So what the heck should they do for the next Batman movie?

Christopher Nolan has just wrapped up arguably the greatest superhero trilogy of all time, and he did so in spectacular style. His three films – Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises – are all fantastic! Not a stinker in the bunch! And they’re not just good superhero films, they’re a cinematic masterpiece! A trilogy that’s greater than its individual parts.

They were awesome movies, is what I’m trying to say. But both Christopher Nolan and lead actor Christian Bale have repeatedly said that they’re done with the series. It’s over. They’re moving on. And Nolan, especially, was the creative driving force behind those films.

So Warner Bros. has now got to decide what to do with the Batman movie franchise without Nolan.

The previous time the franchise was without Nolan…

The way I see it, they’ve got three choices: keep going with a new director, total reboot, or the third option, which I think is the best option:

Wait until the Justice League movie.

Join me after the jump for an explanation. And there will definitely be SPOILERS for The Dark Knight Rises.

First, let’s talk about their other options.

If you’ve seen The Dark Knight Rises, you know that it ends with Robin, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, finding the Batcave while Bruce Wayne retires to a life of luxury. I’m not fool enough to believe that John Blake will actually dress up as the comic book Robin, or even take on the Nightwing identity from the comics. He’s going to be the next Batman, simple as that, at least as far as Nolan’s story is concerned.

So Warner Bros. could simply continue this story with a new director. It would be uncharted territory. John Blake was invented by Nolan for his movies. Even if he’s a version of Robin, he’s not one that ever existed in the comics. Nor has Wayne Manor ever been transformed into the Thomas and Martha Wayne Home for Wayward Kidfolk, or whatever it was called. So whichever director that takes over would be telling a Batman story that had never been told before – but that’s not a problem. There’s plenty of story potential in John Blake learning to become Batman.

He’s got a whole orphanage of sidekicks to choose from

He’s already got the detective part down, and that one orphan kid he kept talking to could be his sidekick!

However, I don’t recommend this route. Even if they could get Gordon-Levitt back, along with some of the other actors, like Morgan Freeman or Gary Oldman, I think the WB should just let Nolan’s version stand on its own. Not that movie executives care about the purity of cinema, but in this instance, they should leave the Nolanverse alone.

Or just shine the ‘Nolan Light’ in the sky and hope he returns

So what about a reboot in a few years?

Batman Begins itself was a reboot, saving us all from the memory of the Batman movies in the 90s. And films like The Incredible Hulk and The Amazing Spider-Man are proof enough that moviegoers are willing to accept a reboot of a superhero movie even within only a few years. So a reboot is very doable.

But keep in mind, those reboots occurred after universally hated prior movies. Batman and Robin, Spider-Man 3 and Ang Lee’s Hulk were all disasters, so a reboot was a good idea in those cases. Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy is universally beloved. Would that make a difference?

I don’t think it would. I think moviegoers understand the concept of a reboot well enough that if Warner Bros. came out and said they’re making a new Batman film with a new director, a new story and a new direction, people would understand and be cool about it. I think people understand that Christopher Nolan’s vision was key to the awesomeness of the previous movies, and they would be willing to accept a new version of Batman on the big screen.

Such was the case with Sam Raimi’s vision to the Spider-Man films, but a lot of people still went and watched Marc Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man this year. I know I loved the reboot.

Bring on the new trilogy!

So for my money, I think Warner Bros. should do a reboot…but they should wait until they come out with that Justice League movie they’ve been crowing about in 2015.

Granted, I don’t have a whole lot of faith in Warner Bros. to make any superhero movies ever again. These are the people who passed on Joss Whedon’s Wonder Woman, and eventually produced Green Lantern. So despite the fact that Warner Bros. has been making movies for decades, sometimes they can really suck at it.

However, let’s give them the benefit of the doubt. Let’s say they really make a worthwhile live action Justice League movie  in 2015. If that’s the case, I doubt they’re going to be able to go the Marvel route and make solo movies for Wonder Woman, Flash, Aquaman and whomever else between now and then. So a lot of these characters are just going to appear in the Justice League movie.

And if they’re already doing that…why not do it for Batman as well?

He would be their leader

People already know Batman, they already know his origins and everything there is to know about him. So when it comes time to make the Justice League movie, I think DC and Warner Bros. should create a new film Batman and just have him as a member of the League. He could be similar to Nolan’s Batman, but I don’t think they should have the John Blake Batman on the League. Make it Bruce Wayne, and just make him a general Batman. Not Nolan’s Batman. Not Schumacher’s Batman. Not Burton’s Batman. Just have any old Batman in the film. People will be able to keep up.

And then after Justice League, take that Batman and spin him off into his own films. Just like Wonder Woman, Flash, and the others. And there you’d have your rebooted Batman, one with strong ties to the Justice League, and could therefore tell stories that weren’t possible in the Nolanverse.

At least that’s how I think it should be done. What do you guys think? Let me know in the comments!