The Dark Knight Rises lands in theaters on July 20. And already there’s feverish speculation regarding just how high the opening-weekend box office will go—specifically, whether the final film in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy can top The Avengers‘ record of $207.4 million.
There’s also rampant speculation regarding whether Batman will make it to the end of the film alive. Those conversations have been fueled by dialogue in the trailer in which Selina Kyle, aka Catwoman, says to Bruce Wayne, “You don’t owe these people any more. You’ve given them everything,” to which Wayne responds, “Not everything. Not yet.” Fans are also talking about whether or not the only appropriate way to finish this dark story is with a correspondingly dark—and sacrificial—end for everyone’s favorite Caped Crusader.
I don’t know whether Batman will die or not, though I’d place my bet on Bruce resting quietly beneath a tombstone by the time the credits roll. One of the reasons I believe so has nothing to do with providing a satisfying ending to Nolan’s trilogy and everything to do with money.
The last two Batman films netted a global total of $1.4 billion. The Dark Knight Rises will likely add at least another billion or so to that tally. (The Avengers, after all, is closing in on $1.5 billion internationally.) And nothing gets a studio executive’s attention like a number with nine zeros behind it.
Which means a Batman reboot isn’t just a probability: It’s a certainty. Because, frankly, it’s a whole lot easier to reimagine and reload the Dark Knight’s story one more time if there’s a nice, clean, sacrificially poignant ending to this one.
Researching my hunch, I typed in “Batman reboot” into Google recently and found that there’s already a placeholder page on the Internet Movie Database: “Untitled Batman Reboot (????)” with director Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan, The Wrestler, Requiem for a Dream) listed as helming the project (a preliminary, speculative detail that is, no doubt, easily subject to change). Gamezone.com blogger Lance Liebl said of the IMDB page, “I’m amazed that The Dark Knight Rises isn’t even released yet and we’re already talking about what the reboot will be like. Can’t we just enjoy something nice for once without wondering about what’s next?”
Which is exactly how I feel—even as someone who loves superhero stories.
I grew up collecting comics in the ’70s and ’80s. And while I wouldn’t describe myself as a hardcore fan (I’ve never been to ComicCon, for instance), I’d definitely identify myself as a superhero aficionado.
That said, I’ve gotten to the point with all these reboots—Spider-Man, Superman, the X-Men, and now, it seems, Batman, that I’m just finding it harder and harder to get too excited about yet another alternate take on the same story. Don’t get me wrong, there are lots of themes in these tales that are compelling and universal. But for me, at least, it’s starting to feel like little more than a blatant money grab.
I haven’t seen the newest Spider-Man reboot, for instance. And I don’t plan to. The fact that The Amazing Spider-Man didn’t perform as well during its opening week as its predecessors suggests that I’m not the only one who feels that way.
The reboot craze hasn’t yet run its course, obviously. We may not even be close. Still, I wonder if the studios cranking out new versions of the same old stories—no matter how good they might be—are perhaps on the verge of squeezing the golden superhero goose one too many times.
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