1. Hand Over Nolan's Universe To Another Director
When rumours of The Dark Knight Rises first surfaced, it didnt seem entirely clear if Christopher Nolan himself would return to the franchise. Having dismissed the idea of a directing a threequel on several occasions, it was suggested that Nolan might take on a producing role with another director taking the helm - in a similar repeat of Tim Burtons shifting role on Batman Forever. Even Warner Brothers themselves speculated on the possibility of another director continuing the trilogy. With Nolan's help or not, the phenomenal success of The Dark Knight insured the necessity of a sequel. Therefore, despite Nolans insistence that this is the definitive conclusion to his trilogy, theres no real way of knowing how much leverage Warner Bros hold over the future of the universe of which he has built up over the three films. It might be slim, but who knows if someone like Zack Snyder or (gasp) McG will be brought in to create a fourth film - perhaps with an entirely new cast - which fits closely in line with the three films which have come before.