Christopher Nolan is returning to direct the sequel
Verdict: Possible
While nothing substantial seems to be standing in the way of this, Nolan has not signed a contract. Yet. AICN reports Nolan will likely shoot The Prisoner next, and Nolan told the LA Times is not being pressured by Warner Bros. to make the Batman sequel because "they know that I really needed to go on holiday and take some time to figure what I want to do next."
In an interview with Collider, Warner Bros. president Alan Horn confirmed that they won't rush Nolan because "we have a wonderful relationship with him and we are going to be respectful of his timing and we want to get it right."
All signs point to Nolan returning, but until that becomes official, there's nothing to substantiate that he will direct the sequel.
Eddie Murphy cast as The Riddler, Shia LaBeouf as Robin
Verdict: Rumor
The fact that this surfaced from notorious British tabloid The Sun should have been warning enough, but reports of the casting spread like wildfire over the Internet. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately for the Meet Dave crowd, this is unsubstantiated. What's next, Arnold Schwarzenegger as Mr. Freeze? Wait a minute...
Rachel Weisz cast as Catwoman
Verdict: Rumor
Probably because so many online journalists hoped it was true, this rumor seemed almost probable. Again, with Nolan not even signed on for a sequel, this has to be filed under "hopeful speculation."
There's a great script
Verdict: Rumor
There's not even a story treatment, and Warner Bros. is going to give Nolan all the time he needs to put one together. Says Horn: "We've been talking to Chris and what we have to do is get him in the right place and have him tell us what he thinks the notion might be for a great story." Months ago, Nolan confirmed his desire to create a good story "that's going to keep me emotionally invested for the couple of years" before he commits to direct the sequel.
Warner Bros. is developing a Commissioner Gordon spin-off starring Gary Oldman
Verdict: True (in our minds)
As enticing as it would be to watch Oldman and Gotham's most famous mustache battle the criminals on the streets of Gotham, we completely made that up. It felt good, too.
While the public -- not to mention Warner Bros. -- want a sequel to happen sooner than later, we'll have to wait for Nolan to make up his mind. Until there's a story and script written or a definitive agreement on Nolan returning, unfortunately there are nothing but rumors to report.
Go ahead and start your own "Batman 3" rumor below: