Before I get to anything, I shall warn you that this will be full of spoilers from the Dark Knight Rises. I was at the premiere last night and left with a lot of questions about where we go from here. Personally I have loved the Christopher Nolan Batman franchise. I am saddened with the series ending, but I am personally unsure of where I want the franchise to go.
At the center of my thoughts the past day has been the ending for Blake, when it is made clear that his name is Robin. Blake then goes on to discover the Batcave, which is where we are left at the conclusion of the film. This leaves us with many questions, and obviously hints at a future story line. The question is, will that storyline ever be explored?
Christian Bale has said that he would keep making Batman movies on two conditions. First of all Nolan would have to be the director. Second of all, they could not introduce Robin. With this most likely being the last time we see Bale as the caped crusader anyways, it would be a perfect time to include him if you really wanted to. However, what is the point if this is the end of the series entirely?
Warner Brothers has hinted that they wanted to continue the Batman franchise, with Nolan serving as a producer. I fully expect that at some point, but the real question is whether it is a reboot or a continuation of the previous Nolan story arch.
In Nolan's world, Bruce Wayne appears to be out of the picture in Gotham. We last see him seated with Selena Kyle in Florence, apparently enjoying life away from fighting crime. If the storyline was to be continued, what would that mean for Blake? If he is meant to become the embodiment of Robin, he apparently has no Batman to follow. This would lead many to believe one of two things; A) Wayne comes back at some point or B) Blake takes the mantle from Wayne and becomes the next Batman. The later of the two would leave many a comic fan up in arms to say the least. Gordon-Levitt isn't exactly built like a Batman either.
On the other hand the next Batman movie could be completely different. Warner Bros. could pull a Spiderman and just start all over despite the previous movies being quite recent. In that case none of this would mean anything and Nolan would just be leaving moviegoers with something to think about. It got lots of reactions from the attendees of my theater yesterday, so that wouldn't surprise me in the least.
DC is rumored to be very interested in a Justice League movie, not surprising with the success of The Avengers. Most would agree that the Justice League universe is a tad more cheesy than the Nolan universe and would require a change of pace. I've said for years that I expected the next series of Batman movies to be a tad more unrealistic, featuring some of the villains that couldn't be as easily explained (I'm looking at you Poison Ivy). In my eyes this is the most likely move. They are going to try and start over but give it a different feel than the Nolan movies. Will they be as successful? Probably not. That being said I thought the same thing would happen with The Amazing Spiderman and I loved it.
Whatever happens with the franchise, it may be a while until we know. What did you think of the DKR, and where do you think the Batman movies go from here? I've noticed a real lack of talk about this from many fans and thought it was needed. Tell me what you think in the comment section below!
