Authorities in Chicago said the brother of "The Dark Knight" director Christopher Nolan was allegedly planning a jail escape worthy of Batman.

Officials at the high-rise Metropolitan Correctional Center in downtown Chicago said they discovered 31 feet of rope made from bedsheets, a harness, a razor and a metal clip that could unlock handcuffs in the cell of Matthew Nolan, 41, who was arrested in February on Costa Rican murder charges, the Chicago Tribune reported Friday.

Nolan was charged with creating items "designed and intended to be used to facilitate an escape."

"It is clear from the items seized ... that Nolan had devoted a significant amount of time during his first two weeks at the MCC preparing for an escape," prosecutors said in a court filing.

A source at the prison said it was unlikely that Nolan's plan would have worked even if his tools hadn't been discovered. A search of the facility's records indicates no one has ever escaped from the jail.

Costa Rican authorities charged Nolan with murder and kidnapping in the death of Florida accountant Robert Cohen. He was arrested by the FBI in February while leaving bankruptcy court in Chicago.