Nolan starts work on 'Batman 3' script

Christopher Nolan has revealed that work has begun on a script for the third Batman film.

Nolan told MTV News at a press event for his new thriller Inception that he was finally starting to put together the much-anticipated sequel to 2008's The Dark Knight.

"We know we're aiming for 2012 [as a release date]. That's been talked about," he said.

"We're just working on the script, really. My brother [Jonathan Nolan] has been hard at work on it for quite some time. It's based on a story that myself and David Goyer have written."

Little else is known about the third instalment of Nolan's superhero franchise, with only the release date and the absence of the Joker confirmed thus far.

Speculation has suggested that Joseph Gordon-Levitt will star as the Riddler, while a Los Angeles Times journalist leaked the supposed filming dates of the new film earlier this month.