Director Christopher Nolan’s rebooted Batman saga is about to come to an end, though no matter what happens it’s likely that there will be at least some speculation about him coming back for a fourth film and when other directors such as Michael Bay change their minds about returning for a fourth film who can blame them for continuing to hope?
However for now, Nolan would most certainly have us believe that after ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ is finished, he and Bruce Wayne will be parting ways. Nolan is reported to have been questioned about his future on Batman and whether he will return for another film at an annual Producer’s Guild of America conference in Los Angeles where his response was a simple ‘No’.
Where this might leave things for Christian Bale in terms of his willingness to continue in the role remains to be seen, however his comments during the release of previous Batman films have certainly indicated he’s unlikely to be interested without Nolan’s involvement.
Another complicating factor for the future of the franchise will be where it fits with wider plans regarding films based on the Detective Comics Universe (DCU). With recent news that a Justice League film could be back on track, the issue of continuity comes up as any Justice League film would no doubt include Batman.
Is Nolan going to kill off the Dark Knight? Is Warners planning another Batman reboot or would a possible JLA film just sit independently to the side of current Batman and even the new Superman film? The big questions of course would be whether Warners might plan to try and replicate Marvel’s success with several films set in the same universe building up to a cross-over event.
No doubt Warners plans will eventually be revealed, for now however it looks like this is the end of the Nolan-Bat era.
