Summary
The Dark Knight 4may still be possible despite Christian Bale’s stringent condition to return to the leadDCrole 12 years afterThe Dark KnightRisesbrought an end to Christopher Nolan’s groundbreaking trilogy. This is especially so in the modern era of superhero movies, in which some of the genre’s earliest contributors have been returning in droves. This includes Michael Keaton and George Clooney, who were the fourth and sixthactors to portray Batman in live-actionand who each returned to therole in 2023’sThe Flash.
It remains unlikely that these actors would return for a full sequel to their last Batman movies. The fact that 2008’sThe Dark Knightand 2012’sThe Dark Knight Risesremainthe two most successful Batman moviesto date, however, makes a fourth installment of this franchise an especially tempting prospect. For his part, Christian Bale has stated that he would be willing to return - though it comes with a significant caveat that places a hefty roadblock in the way of its development.
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Christian Bale’s The Dark Knight 4 Return Condition Explained
Christian Bale Needs 1 Person On Board
In an interview withScreen Rantin 2022, while promotingThor: Love and Thunder, Christian Bale stipulated thathe would only return toThe Dark Knightmovies if Christopher Nolan was involved. He clarified that returning to the franchise after a third installment was never initially on the cards, but that he could see himself returning nonetheless if Nolan still had a story to tell. His response is as follows:
I had a pact with Chris Nolan. We said, “Hey, look. Let’s make three films, if we’re lucky enough to get to do that. And then let’s walk away. Let’s not linger too long.” In my mind, it would be something if Chris Nolan ever said to himself, “You know what, I’ve got another story to tell.” And if he wished to tell that story with me, I’d be in.
After just two years, it is relatively safe to assume that Bale would stand by this statement.While the relatively poor reception toThor: Love and Thundermay have caused Bale’s faith in superhero movies to err somewhat, Christopher Nolan was recently bestowed with the Academy Award for Best Director for 2023’sOppenheimer, which also earned the award for Best Picture. Working with the acclaimed director at this juncture would therefore be a tempting prospect for any actor. Unfortunately, Nolan recently offered a more blunt response about returning to the genre.
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The Dark Knight 4 Could Pass The Torch To A Different Nolan
Jonathan Nolan Worked On The Dark Knight And The Dark Knight Rises
In a 2023 interview with HugoDécrypte (viaYouTube) promotingOppenheimer,Christopher Nolan was asked whether he would direct another superhero movie, to which the director simply said “No.“Nolan’s response seems particularly resolute and draws a line beneath a return tohis Dark Knight franchise- the only movie franchise he has worked on - as well as new superhero movie projects in the DCU or MCU. Nevertheless, Nolan’s brother is not nearly as unyielding when it comes to the prospect ofThe Dark Knight 4.
Jonathan Nolan is a screenwriter and producer who has co-written several ofChristopher Nolan’s most critically acclaimed movies. These includeMemento,The Prestige, andInterstellar,even earning a Best Original Screenplay Academy Award nomination for the latter. More pertinently, Jonathan Nolan also co-wroteThe Dark KnightandThe Dark Knight Rises, recentlysharing in an interview withScreen Rantthat he would love to return to the franchise, stating:
Wouldn’t that be a dream? That period was about 10 years of my life, from when I got the call to work on Batman Begins in 2003 to putting out The Dark Knight Rises In 2012, and it was epic. The chance to work with Christian, Heath, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and the extraordinary cast of those films. A sort of American icon. So,if I had the chance to go back and work on that again, absolutely.
This admission came in May 2024, which is itself a positive sign. It also comes in the wake of an impressive career in television after Nolan createdPerson of InterestandWestworldin 2011 and 2016, respectively. He has also written and directed several episodes of both shows, while most recently directing three episodes of the incredibly well-receivedFalloutseries on Amazon. Now that Jonathan Nolan boasts this wealth of experience, there’s little reason to suggest that he can’t take the reins withThe Dark Knight 4.
Prolific superhero movie writer, David S. Goyer, also worked on the screenplay forBatman Beginsand the story forThe Dark KnightandThe Dark Knight Rises.
Jonathan Nolan’s intimate knowledge ofThe Dark Knighttrilogy as a writer already boosts his credentialsto take over from his brother. His directorial work, meanwhile, suggests that he could easily step into his brother’s shoes and pick up where he left off now that Christopher Nolan has rebuffed the idea of returning as director. With that in mind, Christian Bale could be swayed by the idea, recognizing that while it may not be Christopher Nolan at the helm, the co-writer of the trilogy may indeed have another story worth telling.
What The Dark Knight 4 Could Be About With Jonathan Nolan As Director
Jonathan Nolan’s Preferred Villain Has Appeared Recently
Jonathan Nolan stated while on theHappy Sad Confusedpodcast thathe initially hoped forThe Dark Knight Risesto use the Riddler as its primary antagonist. As he was in charge of the screenplay rather than the story, the movie instead went with Tom Hardy’s Bane after Goyer and Nolan centered the villain around Batman instead of vice versa. Now that Matt Reeves’The Batmandebuted Paul Dano’s Riddlerin 2022,The Dark Knight 4would be a lot less likely to revisit this villain.
Warner Bros. reportedly wanted Leonardo DiCaprio to portray the Riddler beforeThe Dark Knight Risessettled on Bane.
Still, it would be difficult for Nolan to revisitThe Dark Knighttrilogy after more than 12 years with an immediate sequel to the events ofThe Dark Knight Rises. If Nolan was successful in getting Christian Bale back on board, it isn’t as if the now-50-year-old actor would be too old to bring a certain physicality to the role (his action sequences as Gorr the God Butcher attest to this), but the jump in age would still be noticeable.Bale would instead be better placed continuing his role as a retired Bruce Wayne.
Furthermore,it is hard to ignore howThe Dark Knight Risesleft Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s Robin John Blake. The final sequences saw him set up as a successor to Bruce Wayne - particularly as his sidekick Robin - though it would be difficult to sell the now-43-year-old actor as a young sidekick to Batman. Instead, there is plenty of scope to explore Blake’s career as an experienced new Batman, with Bale’s Bruce Wayne in a more minor role.
Will The Dark Knight 4 Ever Actually Happen?
There Are Multiple Live-Action Batman Movies Coming
IfThe Dark Knight 4was to be greenlit by DC Studios, it would certainly be a DC Elseworlds project. Unfortunately, DC is already in a position that may confuse audiences as Matt Reeves’The Batmantrilogy - another Elseworlds project - isn’t even past the halfway point, and may end up clashing withthe new DC Universe’s version of BatmaninThe Brave and the Bold. Reintroducing another Batman - be it Bale’s or Gordon-Levitt’s - would certainly muddy the waters even more with DC’s live-action offerings, making it unlikely to happen.
The Brave and the Bolddoes not yet have a confirmed release date, and DC Studios may hold off on its release until Robert Pattinson’s trilogy concludes.
The Batmanis DC Studios' fourth-highest-grossing Batman movie, withBatman v Supermaninterposed between it andThe Dark Knight. Focusing on this trilogy, which is slated to continue in 2025, may therefore be more prudent for DC than reviving a decade-old franchise. Besides,whether Jonathan Nolan could even wrangle the same cast for a sequel is far from a foregone conclusion. Unfortunately, the current climate is not the best for a sequel toTheDark Knight Rises, no matter how tempting it may be for the franchise’s main contributors.
The Dark Knight
The Dark Knightfranchise, also known asThe Dark Knight Trilogy, is a critically acclaimed and commercially successful film series directed by Christopher Nolan. It is a darker and more realistic take on the Batman character, exploring themes of justice, chaos, and redemption. The trilogy revitalized the Batman film series and is often credited with raising the bar for superhero films, particularly through its exploration of complex moral dilemmas and the iconic portrayal of villains like the Joker.
