Nothing’s confirmed at the moment, but “sources” say Joseph Gordon-Levitt will play the new Batman in Warner Bros.’ Justice League. If you have yet to see The Dark Knight Rises, watch out for spoilers ahead.
In its final minutes, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises more than hinted at the idea that Gordon-Levitt’s otherwise stock cop character would have a future fighting crime outside of the force – more specifically that he might pick up where Bruce Wayne left off since he ditched his gig as Batman to live a life of simplicity with Selina Kyle (aka Catwoman). It's also worth noting that another of the trilogy's actors is said to be hopping on board for Justice League.
Many saw this foreshadowing as nothing more than a fun way to end Nolan’s trilogy and keep fans buzzing about the movie, but that might not be the case. Drew McWeeny of HitFix even suggests that JGL might appear as the Caped Crusader before Justice League:
“Now here's where things get interesting. The more insistent the drumbeat has become, the more poking around I've been doing, and it's looking like we may see Gordon-Levitt in the suit earlier than that. They're a long way from filming anything ‘Justice League’ related, but they appear to be solidifying deals for Gordon-Levitt and, potentially, at least one other actor from the Nolan films to do… something.”
He goes on to propose that JGL might don the Bat-Suit in Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel, which hits on June 14, 2013, or during its closing credits in the same fashion that Marvel foreshadows its upcoming films. Snyder was recently coy in talking with the New York Post about Justice League, only revealing that he's helping to keep Warner Bros. on track.
If this rumor proves to be fully true, consider my tickets for Man of Steel and Justice League bought since JGL is such a strong performer, even if the idea of this franchise spinning off of Nolan's universe is an iffy one.
Would you break out the wallet to see him as Batman?
