After The Dark Knight Rises: 5 Reasons a Batman Reboot Must Happen
You shouldn’t be angry or sad that Batman is being rebooted. In fact, you should be excited. Here's why.
Its hard to believe it is all over. In 2005, relative newcomer Christopher Nolan resurrected the Batman film franchise with Batman Begins, taking the once dead franchise and rejuvenating it in all the right ways. For the first time on film, the character of Bruce Wayne and his alter ego Batman was fully explored, revealing a psychologically fascinating individual tormented by the guilt he felt over the tragic death of his parents. Viewers unfamiliar with the character, such as my self at the time, finally understood why he remains the most popular super hero of all time. Batman fans and casual audiences both responded with unbridled enthusiasm, and so it was no surprise that Warner Brothers brought back Nolan and his creative team to helm the sequel, The Dark Knight. Expectations were understandably high, and the film not only met them, but exceeded them. The combination of Nolans finely crafted story with Ledgers unforgettable performance as the Joker created a force that took hold over the cultural zeitgeist, so much so that there was a very public outcry when the Academy didnt nominate it for Best Picture. Once again, both the studio and audiences urged Nolan to return. He did, but it came with a disclaimer: his third Batman film, titled The Dark Knight Rises, would be his last and end his vision of Batman with a definitive conclusion. However, before the film even hit theaters, there was already talk from WB of a reboot going forward. This news was understandably met with mixed emotions. At the time, I refused to give much thought to a reboot when I had yet to even see The Dark Knight Rises. Such talk should have been left to after the film had been released, and personally I found it a bit disrespectful to the filmmakers to even consider it so soon. With the film having been in theaters for over a month now, and the film itself having been critiqued and analyzed in every possible way, now is as good a time as any to look towards the future of the Batman film franchise post Nolan. As I mentioned, news of a Batman reboot has been met with mixed reactions. Some feel that a reboot is the best, even necessary, way forward. Others have rolled their eyes at the mere thought of a reboot so soon after the ending of Nolans series. In the jaded and cynical world of the internet, such a reaction is expected. The term reboot has become somewhat of a dirty word within the film industry. Studios appear to be completely out of ideas; merely rehashing, rebooting, and remaking well known and popular franchises. Nowadays it seems like everything is getting a reboot; The Amazing Spider-Man being the most recent example. This negative attitude is amplified when in relation to Nolans Batman series. People, including myself, love these films, and hate the idea of rebooting the franchise so soon. Well my friends, Im here to tell you why you shouldnt be angry or sad that Batman is being rebooted. In fact, you should be excited.