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Batman 3 rumours are escalating, with further indication The Riddler may feature, and that Joseph Gordon-Levitt is interested in the role.

FirstShowing.net got their hands on a casting grid for Batman 3, a document which lays out the roles in the movie and actors available to play them.

For Bat-fans, this is as close to confirmation that The Riddler will be appearing as you can get without hearing it from Nolan himself.

Perhaps even more exciting is the mention of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who is listed next to The Riddler as 'interested'.

JGL has been touted for the role in fan circles for some time, and thanks to his high-profile performance in Inception is now well known to the general public.

We already know that Nolan likes to work with the same trusted actors in his film projects, so it is easy to see the director offering the versatile young actor the part.

The problem with the slow leak of rumours like these is that it always leaves us wanting more... it's going to be a long wait.

We'd like to point out that this news should be considered confirmation that The Riddler is the villain in Batman 3 and less confirmation of the recent suggestions/rumors regarding Gordon-Levitt's casting as the enigmatic villain. A casting grid is used in the industry to keep production companies, agencies, etc. in the loop on a project's progress and the roles available for actors to potentially take. These documents are used for business planning in the industry and by no means would use internet speculation to list a character that may not even appear in the film. But when it comes to listing actors, this is info that can change at anytime, and just because an actor or studio is interested in one or the other, does not mean it will actually happen.

We're also cautious because the age range listed for the character is 35 to 45, and with Gordon-Levitt being 29 years old falls a little short of the mark. Of course, this wouldn't really be a reason for him to be excluded as characters can be modified in the script to accommodate a favored actor. On the lighter side though, the actor is fresh off working with Nolan on the brilliant Inception, so they've surely developed quite a working relationship as Gordon-Levitt called him "the genuine article… a real artist" and "a unique voice." For now we'll consider Gordon-Levitt's involvement a rumor, but seeing The Riddler in a studio casting grid is solid confirmation of Nolan's villain for Batman 3. Hopefully we'll get an official confirmation sooner than later.

Batman is due to begin filming next year, and is set for release July 2012.