Some people just don't know how to give up. While there's been a lot of talk about who is going to dawn the cawl in "Superman Vs. Batman", it's been rumored that Chaitin Bale has been offered up to 60 million dollars to reprise his role as the Caped Crusader. Up till now, Bale has remained pretty adamant that he will not be returning to play Batman, but at some point, if they keep throwing bigger amounts of money at him, he's going to cave.
It's undeniable that Christopher Nolan's interpretation of the "Dark Knight" has been one of the most successful comic-book adaptations ever. (Even if the final movie in his trilogy didn't hit the notes as well as its predecessor.) And I think much of that had to do with the fact that each of the movies were good-to-great films in their own right, not just because of the logo the main character wears on his chest. Christopher Nolan just knows how to make a good film.
One of the biggest complaints circulating the tubes about bringing Nolan's Batman into the JLA universe is Bale's Batman was in more of a "real world" setting than something as far out as Superman would exist in. But, I think the fanciful world Nolan created with Wanes far out tech, and the realism Zack Snyder injected into Daily City, makes the two an easier blend than most people think.
But, Batman Begins was released eight years ago. Isn't it time to let someone else step into the roll, and take the franchise into a new direction? For me, this is one of those nerd-questions that I can debate with myself on, and still come out perfectly torn. If I had to chose, I'd say Bale is the safer of the options: we've already established his back story, we accept Bale in the role, and it keeps an already established Bruce Wane story moving forward. And with the plan to do an older, more seasoned and possibly more jaded Dark Knight, not only do I think it won't "undo" the ending of The Dark Knight Rises, I think it could come across as a logical extension of the character.
On the other hand, TDK trilogy had a complete arc for the character. It also ended on a somewhat divisive finally, compared by some to Spiderman 3. And a fresh take might be nice, if not a little soon. It certainly will open up for this current generation of JLA characters to give Batman its own origin, which, considering the property, if they do decide to go with a reboot over a continuation, we will get a re-telling of the beginning years. And that brings up the discussion of putting the Bats most famous villain back on screen, the Joker. Be it too soon or not, if done right, it would be a pretty spectacular thing to see.
I could go on and on debating back an forth. If we have to see Batman rebooted, I'd like to have some space between them, but that's not the reality of the industry right now, and I'm kind of cool with that, too. It's fun to see what different artists envision for the character. But then again, Nolan is involved with this series, too, and it might feel like a retooling of the exact same picture, not just the broad strokes of the bare bones to the Batman mythos. And there I go again...
Cody Hobbs
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