With good reason, it seems that everyone just assumes that Nolan will be sitting in the comfy chair for Batman 3, but as it seems the third chapter of this wildly popular take on Batman will be a ways off in the distance. Like 4 more years away.
And it may not have Nolan on board.
FIRST: That the death of Heath Ledger rocked Chris Nolan so much to the core that he was convinced in the months leading up to the release of The Dark Knight that he was done with this series and wouldn’t return for a third movie. The original plan was to include The Joker in the third movie, but the source doesn’t indicate whether this was before Heath Ledger’s death.
TWO: The earliest of all estimates have Batman 3 scheduled for the summer of 2013, which is four years away. It could easily be longer than that.
THREE: There is no story currently outlined for Batman 3. They are truly at square one at this point in time.
With last year’s outstanding success of the Dark Knight, you would think Nolan would be plotting out the sequel while walking down the red carpet for the premier. As rumours for a third Batman began to circuluate, we were reminded that Nolan hadn’t written anything so it was all speculation.
And nearly a year later he still hasn’t.
Granted he is pretty busy with this new project (which isn’t Batman even if I wish it was a ruse) so no one expected him to be writing Batman 3. And maybe he never will.
With WB wanting to run back to the money truck for another armload, they are not likely to wait for Nolan. Yes, he hit it out of the park with the first two, so there is no reason to think he can’t again. We all want him to. Doesn’t mean he will.
And the WB has kept a close eye on Zack Snyder as his replacement. Sure, there will be a lot of “but he isn’t the lord and saviour of film as we know it” but he could be a good fit for Batman. 300 was so staggeringly faithful to the graphic novel that it found its success, and while Watchmen was faithful as well, it didn’t share in the same acclaim as 300. But his gift seems to be in staying true to the source materials, and if he is brought in to sequel Nolan’s work and remains faithful to the style and tone, I wouldn’t mind him as a director.
You don’t need the “best” director, you just need the RIGHT director.
My biggest concern with Snyder (should it come to pass) is that he is determined to NOT do a Nolan sequel, but rather adapt the Dark Knight Returns graphic novel series, which features a much older grittier war torn Batman coming out of retirement. As much as I like the miniseries, I don’t want to see the franchise abandon the current path to skip ahead to a future story.
So we hang in limbo waiting to see if Nolan commits, what timeline that provides and where Batman goes from here.
the dark knight returns = nolan & bale–2011 or 2012
Robin is Batman. and I’m not talking about the comics right now. Robin has always been a way of grounding batman. He is the anchor that keeps batman from going over the edge. I would love to see Robin in the Nolan batverse, but just not right now.
The Dark knight must return, but please not 3-5 years.
I’d love to see the riddler in the next one. Maybe he’d be the jokers apprentice of sorts by taking over where he left off. Instead of just riddles to solve Batman would be faced with torture devices killing off Vip’s and bombs planted all around Gotham. This would then lead to the introduction of Robin similiar to the previous Batman films where he’d be orphaned due to his parents being killed in a bombing and therefore Bruce Wayne would become his mentor. Seeing as he has suffered the same loss.
It would also give Batman the chance to fight crime on two fronts with Robin not as his sidekick but his equal.
The darker vision would help provide a darker Robin, I would have thought that obvious.
I know everyones flippin’ shit about bringing back the joker. to me,id be upset but if it was the most logical way to take the next step in these chapters then i think we will adapt. i think i would rather have a new batman with the joker than no batman at all. but thats just me. as for new villians, i would like to see a combination of three villians. i know, iknow. SPIDERMAN 3!!! i think nolan could actually pull it off. i would love to see catwoman, the penguin, and the black mask. i think rachael’s death was a great opening for a new stronger women antagonist or protagonist? have the penguin play the role of a maroni or falcone. hed be in the movie as much as deniro in the untouchables and the real villian, like the joker was in the dark knight, would be the black mask. hes cool enough that audiences would accept him and new enough to keep things fresh. the thing i like the most about him is in the comics he targets killing bruce wayne instead of batman. hes also in the comics a rival gang leader to the penguin but that could easily be changed for him to be his right hand man. In one comic they also have black mask killing catwomans parents which could be a great motivation for catwoman to after the black mask while batmans trying to stop her and take down the penguin and black mask at the same time. i know what ever jon and chris come up with will be great but a boy can drean cant he?
All of Nolan’s Batman films have had 3 villains.
OKAY WOW. FiRST OF ALL. THEY CANNOT HAVE ANYONE ELSE PLAY THE JOKER iF THEY FOLLOW UP WiTH NOLAN’S MOViES. THAT WOULD JUST RUiN iT AND i WOULDN’T GO SEE iT. THE DARK KNiGHT iS MY FAVORiTE MOViE;; WiTHOUT HEATH AS THE JOKER;; iT WOULD BE SO DiFFERENT. SO… i THiNK THAT NOLAN SHOULD CONTiNUE, BUT BRiNG iN A NEW ViLLAiAN. MAYBE THE RiDDLER OR SOMETHiNG. iT WOULD’VE BEEN GREAT THOUGH iF HEATH DiDN’T DiE BECAUSE THEN THEY COULD’VE HAD HARLEY QUiNN.
How do you know they would have included Harley Quinn?
i would love to see a trilogy at of nolan. i’m willing to wait until he’s ready no matter how long that takes. bale, oldman, freeman, caine and any other cast that they would like to have back all have to be in it. what if nolan wrote the story with goyer and jonathan nolan wrote the screenplay, then someone else directed it. nolan and the rest of syncopy pictures could produce. it would take some of the burden off of nolan yet give the fans their last chapter. i don’t know im brainstorming i just hope that nolan is up for one more.
We all would love to see another Batman. But if Chris Nolan doesnt sign on for another movie, how mad can we realy get. sure as fans we get really pissed but as logical people not doing a third batman may be in his best interest. OK maybe not financially buy career wise. Third movies have a tendency as we all know to suck the big one. The Dark Knight is the second highest grossing movie off all time and a lot of that goes towards mr. ledgers untimely death and what would become an academy award wiinning performance. It was the godfather 2 of his series. Do we really want Nolan to make a Godfather 3. Cast Andy Garcia as the riddler? Just kidding. If he makes a 3 he has my highest respect b/c if theres a director in the business who could pull it off its chris. He seems to have the world down and hes incredibly talented at telling stories and not just setting up for one big explosion after another (Michael Bay anyone?)not to mention trowing any over the top crazy comic book character in a gritty real world setting is as good as gold for us comic geeks. I really dont want to think of any other director right now. zack snyder seems a little wrong. 300 and watchmen were very stylish and graphic novelly (thats not really a word but fuck it). NolANs world went away from the comic book pages while snyder seems to liike to put comic book pages on the screen. Darren Aronofskky maybe?
Snyder would be the perfect replacement.
Does anyone have actual proof that Zack Snyder has been “eyed” for the project or is this just fan speculation because of his prior projects?
I doubt that after the non returns or Watchmen, that he’ll be on the shortlist for any other big giant summer tentpoles for a while.
Mostly just speculation. His name was brought up for Batman before but he is insistent that if he does Batman it would be his own thing not a continuation. He has said a number of times in interviews that he would love to do Dark Knight Returns.
Watchmen failing financially was NOT Snyder’s fault. I said from the very beginning that this movie is going to have very limited appeal. As a fan of the collected series, Watchmen just didnt look like it would translate well.
He did the MOVIE as best as anyone could. Very few changes and very loyal to the book. However, the public just wasn’t interested in the type of story Watchmen delivered. That’s why people didn’t go.
Most action/hero fans would go see Batman no matter who directed it as long as it looked good. And we know Snyder can make things look good.
Why do people think that bringing Zack Snyder on board is going to mean a sex and gore filled Batman? It’s thanks to him that WB already stated that they’re not going to make any R rated comic book tentpoles. So kiss your dreams of an R rated Batman goodbye.
Like I’ve said before, don’t let Christopher Nolan become the next Sam Raimi!
Nolan isn’t just a Batman director, and we all seem to be forgetting that. He’s doing a very smart thing by taking a break from the franchise and filming another film in-between. I don’t want to see such a talented man become known as “that guy who directed Batman”. Give him space, let him do his own non-Batman thing for a while.
Hell, if he wants to direct TWO films before returning to Batman that’s fine by me (is he still attached to The Prisoner?).
The next Batman film WILL get made. The Dark Knight came out only a year ago. Give it time and Nolan will return when he’s ready.
I agree there might be a way to do it well in a Nolan universe, but I still think its too soon. You might get away with a Grayson cameo in the next one, just to introduce the character, but to set up Robin in the next film would feel forced to me.
once again, you make solid points, but you never answered—>rodney and hazmat…why do we need robin in this series at all?>?
cant he wait til someone else takes over the franchise and tells a new batman story?
im not opposed to Robin being in Future batman films.
i AM opposed to him being in the 3rd and i assume FInal version of THIS batman trilogy….
to set him up properly and do that charchter justice, i would prefer they give him more then one film to introduce and flesh out the charchter.(not to mention theyd have to do all that WHILE trying to properly wrap up Bruce waynes/ batmans origin story….
and HAzmat, Spiderman and XMEN all have superhuman strength/ability/power(or all of the above)…
so that doesnt explain how a powerless TEENAGER who isnt a mutant or bitten by a radioactive spider could hold his own with grown ass bad men??
sorry, teen titans just doesnt fit into NOLANS lil world now does it??….cmon man, plus in a REALISTIC setting like nolan has created, how is this new kid in town who is adopted by bruce wayne not going to blow his cover when all of a sudden batman has a new partner who looks strangley like batmans new kid only with a small black mask covering his eyes??…jus not going to work…batman is on the run right now, and it just wont happen in Nolans trilogy!!
sorry hazmat, you make excellent points and i look forward to a studio one day following thru with some of your good ideas,Robin will get his moment in the sun(and not everything from a comic needs to be put into the film version…
oh and your list of Batmans most important charachters is laughable…if you think thats Objective then youre just plain silly….
most would say without a doubt the Joker/ Villains would be second to Bruce Wayne…..but to each his own. were at the official home of correct movie opinions right?
Robin would be a perfect fit within the Nolan films at this point. In both films so far there has been an ongoing theme of escalation, which Gordon explained so well at the end of Begins. Joker was a response to Batman, who himself was a response to the overwhelming crime. In Dark Knight we already saw that Batman was himself inspiring other citizens to take up his mantle, to fight crime. What we saw in DK was ill-prepared people in “hockey pads”. DK also touched on Wayne’s desire to not have to do this forever, he hoped Dent would be the next to take over the fight against crime in a new way. When Dent died, it crushed Wayne’s hope of escaping his life as Batman. He has also just lost his lifelong friend when Rachel was killed. He is trapped in the role of Batman, criminals have escalated their crime (someone will step in to fill Jokers void) and now Batman is a wanted man himself. (side tangent, but if the theme of escalation and action/reaction continues I would love to see Riddler and/or Harley Quinn as main villains, with Joker pulling the strings somehow. Thematically, they would seem inspired by the madness Joker put Gotham through. In much the same way Batman was a symbol, so too was Joker)
At this point, Robin would be a perfect fit. Wayne was reluctant to have the ill-prepared, untrained citizens dress as Batman. But Dick Grayson is a fit, highly skilled and intelligent young man. He is a friend to Wayne as himself and Batman, and links his two worlds. He offers hope to Bruce that he is not the only one to fight this battle against crime. Robin joining Batman is the next stage of escalation, in response to Batman being unable to fight the battle as just one man alone.
The outcome of a third film with Robin could be Wayne ultimately accepting his role as Batman, and finding a balance in his dual life. He has Wayne Manor and the Batcave rebuilt, he has allies in the war against crime, and he comes to accept his role.
The Robin character fits perfectly with the themes Nolan’s films have established. For realism he should be in his late teens, early 20’s. He should be rough, and fit and convincingly bad-ass. Whoever gets the role shouldn’t be a pretty-boy or too young. His outfit and physical ability should be as believable as Batman.
Given all that, there’s no reason at all to not have Robin in there.
Shane makes a good case….for Jean Paul Valley.
Lol
I dont know. Personally, If Im WB, I give Nolan all the time he needs. If Nolan gives them Batman 3 in four or five years, the hype plus the panting fans plus the fact that Nolan came back will give them ridiculous returns even if the film is only half as good as TDK (which would still make for a good movie).
If you bring in somebody else you will immediately alienate many fans and you will not come near generating the buzz that Nolan coming back would.
Either way WB is going to make boatloads on this, but I would prefer Nolan. Let him wait and do it when hes ready and has a good story to tell.
Sure Snyder could do great. But why settle for the right director when you have the best director? Im not saying Nolan is the best director in the biz (even though hes close) but he is the perfect director for Batman.
The only compromise I would be willing to make is if they let Snyder do a one shot story outside of continuity. It would be very difficult to pull off from a marketing standpoint, but if you could it would be awesome. Have someone like Snyder or Aranofsky do The Dark Knight Returns, or Arkham Asylum, That would be interesting as long as they could make it clear to the audience that this is an alternate continuity and has nothing to do with any other films.
If you pull that off you can whet fans appetite now and then give Nolan more time to do Batman 3. Very difficult and unlikely, but I would enjoy seeing them try.
Gotham by Gaslight?
Okay. Time for a whirlwind. Where to start…
1) I personally think this news is false. If WB wanted to move on without Nolan…? Why four years? Why not two? If Nolan wasn’t directing, is finding a replacement that tough to do…especially if they were looking at Zack Snyder?
2) The Joker could/should be recast. Or, as many have suggested, simply don’t use The Joker at least on camera. But look, if this crazy story is true…then does the Nolanless Batflick 3 have Joker “plans” in it or not? (The script isn’t written, so I’ll say “plans”) Why, then, the four year wait?
3) As for Zack Snyder, I think he’s got a nice visual style. He might no fine with Batman, but I had mixed reaction to Watchmen, and …well why would they have to wait three to four years on him? When I say “NO” to Snyder, it has little to do with 300 r Watchmen, but simply due to the idea that he would have another style than Nolan’s; it would be “an ungrounding” if you will. It would look great, but it would be a radical pallette. That’s all. Nothing more, nothing less.
4) As much as I’m tired of reading Snyder can’t direct a duck to water, I am tired of reading how “Chis Nolan is the only director” for the third Batman.
5) Again, I take the story with a grain of salt. This sort of talk started up early, shortly after the release of Dark Knight….you know…how Nolan wants to do another film before he gets to the third Batfilm? Almost on cue, I could swear up and down all I heard over the internet was:
* NOONE COULD REPLACE HEATH LEDGER!
* WHY WON’T NOLAN DIRECT THE THIRD BAT-FILM?
* JOHNNY DEPP AS THE RIDDLER!
and that repeated thud you hear, that’s the echo of me bammin’ my brains against the wall, heard from many miles, ov’r land, air and sea.
I say, just give Nolan some space. He’s obviously off to shoot his new film and he’s got full support from WB. After he’s completed Inception he’ll more than likely have recupperated and be ready to tackle Batman again.
I really don’t care how much longer it takes to make the next Batman film as long as Nolan’s making it.
As for Snyder, I have to see him make a film that’s either original or has a significant amount of his own interpretation from the source material. Once he can prove he’s not a living photocopier then I’ll give him a chance, but never with Batman.
Please keep snyder as far away from this as possible. he is proving to be a truly awful director.
And I don’t believe for a minute WB would hand a billion dollar franchise over to him anyway.
For God’s sake, no Zack Snyder for Batman. The guy’s all style with no substance.
amen!
I dont know about you…but I would love to see Snyder follow the Dark Knight graphic novel story line. Man those books (comics!!!) are awesome and would be amazing screen if he puts the dedication into them as he did for 300 and Watchmen. You got my vote!!!
The way I see it, I say wait for Nolan or don’t make another one at all.
This man dragged Batman out of the grave Schumacher dug and breathed new life into the franchise. He made a Batman movie that was a serious Oscar contender. Not only that, he revolutionized the genre and made his franchise into a unique entity.
Nolan said he’d return if he had a good script and a good idea of where the franchise should go. Now, if the man who created the franchise doesn’t want to continue it, I think it’s fairly safe to say that it should stop there.
I don’t think Nolan is going to be tempted by money. He’ll make the film if he sees the story’s potential, not the financial potential.
Zack Snyder is an okay director but I do not want to see him anywhere near a Batman film. He lacks maturity as a director. 300 was at best, juvenile and while I liked Watchmen, one of the film’s main problems was that it kept undercutting it’s serious tone with immaturity.
Switching directors for comic books movie threequels has never really ended well. Threequels often go awry because the original filmmakers or actors move on and the studio replaces them with hacks. Just look at X-Men 3, Blade Trinity, Batman Forever.
Only Nolan will do for this movie. There are a lot of great directors out there but this is Nolans baby.
I’m a big batman fan and I was horrified when Nolan took a sledgehammer to everything we’ve come to know about Batman and crafted his own vision but I couldn’t argue with the end product.
Fact of the matter is the way Nolan has reimagined Batman and crafted 2 movies that would never look in place with the comics or TV series is pretty much a product of his own mind.
He put a lot of effort into crafting his own flavour of things and only he can take the series forward in his own image.
Thing about Nolan is he’s made it extremely clear that the project will only go ahead if he has an idea that he thinks is appropriate.
He doesn’t care if the next Batman movies makes 14 billon dollars he will only get to work on the next movie when he has a good script. If he doesn’t find a good script he will delay it till he does and that includes indefinitely.
As a Batman fan I don’t want to see another director carrying on from The Dark Knight. If Nolan doesn’t come back I’d prefer another director to do his own re-imagining and leave the Batman Begins – The Dark Knight world alone.
Just throwing this out there, but I always thought Michael Mann would be perfect for this series. The way TDK played out, the feel and the story all seemed like a Michael Mann film that happened to have comic book heros in it.
Michael Mann is awesome, but I don’t see him lining up to make a Batman movie.
AMEN!
The Good Side
Int’l friends, do your background checks- Nolan made no secret that “The Dark Knight” had a lot of inspiration from Mann’s films, specifically “Heat”.
Mann was also once considered to direct Hancock at one point, but only remained as that film’s producer (he also has a walk on cameo).
He also would have worked with Bale already…I’m still pumped for Public Enemies.
*The Downside*
Slash is right; I don’t see him making a Bat-film either…unless the bad guy was someone like Hush or (maybe) Holiday Killer.
I hope Nolan returns. I wasn’t the hugest fan of Batman Begins, (Batman and Batman Returns easilly pwn it.) but when I saw The Dark Knight, I was floored. Get the same cast back, some new characters and such. If Nolan’s not on board, then don’t do the fucking movie at all.
I disagree, I think Batman Begins was easily superior to all 4 of the original Batman films.
Why not bring back Burton & screenwriter Hamm ? They were the first to perfectly capture the essence that was BATMAN for the cineplexes. Sure the second installment was bloated, but if you disregard overrapant studio involvement & the million dollar sponosorship fignerprints; its still a decent film. Given Burton’s poor performance lately in film I’m not sure he’d be able to pull something grand off again, but Id be willing to risk that wager. Snyder, has yet to impress me as a filmmaker. Sorry but his films are motion captured set pieces, like audio books being reinacted in a community theater. WB only appreciation lies only in the money guilable people pay to watch; it has nothing to do with his directorial talent. If that is their sole choice than once again a viable film series is ruined. THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS doesnt NEED to be filmed, how old are you guys ? 12, 13 ? The title fits perfectly, but furnish a new story. As for Ledger’s performance, it was great because it was different; not so groundbreaking that another actor couldnt muster the same performance given a good script. All this hype that Nolan is done due to his abscence is silly; it’s just fodder for the geek cannon. I would love to see a third final picture, but alas life goes on.
Which fantasy world are you living in?
First off Tim Burton’s Batman was good but wasn’t “perfect”. Lots of fun, but not perfect.
Batman is the realworld hero. He is just a man, not a god, no super powers. A man. So he belongs in a real world.
Nolan hit it so PERFECTLY that it makes Burton’s Batman look like 60s camp (which is actually what Schumacker made it)
And Dark Knight Returns would be a great film to be had, but not right now. Throwing a future storyline out in theaters while this current franchise is still strong would take away from both parties.
It would make a GREAT movie, but it has to be done after the current franchise has run out of steam just to offer something different.
dont rush it! things gget fucked up when they’re rushed, do you really want to see this franchise get fucked up like george clooney batman…or better yet other franchises??? T-3 SPIDERMAN-3 SHREK-3…i could go on ….
They need to keep Joker in the mix, Joker is a pervasive presence in Batman’s life. This trend with super hero movies of villains appearing in one movie has got to stop.
Scarecrow’s little appearance in the last Batman movie was beyond lame.
In fact, the more I think about The Dark Knight, and after watching it again, the more I think it was overrated. It was good, but it could have been a lot better.
Ledger was good, but someone can do better.
Zack Snyder CAN NOT direct this movie. This man’s obsession with slow motion and blue screen is a major detriment, the guy just doesn’t know how to calm down. His style worked well enough for 300, but it did nothing but get in the way of Watchmen which was basicly a drama which he tried to film like an action movie.
It’s “green screen” and yeah, his slo-mo fetish is a bit irritating.
I see no sense getting all worked up about it QUITE yet.
I’m still buzzing off of last summers release of the dark knight, it was that good and i’m not starving for the next installment yet
ALSO, it was a 3 year gap between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight so 4 years from know wouldnt be that much different.
AND Nolan did the awesome “Prestige” between the Batman movies, so who says “Inception” isn’t his in between movie.
John, i’m remembering back at a post you wrote about rumors of who will be riddler and junk, but you said that Warner Brothers would have to be crazy to go ahead with another Batman WITHOUT Nolan. Dont you think thats still true?
I think that everyone would agree that the dark knight proved that comic book movies can be more than just comic book movies if you take the time and patience to play it out right in all aspects of making a movie. SO WHY???? WHY???? is everybody acting like a bunch of BABIES when its not even a year after the dark knight was released and already want to see another Batman like right fuckin now?!
Well Marla, I am not John, and I wrote this post. Which would explain the difference of opinion there.
Yes, if Nolan is willing and available it would be silly not to use him. But if he chooses not to or is simply unavailable then I have no problem with someone else taking over. If its done well.
The issue is that it might be MORE than a 4 year gap from NOW that is in front of us now (total of 5 years). Yes, there was 4 years between the first two, but its been a year and NOTHING has been done towards a third movie. Not even planning stages or a doodle on a bar napkin.
No one is saying it has to happen RIGHT NOW, but like any anticipated film… we anticipate!
And for the record,…. the 3rd movie should be Batman vs ONE bad guy.
Unlikely.
Both Batman Begins and The Dark Knight had multiple villains. I don’t see why this trend wouldn’t continue.
“Batman as a super hero doesn’t work. Batman is a crime fighter, he doesn’t need super-powerful bad guys to do his thing.” << This is correct. Let’s hope someone at WB pays attention to this fact.
If not Nolan, I say let Brian SInger direct. IMO he wasn’t a good fit for Superman but he should be able to do a better job with Batman.
I’m pretty satisfied with TDK! They should just stop it their imo for now…..
Same with spider-man, that one should have also stopped at the second!
You only say that because you didn’t like the third.
If the third was great you would be saying the opposite.
Sometimes you need to quit while you are ahead. More often than not, the 3rd movie in a series ends up being the worst.
I agree with cloud!
Rodney, I hate to say it, but your whole argument that “your only saying that because the third sucked” isnt true! I loved the second and made it clear to my friends at the time that its a good place to stop!
However you werent their so how would you know? But you are here when I’m saying that about TDK when their is no crappy 3rd yet! So their! In a few years if their is a crappy 3rd and I say I didnt want it do be throwing that argument at me!
And like cloud said, 3rd movies often suck in comparison, recently I can think of, SM3, POTC3, Shrek3, and Xmen 3!
Now I’m pretty scared for Toy Story 3 as the first 2 where near flawless and disney kick started the project not pixar, however pixar is now on board 100%, still they didn’t want it originally. Thats another franchise I’m gonna go out and say should not have a 3rd, however since its pixar their’s a chance they might be the exception this time!
What about the second film implied that Batman’s story was over and done with? The film was pretty wide open.
Because you fear that continuing will automatically make it a failure? Because you assume that because there were poor 3rd chapters?
Your reasoning lacks any explaination and you keep comparing it to other films that had a third part you don’t like. What else am I supposed to think?
I have to agree with Rodney. The Dark Knight left an open ending, it practically ended on a cliffhanger!
I also have to disagree that they shouldn’t make a third movie. The ending of The Dark Knight placed Batman as a hunted vigilante and a murderer in the eyes of the public. That premise alone is too sweet to not explore.
I don’t care who is behind it, as long as it comes out sooner than 2013, OMG. What a ridiculous amount of time to wait. Especially for a follow up to one of the greatest films of all time (critically and commercially). If this timeline holds true, then it’s going to be harder for me than the wait between Matrix 1 and 2.
I don’t care who creates it as long as it is as good as Batman Begins and Dark Knight. Both some of my favourite films.
I’ve watched the old 1980~1990s Batman films and they’re just horrible.
They need to find someone who loves the dark Batman cartoons from like the 1990s (the one about the mob, and not about super-bad guys).
Batman as a super hero doesn’t work. Batman is a crime fighter, he doesn’t need super-powerful bad guys to do his thing.
The joker in this latest film is great because while he plays a somewhat super-powerful bad guy in reality most of his methods are old school mob stuff.
I’d like to see Batman as a pure bad guy in #3, the entire city, police, and everyone hates him. Maybe have some corrupt media bad guy (see Spiderman) helping this hate along while doing crime on the side.
But the key would be, when the dust settles and the credits roll, Batman would STILL be hated. He shouldn’t just earn back his status as a hero in one film. Batman as a bad guy works.
I like your ideas and I think they’re spot on for what should happen in the next Batman.
But, I didn’t think that the Burton’s original Batman films were terrible, just over the top and unfortunately, dated.
Joel Schumacher’s Batman films, those deserve every bit of hate they get.
I really hope that Zack Snyder doesn’t wind up directing the third Batman.
He’s already stated that he has no interest in directing the third Batman movie. He’s currently interested in The Dark Knight Returns but it’s unknown if that’ll change in the future.
I really hope Nolan returns, but if he doesn’t I hope that they find a director that stays true to what Nolan had done and also hope they don’t bring in Robin.
I just hope that if they bring in Robin, they do it justice. If done right, Robin would be a fine addition.
If it makes sense and works with the films.
Just because all people recall Robin as is the guy who says “Holy Batsomethings” all the time, or the Chris O’Donnell version doesn’t mean the character is not worthy of the Batman films.
Right now in the comics, the former Robin IS Batman.
I just can’t stand Robin….the only reason I would want to see him in film is so I can see him get butchered by The Joker.
Rodney is 100% right with this, people remember robin as the dude that dresses like robin hood and talks like a boy scout
I cant say this better then you did
“I just hope that if they bring in Robin, they do it justice. If done right, Robin would be a fine addition.”
Later they can even do a Nightwing movie
You cant judge robin from the old movies or the old comic books, READ the new ones
If they can keep it dark, then it wouldn’t be soo bad.
No no no not Snyder! Listen, Snyder is an awesome director and completely underrated, his work with Watchmen was wonderful and no one seems to understand that(general public). Look, Nolan come back dude. I don’t like Snyder’s ideas for this one
Bringing Snyder on doesn’t mean it WILL be Dark Knight Returns.
Please God, let Zack Snyder get in this, have Nolan get hit by a bus
Ever since he said “I dont want Robin in the Batman movies” ive been wishing this guy to retire or get hit by a Guinness truck
If Snyder does do the old batman, then Robin can always get in…have a really dark and gritty batman with gore and blood, that would make it pretty awesome. Have the Riddler and Anarchy as the villains
The way they made these Batman movies, Anarchy is EASILY the best suited villain for the next movie, next to the Penguin, but i dont want the penguin, hes fucking lame
why do u need robin in this series so bad?
they tried him out last time around and failed.
maybe down the road one day they can do a proper story/movie treatment including Robin…but not now.
Nolan and crew should come back one more time, finish what they started, leave me with a nice trilogy box set to own.
i like Snyder, and i like the idea of ONE day bringing The Dark Knight Returns to the big screen…but not for some time….not until bale and co have put the story of young batman to rest….just my 2 cents
I say if you can make the story kick ass and can fit robin in and an amazing way, do it. Ya robin was included in the last crappy batman series but it wasn’t the inclusion of robin that made them suck, the movies without robin would have sucked so you can’t really blam robin for that. Yes robin in those movies sucked a bit but it was a crap director, a crap script, crap actors. IMO I’d want nolan back but if a replacement director had to be made, Zach Snider would be a great choice. If it were my choice though, I would let snider develop the dark knight returns a bit in the background and let him do it sometime after batman 3, at least give the current camp a chance to do a trilogy. every great series at least gets a trilogy.
No
It wasnt Robins fault that movie sucked, the WHOLE MOVIE was shit, including batman
Robin is awesome, hes way cooler then batman, and i pity Nolan for not ever picking up a comic book with Robin in it, because Robin owns.
It doesnt have to be return of the dark knight, Its too early for that, just have Batman 3…with Robin.
Everyone thinks of teenager with tights when someone mentions Robin, Robin is awesome in the comic books and Nightwing OWNS…I mean OWNS. I dont understand why Nolans logic wont allow him to include Robin in his movies when Robin is easily the coolest character in the Batman universe
why would robin be in these films anyway? with the younger bruce wayne they’ve had in the flicks robin would be a baby at this point. if anything robin should be saved for a teen titans movie, that way deathstroke could be in it too.
Teen Titans is a horrible idea (IMO)
Who cares about the age? Just freaking bring in Robin, in the old movie from the 60s batman wasnt THAT old, and in the one from the 90s batman wasnt old either, ive read comic books with Bruce Wayne in his 30s with Robin
This is when Bruce needs Robin the most, now hes “the villain” and the cops are after him, Rachel died, This is when Robin comes in to help Batman
And yeah Deathstroke is a good idea, id like that
But still, Anarchy is a perfect Villain for the 3rd Batman movie
And of course the Riddler, hes always a good choice
“Bruce Wayne in his 30s with Robin”
Its funny that you say that b/c in “Batman Begins” there is a sign that says “Happy 30th Birthday”.
Ps: Its the scene where Rachael Dawes brings him that “Item”(for lack of a better word).
excuse me.let me clarify. i did not say, or mean that the Batman Forever and batman and robin sucked BECAUSE of ROBIN…
im saying that, they attempted to use the charchter in 2 of the first 4 batman Films, and they dont NEED that particular charchter to equal or improve on this CURRENT Nolan directed series.
im SAYING, that Nolan can take whatever time he wants to finish this(well no more then 5 years) stand alone batman trilogy that he started.
in NOLANS vision, Robin just doesnt fit.
I love Robin….one of my favorite comic book charchters of all time, and he will be in future batman films. and one day, with the right screenwriter and priducer will do him justice.
ppl need to look at BB and TDK as parts one and 2 of a stand alone trilogy….and 5-10 years after they finish that, they will start again, maybe with old batman in TDK returns, or maybe a superman V Batman movie, etc….
on a different, way off track mode, wouldnt it be cool to do a Robin origin story, where Robin is the main focus and Bruce Wayne/ Batman is just part of the story, the mentor if you will?? and we follow the adventures in gotham thru the eyes of the boy wonder???haha
How does Robin not fit Nolan’s vision? Nolan said he would never do Robin because at this point in the history Robin would be an infant. There is nothing about Robin that DOESNT fit Nolan’s films.
Sure the campy Burt Ward Robin wouldn’t fit, but then campy Adam West Batman wouldn’t either.
This doesn’t mean that 3 films from now Nolan (if he is still in charge) doesn’t include him.
And not saying if someone other than Nolan directing this could include him.
it should be a trilogy, it should close out year one. Then they can get a whole new team and do another trilogy and start up with year two, and then finally year three which of course would be the time when Robin comes into the picture. They shouldn’t rush into anything just to make money and then almost kill the franchise AGAIN.
That’s the problem with fanboys, they always think of what THEY want and not what actually works in the movie.
Robin doesn’t fit in Nolan’s vision of the Batman franchise. It undermines the realism the films established and I think they’ve pretty much established that Batman is a lone wolf.
Robin is an important part of the Batman mythos but just doesn’t work in Nolan’s realistic, camp-free reimagining of Gotham City. He might work in a Tim Burton fantasy world, but doesn’t really cut it on the gritty streets of Nolan’s Gotham. There are so many real world parallels in Nolan’s Batman movies, particularly in Dark Knight, that introducing Robin would immediately have audiences looking at Christian Bale hanging out with this pre-teen and trying not to think about Michael Jackson or why Jim Gordon isn’t bringing him up on child endangerment charges.
Slashbeast, you might want to pick up a comic from the last decade instead of basing everything you know about Robin on the campy tv series and comics from 1940s.
Even Batman has been camp in some interpretations, but in this one he is realistic and dramatic. Why is it so hard to think they couldn’t apply the same treatment to Robin??
No one has any issue thinking they could transform campy enemies like Riddler or Penguin into realistic versions, but somehow Robin defies any logic.
You said “introducing Robin would immediately have audiences looking at Christian Bale hanging out with this pre-teen and trying not to think about Michael Jackson or why Jim Gordon isn’t bringing him up on child endangerment charges.”
You mean like how Gordon is already realistically taking him up on charges of destruction of public property, assault, kidnapping, and international immigrations violations.
SlashBeast:
Broh.
Its fucking Robin not Superman
Youre talking as if were saying we want Doomsday in the next Batman movie
Robin is nothing out of this world, the guy has Batons, a grapple and a bike. Oh and hes agile, he doesnt throw planets at people.
iknewthiswouldhappen:
No.
Just- get robin in the next one, its not that hard. Thyeve done it before, and they didnt give a shit how old batman was.
Rachel was never even in the comic books so its not like theyre following it like the bible, they dont give a shit about the comic books.
Rodney, you mistakingly believe that im refering to the old batman TV show or the “campy” stereotypes that sometimes come with Robin….im not.
im saying this is a stand alone trilogy, waiting on its 3rd and final installment.
they might do 100 movies that take place in batmans universe before its all said and done. all im saying is that theres no time to fit robin into this FINAL installment of this INDIVIDUAL trilogy.
do u not get what im saying?im not fighting the idea of Robin bein a central charchter in a good Batman movie—u might need to re-read my posts(or maybe youre replying to someone else)…
i mean, how can you be talking of Nolan doing a FOURTH batman movie when in this post you imply hes been replaced and probobly wont evan direct the THIRSD movie????
like i said. there will be many more batman movies staring different actors and directed and produced by different ppl….
you dont seem to understand or comprehend that BB and TDK are part of a TRILOGY that has nothing to do with tim burton/joel schumacher/zach snyder or any other past or future incarnations of the vast batman universe.
Robin is FANTASTIC!!! i cant stress that enough.
Hes just not going to be in the next batman movie.PERIOD.
they cant clutter the 3rd movie with too many charchters for story telling purposes alone….
let alone how do you explain a teenager fighting crime (while batman is on the run mind you)while only covering his eyes, in this realistic setting established in the first 2?
rodney and hazmat…why do we need robin in this series at all?>?
cant he wait til someone else takes over the franchise and tells a new batman story?
Gordon is not charging him with anything as of now because he was working with Batman. At the end of The Dark Knight, the two will presumably be at odds with each other in a possible future installment which more than likely involve Gordon on the hunt for Batman.
Yes, many of Batman’s enemies and allies have elements of camp which Nolan has removed for his film versions. And you’re correct, there’s nothing particularly unrealistic about Robin.
But Batman’s best “sidekick” in Nolan’s real-world vision of the comic is his own inner conflict. Robin is simply not necessary. Obvious homoerotic subtext aside, you just can’t take Batman seriously when Robin’s around. Nolan has crafted such an enigmatic character with his Batman franchise that I just can’t see anyone being able to add Robin without messing up what Nolan created.
Robin is a vestige of the campier Batman era. He can “work” but I honestly wouldn’t want screen time devoted to him when the interplay of Batman and his villains is always far more interesting.
Anarchy does sort of work in a Nolan verse, now that you mention it. Also, it is an untapped character for live action.
As for Snyder for Batman, no. no. no.
NO
NO
NO
This all stinks to me- a fan wanting Zack Snyder on the Bat-boat…as for the rest of my rant, see blow.
This post disgusts me.
Anarchy won’t be in the next Batman movie. His motives and themes were already encapsulated with The Joker and his character is pretty much a rip-off of V from V for Vendetta.
BALE
How does a teenager fight crime?
Spiderman
Young x men
Teen Titans
Robin is a MAIN CHARACTER, hes not some secundary character, the movies are based off the comics, and in the comics Robin plays a HUGE role
SLASHBEAST
Robin IS neccesary, everything Batman did in BB and TDK were missions in which alfred or lucius helped him ina walkie talkie or called him, or helped him with, he went to save harvey, gordon went to save rachel, he cant do this shit alone, it makes TOTAL sense to get a sidekick! Thats what theyre for
Darren:
Hey thats cool, it doesnt have to be Snyder, as long as someone wakes up and brings in the 2nd main character in the story. Characters in order of importance:
1- Wayne
2- Robin
3- Alfred
4- Villains
5- Girl wayne likes at the moment (right beforte she dies in his arms)
GOVERNOR
Anarchy looks like V, but if i were going for looks, i would have wanted deathstroke (which wouldnt be bad either) they can dress Anarchy however they want, but its what he stands for and what he does that makes him perfect for batman 3, the 1st 2 batman movies were so close to the government and cops and lawyers, Penguin and Anarchy are the LOGICAL villains for the next movie. they can always have Anarchy dress differently, and the penguin wasnt always fat and lame (but i still think hes kinda stupid)
Bottom line is, penguin and anarchy follow up PERFECTLY to the way the batman movies have been made
Yes, Batman has Alfred, Lucius and presumably still Gordon. He has all that help, so why does he need Robin? He’s been able to fight crime just fine without him and his “help” for two movies. Using that logic, Robin is little more than a redundant side character.
Anarchy certainly fits Nolan’s films but the character I think will truly end up being the main villain is Black Mask. I think Black Mask is absolutely perfect for Batman 3 and he’s unfortunately a very overlooked villain.
What? Black mask is just a guy whos got his own gang and can torture people, besides hes a ripoff of red skull
Gordon wont help him anymore, I dont know wtf happens to Lucius Fox at the end of the movie..i didnt get the whole “when youre done, type your name in” thing, and alfred is 97 years old, he NEEDS someone who can do a push up. Not only physically, but emotionally, he NEEDS Robin to be there with him, this is exactly when Robin comes in
And all of those people help him in completely different ways, none of which help him the way Robin does. If he had a Robin, he could have saved Dent AND Rachel.
It is very apparent you dont understand the character at all. If he was simply a pointless sidekick he wouldnt have a Robin in the comics for the last 7 decades.
There is no reason they can’t make the character work. No one said they will, but its not impossible.
“Black mask is just a guy whos got his own gang and can torture people” – You say that like it’s a bad thing. Black Mask fits perfectly for Nolan’s grittier take on Batman. I believe he’s the best candidate for the main villain in a third film.
Alfred shows no signs of letting up, even with his age. Lucius Fox never resigned at the end of The Dark Knight, the computer is destroyed, therefore he has no reason to leave.
Rodney, I must say that that is a quite convincing argument. Robin can indeed aid Batman in situations such as those, but it might kill some of the drama. That, and I don’t really think Robin’s aid is anything the film can’t work around without him.
But you admit that it can kill the drama presented by that situation, because obviously that situation was crafted with the intention of creating drama.
But the other side of the coin, you can’t comprehend them writing storyline that would facilitate a father/son mentor/student character arc?
Just as one storyline supports one aspect of the character, another storyline can be crafted to support any other character brought into the film.
The constant theme of escalation is brought up in the comics, the current films and even in the previous Burton films. “Cops start carrying semi-automatics and the badguys carry automatics.” Does a costumed crusader encourage costumed villains?
Maybe as things escalate he WILL need help from another costumed hero. Why not Robin. And the character presents so much more to the character of Batman as well. All things that make Batman more than just a crimefighter who dresses like a bat.
Rodney, you make some good points and yes, the theme of escalation may one day force Batman to adopt Robin as his on-screen sidekick.
But it’s really just not possible considering Nolan’s film universe. Thre’s really two types of Batman in this situation. There’s the loner batman, and the mentor batman. Nolan did a great job with the loner batman and I feel that this should be the theme of his trilogy. Why mess with something that works? I’ve always wondered if Nolan could pull off a great Robin character, but I don’t think it fits with his vision.
Governor
Its just that Black Mask isnt much of a threat, hes just a gangster, theres nothing more to him, the last 2 batman movies go way deeper then just physical strength and thugs, Anarchy can follow this perfectly. Black Mask will dumb things down, hes like a typical bad guy, I agree with you that hes cool and i enjoyed him in the comics, but i would rather see a more interesting bad guy like Riddler or Anarchy
SlashBeast
Batman is a horrible teacher in my opinion, hes ALWAYS a loner, even with Robin hes a dick to him, hes always a douche to Robin, he teaches him some stuff and he does like him and need him, but hes not the best teacher in the world. This is very sunjective though some poeple think hes the best teacher when it comes to being with Robin, I think hes an asshole to Robin at times. Same with the JL..theyre all talking, happy about life, and Batman is in the corner of the room shrunk in his little dark world…and thats his character and thats hwy I like the guy, hes awesome. But the whole “he cant be a loner and a teacher” isnt true, the guy never stops being a loner, once he finds Robin, Robin keeps him company and becomes a HUGE part of his life, but Batman is always missing that “family” feel to his life.
After all, Batman has had 4 different Robins.
Interesting analysis HAZMAT. Perhaps you are correct. If the films can tap into that paradoxical relationship then there is massive thematic potential.
No.
patiently waiting for the next installment.
*crossing fingers*, hoping Nolan comes back to Gotham after Inception…..and can find a way to include the joker as best as he can.
I would love to see the joker in the next film as a cameo (with enough makeup, they could make any actor look the part), but not as the main villain. If anything, they could always do something similar to what they did in the first movie with the joker card. With Heath Ledger gone, it would be hard to throw another brilliant actor such as himself into the role, and audiences respond well to it. Heath Ledger created this generations idea of what the Joker is, and I think that if anyone else claims the role, they will be forced to act like Heath Ledger acting like the Joker. What audiences need is a good cooling off period, and when the series gets rebooted in another 10 years or so, another actor can step up to the helm.
I don’t want to see Batman’s greatest villain reduced to a single cameo. I would prefer that The Joker be in the next film but as a MINOR villain, not the main villain. Perhaps some sort of behind the scenes mastermind more reminiscent of Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs.
Interesting, Zack Snyder as director for Batman 3?
Hmmm….
Maybe this will be the first Batman movie will really violent fight and sex scenes, maybe even rated R.
What I really enjoyed about Batman Begins is that it felt more like a comic book or graphic novel, while the Dark Knight felt more like a Batman movie, not a comic, set in real world situations.
They would have to really show something new rather than just retell one of the stories from the comic books.
“Maybe this will be the first Batman movie will really (pointless) violent fight and (pointless) sex scenes, maybe even (pointlessly) rated R.”
Time will tell what will happen … but with the $$$ rolling down the pipes from the previous 2, a third will be out regardless of who the director is …