Right off the bat (no pun intended), let me just say that I’m a bit disappointed by these sudden turn of events. In an interview with HeroComplex, Batman Director Christopher Nolan revealed that the third movie in the Batman trilogy will be titled “The Dark Knight Rises” and also dropped the bombshell that the Riddler will NOT be the villain.  

         Personally, in my opinion they could have come up with a more creative title. The title implies that the movie will be picking up directly after the events of the Dark Knight. It might be an extension of the same story. Does that mean the Joker might do a cameo? Nolan said he wont be doing the Joker again but what if he's able to gather extra footage of Heath Ledger as the Joker and use that for a cameo? Guessing aside, the title just sounds lackluster to me. Dawn of the Bat or something would’ve been better. I’m pretty disappointed with the Dark Knight Rises title. Maybe they change it. Maybe The Dark Knight made SO much money. Warner Brothers pushed for this particular title so viewers can associate it with the mega super blockbuster. Brand familiarity right?   

      All in all, it doesn’t make that big a difference to me. I’m still going to see it. What really matters to me is the fact that the Riddler will not being the main villain. This is disappoints me greatly. I figured the Riddler would be PERFECT for director Christopher Nolan. The Nolan movies are all about mysteries and sudden twists and turns. About pulling the imagination and observational abilities of the viewer to the limits. I’ve wanted to see Nolans take on the Riddler since Batman Begins. I understand that the Joker was a no brainer for part 2, but other than the Joker, who else would be better for Nolan? If Nolan never gets to do a movie with the Riddler as the main villain, it would be a huge lost opportunity! Anyone wondering what it would have been like to have the Riddler written by Nolan just needs to see Inception, or the Prestige. If I were Warner Brothers I would have told Nolan that he should tackle this character primarily.

        The only good news I could take from this interview is that he has also revealed that the Batman movie will not be shot in 3D! Thank god for that! It will be presented in Imax format instead. I have to say that I’m a little deflated about the potentials for this third incarnation. Who knows, maybe the Riddler makes a surprise appearance. We can dream can't we?