It hit like a bombshell: if rumours are to be believed, Christopher Nolan is in talks to produce an upcoming team-up between Henry Cavill’s Superman and Christian Bale’s Batman. The news was simultaneously exciting and baffling to those of us who have admired the Nolan Batman films — exciting because it’s friggin’ Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale returning to the DC on film universe; baffling because this seems to fly directly in the face of everything Christopher Nolan has previously said about his Batman series — that it existed in a world without other superheroes, that The Dark Knight Rises was the definitive end of his story, etc. It’s enough to send fan’s heads spinning…and certainly enough to launch a thousand op-eds…
Whether this potential (and it’s important to emphasize that — remember that this is Hollywood, and just because an idea’s on the table doesn’t mean it’s 100% happening) return to the DCU by Nolan and Bale results in a World’s Finest team up or a full on Justice League film, only Nolan and his “brain trust” know at this point, but you had better believe that there are already plenty of people arguing that Nolan and Bale shouldn’t come back. And to be fair, there are some pretty legitimate reasons to argue that: what if a Justice League film damages the legacy of the Dark Knight Trilogy? (Nobody wants a repeat of the Star Wars prequels, I’d be willing to bet…) What if Christian Bale’s Batman winds up looking ridiculous next to a man who can fly? Why should Bale and Nolan return to Batman when they (potentially) have so many other original projects ahead of them?
I recognize all of those concerns, and share a number of them. But to be fair, let’s look at the bright side — at some reasons that Nolan and Bale returning to the “bat fold” could potentially be a good thing. (And I swear to God, “Because I’d wet myself with excitement isn’t one of them”…)
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22 Comments
This article makes me so mad because it makes pretty much the points that I think are pushing us towards Nolan going back on his word.
There are some excellent points about how this all could work, especially reason 6, which is absolutely the right way to go with in how to work Wayne back into the universe and the arc that he could carry over multiple films.
Having Hathaway’s Selina Kyle coming back in a supporting bit is also an excellent point because, as you said, we all want more of Hathaway’s Kyle.
I really don’t want this to happen because I love the closed nature of Nolan’s trilogy. But, my goodness, there are ways to making this work that would easily trump what Marvel’s been able to accomplish.
Sigh.
i don’t want them to come back BUT if it means preventing another batman reboot or casting another batman for a justice league movie than i love the idea. and i agree, that batman meeting superman would be geek nirvana. a batman reboot is unfortunately inevitable and i hope to God it isn’t for at least another 10 years. and in 10 years, christian bale could be involved in some projects. i don’t wanna see him return making more batman movies considering he’s supposed to be dead. but as solely batman and just batman. and truthfully i would throw a fit if batman really does get rebooted and they still haven’t done a wonder woman or flash movie. there actually are other superheroes to work with. another idea could be to make a batman beyond movie and then reboot batman as the prequel but that idea never seems to work out so never mind lol
As much as I’d love this to happen, I don’t think it would be that interesting because we would not have a Joker.
So…you don’t think there’s any interesting stories to tell in the DC universe that don’t involve the Joker…?
Nolan? Yes! Bale? no.
I think that the dark knight rises closed Bale’s chapter in batman. I love Bale and his version of the bat, but I think the movie told that he has resigned. I would love to see Joseph Gordon Levitt take over though. He is an awesome actor, and worthy of the cape. The story also allows him to become batman, without it crashing with Wayne’s retirement. I really think Nolan and Levitt would work well…
The good thing about having Levitt is for me his age, he’s inly 32 and thus has plenty of years to do many more Justice League movies.
Just speaking personally, I have NO desire to see a solo Batman movie — and certainly not a JL movie — with John Blake in the suit. I loved the John Blake character, what he represented, what he stood for. I thought he was a beautiful part of TDKR’s story arc. But I’m also one of those fans who violently believes that if it’s not Bruce Wayne in the suit, it’s not Batman — it’s Dick Grayson AS Batman, or Jean-Paul Valley AS Batman, or John Blake AS Batman…and if Superman and Batman are going to meet for the first time, it NEEDS to be the one and only Batman inside the suit.
I think Bale’s inclusion would be great. Like the author said a it would be a new Batman/Bruce Wayne less angry young man more world’s greatest detective.
If they want to make a Justice League movie, they need a new Batman. Because Nolan’s Batman is just too dumb to be THE GODDAMN BATMAN of JLA. Unless they want to make a huge mindless and fun action flick like The Avengers (which I’d still love to see since I love Avengers), but then it will be criticized to death.
Yes Yes YEs YES!!!!
You know I think the big deal about them coming back is only how they are to connect The Dark Knight Trilogy to the JLA, But these guys, are great and, I think that Nolan can come up with something really good.
I don’t really get why people tell a Justice League movie with Bale and Nolan would undermine their previous work.
Wouldn’t it be great to see Batman realize that there’re far more biggest threats in his world than Joker or Bane?
That there are people who doesn’t need billions of dollars and years of training to fight crime? It would create a great tension between Batman and Flash or even Green Lantern as the fact that these dudes were “lucky” enough to get their powers by “accident” and don’t use them properly while he had to train for several years?
It would seriously tear the dark knight franchise to shreds for Nolan to merge the two realities. Where were the superheroes when Bane and Joker were tearing Gotham apart? Nolan’s batman is too “human” to substitute comic book batman. Either they use Azrael Batman (who bears likeness to Nolan Batman) and take him out of Gotham, or they don’t use Batman at all. I believe having someone who looks “like” Nolan Batman would be sufficient for marketing and the commercials for the Justice League. Your average movie goer wouldn’t know that it’s not Bruce Wayne until after they’ve watched the film.
“Where were the superheroes when Bane and Joker were tearing Gotham apart?”
What if Superman is the first “superhero” to appear in this universe — and what if he doesn’t make his debut until after the events of the Dark Knight Trilogy?
If they try to suggest that the events of Man of Steel were happening at more or less the same time as Dark Knight Rises, then you’re opening up a whole big can of worms — why the hell didn’t Superman just fly into Gotham and punch Batman in the face? — but I’d argue having Superman (and co.) not appear until AFTER TDKR preserves the integrity of that trilogy…and, in the bargain, helps to make Batman a true “legend” for the other members of the team.
Meant to type “why the hell didn’t Superman just fly into Gotham and punch BANE in the face?”…man, I really need to get more sleep…
Its easy to bring back Bale as Bruce wayne Because the more he wants to remove the cape the more the world needs batman.
I hope they could also bring back JOKER. It would be intresting to see Jhonny Depp playing the role
I have the same enthusiasm as you when talkign about having a jl with bale. Howver ifeel that having the “wrecked” green lantern beside them woudl simply spoil it.
I’m really curious as to what the “game plan” is for including Green Lantern next to Bale’s Batman, and even next to Cavill’s Superman. Are they going to “reintroduce” the character to audiences in a JL movie, the way they “rebooted” Hulk as Mark Ruffalo in The Avengers? Is it going to be Ryan Reynolds? Do they just not include Green Lantern at all?
I don’t think Joseph Gordon levitte would be a good batman. Just my opinion.
It would be kind of hard to merge batman likehe is into the jl moivie.
To do it they’d have tolighten upthemood of batman. It was very serious. or be more serious with the other movies. (especially green lantern. I dint know what they were thinking in that movie but they have to make a better sequel or reboot it although a reboot would be really sudden after it being released just about 2 years ago). I like what you said about bruce being batman because he wants to not because he needs to. It would be a good way to reintroduce him
I don’t see what the problem is with bringing back bale as batman. Maybe bruce could see the world is in trouble and return to gotham and discover blake is missing. This in turn could be due to bane not truly being dead and coming back to find wayne but got blake instead. Bane could be a villian in justice league
I know my blake/bane excuse is thin but I’m not a writer. I’m sure nolan can think of a better idea to leave out blake or keep him as nightwing for justice league 2 or so. But loved bales portrayal. He is a must in the justice league. No one can ever match him.
Bale is Batman and Levit-Gordon is NightWing,
it´s cool!!
Bale as Batan/Bruce is the best!!
C. B. Jacobsen I really enjoyed this, I’ve heard of far too many people writing for the opposite side of the argument. And I really agree with, I think it was reason 6, about which type of Batman it would be.
If you ask anyone one of the chief reasons Batman is useful on the Justice League is because of his smarts, his tactical and strategic wisdom. We’ve seen Bale as the angry, Bruce-needs-Batman character; he can come back from retirement in JL because (as you said) we switch to the world-needs-Batman instead. This version is much more intelligent and wise, thus certainly viable with his relatively fresh super-powered teammates. This allows Batman to be useful in JL and also justifies Bale coming back.
And as for JGL, I actually really liked him in TDKR. For him to come back, as many have said, why not make him Nightwing? I don’t think he should be promoted to Batman quite yet, he’s still very young in the Dark Knight universe, and he’s too old for Robn. Plus it’s his first name…so not really a great secret identity.