Nolan Not A Shoe-In For 'Batman 3'

After last summer’s mega hit THE DARK KNIGHT started shattering box office records, we all assumed Warner Brothers wouldn’t be far behind to announce a sequel. That hasn’t changed, BATMAN 3 is going to get made, but it might not feel quite the same.

Christopher Nolan knocked the ball out of the park with the last 2 Batman films and the thought of him not coming back for a 3rd seemed ridiculous. Well now it looks like Nolan being replaced might not be that farfetched.

Apparently the plan all along was that Heath Ledger would return as the Joker for the 3rd installment, but when he overdosed in January of 2008 everything changed.  Nolan reportedly took the death extremely hard and decided that THE DARK KNIGHT would be his last Batman movie.

 
Let me just say, I fully expect Nolan to be back, but we can’t ignore the rumors floating around him right now. Word last year from David Goyer and Jonathan Nolan, was that they really had to lobby to get Chris to come back for the 2nd movie. Furthermore that they’d most likely have to do it again if they made a 3rd. But that was before the death of Heath Ledger and apparently, since they killed off Harvey Dent, there aren’t any other villains Nolan really feels good about.

That means, if he can’t be convinced of a worthy villain and decides he’s done, the WB will have to find a new head for the project. Batman fans will remember when Joel Schumacher stepped in and destroyed the last franchise with Bat-Nipples. And there is an even larger potential for letdown now if we lose Chris this time around.

The studio however has to continue with or without him because there is just too much money to be made. So the studio has to have a list of possible replacements, but whom?

Zack Snyder who directed 300 & Watchmen, has let it be known he isn’t interested…ok. Thanks Zack, but as much as I liked your last 2 films, you weren’t on my list for this anyhow. So who is on my list? I like Aronofsky, he’s great. Or given a descent script maybe Marcus Nispel…

Regardless though, Nolan or not we aren’t going to see this movie till Late 2012/Early 2013 at the soonest.  So who’s on your list?

Paging Mr. Nolan…