Just yesterday, we brought you a report about Christopher Nolan hosting top secret auditions for the female lead in Batman 3. Actresses in their late 20s and early 30s are reportedly being brought in to meet with the director and aren’t even being told what they are meeting with Nolan about, or what role they may be auditioning for.

Now, Nolan has spoken with the LATimes and revealed the title of what has been (until now) called the Untitled Batman Project. The next film in his Bat Trilogy will be called The Dark Knight Rises.

The director also spoke about who would be in the film (kind of), and one character who would not be. Nolan said that many of the same characters would be back, and he will be introducing some new ones. Nolan did clear up that the oft-rumored appearance of The Riddler as the big black bat’s villain would not appear in the film. Having previously ruled out Mr. Freeze, that puts us back at square one for guessing which villain Tom Hardy will play in the film, and if the mysterious female casting sessions are for a femme fatale or merely a love interest for Bruce.

The secretive director also confirmed that the film will not be shot in 3D. Instead, he plans to use high-definition and IMAX cameras to “strike out on a different cinematic path.”

The Dark Knight Rises is slated to hit theaters on July 20th, 2012.