3. The Dark Knight Trilogy is Off Limits
Having a strong foundation is critical in building up a crossover universe. Marvel Studios found that in
Iron Man and Warner Bros. hopes to have that in
Man of Steel, but there's no doubt the latter studio would have loved to use the $2.5 billion
Dark Knight franchise as its springboard. Arguments that Christopher Nolan's grounded take would have been a poor fit for an eventual Justice League movie are valid, but that's generally not the kind of thing a studio cares about. If reports in March 2013 were true, Warner Bros. at least attempted to bring back Christian Bale as Batman for some kind of team up with Henry Cavill's Superman. No deal was struck and Warner Bros. Pictures Group President Jeff Robinov has since confirmed Nolan's trilogy will stand alone. It would have been great for Warner Bros. if it could have retroactively brought the most successful solo superhero franchise ever into the fold. The DC Cinematic Universe would have already had three successful films to its credit with one more potential hit not far off. Those dreams are gone. Instead, it's back to the drawing board to see what happens after
Man of Steel gives the studio the shot in the arm everyone expects.