More than a decade has passed since The Dark Knight Rises concluded Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy. The impact of this trilogy created seismic waves in the film industry and pop culture that are still felt today. When the trilogy began with Batman Begins (2005), it was instantly praised by critics, comic book fans, and general audiences alike. The film is today considered one of the best films of the early 2000s. By the end of the 1990s, Batman's on-screen image was in tatters. Joel Schumacher's disastrous Batman and Robin (1997) was the starting point for the destruction of his image. This nightmarish film is often cited as the worst Batman film.
RELATED: The Biggest Flaw of Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy
Batman needed an on-screen transformation, and Batman Begins was more than capable of redeeming the character. The gritty, decidedly non-camp version of the character struck a chord with modern audiences and became a critical and commercial success.
In Far Out magazine, Calum Russell notes that Bryan Singer's films X-MEN (2000) and X2 (2003) paved the way for the modern superhero film. Singer and Sam Raimi, the director of Spider-Man, helped make comic book films critical and commercial successes. After laying the groundwork for more dramatic, darker comic book films, Batman Begins built a towering skyscraper that reached into the sky.
After the success of Batman Begins, Nolan and Warner Bros released The Dark Kight (2008). The film smashed the box office and was the first superhero film to gross a billion dollars. This is unreal considering that before the MCU, Warner Bros. and the D.C. Extended Universe were the pioneers of the comic book movie genre. With The Dark Knight, fans were treated to one of the greatest films in history. The success of the film brought the artistic and commercial achievements of the genre to their highest level.
In an article in Forbes, Mark Hughes discusses the impact of The Dark Knight:
“The arrival of The Dark Knight, with its shocking billion-dollar box office results, was historic and impressive. Breaking box office records almost daily, The Dark Knight became the fourth highest-grossing film of all time, behind Titanic ($1.8 billion), The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King ($1.1 billion) and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest ($1 billion “It's the biggest film of 2008, and the combination of The Dark Knight and Iron Man likely cemented the superhero genre's status as the new ruler of the box office.”
RELATED: The Dark Knight Trilogy – The Standard of Batman Movies
The Dark Knight left fans hungry for new caparisoned storylines, but they had to wait four years until the release of The Dark Knight Rises (2012). The film divided some fans, but it was a commercial and critical success, grossing over a billion euros at the box office. In The Dark Knight Rises, Christopher Nolan brought Bruce Wayne's story to a close by giving the character a definitive ending.
Although Nolan was succinct in his telling of Batman's story, fans were eager to see more of his version of Batman on screen. Mark Hughes underlines fans' expectations by writing: “After The Dark Knight, speculation was rife about the continuation of this Batman's story, how his universe would expand and who might take over. relief after Nolan's departure However, it became clear that Nolan would not return, and when he did, it was clear that he wanted to see the series through to completion. to a host of other Batman stories set on the heels of The Dark Knight, as we all hoped and expected at the time.”
Many fans of Nolan's trilogy echoed Hughes' opinion. They were eager to see films exploring the years between The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises. Although Nolan had distanced himself from other Batman films, enthusiastic fans were more than happy to see him return and direct other films exploring these middle years and resurrect the character for stories exploring later events to The Dark Knight Rises.
RELATED: Why Batman: The Animated Series is the Best Cartoon of All Time
Another Batman cinematic universe that attempts to explore the character and his world is Matt Reeves' The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson. The film and its planned sequels and spinoffs attempt to be the starting point for a larger Batman universe, much like what fans wanted from Nolan's films.
The Dark Knight trilogy has influenced every comic book film that followed, from Zack Snyder's Man of Steel, Batman v Superman and Justice League to Reeves' The Batman. Yet Nolan has refused to create additional films and spinoffs as Reeves and Warner Bros. plan with this latest iteration of the character.
Nolan's Batman could still return alongside Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson's version. Fan art on social media depicting the Dark Knight trilogy in AI-generated images is ubiquitous across the internet. Some fantastic images inspired by the Dark Knight universe represent Bruce Wayne, Alfred, the Joker and Batman in the form of animated illustrations. The art was sparked in Midjourney by Tom Andy Wein and posted on the official Midjourney Facebook page.
The collection is titled Batman Dark Knight Trilogy: The Anime. The portrayal of famous characters in the film series is excellent. Depicting the actors in an animated style makes them feel familiar and fresh at the same time. If this were concept art for an animated film based on The Dark Knight Trilogy, it would be easy to accept it as authentic or an official release. An animated series about the Dark Knight is a fantastic idea. The anime style could suit the more serious tone of the Dark Knight universe.
RELATED: The Perfect Choice for Mr. Freeze in Batman 3
An animated series could be the perfect project to explore the lost years fans didn't see between The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises. The potential series could also explore the events following The Dark Knight Rises. It could also further explore some of the trilogy's main characters, like Scarecrow, Lucius Fox, and Catwoman, for starters.
An animated series about the Dark Knight could be as groundbreaking as Batman: The Animated Series was in the '90s. The animated series has been praised for its faithfulness to the original material and its brilliant actors like Richard Moll and Mark Hamill . The story was gripping and the soundtrack superb. In essence, Batman: The Animated Series set the bar for what all Batman and other animated series and films should be.
It seems far-fetched, but Nolan's return to Warner as producer of a Dark Knight animated series sounds fantastic. He could work on animation like Steven Spielberg did when he was an executive producer on many Warner animated series like Freakazoid, Pinky and the Brain, Animaniacs and Tiny Toon Adventures. Even if Nolan never returns to The Dark Knight, an anime with another worthy director could be a fantastic series.
RELATED: The Strange Truth About Colin Farrell's Batman Movie That Wasn't Made
TL;DR
- The Dark Knight trilogy was great but could have had more films and spin-offs.
- The art of A.I. in Midjourney shows the possibilities of an animated series based on the Dark Knight trilogy.
- An animated series about the Dark Knight could be inspired by the iconic Batman: The Animated Series.