We weren't even sure if this was worth reporting as we've known for a while now that March 2011 was the tentative filming date for Chris Nolan's Batman 3 but I guess it's nice to hear another confirmation, and this time from an actor who has no doubt been told to keep those dates free. Michael Caine told Digital Spy outside the world premiere of Inception;
I think theyre going to do it in April, thats about as much as I know.
(You can see the video of him saying as much HERE). This makes perfect sense as The Dark Knight began lensing in April 2007 for a release in July 2008, which is the same 15 month turn-a-round this movie will have as a July 20th 2012 release has been set for months. Although tight-lipped and extremely elusive on the future of the caped cruasder, Chris Nolan has dropped a few hints, clues, and notes along the way regarding Batman 3. So far we know that The Joker will NOT be making an appearance (although presumably there has to be an explanation on his whereabouts, a simple 'locked in Arkham' won't suffice), we know the villain won't be Mr. Freeze and that Cillian Murphy has said he'd reprise The Scarecrow again in a jiffy. We know that Jonathan Nolan has been working hard on the screenplay for a while, based on an idea Chris and David Goyer formulated - the fabrics of which were sewn way back during the Batman Begins outlines in 2003/4. We also know that Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman will reprise their roles from the previous two movies. Furthermore Nolan has expressed interest in capping his story-arch with a suitable ending (though hopefully with the opportunity for future movies from other directors, and not needing a reboot). With Comic Con a few weeks away, I think you can expect a title announcement and the first hints of who may play the new villains. I'm sure WB will be pushing Nolan to make such announcements to give Inception that little extra box office push during it's latter weeks of release, so watch this space.