3. Convince Michael Caine, Gary Oldman & Morgan Freeman To Stay On Board
So Christian Bale is staying loyal to Christopher Nolan and doesn't want anything to do with any Batman movie that he is not involved in and whilst for a time it looked like Gary Oldman, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman thought the same way, the end of The Dark Knight Rises perhaps suggests they haven't fully given up the series... yet. Depending on who Warner Bros hire and what direction they go in, Oldman, Freeman and Caine might just be tempted back. The trio certainly weren't written out of the storylines. The veteran actors, who all fit their roles in this Batman universe like a glove, are so desperately required by WB to stay on board if the studio want to keep the continuity moving forward with Blake. At least two of the three need to, especially Caine and Oldman and it will be great to see how they interact with a new Batman in the form of Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Alfred has a new orphan he needs to take care of and nurture as he takes his first steps into the world of being a crime-fighting vigilante. Re-casting Michael Caine with any veteran actor in the role of Alfred wouldn't come across too well. Similarly, it needs to be Oldman's Gordon who the new Batman (or Robin or Nightwing) interacts with as he is the living embodiment of that character and wouldn't it be something to see how Blake's vigilante and Gordon interact, knowing how little Blake now thinks of Gordon. The new Batman/Gordon relationship won't be like the old one... Blake turned his back on Gordon when he found out the truth behind the cover-up of the Dent act. His hero in the police department was a fraud all along and seeing how this dynamic plays out for a sequel could be fascinating. Of course if none of the three can be convinced on returning, it leaves Warner Bros with the difficult task of finding new actors to play these roles in what will become an odd move forward in continuity and one that seems inadvisable.