Ten reasons why Joseph Gordon-Levitt should be the next Batman
Brad Sturdivant
December 7th, 2012
A couple of weeks ago, we went through a “will he or won’t he” situation with Joseph Gordon-Levitt playing Batman in the Justice League movie. There was even speculation that JGL was going to be making a cameo appearance as Batman at the end of MAN OF STEEL. Then word came from Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s camp that he had not signed anything and was not playing Batman. Curiously, no official word from JGL himself or his reps, but the news died down and now we’re just waiting to see what Warner Bros is going to do with their beloved Batman franchise.
Because of that, I decided to put together a list of reasons why Warner Bros needs Joseph Gordon-Levitt to be Batman. For me, it just makes too much sense not to happen.
10. Warner Bros needs the Batman franchise to be great – Harry Potter is gone and they haven’t been able to successfully start up any of their other superhero franchises, so WB needs Batman to be great. Rebooting the franchise is a risky proposition (see #8) and they could lose the fans they built up with Nolan’s films. The easiest way to guarantee success with Batman is to have a familiar face don the Batsuit and surround him with talented filmmakers.
9. It will make you think differently of THE DARK KNIGHT RISES – TDKR was good, but I think most fans felt a bit letdown, especially after THE DARK KNIGHT. But if you knew for sure that Blake was going to take over as Batman, wouldn’t that make you look at it differently? All of a sudden, Blake’s involvement has more meaning and has a better impact to the trilogy.
8. THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN – Stay with me on this one; THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN grossed $74 million less than SPIDER-MAN 3, and that’s with the help of higher 3D prices. Virtually every review of TASM was that it was good, but completely unnecessary. Fans were still interested in Raimi’s universe and wanted redemption for 3, but were never given the chance because Sony was so quick to remake a ten year-old film. WB needs to take this as an example of what not to do with a superhero franchise. If WB messes up the Batman reboot, they could lose some serious cash.
7. It’s what Christopher Nolan wants – I’m speculating here, but Nolan handed over the future of the franchise on a silver platter and although some people think he’d be upset if WB continues with his world, I think he intended it all along. He’s been coy about it, but if he wanted his vision to end forever, he would have killed Bruce Wayne or at the very least, wouldn’t have bothered having Blake show up in the Batcave at the end. He doesn’t want to direct any more Batman films, but I think he’ll always be a part of the Batman universe in some capacity.
6. It opens the door for other characters to reappear – Christian Bale has said he’s done. Michael Caine, Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman will do anything, but with Joseph Gordon-Levitt providing a link to Nolan’s trilogy, then anyone who appeared in the first three films is game to return. Anne Hathaway wants her own spinoff, but making an appearance in a Gordon-Levitt Batman would help bridge that gap between TDKR and Catwoman.
Go to Page 2 to see 5-1
