A DC concept trailer for The Dark Knight 4 pitches the perfect idea for Christian Bale’s return as Batman in Christopher Nolan’s universe. While the superhero and comic book movie genre has evolved over the last few years, there was a time when Hollywood was far more limited with how much they invested into DC and Marvel stories. From the mid 2000s up until 2012, Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy was one of the handful of superhero properties that was released for the big screen.
It has been more than a decade since The Dark Knight Rises came out and finished Bale’s Bruce Wayne storyline. However, there are many that would love to see that universe continue, as evidenced by Screen Culture sharing a concept trailer for The Dark Knight 4.
In this scenario, The Dark Knight 4 is pitched as a new take on Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns, as Bruce resumes his crusade as Batman, this time against Black Mask. The version of Roman Sionis that is used in the fan trailer is based on Ewan McGregor’s iteration from the DCEU movie timeline.
How Christian Bale’s The Dark Knight Returns Could Happen Under DC Studios
Even though The Dark Knight 4 isn’t officially in the works at Warner Bros. Discovery, there are still ways for Nolan’s franchise to return under DC Studios’ regime. As James Gunn’s DC Universe is on its way, DC Studios and Warner Bros. Discovery are also investing in the Elseworlds brands. While Elseworlds may only have The Batman and Joker franchises, bringing back Nolan’s The Dark Knight universe would be a perfect fit under that umbrella.
As long as the story is handled well and feels organic, there is no reason The Dark Knight 4 shouldn’t be explored. The most important factors that need to be in place are Bale and Nolan’s involvement, with the former having made it clear that he will only return for The Dark Knight 4 if the trilogy director is attached. While chances are slim that Nolan would want to return for The Dark Knight 4, stranger things have happened in Hollywood.
While time will tell if The Dark Knight universe will ever live again, DC Comics could always continue to expand upon that world as they did with Christopher Reeve’s Superman and Michael Keaton’s Batman with their respective Superman ’78 and Batman ’89 comics, as that would likely be more possible to see happen as opposed to a live-action version of The Dark Knight 4. For now, the world will have to wait and see if there ever comes a time when The Dark Knight 4 becomes a reality.
| Upcoming DC Movies | Release Date |
|---|---|
| Joker: Folie à Deux | October 4, 2024 |
| Superman | July 11, 2025 |
| Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow | June 26, 2026 |
| The Batman – Part II | October 2, 2026 |
