With the overwhelming success of "The Avengers" this summer, it pretty much became a no-brainer that Warner Bros. would be fast-tracking a "Justice League" movie starring their own iconic superheroes, such as Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. But while Marvel has spent years carefully creating their shared universe, Warner Bros. has been going the opposite direction, with none of their superhero films having any connection to each other. So how are they going to set up "Justice League?"

Well, how about by making it a direct sequel to "The Dark Knight Rises?"

That's the big rumor going around today, as according to Hit Fix, the upcoming "Justice League" movie will — major spoiler alert for those who haven't seen "The Dark Knight Rises" yet — "absolutely" star Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Batman.

JGL, of course, was a central figure in "The Dark Knight Rises," playing a noble and heroic Gotham cop whose given name happened to be Robin and who was given the keys to the Batcave at the end of the film to carry on the legacy of the retired Batman.

Now the rumors are that Gordon-Levitt is in talks to reprise that role in "Justice League" as the new Batman. And not only that, but if this report is to be believed, he may even star in a new "Batman" movie before "Justice League" hits theaters in 2015.

Of course, it's important to remember that this is just a rumor so far; after all, Warner Bros. and "The Dark Knight Rises" director Christopher Nolan had previously announced that his version of the Batman saga was definitively over. So this would mark a significant change in direction, one that Nolan would likely need to give his blessing to before JGL would agree to anything.

Still, it would also pretty much send "The Dark Knight Rises" fans over the moon with excitement. And with rumors also swirling that Zack Snyder is making some changes to next year's "Man of Steel" to help set up "Justice League," it seems that Warner Bros. may have learned the most important lesson from Marvel: Give the fans what they want.

Here's hoping this one is true.