Should There Be Another Batman?
Lately, articles have been popping up regarding the possibility of a Dark Knight sequel not happening. Rumors such as Warner Brothers having a short-list of replacement directors to close sources saying that Nolan won’t return to the film due to Heath Ledgers’ death. As much as many want a sequel to The Dark Knight, should there really be one?
The Dark Knight was a box office juggernaut grossing a little over 1 billion dollars world wide. It is a no brainer that Warner Bros. is pushing Nolan to bring in a sequel regardless of the quality. The hype surrounding Dark Knight, which was also helped by the untimely and unfortunate death of Heath Ledger, propelled this movie into being a must see not just for comic book and pop culture fans alike, but also for all movie goers. My own opinion on the movie, it is the epitome of what Super Hero movies can be when given care and development.
Regardless of the fanboy trolling or praise, or movie studios thirst for money, should there really be a sequel to The Dark Knight? I’m on the side of the fence that is saying to not even go there. Personally, TDK is one of the greatest translations of a comic book character to another medium. As much as I and others would like to see a continuation of the world that Nolan created for the new Batman, the ability to be consistent with the quality of story always comes into question.
Heath Ledgers death unfortunately help propel the movie to a much higher success. Whether the success of the movie would have matched it based on hype alone and not his death will be something we will never know, but Ledger’s brilliant performance as The Joker outshone and made The Dark Knight. Any actor taking up a villain role either as The Joker or someone else in the rogues gallery has to live up to the standard set forth by Ledger and under Nolan’s guidance to fit into the universe. It wasn’t like the Tim Burton interpretation where Jack Nicholson played as The Joker. Ledger became The Joker. Transforming into a character and becoming something unrecognizable to yourself is difficult and almost unmatched by Ledger’s performance.
Christopher Nolan has a clear vision and story he intends to tell with Batman and the characters surrounding his interpretation. Reports stated but never confirmed by Nolan that his latest film was to feature The Joker as the prominent villain in the sequel. While Ledger’s Joker would have been great to see in a sequel to TDK, it seems more of a retread as many will say that The Joker was the star and villain of TDK. As much as mainstream pop culture and the nerd fanbase love the Clown Prince of Crime, in Nolan’s Batman introducing or reintroducing one of Batman’s many villains would allow the world to grow and tell other stories surrounding Gotham City, Batman, and the people.
As any movie studio that hits a cash flow boom with a successful franchise, they want to continue that cash flow. The one name that keeps popping up as a replacement director in case if Nolan decides not to return to his Batman world is Zack Snyder. The problem with changing directors with different styles is the shift in tone and execution. Nolan’s Batman films are very story driven filled with more drama then a high school prom. Zack Snyder visual style is very slick and sexy but has been shown that he is very dependent on the source material using it as a literal translation from page to movie screens. If Snyder or any other director were to take the reigns of Nolan’s Batman they would be put under pressure by the public and the studio to make another Dark Knight.
History tends to repeat itself but with the Batman franchise the 90′s is plagued with bat-nipples along with the rest of the camp and crap of the first franchise. Movie studios should not mess up a good thing and ruin this franchise the George Lucas way by shoveling half-assed stories just because “that’s what fans want.” If Christopher Nolan walks away from this series then the franchise should take a rest and wait 5 to 10 years before relaunching with a new director with a new vision.
More importantly what do you guys think of a sequel to The Dark Knight?
5 Responses to “Should There Be Another Batman?”
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Good article Josh, and I agree with you that the movie franchise either gets the visionary director that made them what they are or stops for awhile.
As we saw with X3, a new director who interrupts a vision, even good intentioned, can be detrimental to the overall feel and story of the film.
Nolan understands the batman universe and has assembled a cast full of people who represent that Gotham.
I don’t think Lucas pushed half-assed stories out for the prequel trilogy. It was just pretty watered down. And the acting didn’t help. And as we know, even the same director can ruin a franchise (RAIMI!).
And whether they make a sequel soon or wait to relaunch, it’s always gonna be compared to The Dark Knight. I’m all for a new Batman.
I am so torn by this because I want Nolan back because I love what he did for the Batman franchise. However, I can understand how he wouldn’t want to sit in that chair again after loosing a close friend.
If they weren’t to make another Batman movie with Nolan’s vision I would be content because of how great The Dark Knight was.
I believe they could do a new Batman without having to find a joker replacement since the joker isn’t the only villain batman faces.
I could totally see the riddler in a new batman movie and if Nolan directs it, the new riddler should be as good as Ledger’s joker. Just saying..
A very awesome read… thank you, Josh.
As for a Dark Knight sequel, Im with the fanboys… I want to see it done. But it HAS to be Mr. Nolan at the helm. There just isn’t anyone else I can think of that is going to take as much care, and put as much love into the project as he would. While the movie was Epic in so many different levels, what made me scream like a fat kid at a chocolate factory, was the fact that while it was a perfectly done “Batman movie”, quite frankly it was just a “perfectly done movie”. It was so very well written and executed that anyone watching couldnt help to think that a man in a bat-suit could actually pull all of this off in the real world. The film took a beloved tale of fiction and fixed it (with crazy glue at that) to our very real world.
Should the Joker return ? Of course not. The late Heath Ledger, DESTROYED that role for ANY other actor to even try. For the rest of our lives we are going to see the Joker as ” a dog that chases cars”. And for that, Im very grateful. But, I would love to see what Nolan has in store for the rest of the bat universe. Poison Ivy ? NO. Mr. Freeze ? No. No CG dependant villians. To me that would destroy the realistic vision. I need the story telling. Nothing else.
My picks for the next film ? Black Mask, to take over the newly unorganized mob families, a very seriously done Riddler , to send Gotham thru another downward spiral and Selina Kyle as a love interest….
Again… great read.