Christopher Nolan gives the final word on that whole Joker issue...

Let's just go ahead and throw this out on the table...

I'm pretty sure you already knew this but, the Joker will NOT be in the third BATMAN film.

Christopher Nolan confirms this in the latest issue of Empire magazine. He says emphatically and unhesitatingly, and I quote, “No". Then understandingly does not elaborate because, “I just don’t feel comfortable talking about it”.

There you have it. You knew it wasn't going to happen. Nolan had created a very close friendship with Ledger during filming of THE DARK KNIGHT. To him, Ledger embodied the character and therefore, in his BATMAN series, will not be replaced.

Nolan also says that he still hasn't jumped on board for the film either, "No I haven't. There is a point where you're just being precious about it and people get annoyed, but the God's honest truth is I work on one movie at a time. I'm only capable of doing that, so my head will continue to be firmly in [INCEPTION] for another few months."

ComingSoon reported some details about the next SUPERMAN film that Nolan will be overseeing, also covered in Empire mag.

Empire talked with Nolan about starting at the beginning with the two characters, "What you have to remember with both Batman and Superman is that what makes those the best superhero characters there are, the most beloved after all this time, is the essence of who those characters were when they were created and when they were first developed. And you can't ever move too far from that." He confirms that his brother, Jonathan will be writing the Supes script.

The final bit of info addresses a Batman/Superman crossover, "Marvel are doing what they do and people will respond to that really well, or they won't. It's not something I ever really applied a blanket rule to, but Marvel characters are very different to DC characters, and the key DC characters are very different to the minor DC characters. You've got to go back to that element of, 'What do I see when I close my eyes and think of Batman? What do I see when I close my eyes and think of Superman?' And for me a big part of that is their individuality. They are extraordinary beings in an ordinary world. And the reason I think the two are fascinating is because Superman is very specifically superpowered and obviously otherworldly; Batman is very human and flawed. They're two very different characters, but there's an elemental feeling of power in the iconography of those characters. To me that's originally because they stood alone. I need to hang on to that in my imagining of them."

I now leave you with the cover of that very issue of Empire Magazine.

Source: Empire , Obsessed With Film

Extra Tidbit: Christopher Nolan's take on filmmaking, "We should be doing it the hard way."