Summary
ADCconcept trailer forThe Dark Knight 4pitches the perfect idea for Christian Bale’s return as Batman in Christopher Nolan’s universe. While the superhero and comic book movie genre has evolved over the last few years, there was a time when Hollywood was far more limited with how much they invested into DC and Marvel stories. From the mid 2000s up until 2012,Nolan’sThe Dark Knighttrilogywas one of the handful of superhero properties that was released for the big screen.
It has been more than a decade sinceThe Dark Knight Risescame out and finished Bale’s Bruce Wayne storyline. However, there are many that would love to see that universe continue, as evidenced byScreen Culturesharing a concept trailer forThe Dark Knight 4.
In this scenario,The Dark Knight 4is pitched as a new take on Frank Miller’sThe Dark Knight Returns, as Bruce resumes his crusade as Batman, this time against Black Mask. The version of Roman Sionis that is used in the fan trailer is based on Ewan McGregor’s iteration fromthe DCEU movie timeline.
10 Best Batman Gadgets In The Dark Knight Trilogy
Christian Bale’s Batman used several impressive tools and gadgets across the Dark Knight Trilogy, aiding in his crusade against Gotham’s corrupt.
How Christian Bale’s The Dark Knight Returns Could Happen Under DC Studios
Even thoughThe Dark Knight 4isn’t officially in the works at Warner Bros. Discovery, there are still ways for Nolan’s franchise to return under DC Studios' regime. AsJames Gunn’s DC Universeis on its way, DC Studios and Warner Bros. Discovery are also investing in the Elseworlds brands. While Elseworlds may only haveThe BatmanandJokerfranchises, bringing back Nolan’sThe Dark Knightuniverse would be a perfect fit under that umbrella.
As long as the story is handled well and feels organic, there is no reasonThe Dark Knight 4shouldn’t be explored. The most important factors that need to be in place are Bale and Nolan’s involvement, with the former having made it clear that he will onlyreturn forThe Dark Knight 4if the trilogy director is attached. While chances are slim that Nolan would want to return forThe Dark Knight 4, stranger things have happened in Hollywood.
While time will tell ifThe Dark Knightuniverse will ever live again, DC Comics could always continue to expand upon that world as they did with Christopher Reeve’s Superman and Michael Keaton’s Batman with their respectiveSuperman ‘78andBatman ‘89comics, as that would likely be more possible to see happen as opposed to a live-action version ofThe Dark Knight 4. For now, the world will have to wait and see if there ever comes a time whenThe Dark Knight 4becomes a reality.
The Dark Knight
Cast
The Dark Knight, directed by Christopher Nolan, is the second installment in the Batman trilogy starring Christian Bale as Batman. Released in 2008, the film follows Batman’s alliance with Jim Gordon and Harvey Dent as they combat the organized crime that threatens Gotham, facing the menacing Joker.
