Looks like 2012 is going to be a cinematic year to remember. Not only are MGM’s The Hobbit and Marvel Studios’ The Avengers set to hit theaters, but now another big franchise has entered the fray: Batman.
Today, after nearly two years of speculation and rumors, Warner Bros. Studios announced that it would be releasing the third third film in the revamped Batman series, July of 2012.
Only five years ago, we saw the release of Batman Begins, director Christopher Nolan’s grittier, more realistic take on the DC Comics superhero, which was soon followed by The Dark Knight, the behemoth of a superhero flick that took over IMAX theaters with an opening scene shot specifically for the format. While Nolan recently took a break to work on the upcoming film Inception, which features Batman Begins star Cillian Murphy, he’s expected back on the series along with his brother Jonathan who shared screenwriting credits on The Dark Knight.
Of course, just what Batman 3 will be about and who from amongst the cavalry of Batman supervillians will be facing off against the Caped Crusader remains to be seen. But we’re pretty sure the next year will pack plenty of more rumors and whispers of things to come.
Appropriately enough, news of Batman 3 came to us on the same day that Marvel released its first official pic of Thor (as portrayed by Chris Hemsworth) for the upcoming feature of the same name. Thor, along with current box-office favorite Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), and Captain America (Chris Evans who will soon have his own film) will headline The Avengers when the film also sees release in 2012.
As for The Hobbit, which would span two movies, the producer-director team of Guillermo del Toro and Peter Jackson, have to yet to receive the greenlight to go forward with production, likely as a result of the financial woes plaguing MGM over the last year.
