The Dark Knight Writer Would "Absolutely" Return for Fourth Film

05/01/2024 01:55 pm EDT

The Dark Knight's writer says that a sequel to their trilogy would be a dream. Jonathan Nolan, the brother of director Christopher Nolan, penned the massively influential comic book film. He talked to SHOWSA about the prospect of The Dark Knight 4. While it would be wild to see, there are absolutely no plans to revisit Nolan's beloved corner of the Bat-mythos. However, with multiverses all the rage and actors revisiting their iconic roles, it feels like this wouldn't be the pie-in-the-sky it might have been just a few short years ago. So, hope springs eternal for comic book fans.

Nolan said, "Wouldn't that be a dream… So, if I had the chance to go back and work on that again, absolutely." His brother is famously very protective of the work he did with Batman. The script for a Christian Bale return to the cape and cowl would have to be top-notch to lure him back to the house of DC. However, the prospect of reuniting with the Oppenheimer director and the writer who brought that universe to life might be just the ticket to facilitate such an ambitious movie. For now, we all wait and see. 

The Dark Knight Remains Iconic

The Dark Knight has only gained acclaim in the years since the movie's release. So many iconic moments pop-up in the movie, but co-writer Jonathan Nolan says that one line in-particular  "plagues" him. You've probably heard: "You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain" a million times and he didn't even write it. He told Deadline about his brother pitching in earlier this year.

"I'm plagued by a line from The Dark Knight, and I'm plagued by it because I didn't write it," Nolan explained. "My brother [Chirstopher] wrote it. It kills me because it's the line that most resonates. And at the time, I didn't even understand it ... I read it in his draft, and I was like, 'All right, I'll keep it in there, but I don't really know what it means. Is that really a thing?' And then, over the years since that film's come out, it just seems truer and truer. In [Oppenheimer], it's absolutely that. Build them up, tear them down. It's the way we treat people."

Back at SXSW, the scribe shared more on that story. "It came later in the script," Nolan shtold the outlet. "We've done a version or two of the script where we were looking for something that would distill the tragedy of Harvey Dent, but that would also apply to Batman. The richness of Batman is in the way this principled, almost Boy Scout-like figure is wrapped up in this kind of ghoulish appearance and his willingness to embrace the darkness. So I was looking at Greek tragic figures."

Would you want another Nolan Batman? Check out all the pop culture discussion at @ComicBook on social media!