What's really going on over at Warner Bros. regarding their superhero properties? Is Justice League still moving forward? Has Christopher Nolan already signed on to direct a third Batman film? Will they attempt a move similar to what Marvel is doing and plot out solid solo flicks before combining worlds? Well, Variety recently spoke with Warners Chief Alan Horn, production prexy Jeff Robinov and Gregory Noveck, senior VP of creative affairs for DC Comics, and they brought back a few answers regarding all this fun stuff.

Firstly, a deal is officially on the table for Chris Nolan to (we assume) co-write and direct a third Batman film, however he hasn't made a decision yet. Horn said, "We have no idea where Chris is going with this. We haven't had any conversations with him about it." Hopefully an announcement on that front will arrive soon. With Justice League, Warners does eventually want to make it, but it definitely seems the early bad buzz from within the fanboy community is what put the breaks on this one.

Originally, it looked as if Warners was going to use JLA to launch solo efforts for a bunch of DC properties. Now, however, we're hearing a different tune. Horn notes they want to turn "the properties into viable movie product in an intelligent way so that we introduce them like planes on a runway. They have to be set up the right way and lined up the right way and all take off one at a time and fly safe and fly straight." So then what does this mean for the future of Justice League ... ?

Part of the allure of Batman Begins was seeing a Batman I'd picked out a few years before (when my friend and I tried to figure out who the perfect people were to play all the iconic superhero roles). Now this latest influx of rumor-laden Batman 3 gossip is taking me back there. First, we had Angelina Jolie as Catwoman.

Now, Aceshowbiz reports that new "rumors" are tapping Johnny Depp and Philip Seymour Hoffman to grab villainous roles in Batman 3 (something tells me "rumors" means someone scoured the comment section on Cinematical during our Who Should Batman Fight Next post). I'm sure you need no help figuring out who would play who. For some reason, neither of these men ever occured to me, but they could do wonders with the roles -- especially Depp. If you were going to take the RIddler, and make it dark Christopher Nolan-style, is there anyone who could even come close to Depp's suitability? The Riddler came after Tim Burton's days with Batman, but it could also give us an idea of how Joel Schumacher's film would've been different with a darker touch. And PSH as the Penguin? So good.

But what do you think? Do you have any better ideas?

It has begun.

Not even two full weeks after The Dark Knight arrived in theaters, we officially have our first Batman 3 rumor! (Speaking of, we have to decide what to call Nolan's next Batman movie. Dark Knight 2? Batman 3? NolanMan 3? Lets get on that ...) But anyway, the rumor actually comes from another Catwoman: Julie Newmar. Speaking to the New York Daily News, Newmar says, "Angelina would own the part. My industry friends tell me [she] has made inquiries about the role." She went on to add, "I can understand how it would pique her interest. Catwoman is Batman's one true love. She's tremendously popular with women because she's both a heroine and a villainess. When you look at the staggering box office of this current film, which actress wouldn't want to jump in?"

So is Jolie really looking to play Catwoman in a third (and possible final) Batman film from Christopher Nolan? No doubt Bale and Jolie would look good together on screen, and the woman definitely knows how to hold her own when it comes to action. What do you think? Do you Bat-fans want Brad Pitt's gal in Gotham City?

Now that The Dark Knight has shattered box office records, it's only fair to start discussing the inevitable third installment. Of course, we hope Christopher Nolan, Christian Bale and their team will return for a third film, but we know that's not guaranteed. However, there's no way Warner Bros. is going to ditch Batman while he's on top, and so we should assume serious talk of another sequel will take place within the next month or so. In the meantime, that leaves us to talk and talk and talk and talk. Today, let's talk Batty's next enemy.

I'm going to leave the poll off today's post because there are just so many Batman villains through the years that it's impossible to narrow it down to four or five for a poll. I'd much rather give you my two cents and then open up the discussion in the comments section below. That being said, I don't think I'd like to see someone like Penguin or Catwoman (both are kinda boring in my opinion) -- buuuuuut, I wouldn't mind Riddler showing up to drive Gotham wild with all sorts of ridiculous riddles (and imagine that viral scene). But maybe he's too close to Joker, so perhaps we could go with Deadshot, Black Mask (who actually makes sense in the Nolan-verse) or The Mad Hatter.

How about you? Which villain would you like to see show up in the next Batman film?

Ever since Marvel announced release dates for a slew of new comic book-related films yesterday, the internets have come alive with scoopers. We were a bit burned on the last rumor Cinema Blend reported, so take all three of these with a huge grain of salt.

Captain America: According to CB, Matthew McConaughey is the first name to hit the possible cast list. The film, now titled The First Avenger: Captain America, has been given a release date of May 6, 2011, and so I wouldn't expect a name to sign on for awhile. That's not to say there isn't a wish list floating around -- and, if one did exist, I imagine McConaughey's name would be on it, along with several others. I'm sure fans already hate the idea of seeing Mr. Rom Com himself show up as their beloved Captain America, but I actually think it's a good choice -- an interesting choice -- and one I'd definitely support. With the right script, he'd bring the looks, the muscle and the charisma. (Actually, I could kinda see him playing Thor, too.)

Iron Man 2: Yes, work will begin on this monster right away as a release date of April 30, 2010 is already in place, giving Jon Favreau and his team two years to get what will soon become the world's most highly-anticipated sequel in the can. But what will it be about? Well, CB claims that one of the plot lines being considered involves Sam Jackson returning as Nick Fury in order to team up with Stark to go after a terrorist called The Mandarin (featured prominently in the comic books as one of Iron Man's greatest villains). They also claim Marvel may throw a Thor cameo into the sequel to further tie The Avengers thing together, and also because Thor will debut his own film a couple of months later on July 4, 2010.

And the Bats???