Now in many ways, Nolan had it easy going into Batman Begins.  After the very least, there was next to no chance it would be as bad as Batman & Robin, and so, the expectations were pretty freaking low.  Now that Nolan has raised the bar to ridiculous heights, what can the next director do?  Rise above it?  No. Go around it.  Nolan has invested so much time and energy into making his own, real-world Batman that a step back towards a traditional "comic-book" feel would be almost easy.  I'm talking about freeze rays, chemical pits, shape-shifters, swinging across skyscrapers like Spider-Man, which of course means, some ridiculous gadgets.

The only problem would be getting people to accept this Batman as its own entity.  That shouldn't be too tricky either.  After all, how many Batman fans out there grew up on the animated series or even Batman Beyond.  Both featured all of these things listed above (with Batman Beyond being a tad more ridiculous).  And don't forget the recent success of Batman: Arkham Asylum.  Despite its gritty nature and realistically styled graphics, the game featured mutants and a giant crocodile man (not to mention, the traditional Bat-suit).  In so many ways, Arkham Asylum was the parts of Batman that were excluded from Nolan's films (but conversely, the game was missing some of the film's stronger traits).  It isn't necessarily a bad or good thing.  Its simply different, and when it comes to restarting a franchise, different is good.

There would be no point in mimicking Nolan's film.  All that would bring about is endless comparisons and crude comments.  In fact, I dare say the more differences the better.  I truly hope they do not go the origin route.  Everyone knows who Batman is and where he came from.  Lets start with a seasoned Batman.  Why not throw in some of his team members as well.  This would allow the audience to see a Batman they maybe aren't used to seeing: the team leader.  Batman is by nature a solo act, cut off from the real world.  But over the years, he has continuously found allies and partners, placing him in a reluctant leadership role.  Its a great dynamic that has yet to be seen properly on the big screen.

As for villains, I want to see Mr. Freeze.  I have two reasons why.  Reason one, to erase any and all memory of "Ah-nold" playing him.  Reason two, because anyone who used to watch the animated series knows what a deep and tortured villain he really is.  Mr. Freeze is cold, calculating, but deep down, driven by the love of his wife.  He is a fantastic enemy.  Then again, Batman has one of the largest and most varied enemy lists of any superhero out there.  They could always use some no name guy and elevate him to something spectacular.

I'm probably getting a little ahead of myself with this post, but I simply want people to realize that any great story deserves to be told again.   But there is no point in retelling it in the same manner it was told before.  The challenge is finding a new path, a new angle, a new approach that can help the audience see something they may not have caught before.  At his heart, Batman is a man driven by guilt who wrestles with the fulfilling his mission and living his life.  That allows for endless stories, stories which I hope to see in the future.