"The Dark Knight Rises": Batman 3 Receives an Official Title

"The Dark Knight Rises" is the official title of the third movie in Christopher Nolan's Batman series. Previously referred to as "Batman 3" by fans of the franchise, this film will be Nolan's final time at the helm. Following the massive success of the previous inclusion in the series, anticipation for this third film is already quite strong.

Christopher Bale, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Gary Oldman will reprise their respective roles from the previous two Batman movies. "The Dark Knight Rises" has been the source of much speculation with regard to who might be the main villain(s). There are still a slew of viable options, but Nolan has already ruled out a couple of potential antagonists.

The critically-acclaimed director has previously said that he would not feel comfortable bringing The Joker back to the big screen. Heath Ledger gave a truly memorable performance as Batman's archenemy in "The Dark Knight," but his unfortunate passing would have necessitated a recasting of the character, and this is simply not going to happen.

The Riddler, a popular speculation as villain for this third Batman movie, will apparently not be featured in the upcoming film, as stated by Nolan. Additionally, Mr. Freeze, last played by Arnold Schwartzenegger in 1997's "Batman & Robin," is not in line to battle The Caped Crusader.

Nolan has mentioned that there would be a recurrence of several familiar characters, and this opens the distinct possibility of a return of Scarecrow, previously portrayed by Cillian Murphy in both "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight."

Two additional villains who could potentially return are Two-Face and Ra's Al Ghul.

When Batman held Salvatore Maroni - portrayed by Eric Roberts -- over a ledge, the criminal remarked that the fall wouldn't be far enough to kill him. At the end of the movie, Batman dropped Two-Face from a comparable height. With this in mind, it creates the possibility that the former district attorney survived and might come back in the final film. Perhaps not - and the fall was sufficient to end Harvey Dent's life - but it does open the door for allowing his appearance in "The Dark Knight Rises."

With regard to Ra's Al Ghul, the character in the comic books is virtually -- but not completely -- immortal. He has the ability to transfer consciousness to another physical body and use a "Lazarus Pit" to heal any injury sustained and return him to his prime physical age. Even in "Batman Begins," Ra's Al Ghul mentions himself as potentially being "immortal" and "supernatural."

Potential villains who have not already been included in a Christopher Nolan Batman movie - and have not been ruled out by the director - include: Catwoman, The Penguin and Talia Al Ghul (daughter of Ra's). Catwoman seems to be the most likely candidate remaining, with the removal of The Riddler from consideration. The Penguin might not fall into line with the sense of realism that Nolan has brought to the franchise, but he is the director who is most capable of making it work.

Regardless as to who ends up being the main villain, one thing is sure... "The Dark Knight Rises" will rise to the top of the box office when it opens July 20th, 2012.