Ever since Christopher Nolan announced that the forthcoming film The Dark Knight Rises will be his third and final Batman instalment, speculation has been rife as to who will be handed the task of reimagining the character for a new series of movies. Now, according to a new interview with Warner Bros head Jeff Robinov, the answer can finally be revealed: the man tasked with reinventing Batman following Nolan's departure will be ... Christopher Nolan.
In a lengthy discussion with the Los Angeles Times, Robinov confirmed that the studio would look to "reboot" the series following the next film, and said Nolan would be in charge in a producer's role. The British-born film-maker is also overseeing the development of Zack Snyder's new Superman film in what is being termed a "godfather" role.
"We have the third Batman, but then we'll have to reinvent Batman," said Robinov. "Chris Nolan and [producing partner and wife] Emma Thomas will be producing it, so it will be a conversation with them about what the next phase is."
Films in the proposed new Batman series may not be the only ones to feature the caped crusader. Robinov said Warner, which has rights to the majority of DC comics characters, was planning to resurrect proposals for a Justice League movie, which would cast Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman alongside a number of lesser known figures. Previous efforts to bring the ensemble comic book series to the big screen foundered due to the 2008 writers' strike, and to concerns the project might undermine the extremely successful Nolan Batman series by casting a different, younger actor in a parallel iteration.
Robinov did not say whether Nolan would have a hand in the Justice League project, but given that the film-maker is overseeing both new adaptations of Batman and Superman, such a move would not appear to be too much of a stretch.
Robinov, who is president of Warner's motion pictures unit, said there were also plans afoot for separate films based on the Flash and Wonder Woman. The latter could happen even if the current TV series, which has just debuted in the US, proves a success. "Wonder Woman could be a film as well, the same way that Superman Returns came out while Smallville was on," said the studio head.
