Written by James Prescott (@JamesPrescott77)
So the final part of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy is almost upon us. Geeks like me have been counting the months and days until The Dark Knight Rises, comes out, I have it on my iPhone calendar and I booked my ticket almost immediately they went on sale.
Judging from the trailers, it looks like Nolan may have made a film that is even darker, scarier and, hopefully, better than its illustrious predecessor, something I never thought possible.
Nolan has said this is the last Batman film he’ll be directing and Bale has said he won’t be playing the Dark Knight again and from what we’ve seen so far of the film there is a real sense of finality to the story, and it makes sense to end the story after three films with two key players departing.
But whatever Nolan does with the character in this film, this won’t be the last we see of Batman on the big screen. Largely due to Nolan’s efforts, Batman is now one of the most profitable franchises in world cinema and simply too big to leave dormant. Sony barely left the Spider-Man franchise alone before reinventing it, so there’s no doubt Warners won’t wait for long before reinventing Batman.
But there’s a problem here. Right now I find it very difficult to imagine anyone else making a Batman film and it being anything like as good as Nolan’s trilogy. He’s done it so definitively that it’s impossible to imagine anyone else doing it and it being as good. So how will Warners bring people back for a reboot if it’s predecessor was so striking?
The obvious thing would be to keep Nolan involved. Indeed, there is already the suggestion already that he and his wife, Emma Thomas, will be overseeing the producing side of any reinvention – much like they have done with the Superman franchise. Many have hinted at the possibility his younger brother Jonathan – who co-wrote and worked on The Dark Knight and the forthcoming film, is down to direct.
If that is the case, chances are the Batman we see after The Dark Knight Rises will still be reminiscent of the dark, gritty character we’ve seen in Nolan’s trilogy. However, there will be a need to redefine not just the character but his world – purely to distinguish it from Chris Nolan and David Goyer’s world. New Alfred, new Gordon, new takes on villains. Above all of course, the casting of a new Bruce Wayne/Batman character will be key. There are a few advantages, as well as a few challenges, to reinventing Batman.
One advantage is that it opens the door for a Justice League franchise – it’s well known Warners is thinking of bringing together the Justice League – Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern amongst others – on film, especially in light of Marvel’s excellent job with The Avengers and its universe.
It will be a lot easier for this to happen when they aren’t already involved in another film series – although having said that it’s already been confirmed the Superman in any Justice League film won’t be the one fromZack Snyder’s Man of Steel so its going to be confusing anyhow. But having two major heroes in two film series separately would be pushing it.
What Warners should really do of course is put Nolan as executive producer/co-ordinator of the DC Universe’s film adaptations, building up to a Justice League film – as Marvel have done. If you’re ever going to make a Justice League film, it would make perfect sense for Nolan to be overseeing the building of that world – and it would much more likely to be successful. Sadly reports are saying Nolan has rejected this idea, but Warners would be mad not to try to persuade him otherwise.
Another great thing about a Batman reinvention under Nolan’s supervision is that we might get to see a credible Robin – given the previous interpretations, it might be good to have a more believable version of an important character on film. Not one as we saw in Batman Forever or Batman and Robin, but a realistic interpretation of the character – maybe a bit more like Nolan would have interpreted him, if he had used him in his world. I think in many ways the best way to follow Nolan’s trilogy is to not try to surpass it, equal it, or replicate it. If another director comes along and tries to copy the previous version it simply will be a poor version of Nolan’s series.
This is why having Nolan and Thomas on board as executive producers to oversee a reinvention makes sense. It ensures it won’t drift off into Batman & Robin territory, but at the same time will guarantee it’s not a carbon copy of his films.
It will ensure that future films are much more likely to be in keeping with what we’ve seen from Nolan, the character very similar and the standard likely to remain high.
Batman is a character that has existed for over 7 decades now, and in film for almost as long. There is no doubt he will continue to draw audiences. The important thing is that we never again go back to the dark days of Batman & Robin, when the Batman franchise was simply a self-parody.
A character and spirit more in tune with Nolan’s vision – even if not quite as dark – will be what keeps people interested. If Nolan is still overseeing the character, many in and outside the film world will be reassured that this will occur.
But for now let us enjoy the forthcoming third chapter Nolan’s Batman trilogy, and see how he brings this all to an end. I know it’s going to be incredible, unmatchable, like nothing we’ve seen before – or may do again – in the world of Batman at the cinema. Morgan Freeman thinks its better than The Dark Knight. If that’s true, then what a finale we have to a truly great film trilogy. I can’t wait.
