First and foremost, I completely agree with the notion of leaving the usual Batman continuity alone for awhile. What I suggest though, is most definitely the take on Batman Beyond and The Dark Knight Returns. I know there are a lot of people reiterating the same thoughts as I do, but I feel as though they will only help the franchise.
The main reason as to why these takes on Batman would work wonders is because people like Batman and after Nolan is done people may not get their fix. Creating a Beyond or Returns live action film would fill the void left by the current trilogy but at the same time take the series in a new direction and see the Dark Knight from different vantage points.
When it comes to Batman films there has never been a direct adaption as far as comic books go. Batman Begins was loosely based on Batman: Year One, but solely for the fact that it was simply an origins story. It was a great film and set up the trilogy better than anybody could have ever imagined, but it still wasn't a direct adaptation. Now with that said a direct adaptation is open to a lot of scrutiny and discussion, but if done right may actually please more people who have followed Batman stories. I for one have always been interested in seeing Year One, The Man Who Laughs or even Knightfall made into a full length feature film. Because Year One has more or less been taken care of, why not do The Dark Knight Returns? It's arguably one of the greatest graphic novels of all time (and not just as far as Bats goes), so why not? After the original trilogy why not have a story about a restless, not to mention aged Bruce Wayne waging his war on Gotham again? It gives the series a greater sense of continuity, but from a completely different angle.
Once this has been done, why not create the Batman Beyond movie that should have been made years ago? The best thing about that now is that we probably wouldn't see a Batman Beyond movie until at least 2022, or somewhere around there, and we have no idea how far technology and film will have come by then. In this case a Batman Beyond movie may seem more relevant to the time and because of advances in film making (I'd expect) would be made with the care and justice it deserves. And come on, who can honestly say they didn't think that theme song was totally bad ass and cool?
Quite simply I think that these ideas are very realistically possible, especially when we consider the time frame between now and when they would be created. It would be fantastic to see Bruce Wayne taking on the aged Joker and Two-Face, and it would finally give way to the Batman/Supes confrontation that film has lacked over time. Coincidentally, with the Joker in mind, it would give people a chance to see another take on the Clown Prince of Crime. Far too often people say that the Joker is Heath Ledgers legacy, and as great as his performance was, the Joker much like Batman is bigger than one man. Ledger had portrayed many different characters over his successful career and I'm sure he would love to see somebody else's take on the same character. The way I see it, every comic book writer has a different take on not just the joker, but every character in the comic books. Why not let somebody else have a crack at him? by the time he's 60 he may have become the Joker portrayed in the Man Who Laughs, rather than Ledgers portrayal. Characters change over time and it's this type of continuity that would allow actors and directors alike the opportunity to flirt with new ideas for the character, because really without the Joker there is no Batman and visa-versa, they say it often themselves. There is no greater dynamic between two foes anywhere in comics and it shouldn't be limited to one persons adaptation or view.
This is simply a little rant, for lack of a better term, and just my response to the people who bash the idea of a new Joker. It's also my opinion on the future of the Batman series, you don't have to agree with it, but if done right this may provide an extremely entertaining continuity and provide viewers with new material on a very popular and deep character. A full reboot clearly isn't needed, Star Wars successfully completed this feat with their 6 films, so why can't Batman?