February 5, 2009 | by Ross Miller 

Warner Bros. Wants A Lot More Batman Movies

The Dark Knight logoThe wheels of a sequel to The Dark Knight have only barely started turning, and yet Warner Bros. has already set its sights a bit further on than that.

Word is they are hoping for the newly rejuvenated Batman franchise to pull a Harry Potter and have sequel after sequel.

WB CEO Jeff Bewkes spoke out today on the company’s hopes for multiple sequels:

“We look at Harry Potter. It’s fantastic to have franchises that last that long. We want to do that with Batman and Superman and perhaps Sherlock Holmes. The sequels are as good, with new characters added, as were the originals. That wasn’t the case in the years ago. Warners has more tentpoles as an on-going strategy that very much lifts its distribution and performance. We think that’s going to hold up our slate in the 2009 – 2010 period. We’ve got four more big tentpoles coming this year.”

Now I know it may be a bit of an obvious piece of news that Warner Bros. wants sequels to one of the most financially successful movies of all time – but at least we have confirmation from the horse’s mouth now that they have official hopes and plans for more films.

I think it’s fair to guess that Christopher Nolan will sign on to direct Batman 3 and that he’ll call it quits after that. I’ve let it be known before I think this is a good idea; I think making a quality trilogy is a fantastic contribution to the legacy of the character on the big screen and we then can get a fresh director on-board for the fourth film to put their mark on the franchise.

And who could that next director be? Well it’s certainly a thinker, but our good friends over at /Film have put forth Zack Snyder as a possibility. They remind us that he has expressed interest in filming The Dark Knight Returns graphic novel (in case you don’t know that’s the one where Batman is 50-plus years old and fights Superman at the end – Imagine that happening on the big-screen!) and author Frank Miller has given his blessing.

The Dark Knight Returns

I think Snyder is a great choice to pick up the reigns after Nolan leaves the franchise – it most likely would mean a more stylish approach than we’ve gotten from Nolan but I think that’s a good thing. Do you really want Snyder to just make it dark and brooding like Nolan just for the sake of it? And after all it looks like Snyder has probably done a fantastic job with faithfully and successfully bringing Watchmen to cinematic life; I think that gets him a lot of respect and a real shot and being the next Batman director. I would be really interested in seeing what a Zack Snyder Batman movie would look like.

So are you happy that there are plans for a lot more Batman sequels? And do you think Snyder would do a good job, if not then who could you see direct instead?

Source: /Film

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  • I'll be happy with any Batman sequels as long as they aren't anything like Batman Forever or Batman & Robin

    I'd love to see Dark Knight Returns :D
  • HOMER
    every one loves cheesecake, but if you eat cheesecake for breakfast + lunch + dinner for 2 weeks, you are going to get tired of it


    same thing with movies. WB made a great movie and they should do another one, but i dont think they should milk the character dry to a point it will get the audience tired of BATMAn
  • Agree with you there Homer. I love the Batman, but do a 3rd one and kill it.
  • hud
    i think snyder would be great. he had a great take at dawn of the dead (best zombie movie ever) and watchman looks good
  • Stephen
    I really hope they finish after the 3rd one, like what Homer said. Unless this upcoming batman is a huge letdown where they need to make one to try and resurrect it, they should let it rest on a high note. That's why I'm all for a 4 Spider-Man movie because 3 sucked imo. The only reason Harry Potter is doing so many movies is because there are 7 novels for it and they were all bestsellers. Yeah I know that there are many Batman graphic novels but they aren't as popular as the HP books. Don't get me wrong, I love Batman, he is my favorite superhero and that's why I don't want to see him get over-played. I know it got over-played after the very first two in the early ninties but I was very young at that time so I didn't really experience it.
  • SK47
    Warner should be smart in greenlighting these new sequels. It is different for Harry Potter because the books tell of Harry's journey from a boy to young adult. Not so with Batman.
    They should take the Terminator route, wait a couple years between films. It was 8 years or so from Terminator to Terminator 2.
  • Kinoda
    What if Snyder did something like Batman Beyond? I mean Bruce Wayne is old in that universe, just like he is in DKR.
  • blipvert
    Man if they were ever to make a Dark Knight Returns movie it would have to be done right this very second with Clint Eastwood as Bruce Wayne and Willem Dafoe as the Joker.
  • Josh
    Batman needs to become the next Bond. There is so much source material to work from, so many characters that have yet to make the translation to film. I say keep pushing the franchise forward until it reaches a point that there will always be another one, just like Bond.

    This will let the movies naturally evolve into the more science fiction theme that the comics acquired. Right now, Mr Freeze or Poison Ivy can't fit into the Nolanverse, but three more sequels from now, who knows?

    Obviously that means many of the the sequels (read: at least half) won't be very good, but I don't think any one is going to make the Schumaker mistake this time around.
  • I think we need to get used to the fact, after the success of The Dark Knight and Batman Begins, that Batman the character will always be a subject of the "what film to do next" conversation that many studio execs will have for years to come.

    The source material, like so many people have said, is endless and fruitful, which in the execs eyes, means movies and money. Just like with Schumacher's Batman, I think we need to be prepared, after Nolan is done, for another round of lack luster takes on Batman.

    Everything's cyclical in Hollywood.
  • Andy S
    I'm all for more Batman movies, as he is one of my all-time favorite characters, but I think that after the 3rd Nolan film they should give it a break for a few years...like 10. Don't saturate to market with Batman films, make people HUNGRY for a Batman film. In the meantime, there are plenty of other films that can be made, like a GREAT Superman film, a Green Lantern film and a Flash film.
  • This "strike while the iron is hot" philosophy is something I'd be more cautious about applying to movie franchises. By the time the 4th, fifth or sixth film in this timeline is finished, the iron is far from hot anymore and audiences will have be game for new material and new sources of inspiration.

    I have nothing against seeing a Snyder take on Batman, but wait awhile for the appetite for the franchise to return. After the next and presumably final Nolan film in this universe, if it holds up to the satisfaction the previous two provided, then people will have had their fill for awhile.

    Wait, and whatever Snyder does with it will have a greater shot at financial success.
  • Roger GVZ
    Thanks, Christopher Nolan, for two excellent movies and for making Batman popular again. I can hardly wait until your third picture is done!
  • wes
    As long as there are good stories to be told, keep making them. Knightfall, Knightsend, and the Dark Knight Returns would make a great new trilogy. They would also keep the focus on Bruce Wayne and not be just another villain of the month movie.
  • huntthejest
    Just the title of this post made me take my pants off.(Don't you love the internet?) I cannot wait!
  • Viper MoonST1
    I agree with Homer after the 3rd Bat film start doing a good Superman movie and other heroes in D.C., Warner brothers please don't ram Bat movies down our pie holes for the next 8 years GIVE US THE D.C.U.!!!!
  • Gigan300 is back!!!!!
    im for another batman as long as the story stays true to what nolan is doing, making the films darker in tone, oh yeah and no robin.
  • Vin
    if they want more batman, just get Alex Ford to do it. I thought he had an interesting take on Superman, so let him apply that concept to batman 4 5 6 and 7
  • Reckoner
    I'd like to see David Fincher do it. I think he'd do a great take and hopefully stay true to what Chris Nolan has done so far. Fincher did Fight Club and Se7en which are both dark yet successfully blend a fantastic story in imo.
  • Darren seeley
    I'd like to see Michael Mann give it a go, and I for one have no interest in The Dark Knight Returns as a motion picture. Knightfall...? Alright.
  • Lando
    Michael Mann could be a fantastic choice to helm one or more Batman films. In movies like "Heat" and "Collateral" Mann created equally fascinating heroes and villains within the crime/drama genre. Same goes for Fincher. Both great choices.
    As for Snyder, if he does a decent job with "Watchmen" I could see him adapting on a darkly gaudy and stylistic story like "The Dark Knight Returns". However, I hated "300", so I will reserve judgement.
    However, stories like "Knightfall" and "The Dark Knight Returns" would mark a huge and perhaps dangerous departure from Nolan's version of Batman if only because those stories bring in the character of Robin. Within Nolan's dark portrayal, the inclusion of Robin would make Batman/Bruce Wayne look like a child endangering lunatic. The only way this has been overlooked in previous film's has been to overshadow logical realism with Bat nipples, bad acting, ridiculous sets and costumes tying together stories of cornball hokum.
    Also important, will Michael Caine and Christian Bale remain in their roles through other directors? If anyone replaces them as Bruce Wayne and Alfred they must do just as well or better than their predecessors or they will sink the sequels by virtue of comparison. In short, they must knock it out of the park, which raises the question, can The Joker be used again without the character collapsing under the weight of Heath Ledger's transcendent performance?
  • if they want more batman, just get Alex Ford to do it. I thought he had an interesting take on Superman, so let him apply that concept to batman 4 5 6 and 7
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