Beyond the story-lines and characters, one of the strongest selling points of Nolan's Bat-trilogy was the universe he created as the canvas for his stories to appear on. The writers and director team made a modern Gotham to match the grand Gothic image of Tim Burton, with far more subtle artistry, adding an authenticity to the world that had never been explored before, and creating a real sense of community within Gotham that made the audience genuinely care for the fate of the citizens. Yes the ultimate end of the trilogy felt a little like neither Nolan nor Bruce Wayne cared about the broken Gotham anymore, but we as an audience did, and the current state of the city would represent an excellent, engaging back-drop to another Batman film immediately following the events of Rises. There might also be ample opportunity to explore the allegorical issues that evaporated rather callously towards the end of the film, about financial villainy, corruption and the wide wounds opened up between the different social classes. Because none of those elements were adequately explored in Rises, in favour of a more conventional bombs and bluster third act. The suggestion that only Batman and Bruce Wayne's stories matter in the wider Bat-Universe misses a major point: Gotham is and always has been as important a player in the grand scheme of things, and Gotham at this current time needs further saving. It is not enough to have a statue and a rookie in place, there are some underlying wounds that will take more healing. That sort of climate is exactly the sort which could breed more super-villains, turning desperate folk into criminals out of necessity, and allowing the real evil figures to take advantage of the situation. But on an even more fundamental level, it is a betrayal to completely reject Nolan's universe in favour of something completely different. Rebooting will mean a new director has to bring in a new vision for Gotham, for fear that they are criticised for aping Nolan too closely. Continuity would create no such problem.