Should Joseph Gordon-Levitt be Justice League's new Batman?

Holy sequel, Batman! Hitfix is reporting that Joseph-Gordon Levitt will "absolutely" be appearing as Batman in Justice League, an upcoming, Avengers-style team-up of a group of superheroes that also includes Superman and Wonder Woman. The news contradicts earlier reports that Joseph Gordon-Levitt — who, in The Dark Knight Rises, was (spoiler alert) revealed to be John "Robin" Blake and given the keys to the Bat Cave by the retiring Bruce Wayne — would not appear in any future Batman films. Nevertheless, fans are buzzing over the possibility that Christopher Nolan's seemingly concluded Dark Knight trilogy could continue to follow Gordon-Levitt's newly Batman-baptized John Blake character into Justice League. Is the actor the right choice to take over Christian Bale's cape and cowl?

Yes. This is the best-case scenario for Dark Knight fans: "There are quite a few reasons why the Gordon-Levitt rumor makes sense," says Rob Frappler at ScreenRant. "If Warner Bros. wanted to maintain a connection to Nolan's enormously popular Batman films, short of getting Christian Bale back for the role, Gordon-Levitt is the most logical option." And fortunately for Warner Bros., Gordon-Levitt has also proven to be one of the most bankable Hollywood stars in 2012, with appearances in a wide range of critically acclaimed, financially successful films like Looper and Lincoln. This could be the best-case scenario for fans who loved the Dark Knight trilogy and want to see its influence carried over into the future.

"Rumor patrol: Joseph Gordon-Levitt to play Batman in Justice League"

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No. Justice League needs Bruce Wayne as the alter ego: Sure, featuring John Blake as the new Batman would tie into the beloved Dark Knight franchise, but doing Justice League without Batman's alter ego Bruce Wayne "is kind of a mistake," says Sean O'Connell at Cinemablend. Joseph Gordon-Levitt's John "Robin" Blake — who was invented for The Dark Knight Rises — isn't an acceptable substitute for such an iconic character. And the character's presence also ignores decades of storylines beloved by comic fans: Batman and Superman are "the focal point of the Justice League," and many will be clamoring to see the dynamic between Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne, which has grown to be one of DC Comics' most enduring and durable.

"Is Joseph Gordon-Levitt playing Batman in Justice League a good idea?"

We don't even know the exact details yet: Relax, everybody — there's a lot we still don't know yet, says Amos Barshad at Grantland. A Justice League movie has been in production in one form or another for so long that Wikipedia still lists that The Social Network's Armie Hammer was reportedly cast as Batman (though IMDB has no cast listing yet.) Even if Gordon-Levitt is cast, we don't know if Justice League will have any connections to Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy. Would Gordon-Levitt "be playing the same character [as in The Dark Knight Rises], taking over the mantle of Batman, so as to respect the continuity of the movies? Or would he actually be playing Bruce Wayne?" Until more information is available, it's impossible to know whether this is good news or bad news for Batman fans.

"Joseph Gordon-Levitt's new gig is... Batman?!"