Is 'Batman 3' Already In Pre-Production?!

Call me whatever you wanna' call me but I've never been so hyped about a piece of news as I am right now. Well, maybe I was this hyped when I read about news regarding The Dark Knight prior to its release. Yeah, I guess I was. But who cares...I'm stoked again so here it is:

Numerous sources from within Chicago are stating that pre-production for the third installment in Christopher Nolan's record-setting Batman series will start as early as .... (wait for it, wait for it).... January 2009! Wha..? How? Why? Which? Where? Honestly, I don't know but that's what all the buzz is about. A bunch of crew members have already been called for hire regarding the third installment and trustworthy sources such as BatmanOnFilm have been able to get a word or two out of these people, who claim that pre-production will commence in January with filming beginning as early as summer 2009! As much as I'd like to believe that this is true, I also don't wanna' get caught up in a wave of rumors that are going to turn out to be just that; plain ol' rumors.

My logic tells me that these are just rumors blown out of proportion. The fact is writers David Goyer and Jonathan Nolan have denied the existence of a finished screenplay. Director Christopher Nolan hasn't even spoken since The Dark Knight's release and sources claim he's on a long vacation. He hasn't even signed yet. Christian Bale hasn't signed on yet. So how would anyone start pre-production if any of these huge pieces of the puzzle haven't boarded the ship yet? Again, I don't know. But weirder things have happened so I wouldn't be surprised. Maybe they kept in under wraps on purpose? Maybe Batman 3 was planned all along? Who knows, right.

Either way, there's a very small possibility that Batman 3 will be released in 2010. A 2011 release date is more likely, despite the fact that they may begin principal photography by summer next year. We'll just have to wait and see.