A couple days ago, we heard the rumor that Joseph Gordon-Levitt might play Batman in Warner Bros.' upcoming Justice League movie, and possibly see the actor don the cape and cowl even earlier.  It's a rumor that's bound to spring up considering the amount of fan-service The Dark Knight Rises provided.  However, Hollywood.com has spoken to Gordon-Levitt's reps who "refuted the rumor entirely."Of course, this is what representatives do.  They're not in it to support the truth; they're in it to support their client's best interests.  Right now, it looks like Warner Bros. is still trying to figure out what they want their Justice League movie to even look like.  Zack Snyder recently said that Man of Steel would be "on course" for JL, which implied that the studio has the option to tie the Superman reboot to the big superhero team-up movie.  It's possible that the involvement of Gordon-Levitt is another option on the table.  Hit the jump for more. [TDKR spoilers ahead]The most important thing to remember is that Warner Bros. isn't going to let the Batman franchise lie fallow.  They haven't gone longer than four years without a Batman movie since 2005, and they'll want to start setting up the next Batman movies as soon as possible.  Justice League may be the character's true launching point (with possibly a cameo in Man of Steel), but presumably Warner Bros. wants their new Batman franchise to start hitting theaters in 2016.  And that's certainly possible as we've seen The Avengers this year and we'll see Iron Man again next year in Iron Man 3.  Throw enough resources at a project, and it can get made quickly.  But at the very least, you can't waste time looking for a new Batman.Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a safe choice.  Audiences already warmed to him in The Dark Knight Rises, and the end of the movie leaves the door open for him to return.  If Christopher Nolan truly wanted to make his Dark Knight Trilogy stand-alone, he could haven't ended The Dark Knight Rises with John Robin Blake discovering the Batcave (even though the logistics make no sense; it's tough for Batman to sneak out when there's an orphanage fully of chatty kids on top of the grounds).  Personally, I'd be glad to see Warner Bros. take the chance of reinventing Batman without Bruce Wayne, but as I said before, it's simply one option the studio is likely considering.