Christopher Nolan’s Batman-focused trilogy ended with The Dark Knight Rises in 2012, but a fourth DC film in the hit franchise never went into development. As one of the most popular comic book superheroes of all time, Batman has been adapted into various media forms for decades. Batman’s live-action movie history has seen hits like Tim Burton’s Batman Returns and failures like Joel Schumacher’s Batman & Robin. With Christopher Nolan at the helm of Batman Begins in 2005, Bruce Wayne and the world of Gotham City were reinvented in darker and grittier tones, a departure from the colorful and whimsical films of the past.
Batman Begins detailed the origins of Christian Bale’s Batman. Its 2008 sequel, The Dark Knight, became one of the most successful superhero movies ever, thanks in part to the late Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker. The Dark Knight Rises pitted Batman against Tom Hardy’s Bane in one final battle. The success of Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy is often attributed to the realistic depictions of its characters, laying the groundwork for projects such as Matt Reeves’ The Batman and Todd Phillips’ Joker years later – but even so, Nolan never wanted to produce a fourth film.
Speaking to Toronto Sun in 2019, Bale shared that both he and Nolan had a “one film at a time” mentality when developing the Dark Knight franchise, and also revealed that Nolan often mentioned that, should they be “fortunate [enough] to be able to make three,” they would stop. Concluding the franchise with The Dark Knight Rises meant they stayed true to this vision, even though Warner Bros. had approached them both about making a fourth installment. Bale did, however, suggest that he’d been open to appearing as the Caped Crusader again, mentioning how “[he] was informed [his] services would no longer be required” after Nolan stepped away.
Since Christian Bale’s last appearance as Batman in The Dark Knight Rises, two actors have assumed the role: Ben Affleck in the DCEU, and Robert Pattinson in Matt Reeves’ The Batman. These iterations of Batman were free to explore new territory as Nolan wrapped up his trilogy very neatly with the ending of The Dark Knight Rises, leaving the former vigilante retired and in a relationship with Selina Kyle, a.k.a. Catwoman. However, the door was left open for further films potentially exploring the heroism of Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s Blake, who was teased as Batman’s sidekick Robin in the film’s closing moments.
Speaking to Screen Rant during 2022’s press junket for Thor: Love & Thunder, in which Christian Bale portrayed the villainous Gorr the God Butcher, the actor revealed that, although he hadn’t been recently approached about reprising the role of Batman, he would in fact return if Nolan was in the director’s chair. Bale mentioned that the pair had a pact to complete three films and then “walk away,” but, “if 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.” Even so, the time may have passed for a continuation of Nolan’s Dark Knight franchise.
Although Nolan and Bale may never reunite, the new plans for the expanding DC Universe could provide the answer to Bale’s Bruce Wayne returning. Following James Gunn and Peter Safran’s takeover of DC Studios in late 2022, the former revealed that projects such as Reeves’ The Batman franchise (which now includes a sequel, The Batman – Part II, and several planned spinoff series’) and Phillips’ Joker franchise (Joker: Folie à Deux is scheduled for release in 2024) would live in the franchise “Elseworlds” projects.
With a new Batman set to debut in DC’s The Brave and the Bold, it’s possible that several Batmen could meet each other in DC’s future. Something akin to this does occur in 2023’s The Flash, as Barry Allen finds himself face-to-face with three versions of the Caped Crusader, encountering the iterations played by Michael Keaton, George Clooney, and Ben Affleck.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe also already pulled off something similar in its Phase 4 project, Spider-Man: No Way Home, which saw Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland portray the three live-action versions of Spider-Man in the same film. This means that, while a sequel to The Dark Knight Rises may never happen, Christian Bale could potentially return as Batman, particularly as he doesn’t seem at all opposed to the idea.