There's been speculation on the net, that Nolan is going to end his Batman series by killing the Bat, frankly I think this is bull. There is no way on Earth WB are goin to lose this cash cow, I mean end of the day Batman is Warner's biggest money maker, and in regards to the idea of a rebooted Batman after the Nolan series, I say hell no! The Nolan series portrays the early years of Batman; emphasis on EARLY. Here is my take on how to integrate Nolan's Batman into a more fantasy/comic book stylized series that can fit in with a united DC Universe.
Plot Summary:
The sequel takes place about 2 months after the Dark Knight. Gotham has gone to hell; corruption is rife, gang wars are a regular occurance as criminals try to rise up and take control of the aftermath of the Joker's action, and remenants of the Joker's gang are still about reaking havoc and terrorizing citizens. As Batman is still wanted for the murders, GCPD bring in special agent Edward Nigma of the FBI due to insistance from the new Mayor Rupert Thorne (leading to the emergence of the Ridler). Amongst all the madness, a hier to the Falcone crime family; Roman Sionis tries to control Gotham to fufil his 'family destiny,' etc
Yeah I know I suck with summaries, but heres my casting choices and yes; I will provide more detail into how they fit into the story for Batman 3
Cast:
Bruce Wayne aka Batman - Christian Bale
I love Bale as Batman, cancer voice and all. In Batman Begins, Batman's fighting seemed on point, in the Dark Knight however, he hardly threw a punch (watch it again, he mainly tends to throw people into each other, excluding the Joker interogation scene) and didn't even kick anybody; something that was presented well in Batman Begins. Anyways... my point is I want to see Batman beat the shit out of guys more, however I also want to see the Dark Knight Detective side to him aswell. The presence of the Ridler gives the oppurtunity for Batman to face a physical and mentally challenging enemy. Anyways, Bale also seemed less built in the Dark Knight, so in this sequel I hope he's more pumped and scarier than ever; the fact that Batman's an outlaw, I expect to see a more aggressive 'I DONT GIVE A [frick]' kind of Batman, and as for the suit; I expect it to be a combination of the Begins and Dark Knight suit with a bit more of militaristic tone to it
Alfred Pennyworth - Michael Caine
He is perfect in acting as Bruce's substitue father figure, and I expect him to be present in this film to once again provide his sage like wisdom
Lucius Fox - Morgan Freeman
Again, much like Michael Caine he acts as another substitute father figure for Bruce. In this film, I expect him to design Bruce a new suit, and a new vehicle; seeing as how Batman is an outlaw now, I imagine something more stealthy; maybe a new, more evassive Batmobile? Anyways, storywise again, I imagine Fox to create the 'Oracle satalite,' something that basically allows Bruce to intercept all law enforcement transmissions and stuff; essentially helping him with his more stealthier approach, and staying one step ahead of the cops
Commisoner Gordon - Gary Oldman
A lot of people have complained that Oldman's Gordon isn't as hands on as the comic version. Frankly, I agree and would like to see a more tough guy approach taken with Gordon. Anyways, storywise Gordon is being pressured into assembling more efficient strike teams, etc, to take down the Bat. Due to new Mayor Rupert Thorne strict crime no vigalantes policy, he is forced to get help from the FBI, thus special agent Edward Nigman come to the 'rescue'
Harvey Bullock - Michael Madsen
I imagine this version of Bullock to be an old friend of Dent's looking to replace Gordon and his unit for thier 'incompetence,' and especially someone who makes disgraced detective Ana Ramirez's life hell. Anyways, storywise, I imagine him to be someone who at first butts heads with Gordon, but soon accepts the new 'justice system' of Gotham City
Edward Nigman aka The Riddler - Guy Pearce
Pearce is a great actor and has worked with Nolan before, so thats a plus in my book. Most people maybe critical of this casting, prefering the likes of Johnny Depp, but I feel he is too famous for the role... Anyways with Pearce I feel he can bring this cold, calculating cool to the character, and I also do expect him to put on a bit of muscle so he doesn't seem to scrawny in the role. Storywise, special agent Edward Nigma is a genius super cop, he gets sent to Gotham to take down the Batman, but as he starts to investigate the recent chain of events he becomes obsessed with Batman; going so far as to even create a series of murders to trap Batman, and along the way he learns of Harvey Dent's true demise, essentially threatening the ideal of Gotham deceased White Knight
Roman Sionis aka Black Mask - Tom Hardy
He's already been cast in the movie, and I feel he can do best with this character providing a psychotic villain to match Ledger's Joker. Storywise, Sionis is hier to the Falcone crime family, with the recent death of Maroni, Gamble and the Chechen, he essentially tries to rule all the Gotham crime families and rid the city of the Joker's hold; I imagine him to be like a really old school mafia boss; a crazy, sadistic Vito Corleone essentially. Anyways, I imagine that after his first fight enocounter with Batman the mask gets burnt onto his face, or something, also I imagine him to be at war with 'secret crime boss' Rupert Thorne who not only wants to control the city politically but criminally... lol (doesn't sound right I know...)
Mayor Rupert Thorne - Michael Gambon
After Dent's death an emergency election was held which led to Thorne being elected as Mayor. Storywise, I also imagine him to an old school-esque criminal, who through his connections in the criminal underworld tries to remain the remaining Clowns and Sionis's crime family. I feel Gambon is perfect for the role, not just visually, but if he plays the character like the guy he played from Layer Cake, it could be epic
Dr Hugo Strange - Jackie Earl Haley
I imagine this role to be pretty brief, and should be done primarily to notify the audience of the Joker's status and to maybe act as a cliffhanger or something for potential sequels
Talia Ducard - Sarah Shahi
I much like many of you would like to see Catwoman done in Nolan's Batman series, but I honestly can't see any point to her other than romantic interest, however in my film I'd like a little word of mouth reference to certify she does exist in this Batman universe, just not in this film, maybe Gordon will mention something about sighting of a woman who dresses like a cat or something... Anyways, back to Talia, I imagine her to come to Gotham essentially tricking Bruce into falling for her (but she accidentally falls for him a bit too) to keep him distracted from being Batman, essentially she's here for revenge and she's not alone...
I feel Shahi is perfect for the role; she's sexy and has the right exotic look, and if you've seen her in Life, you'll shes not a bad actress
Ra's Al Ghul - Liam Neeson
With the reintroduction of Ra's, Nolan can give his Batman a more supernatural/comic book vibe, essentailly allowing a way for Warners to combine thier superhero properties. Anyways, I imagine this role to be kind of brief, like a cameo, I imagine that he should be in a wheelchair or soemthing, just to show he's still kind of messed up from the train fight, and storywise, much like how he was first presented in Batman Begins, I imagine him to be a shadowy 'behind the scenes' figure who provides the obsessed Nigma with information that reveals Dent's darkness. Speaking of which, as I want Ra's to return it obvious I approve of the notion of Lazarus Pits, so this begs to question wether Harvey Dent could make a comeback? Again something for a possible sequel
Well guys, that's my take on Batman 3! Hope you enjoy, and leave your comments below!