In the Los Angeles Times' Hero Complex blog, Geoff Boucher has a lengthy conversation with Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan, whose superhero epic is teetering on the verge of making a billion dollars.  Considering that's just U.S. and foreign box office, and doesn't even take into account merchandising and the vast sums it's going to rake in once it comes to home video, that's the kind of cash that even Bruce Wayne would greet with a low whistle.  Nolan, though, if he isn't exactly taking the news in stride, at least isn't letting it go to his head:  "I can't get my arms around it, to be frank.  It's mystifying.  It's terrific, but at the same time, it's a little abstract, the numbers are so big...there's something liberating in knowing that my next film, whatever it is, isn't going to make as much money.  I don't have to try for years."

Wait a minute..."whatever it is"?  Surely it's going to be a third Batman movie.  Surely Nolan isn't going to walk away from a franchise that netted widespread critical acclaim and a ten-figure box office return, right?  The man himself is cagey on the subject, saying that if there's a compelling enough story to tell, he'll be on board, but noting that no such story has yet revealed itself, and asking the very sensible question:  "How many good third movies in a franchise can people name?"

The rest of the interview (part two is here) is equally engaging, featuring Nolan's thoughts on the character of Batman, the loss of Heath Ledger and what it means to the franchise, the widely-argued politics of The Dark Knight, and his favorite scene in the movie.  He never gets around to answering whether or not he'll helm the next installment, but our money is on yes.  A billion dollars can buy you a lot of story.

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