The Future of the Batman Franchise

Listening to the latest Sophist Radio (plug for some great guys) got me thinking. I'm really glad that Christopher Nolan is keeping his Batman movies grounded in reality, but there are so many Batman villains with fantastical powers that would still be awesome in his dark and gritty styled movies. But if/when Nolan does another Batman film, he won't just completely change his direction. So this post must first start with how I think Nolan should end his trilogy of flicks.

Now, I'm not a huge comic fan. In fact I only started reading them a little more then a year or two ago. But I do know that at one point in the comics Bane broke Batmans back and forced him into a sort of retirement. Bane is realistic enough a villain, he's essentially just 'roided out, and given the themes of The Dark Knight I think this story arc would fit perfectly.

Throughout Dark Knight, Batman makes mention of Harvey Dent cleaning up the city. And he hopes that at some point there won't be any need for him at all. So what a fitting end to a trilogy it would be if Bane ended Batmans crime fighting career, but then got locked away by the police. All of a sudden, the whole city rallied behind Batman, and criminals were no longer looked up to or feared, but shunned. Throw a Zodiac-esque Riddler in there for some filler and you've got a hell of a finale.

After that, wait 3 or 4 years and then reboot. Bring on someone who is known for dabbling in some fantasy and has a unique style. I would say Guillermo del Toro but he's the go-to guy for everything these days.

Keep things dark and gritty, but throw in the villains that got overlooked by Nolan because they weren't realistic enough. Clayface, Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy. I suppose you'd run the risk of alienating casual Batman fans who don't know the characters, but they'd probably still be on board just from the Batman name. They could throw in the mainstays like Joker just to ground the movies with recognizable villains but I don't think it'd be necessary.

Would you like to see this happen? Who would you like to see in a more fantastical Batman flick? By the way, don't troll me if I screwed up any Batman lore. All I know of Batman I learned from the animated series I watched everyday after school, so I'm sure I got something wrong.