Last week, we reported on rumours that the third Batman film in the current line could be entering pre-production as early as February, around a year ahead of expectations. And while Warner Bros has been quick to deny the story, it seems there may be more to it than it first seemed.

According to the latest edition of Production Weekly, alongside information on Saw 6, Iron Man 2 and, er, I Heard You Paint Houses is some information on what’s being called Batman 3.

The listing states that Christopher Nolan is attached to direct the film, and the cast list features Gary Oldman, Christian Bale, Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine. It also notes that the film is, as was reported, set to enter pre-production in February 2009. Up until this point, Nolan’s involvement – while perhaps inevitable – had not been confirmed (and still hasn’t been, to be fair), with the line being that he’s on holiday.   

Given that Production Weekly is about as far from a muck-raking scandal sheet as you can get, then you have to suspect that there’s more than a bit of credence about all of this. Expect another Warner Bros denial in due course, though. Not sure we’ll believe it, however…