6. The Dark Knight Returns
Who is to say that Bruce Wayne has actually retired and given up the cape and cowl for good? Sure, Gotham believes that Bruce Wayne is dead (well until someone spots him in Florence or wherever and catches a picture of him with their iPhone... let's not forget he is an eccentric billionaire of great notoriety) but this could only help his cause as Batman if he wants to return. He no longer has to pretend to be a playboy or live the life of Bruce Wayne at all, he can simply focus on being Batman and ridding Gotham of the kind of evil that had recently engulfed it. And let's consider what happened at the end of The Dark Knight Rises again shall we. Batman is indeed shown in Florence and he has indeed given coordinates and directions to Blake to find the Batcave but is it ever specifically mentioned that he has retired? What if Bruce Wayne is simply on a long holiday with Selina Kyle and he fully intends to come back to Gotham after a vacation and help mentor Blake as his new sidekick... A lot of criticism has been delivered at Nolan for ending his saga the way he did with Batman giving up the mantle of the Caped Crusader but maybe the new director will simply decide that he hasn't. If the storyline for the new Batman movie follows the plot line that we have outlined above concerning Blake's struggle to take on the responsibility of Batman occurs, then a third act is required that sees Bruce Wayne return to Gotham and to stop Blake before he tries himself insane and becomes an executioner. This could even lead to a Batman vs Batman fight - a battle over the Cowl - perhaps with Anne Hathaway's Catwoman having come between Bruce and Blake as a love triangle ensues (comic book movies always revert back to love triangles and there's a good reason for that... because it works!). Of course a new actor would be required to play Bruce Wayne now that Christian Bale doesn't want to comeback without Nolan but there'll be plenty of fine actors out there to take on the cape and cowl. The Dark Knight Returns is by far the most expected film title for the next Batman entry. It works, it sounds iconic, it fits in with the title and yes, it has been used in a famous comics storyline but who cares?