Batman On Film: How Could The Nolan Series Continue?

With the rumors that persist about Joseph Gordon-Levitt possibly being in talks to appear in the rumored to be in development Justice League movie as Batman, in a attempt to tie in both the Nolan Franchises into the project, a la The Avengers, it brings up some thoughts again as to how could the Dark Knight Series could possibly continue without it imploding into a spectacular failure as the Burton/Schumacher Franchise did.

For starters, before I address anything, let me say that I think that Gordon-Levitt would be a solid choice to be Batman.  His character, John Blake, was a capable detective, of above average intelligence, tough, determined, had a unflinching sense of justice, and was more than able of handling himself in a fight.  Provided that people are willing to see a somewhat different style of Batman, I think that he could be quite successful 

While it's possible that there could be a completely original storyline done by Warner Brothers as far as how they could continue the narrative of Batman with Blake wearing the mantle of the Dark Knight, Nolan's films do draw upon the vast and diverse amount of comic book source material available.  With that in mind, here are four different comic book approaches on how I could see any potential Dark Knight sequels progressing.

Jim Lee did the kick ass artwork above, btw.

The Batman Beyond Approach

The most popular approach that has been recommended, and probably one of the more obvious on the surface, is the Batman Beyond approach.  Batman Beyond, set in the future, is the story of Terry McGuiness, who more or less inherits the mantle of the Batman after his own father is murdered.  Guided by a elderly, but still sharp Bruce Wayne, McGuiness learns the role on the fly, over time becoming more and more skilled as his predecessor, and becoming a capable Batman in his own right.   It would work well, as Detective Blake, aside from his sharp detective skills and above average intelligence, doesn't show much in terms of the necessary fighting skill that made Bruce Wayne such a formidable opponent.  While that could be acquired, Blake is otherwise more than able for the mental rigors of being Batman, which is quite different from McGuiness for much of the series.  Plus, with Bale having all but said goodbye to the series, and his Bruce Wayne having appeared to be at peace and happy for the first time in ages at the end of the The Dark Knight Rises, it's highly unlikely that this will be the way to go.  This doesn't mean that the Batman Beyond concept should be ignored, as the series is now regarded to be a modern classic.  The writing is still excellent, the animation is on par with modern series', and it still feels innovative and fresh when viewed now.  It has aged aged remarkably well, and could be a successful film series in it's own right if Warner Brothers decided to go in a completely different direction than a reboot.  Keep this series in mind, and in the meantime, check out the series if you've never seen it before.

The Batman: Reborn Approach

In 2009, after a storyarc that resulted in the apparent death of Bruce Wayne, and a citywide fight in a chaotic Gotham City instigated by Jason Todd, Bruce's fallen Robin, in The Battle For The Cowl, the Batman titles returned to find a new Batman and Robin team gracing their pages, with Dick Grayson, the original Robin, now wearing the mantle of the Bat, and Damian Wayne, Bruce's highly skilled, but violent and socially inept son, now as Robin.  Though the pairing didn't last, as Wayne eventually returned and the entire DC Universe was rebotted after the events of Flashpoint, the concept of a different man under the mask was highly successful, and incredibly popular, much more so than DC's past failed attempt at replacing Bruce Wayne in the failed experiment of John Paul Valley as Batman.

This is probably the storyline concept that would make the most sense, as Dick Grayson was a younger man that respected the legacy of his mentor, but at the same time was not afraid to be his own man.  He had the uniform altered to fit his fighting style, as well as the technology in some cases, and had his own methods for dealing with the police and with the Rogue's Gallery (most notably the Joker, who actually disappeared during Grayson's tenure, only to turn up posing as a masked detective in the UK.)  For the concept to work, however, the writers of the film would have to consult with Grant Morrison, who planned the entire sequence of events leading to Wayne's exit and Grayson's elevation.  Morrison also operates more or less along the lines of Nolan (in my opinion) and wouldn't be afraid to find new ways to modernize and twist up the various Batvillians into the series.   This is my pic for how the series would continue.

The Three Ghosts Of Batman Approach

Another concept for possibly introducing Blake into the role of Batman would be another Grant Morrison concept, The Three Ghosts of Batman.  In this storyline, Batman stumbles upon three masked pretenders, all clad in some variation of his costume.  As the story develops, Batman uncovers that a failed Gotham P.D./U.S. Military Project to train three capable Gotham City cops, one of whom would replace him if he were ever to fall in the line of duty.  It was an interesting, and at times, twisted story, especially when you saw that the mental conditioning and trauma that would normally serve as the drive that kept Batman going had essentially driven the three insane.  It would certainly be a good approach to see in a Nolan series extension, in which Blake, newly operating as Batman, is confronted by each of the three pretenders, whom all seek to take on the role that they trained for, but was given to Blake.  The problem is that it would be an incredibly difficult concept to pull off believable, and as such, the only would who might be able to pull off the concept might be Nolan himself.  Because Nolan has moved on from the Dark Knight, that's not happening.

The Dark Knight Strikes Back Approach

The Frank Miller era of Batman isn't a new source for the Nolan Franchise.  Batman Begins was very loosely based on Batman:  Year One, and The Dark Knight Rises has elements from The Dark Knight Returns integrated into it.  So why not go back to the Miller well one more time, and use the base premise of The Dark Knight Strikes Back, in which Batman, after a hiatus and taking time to rebuild his body, arsenal, suit, and train and army of vigilantes, returns to take down the totalitarian regime that is run by Lex Luthor.   Except in this case, we can simplify it to being just Blake, having taken the time to condition his body in a manner similar to his predecessor, as well as rebuild the arsenal by collaborating with Lucius Fox, returns to Gotham to strike back at a new criminal syndicate that has formed in the absence of Batman.  It would still have the realistic, gritty appeal of the Nolan films, as well as allow for the introduction of other classic Bat villains to take part in the mayhem (Killer Croc, Harley Quinn and even The Riddler all lend themselves particularly well for the Nolan treatment).  It works from a certain point of view, but you would have to have a creative enough director and writer to pull it off.

All in all, there are several ways you can go for reintroducing a Batman into the Nolan Universe, if you are creative enough.  There are infinite amounts of possibilities, provided the director is as inventive enough as Nolan was.  It all hinges on Warner Brothers, the parent company of DC Comics, feeling on whether or not they are willing to go with a Batman without Bruce Wayne.  It would take a great deal of courage to do so, but it could be immensely successful if they so choose to go in that direction.