Director Christopher Nolan recently explained his open-ended conclusion for 'The Dark Knight Rises,' in response to Internet rumors that Officer John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) will continue the Batman saga, possibly in the future 'Justice League America' movie.
Some fans began to talk on the Internet about Gordon-Levitt becoming Batman because of his discovery of the Batcave, but Nolan told filmcomment.com that he chose that ending to show that the symbol of Batman would live on, not necessarily the man Bruce Wayne. Fans had different opinions about what the future should hold for Batman.
David Matthews, a pre-neuroscience student, said he liked the ending as it carried Christopher Nolan's cliffhanger style, much like 'Inception,' but that Gordon-Levitt shouldn't replace Christian Bale in the 'Justice League' movie.
'Depending on how the 'Superman' movie turns out next year, like if it's a darker theme, I think Christian Bale should play Batman still,' Matthews said. 'But then, I think it would be cool if 'Justice League' took place after the Batman trilogy and they referenced Batman as a symbol to the people.'
Dylan Stephenson, a sophomore from Washington, liked Nolan's idea of the symbol of Batman living on, but he doesn't think Gordon-Levitt should continue the character either.
'It's good that he ended the series letting Batman live on, instead of killing off the character like he did with Two-Face in 'The Dark Knight,'' Stephenson said. 'But since the Batman series has come to an end, I think that the ending could hint at the start of a Robin movie, which I think would be very cool, knowing that Robin has always been underrated as a main character.'
Stephenson also thinks it would be great if Batman and Robin were both in 'Justice League.'
However, Josh Fowlke, a graphic design student, said he doesn't think Gordon-Levitt should play either character in 'Justice League.' Fowlke said he thinks 'Justice League' should take place during the time between 'The Dark Knight' and 'The Dark Knight Rises,' with Bale still playing Batman.
'They could even work in how he (Batman) ended up using a cane and maybe even how, and why, he almost lost his fortune trying to develop the nuclear energy technology that's in 'The Dark Knight Rises,'' Fowlke said. 'It could actually tie together quite nicely, like 'The Avengers' did with all of the other movies like 'Iron Man,' 'Thor,' etc.'