The Dark Knight Rises How Would You Continue the Story from TDKR? (Spoilers)

[Chrisbarnes182]

I would prefer a reboot completley. I like the fact the ending we have, is we know if for whatever reason Gotham needs him, there is a Batman who can return. But that makes the ending great, even on leaving Bruce ensures there is always a protector who can take the mantle.

The thing though that would interest me though would be how Blake would become trained to become the Bat.

My views on this have change so many times since seeing TDNR.

I would still love for them to continue Blake story. I'm having the idea now that seeing as Blake known Bruce is alive(or he finds out from the batcave.) That Bruce could contact him Blake could travel to Europe or wherever Bruce maybe and Bruce can train him.

Although I would'nt want this in the movie. Maybe just have it talked about.

 

[shauner111]

The only way i would have ever wanted Bruce to come back in the story, as Batman, is if Heath was still alive. And any kind of future appearance by Bale would only make sense to me if JGL's Blake traveled out of the country to be trained by Bruce. In a way that parallels the Ras/Bruce training from Begins, just with no ulterior motives on Bruces part of course.

Otherwise Bruce Wayne, in this continuity...is done. He rides off into the sunset, and so does Selina, and that arc is over.

A Catwoman spin-off/prequel? Hell yes. I mean it wouldn't make a difference in my life if it never happened, but a script written by Jonathan Nolan would work perfectly in the 8 year gap.

I still think Bruce (in his batcave on his computer) as well as Gordon and the rest of the police could have encountered and locked away Riddler during the gap. I think that's a story that could have taken place but i prefer having him in a future Batman movie.

Hypothetically, if Blake were to continue this story as the new Batman (new suit that fits him physically and personality wise) or Nightwing..i think Riddler would work in the first movie. It would make sense to get Jonathan Nolan on board as well since someone said it was his idea to write in the orphanage stuff. It still takes place in Gotham City, so Batmans rogues can be used. Blake was a detective, so his skills would be used as well.

It could be 2-3 movies that explore Blakes journey from already being Robin (which was revealed in Rises) to protecting Gotham as Nightwing through the course of the next couple of films. Doing a Nightwing spin-off that serve as sequels to TDKR would be more suitable for JGL, while Hathaway returns as Catwoman in prequel to TDKR. Could be interesting if written by Jonathan.

In terms of tone or direction. I like the idea of incorporating bits and pieces from Aronofskys Year One script, with hints of Batman Beyond & Under The Red Hood. Bringing back Arkham Asylum into the story in the Narrows. Using the tone of the Arkham City games a little. Riddler would be fantastic like i said for that first movie. Cast a huge actor in the role, the marketing for this would be insane, WB can use it to their advantage. It works as a detective story where Nygma can be a private investigator or something.

I like the ideas that some ppl had already of using Penguin as the owner of a casino, and of Freeze. The sequel would feature this Penguin, set in autumn, mixing the crime genre with some horror. One thing about Nolan was he always changed the tone and sometimes the genre with each film, to keep things fresh and moving forward. This would be no different. Prisoners need to be captured by the police and Blakes new identity so a cameo or fight scene with Deadshot would be a cool nod. Also a way to lead into WB's Suicide Squad villain team-up, which of course includes Deadshot.

Gordon should be used, Barbara Gordon should be used, a Fox or Alfred cameo wouldnt hurt but isn't necessary. Oldman and JGL would probably be excited to work together again as these characters especially if it's with a director that they both admire like Aronofsky.

These are my ideas for right now, they're always changing lol. The last thing ill say is for a Anne Hathaway/Selina Kyle prequel, i think Juno Temple should return with an expanded role. Villain? This is where Roman Sionis aka Black Mask can be used. He has such a history with her and Holly Robinson from the comics. And you can incorporate some of the Falcones into the story. i have a feeling a movie like this could end up with an R-Rating. Why not?

 

[ShadowBoxer]

Well with the ending is pretty clear that they could have spin off's with JGL as Robin, a new Batman, or Nightwing. He could face off against villians like Black Mask, Riddler, and any of the other villians that could work in the real world. (Though I would love to see Freeze, Ivy, Clayface in a future Batman movie and not done in a campy way like the George Clooney Batman movies ugh).

 

[DACrowe]

I can't believe how many fans want to see or think the ending actually implies Bruce will return to the cape.

No. After TDKR, Bruce Wayne is Batman: NO MORE. As it stands he was only Batman for about a year and a half (the time span of BB and TDK) before retiring for eight whole years and then came back for a another six month stint.....five of which he spent recovering in a prison cell halfway around the world.

Bruce is no longer Batman. I wish it was implied that Bruce had been Batman for 3-5 years of that time jump between TDK and TDKR, but Nolan went very realistic (physical therapists say someone doing what Batman does could only do it for about 3 years before his body began giving out on him). Bruce is well past his prime in TDKR and retires, like Alfred wanted, at the end. He's trying to live a normal life. Fin.

All that said, I'd love to see John Blake's adventures as Batman. But without Nolan, it will not happen.

 

[shauner111]

Well with the ending is pretty clear that they could have spin off's with JGL as Robin, a new Batman, or Nightwing. He could face off against villians like Black Mask, Riddler, and any of the other villians that could work in the real world. (Though I would love to see Freeze, Ivy, Clayface in a future Batman movie and not done in a campy way like the George Clooney Batman movies ugh).

I think Freeze can be done realistically. It's not as over the top as some people make it out to be. It might not be as realistic as Heaths Joker but you can ground it.

My issue now is the whole thing between Freeze and his wife, the tragedy of it, the "sympathetic villain". Plus the winter backround and the villain who is a large man, not exactly in his youth and....bald. It all sort of resembles not only Harvey Dents arc as Two-Face in TDK (especially with the tragedy of Rachel thrown in) but also of the tone of Rises plus Bane. Who was the large, bald villain who was quite intelligent.

They have to watch it with Riddler too, do everything they can to avoid Joker similarities.

 

[zmystico]

In 5 years, reboot the series with an already established Batman and then show his origin via flashbacks.

 

[dmorley21]

I think a Selina Kyle prequel would be awesome. Anne has already said she'd have some interest, and Chris has said she deserves a solo movie. They left her background wide open in this movie, so there's just a ton of material to work with.

As for continuing the series with JGL, I'd be okay with that. One could argue that both Mr. Freeze (cryogenic sleep comment by Fox) and Killer Croc (alligators in the sewers comment) were referenced the way Joker, Two-Face, and Catwoman were in previous films. Both villains would have to undergo some major changes to fit into this world, but that's okay.

I also think Riddler would be a perfect match for whoever JGL becomes. The best villains reflect something about the hero, and John Blake was a detective, and a pretty good one at that. Penguin's shady casino business could also work in that fashion.

 

[The Guard]

If they were going to continue along with this story, a pseudo BATMAN BEYOND type story where Blake takes over as Batman would make the most sense. Fox could be involved, and so, really, could Alfred. I don't see the point, though, I think it works better open-ended, and it would just be more of the same, but with Blake.

I do think that the idea that Bruce Wayne couldn't return based on the end of TDKR is ridiculous.

The end of THE DARK KNIGHT RISES indicates that Bruce has passed on his mantle, and that he has stopped dwelling on his pain and begun to enjoy life. For all we know he's just on vacation for a while. Nothing inherent in the ending says that he could not return to the war on crime if needed, or even become Batman again.

Would it be as satisfying as Bruce finding happiness? No, not for him, but then Bruce Wayne's life is hardly perfect, is it?

He already quit once for eight years...and guess what? He came back.

Do you know how many times Bruce has passed on his mantle and come back to reclaim it in the comics? More than once or twice.

I don't think its likely, but its certainly not impossible.

 

[shauner111]

This isn't the comics though. It would defeat the purpose and be more of the same. Another retirement story to have him return much older and once again out of touch with it physically? Nope, not something i want to see.

He succeeded in doing what he set out to do when he was 29 years old and now his journey is complete, he is no longer the Batman. The man deserves to be away from Gotham and live in peace, have kids, get married, etc. Even if Gotham goes bad again, it's not his job anymore, that should be Blakes job, and every citizen who resides there. It's THEIR turn to take care of each other and their city. Not Bruce's.

As for continuing the series with JGL, I'd be okay with that. One could argue that both Mr. Freeze (cryogenic sleep comment by Fox) and Killer Croc (alligators in the sewers comment) were referenced the way Joker, Two-Face, and Catwoman were in previous films. Both villains would have to undergo some major changes to fit into this world, but that's okay.

I also think Riddler would be a perfect match for whoever JGL becomes. The best villains reflect something about the hero, and John Blake was a detective, and a pretty good one at that. Penguin's shady casino business could also work in that fashion.

Bingo. Riddler and Penguin are great opponents for Blakes Batman if they ever choose to go that route. And obviously, very easy for WB to market the hell out of them. They're crazy popular and a lot of people think they need a makeover. It'll be a good 20 years since Riddlers been on the big screen by the time something comes out. Penguin has already hit that 20 year mark this year.

 

[Spideristic]

Five Things I Want In The BATMAN Reboot | Badass Digest
Not sure how many of these ideas WB is going to consider, but Batman being a master detective should be a key factor for the next installment of the Batman franchise and yes no more origin.

 

[DACrowe]

If they were going to continue along with this story, a pseudo BATMAN BEYOND type story where Blake takes over as Batman would make the most sense. Fox could be involved, and so, really, could Alfred. I don't see the point, though, I think it works better open-ended, and it would just be more of the same, but with Blake.

I do think that the idea that Bruce Wayne couldn't return based on the end of TDKR is ridiculous.

The end of THE DARK KNIGHT RISES indicates that Bruce has passed on his mantle, and that he has stopped dwelling on his pain and begun to enjoy life. For all we know he's just on vacation for a while. Nothing inherent in the ending says that he could not return to the war on crime if needed, or even become Batman again.

Would it be as satisfying as Bruce finding happiness? No, not for him, but then Bruce Wayne's life is hardly perfect, is it?

He already quit once for eight years...and guess what? He came back.

Do you know how many times Bruce has passed on his mantle and come back to reclaim it in the comics? More than once or twice.

I don't think its likely, but its certainly not impossible.

That's the comics where the story can never end. There has to be a return to the status quo at the end of the day so you can have the same stories for (supposedly) the next generation. I.E. Batman is Bruce Wayne who with his trusty butler Alfred fights crime with a family of sidekicks and a trusting Police Commissioner Gordon who can never know the truth. If something changes (Catwoman discovers hid identity, Batgirl gets paralyzed, Jason Todd/Robin 2 gets killed, Dick Grayson becomes Batman), it is always temporary and gets retconned.

Movies don't work like that. Nolan has the luxury of giving an ending to his story. Bruce, who could barely get back in the suit at the beginning of TDKR, retires and moves on from his pain at the end of TDKR. His pain is why he couldn't let go of Batman. He has and in Nolan's universe that means he is done.

 

[Prison Mike]

I can't believe how many fans want to see or think the ending actually implies Bruce will return to the cape.

No. After TDKR, Bruce Wayne is Batman: NO MORE. As it stands he was only Batman for about a year and a half (the time span of BB and TDK) before retiring for eight whole years and then came back for a another six month stint.....five of which he spent recovering in a prison cell halfway around the world.

Bruce is no longer Batman. I wish it was implied that Bruce had been Batman for 3-5 years of that time jump between TDK and TDKR, but Nolan went very realistic (physical therapists say someone doing what Batman does could only do it for about 3 years before his body began giving out on him). Bruce is well past his prime in TDKR and retires, like Alfred wanted, at the end. He's trying to live a normal life. Fin.

All that said, I'd love to see John Blake's adventures as Batman. But without Nolan, it will not happen.

Same here. I would love to see a continuation of Blake as Batman but it probably won't happen. Might as well reboot the franchise but I hope they wait more than 10 years before doing so. I feel the Spider-Man reboot was too soon and not needed. They should focus on other characters right now.

 

[warhorse78]

I like reboots when it comes to comic films. It makes them kinda like comics. A creative team comes on, does their thing, then a new team comes on and does something different. While I certainly would love to see Nolan come back and do more, I certainly wouldn't mind seeing an exciting new filmmaker take the reigns and do something completely different. If they gave it Guillermo del Toro, for example, I'd never stop cumming.

Well, my favorite comic book heroes are The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The comics have moved on to the Turtles where they are in their 40's now, but it's like movie adaptations and the cartoons can't seem to get into the 20's. It gets a bit tiring seeing the same beginning with them. Too bad 2k3 didn't continue, it was doing great before they did all of that Fast Forward crap.

 

[The Guard]

This isn't the comics though. It would defeat the purpose and be more of the same. Another retirement story to have him return much older and once again out of touch with it physically? Nope, not something i want to see.

I don't see how it would be more of the same.

If it were BATMAN BEYOND, it would be Bruce in a mentor role, which we haven't really seen from this franchise.

He succeeded in doing what he set out to do when he was 29 years old and now his journey is complete, he is no longer the Batman.

That's arguable.

The man deserves to be away from Gotham and live in peace, have kids, get married, etc. Even if Gotham goes bad again, it's not his job anymore, that should be Blakes job, and every citizen who resides there. It's THEIR turn to take care of each other and their city. Not Bruce's

I agree with you, and I wouldn't choose to go that route myself, but if a filmmaker wanted it to happen, it could happen.

That's the comics where the story can never end. There has to be a return to the status quo at the end of the day so you can have the same stories for (supposedly) the next generation. I.E. Batman is Bruce Wayne who with his trusty butler Alfred fights crime with a family of sidekicks and a trusting Police Commissioner Gordon who can never know the truth. If something changes (Catwoman discovers hid identity, Batgirl gets paralyzed, Jason Todd/Robin 2 gets killed, Dick Grayson becomes Batman), it is always temporary and gets retconned.

And yet it still happened in the mythology.

Movies don't work like that. Nolan has the luxury of giving an ending to his story. Bruce, who could barely get back in the suit at the beginning of TDKR, retires and moves on from his pain at the end of TDKR. His pain is why he couldn't let go of Batman. He has and in Nolan's universe that means he is done.

The current movie shows us we're done. But the movie didn't present a definitive end to Bruce Wayne's life, either. Another movie could easily explore Bruce either returning to the war on crime in a mentorship role, or even as Batman.

There's no rule of movies that suggests this could not take place, just because he's not hung up the cape and cowl twice.

 

[UaalaDan]

I would do a movie based on the "Death in the Family" and "Batman Beyond the return of the Joker" with a taste of "The Dark Knight Returns"

Basic promise would be Joker has escaped Arkham, unleashing chaos in Gotham by freeing a lot of its prisioners and the movie is about his fight with Blake, as the new Batman in training/Nightwing. Blake dies by the hand of the Joker and forces Bruce Wayne to come out of Exile, face his archenemy and don the Cowl one last time.

 

[Victarion]

Why not use a more personal villain for John Blake, like Deacon Blackfire? We've got a Father in charge of St. Swithins, so who's to say he can't put on the alias Deacon Blackfire?

 

[UaalaDan]

Because the Joker is the most important one ever and no villain can ever top him.

 

[Victarion]

Because the Joker is the most important one ever and no villain can ever top him.

No need to be such a defeatist. Deacon Blackfire could engage Robin Blake in a battle for his very soul. Joker is rotting in a Federal institution somewhere.

 

[8wid]

It's pretty easy to imagine that a relationship between Selena Kyle and Bruce Wayne would never work out long term, it never really has lasted for long. Blake Gordon's character definitely has the potential to take on the role of an individual Robin if he wishes too. He might even partner with Bruce in the very near future. The only problem is, just how would Bruce ever get back his money to keep such a campaign against crime going? Build another reactor core and sell it?

 

[CConn]

It's pretty easy to imagine that a relationship between Selena Kyle and Bruce Wayne would never work out long term, it never really has lasted for long.

Yes, it has. Earth-1 Batman married Catwoman, had a child with her, and stayed married until their respective deaths.

The reason why it doesn't last long in the current comics is purely because everything has to be that weird open-ended-style stagnant in ongoing continuity.

 

[The Guard]

The only problem is, just how would Bruce ever get back his money to keep such a campaign against crime going? Build another reactor core and sell it?

Appeal the fraudulent transactions Bane made.

Seriously, no one in Gotham found it odd that Bane shoots his way into the stock exchange and then Bruce Wayne makes a bonehead move stockwise at the exact same time?

 

[Pauluz]

Reboot it in a few years. Anything that comes after Nolan's run will taint the trilogy. We've got 3 great (although flawed) films, just be happy with it. It's done.

 

[shauner111]

Reboot it in a few years. Anything that comes after Nolan's run will taint the trilogy. We've got 3 great (although flawed) films, just be happy with it. It's done.

This goes for you, and a few others. Read the thread title and what the OP was saying. This is IF you wanted to continue the story, how would you do it? If ppl think it should be left alone with TDKR, then read or don't read this thread but stop posting over & over in here about how you think they shouldn't do more sequels. Not saying ur posting over and over but there are MANY people saying this.

I look at Nolans Dark Knight Trilogy to be..a trilogy about Bruce Wayne. It's Bruce's trilogy. The beginning, middle and end of his journey as the Batman. Not of his entire life cuz we obviously don't see his birth or his death. I'd like to think he begins his life as a pretty happy kid and ends his remaining years as a peaceful man.

I DO wanna see someone take the reigns and do a trilogy that shows Blakes journey. Hell 2 movies will do if you count TDKR as a origin somewhat. That's a trilogy right there. It doesn't seem likely to happen (a continuation on film with JGL) but i would personally like to write some sort of treatment for this story. Even if it's just in the form of a graphic novel or a story that's thrown online.

I really would like to keep it as realistic as possible like Nolans movies. Cameos are cool but i wouldn't overdo it just for the sake of trying to fit every villain in because Nolan didn't use this guy or that guy. A few of the other key villains is enough. The villains would also only be included if it fit the story for Blakes journey. This is how Nolan wrote his movies..,"where does Bruce go from here? What's the story? OK now who fits this story best?". Now do the same for Blake.

Killer Croc was hinted at in TDKR and so was Freeze. At least i took it that way. Killer Croc in this world would probably be a henchmen for somebody. Scars that look scaley over the neck and face a little. It's his nickname. Christopher Judge of Stargate (who plays Banes henchmen in TDKR who fights Blake) was rumoured a lot throughout the years to play Killer Croc. Why not bring this guy back, a henchmen for somebody else a year after these events. Some of these mercenaries and prisoners have to be locked up and some will get away. He can be one of these men, and he definately is one of the more memorable henchmen from the movie. Another fight with this dude with a costumed Blake could go down. A little more screentime than Zsasz in Begins but just a couple of short scenes.

 

[Binker]

As a digital comic.

Smallville Season 11 has been successful, and the Batman: Arkham universe has been expanded nicely with its comic series; why not do the same with the Dark Knight Trilogy? That way, you can have a fourth, fifth, whatever many films more in this universe, but in (digital) comic form, and that won't interfere with WB/DC's plans for future Batman films (solo or Justice League-related).

Hey, why not?

 

[dmorley21]

As a digital comic.

Smallville Season 11 has been successful, and the Batman: Arkham universe has been expanded nicely with its comic series; why not do the same with the Dark Knight Trilogy? That way, you can have a fourth, fifth, whatever many films more in this universe, but in (digital) comic form, and that won't interfere with WB/DC's plans for future Batman films (solo or Justice League-related).

Hey, why not?

I would be all for reading Nolan-verse comics, and I think most fans would be as well. However, at this point I'm not sold that WB/DC has any solid plans for future Batman films or anything besides Man of Steel. The let down that was Green Lantern after all of the Marvel success just left a sour taste in my mouth. Due to this I wouldn't mind if parts of the Nolan creative team did a Catwoman prequel or continued with Blake's story.