After working in the format on THE DARK KNIGHT, Chris Nolan is apparently looking to shoot the third, and presumably final, chapter in his Batman saga, entirely in IMAX.  At least that’s what his DP likes to think.

And now the technology may actually be there as well.

Back in the summer, Nolan’s regular DP Wally Pfister spoke out in support of the IMAX format, saying that “I can’t say until I read the script, but it would certainly be my preferred, amazing goal to shoot the whole movie in IMAX.”

Now, while that may have been simple wishful thinking of an enamored cinematographer, Collider is now reporting that the tech, which has always been the problem with shooting in the clunky, expensive format, may be there now.  Apparently a smaller, lighter IMAX camera is currently being developed, which would allow the filmmaker to use it more consistently and more economically.

“I’m hearing that Nolan will try and shoot The Dark Knight Rises totally in IMAX.  I’ve heard that IMAX has been quietly developing a smaller, less intrusive camera that will be able to handle dialogue scenes.  If the camera is finished in time, expect Nolan to use it.”

That’s a big “if” though.  I don’t know how far along the tech has been developed, but one would imagine that if it’s being used for the smaller scenes, a prototype should be sufficient.  This is a really compelling development that if true, could prove to be massive for this film.  The studio won’t be hesitant to give over a bit of cash to Nolan to shoot the film in IMAX either, because given the fact that the last film is one of the highest grossing films of our time, the third film shouldn’t be much different.

That said, it still is a big “if” so expect more on this as it comes.