Last month, I wrote an editorial on whether or not I thought Green Lantern should get a sequel or just be rebooted. You wonderful people here at CBM responded so greatly to it, that I have decided to make a monthly Reboot or Sequel series. This month I will be tackling one that is still fresh in our minds, The Dark Knight Trilogy. This is a little bit different than say, the Green Lantern argument, because with these movies we have a successful interpretation of Batman with the Christopher Nolan trilogy. On the other hand, Nolan and company have no intentions of continuing his Dark Knight tale even though he specifically left a little cliffhanger in The Dark Knight Rises with Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s character, John Blake A.K.A. Robin, finding the Batcave. Even with that set up, the right move for Warner Brothers is to reboot the Batman franchise. I am not saying that there needs to be a Batman movie out next year, however there are just too many reasons why a reboot needs to be done. Check out my main reasons below.
If DC is setting up a shared universe, Bruce Wayne needs to be a part of it.
At the end of
The Dark Knight Rises the people of Gotham are led to believe that Batman has sacrificed himself to save the people of Gotham. We are also treated to a teaser at the end of the film which reveals that John Blake has found the Batcave which leads viewers to think that he might take up the mantle of the Bat. With DC
rumored to be working towards a shared universe, they need to have one of their most recognizable characters, Bruce Wayne, involved. Superman and Batman are the two crown jewels of the DC universe and to have a Batman that is John Blake would just ruin any (I use the term any here loosely) momentum they have to catch up with Marvel.
Batman NEEDS The Joker.
Heath Ledger did an amazing job as The Joker in Nolan’s second installment to his trilogy
The Dark Knight. Unfortunately Ledger passed away at the way too young age of 28, putting a damper on The Joker ever showing up in Nolan’s Batman universe again. The downside to using The Joker is that he has been featured in multiple movies and television shows about The Caped Crusader. However, The Joker is part of what makes Batman tick. They have to keep it fresh though, or they run the risk of over doing it like they have with Lex Luthor in the Superman movies. As anxious as I am to see what group of villains the next group of Bat filmmakers have in store, Joker has to be a part of it.
It's an opportunity to make Batman films more like the comics.
I love The Dark Knight Trilogy. They are extremely well made movies and they have kept Batman exposed to the world. I believe that the next set of movies need to take some of that reality based premise away. By doing this, you open up the world to more villains and don’t have to keep recycling the same ones that have been used for years and years now. Being able to use such rogues as Killer Croc and Clayface, among others could really get people in the seats at the theater by making them curious and saying, “I haven’t seen Batman fight this guy on the big screen before.”
In closing, I would just like to reiterate that I have enjoyed Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy a lot, but if DC wants to catch up to Marvel in the movie department, rebooting with fresh faces/characters is the way to go for The Dark Knight. To reboot correctly, DC/WB needs not to rush this. Batman is still on the brain with The Dark Knight Rises opening just two weeks ago, and the last thing the Warner Brothers needs is a set back with one of its flagship characters. Let me know what you think though. Would you rather WB just continue with the continuity they have and let Joseph Gordon-Levvit be Batman, or are you with me on rebooting it? Sound off in the comments below!
Have an idea for next months sequel or reboot article? Leave a comment in the comment boxes. You can also click the contact me button in the article and drop me an e-mail.