San Diego Comic Con: Gary Oldman lets slip about the next Batman film

At This year's San Diego Comic Con, Gary Oldman let slip at a panel that the next Batman film is to go into production next year, with an intended summer 2011 release date!

This was hastily backtracked on when he was later asked to comment further on the project. Gary said that he was hoping they would be "doing another one in the next 2 or 3 years" after apparently being chastised by Warner Brothers officials.

Whatever the real story is, there is definitely movement on the next installment in the new Batman franchise, so let the chaos commence! More news as we have it!

BATMAN NEWS: THE DARK KNIGHT UPDATE!

Hey there, while there may be no new Batman film to look forward to this year, there's still plenty going on in the Batman universe. Here are the latest updates:

THE DARK KNIGHT TO RETURN IN 2011?
An executive at Warner Bros has stated that we could be seeing the next Batman film in cinemas as early as 2011. Despite the fact that the film isn't even written yet, WB are eager to get it out there. This is odd, considering Warner's recent decision to shelve all of their superhero film projects. 2012 would be better for a new Batman film, as then it won't have the slew of Marvel films that are due out in 2011 to contend with.

WHO WILL BE BATMAN?
The battle is on to decide who will tyake on the mantle of the bat in the DC comics, following the shocking events of the BATMAN R.I.P. storyline. The rumours are persisting that Bruce Wayne will return to the role of the Caped Crusader, but for now the various former companions are at each other's throats to take over.

THE DARK KNIGHT NOMINATED AT THE OSCARS
Heath Ledger has been nominated for a posthumous Best Supporting Actor oscar for his portrayal of The Joker in The Dark Knight. The film has also been nominated for Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best makeup, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing and Best Visual Effects.

More news soon!

THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS

Seriously, I couldn't have any other subject line could I? The Crusader Chronicles are back with a reminder that The Dark Knight (aka the biggest comic book movie of all time) will be returning to cinemas and IMAX screens in January 2009 for another run. How awesome is that?

Things have been quiet on the rumour front for the next Batman film lately. Either WB are keeping everyone schtum or they aren't working on it much yet. Frankly I'd go for the latter.

In Batman comics news, the Batman R.I.P. storyline hjas left fans divided but still managed to raise the sales across the related DC lines. What next? We shall keep 'em peeled to bring you the latest.

TWO FACE NO MORE!

In a recent interview, Aaron Eckhart went on record saying that he would not be returning as Two-Face in the next Batman film, nor would the character be returning at all in this version of the franchise. Aaron, promoting his new flick, told reporters he asked Christopher Nolan if his character was actually dead (as opposed to ‘Comic Book dead’), and Nolan’s answer was ‘You’re dead as a doornail’. According to the actor, the plan was originally for Heath Ledger to continue as the Joker in the next film, but sadly fate got in the way.

There is still no truth to the rumours of Johnny Depp or Angelina Jolie being in the next film, either.

BATMAN NEWS AND RUMOURS

THE DARK KNIGHT- BIGGEST FILM EVER?
With takings now well in excess of 900 million dollars, it is looking increasingly likely that The Dark Knight is set to become the most successful film of all time. Even huge Bat Fans like myself were a bit surprised to hear that its worldwide box-office takings had surpassed Star Wars, but now we’re even more surprised (and delighted) that it looks set to topple even Titanic in the box office stakes. Seriously, all hyperbole aside, this is pretty impressive, not to mention unexpected.
Plus, it’ll help wipe that smug grin off the faces of Titanic fans who still hum that bloody Celine Dion tune before they go to sleep. Gits.

DEPP THINKS RIDDLER ROLE WOULD BE ‘A FUN GIG’
When questioned recently about the rumour of him taking the part of the Riddler in the next Batman film, Johnny Depp stated that he’d heard about the rumour and that it would be ‘a fun gig’ for him. Look, it would indeed be cool (if more than a little predictable) to have Depp as the Riddler, but it is FAR TOO SOON to make any assumptions about the next film. We don’t even know if Christopher Nolan will still be on board.

I just hope that Angelina Jolie doesn’t get her wish of playing Catwoman in it… *shudder*

WELCOME TO THE CHRONICLES

Welcome to the Crusader Chronicles unofficial Batman blog! here we'll bring you original content on the universe of the Dark Knight! We'll be covering the movies, the merchandise and the mythos of the caped crusader and his many enemies. Pull up a Batmobile.