Source: Total Film

So will Christian Bale do the next Batman film? He has been quoted before saying that he couldn’t imagine doing another one without Christopher Nolan directing again. Well, now, according to Total Film, he has now said that he has to, whether Nolan comes back or not. Here’s what he had to say:

“Will we do a third movie? It’s got to be the right story. You can’t make something like The Dark Knight and then come out with something disappointing.

“I would like it if people say, ‘You’ll never make a good third movie.’ I say, ‘OK, let’s make a third movie in that case, let’s prove them wrong. But that’s just me. The fact is, I have to! I’ve signed up! Chris doesn’t. So I’m in a bit of a fix if he says he doesn’t want to!”

So there you have it. Christian Bale will return as the Caped Crusader, whether Nolan is back or not.

As of now, Nolan is working on his new sci-fi movie Inception (which looks rather interesting, by the way). Warner Brothers is doing the same thing they did for The Dark Knight, which is to allow Nolan time to come back to the franchise in order to get it right. If you recall, he directed The Prestige between Batman Begins and Dark Knight. So most likely he’ll move forward after Inception and sign on for a third Batman if the story is right. Warner Brothers is simply waiting for Nolan to say yes or no.

Personally, since this method seemed to work last time, I say Warner Brothers is right on in pulling out all the stops to make sure Nolan comes back for at least one more Batman film. They’re giving Nolan time to do someting else, refresh his mind, and approach Batman 3 with a clear focus. I wish the film industry was more like this, instead of rushing scripts (or signing on new directors) and putting out stuff that could’ve been better. I’m not convinced that the third Batman will be better than The Dark Knight, but I think it could be at least as good as Batman Begins, if not as good as The Dark Knight.