in 2012, to keep on schedule they should go into production this fall, with filming into swing by winter.

Nolan is currently in post-production of his highly anticipated sci-fi thriller Inception, starring Leonardo Di Caprio. Inception will be released in theaters on July 16, 2010.

Today, IMAX and Warner Bros. announced that they have signed a deal to release twenty films in the format over the next three years. In the statement, several release dates were revealed, as well as an update on Guillermo del Toro’s The Hobbit.

First, the deal: After having a lot of success in the past, Warner Bros. is going all-out with the IMAX format. The deal, revealed today in a press release, details the company’s plans to exhibit 20 films in IMAX theaters over the next 3 years.

The first five movies under the agreement are Legends of the Guardian: The Owls of Ga’Hoole 3D (September 24, 2010), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (3D) (November 19, 2010) and Part II (3D) (July 15, 2011), Happy Feet 2 (3D) (November 18, 2011), and The Hobbit (December 2012). In addition, the studio will release 15 other films over the course of 2011, 2012 and 2013, including Gravity, Fury Road, Batman 3, and Superman.

In addition to this being a huge success for IMAX, now we know that The Hobbit is not dead. As of right now, both Hobbit scripts have been handed in to the studio and, although not officially green-lit, the finances are being worked out right now.

This is reassuring, considering how grim the movie’s future looked as a result MGM’s financial trouble. As far as I know, there will still be two parts, but the press release only listed one. Could WB be paring the story down to make it fit into one film?

I sure hope not. I can’t wait to see del Toro’s take on Middle-Earth. Hopefully, the film(s) will make a splendid, tonally different, addition to the terrific Lord of the Rings series.

After over a decade of failed attempts at getting the popular 60s TV series to the silver screen, Heat Vision reports that Warner Bros. has hired screenwriter Max Borenstein to pen an adaptation of The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

The original series aired at the peak of the spy craze, from 1964 until 1968. It starred Robert Vaughn and Illya Kuryakin as agents of U.N.C.L.E. (United Network Command for Law Enforcement) who constantly fought T.H.R.U.S.H. (Technological Hierarchy for the Removal of Undesirables and the Subjugation of Humanity). The show was enormously popular during its time, so, of course, Hollywood inevitably wants to adapt it for a modern audience.

David Dobkin (Wedding Crashers) is already attached to direct, even though Borenstein, as far as I know, hasn’t even started the script yet. Now, I am not familiar with the show (I loved watching Get Smart reruns when I was kid.), but this doesn’t seem like a good fit. I’ve heard that “U.N.C.L.E.” has humorous elements, but do you think that Dobkin can pull it off?

In January, Splice, Vincenzo Natali’s sci-fi horror film, premiered to good reviews at the Sundance Film Festival. The movie stars Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley as scientists who take bioengineering too far. After being shut down for wanting to create an animal-human hybrid, the duo takes matters into their own hands.

Most reviews were positive, although many were quick to note that this isn’t just a simple horror flick. Dave Chen of /Film called it a “quasi-serious exploration into the implications of playing God.” Sounds like a modern-day Frankenstein to me.

At the festival, the film was picked up by Warner Bros. and an early summer release was planned. The director was required to do some edits, but he claimed they were simply cosmetic. Now, the film has a trailer, embedded below.

This looks like a very solid, thinking man’s horror film, so I wonder how it will do at the box office? I have not seen the movie, but WB seems to be confident that it can perform well, even among heavy competition during the summer.

Splice hits theaters June 4th.

The Hangover is easily the biggest surprise hit of 2009. The R-rated comedy, with a 35-million-dollar budget, was loved by audiences and, all-told, raked in almost $500 million at the box office, as well as over $150 million on home video. The film also won a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture: Musical or Comedy. After such a success, a sequel is guaranteed, right? It’s not that easy.

Although Warner Bros. had already commissioned a script for a sequel before the first was released, getting the cast to come back was not easy. After being paid roughly $300,000 each for the original, stars Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Zach Galifianakis made sure they were going to be well compensated for the next movie. Warner Bros. originally offered $3 million each, plus 1% of the gross, but the actors stood firm.

After six months of negotiations, Deadline reports that all three stars, as well as director Todd Phillips have signed on for the sequel. The actors will get around $5 million each, in addition to 4% of the gross, while the director will receive $10 million plus 10%, as well as a guarantee that he will earn at least as much as he did for the first – $50 million and still counting.

Principal photography is set to start November 1st, although it must work around both Helms’ “Office” and Cooper’s films’ schedules.

Right now, details are scarce, but, in an interview with Collider, Phillips denied rumors that the sequel would take place in Mexico or Thailand. He also said about the sequel that:

Sometimes movies do well but it’s just this huge flood of people go see them and then you know… this movie just kept going because people kept going back. That tells me that they love those characters and that tells me, not that the movie’s going to financially do better, but just that there’s love out there for these four guys. We can now put them through a whole new set of paces and people will want to see it. So for me, it’s really exciting.

Do you think The Hangover 2 can have the success of its predecessor? I’m sure many will go simply because they loved the first, but can the sequel really compare with the original? Most of The Hangover‘s success was people spreading the word, and going back to the theater with their friends. It will be successful, of course, but I don’t think that it can come to meet such a high precedent.

Today at ShoWest, Alan Horn, president and COO of Warner Brothers, announced that all tentpole releases from the studio will now be 3D.

This is a huge leap for the format. No other studio has made such a general claim, and this really shows just how big this 3D thing has gotten after Avatar.

Now, this is the same company that rushed Clash of the Titans through 3D conversion, with less-than spectacular results. Although audiences may not be able to pinpoint exactly what’s wrong, the conversion process is already leaving a bad taste is some people’s mouth.

Horn was very clear that this also means that any upcoming comic book films from the studio (including the next Batman movie and the Superman reboot) will also be 3D.

The question becomes whether or not WB will be filming in 3D or converting to it after the fact. Although the digital conversion process is not nearly as effective, the company held firm, saying that, in their opinion, the conversion process does not detract from the experience.

I’d like to hear what James Cameron has to say about all this. I’m sure he’s happy about the embracing the format he’s championed so much recently, but he openly criticized WB’s conversion of Clash of the Titans after the fact, saying, “It’s typical of Hollywood getting it wrong… We do a film that is natively authored in 3D, shot in 3D, and so they assume from the success of that they can just turn movies into 3D in 8 weeks… throw a switch and that’s gonna work somehow.”

I do not agree with the decision at all. I admit, the immersive nature of 3D enhances immersive films like Avatar, but not all movies would benefit from the format. It should be left up to the filmmaker to decide whether they want 3D or not. By announcing 3D for all their films, Warner Bros. is blatantly saying that all they don’t care about the art of filmmaking. They know people will pay for it, and it’s all about the money, isn’t it? This is disappointing, especially coming from the studio that won my admiration by steadfastly backing Chris Nolan.

In any case, this move is a groundbreaking decision, and I’m curious to see if other studios go the same route or whether they decide, film by film, which format to shoot in.

What do you think? Does this mean that 3D is no longer a fad?