5. It's the Only Option Going Forward
Warner Brothers has only two options going forward. They could either continue Nolans series without him, or they could reboot the series entirely. Looking at these two options, is it any surprise that WB chose that latter? Choosing to continue Nolans series without any of the creative talent involved would be shooting themselves in the foot. It would upset nearly everyone involved. Nolan would undoubtedly be unset with WB, tarnishing their professional relationship, and WB knows this. Nolan is their golden boy, and you can bet that they will do whatever they can to keep him around. However, lets say WB forgoes their relationship with Nolan and were to continue making Batman films set within the his continuity. They convince Joseph Gordon-Levitt to reprise his role as John Blake, hire a decent screenwriter to helm the script, and even get a promising director. Does anyone really want to see this movie? Sure, Blake taking over the mantle of Batman makes for a great trilogy closer, but building an entire movie off of that premise would be a huge mistake. Conceptually it falls flat because nobody wants to see a Batman movie without Bruce Wayne behind the cape and cowl. He is the heart and soul of the character. Yes, I know other people have been Batman during Bruces absences in the comics, but those are comics. Whether you want to admit it or not, the Batman movies are made for general audiences unfamiliar with the comic books. For most people, Bruce Wayne is automatically associated with Batman. Id guess that having anyone else be Batman in a movie would turn off or confuse a significant portion of the potential audience. From both a business and creative standpoint, WB knows that rebooting is the only way to go.