Is the Boy Wonder's possible inclusion in the next Batman movie a sign of a willingness to round off Nolan's trilogy with integrity?

Yeah, for those curious, this is an article explaining why a rumor - that could be a complete load - gives me hope for a film franchise. This is still the Internet, dammit, and I intend to use it for its apparent purpose for as long as they'll let me.

Let's get it out of the way - I'm not the biggest fan of Inception. Given that, coupled with the unbelievably lazy title The Dark Knight Rises, and the fact that Nolan has said he put everything he'd want in a Batman movie into The Dark Knight, I have not been particularly optimistic that writer/director Christopher Nolan can close out his trilogy as well as he started in (and yes, for the record, I do quite like Batman Begins and The Dark Knight). Third movies are a tough landing to stick under the most promising of circumstances, and we've certainly seen more Return of the Jedis than Toy Story 3s.

Also, who uses Bane? Certainly the work of the most brilliant man or the dumbest.

But this business of Robin possibly being included has me reconsidering everything. Yes, it's true, Nolan said quite early on that he'd never put Robin in a Batman movie, and fanboys* doing what they do commended him on it. Phooey, I say. People who say Robin can't be handled well are not particularly creative people (and they haven't read one of the half billion comics that have done great Robin stories). Robin's a great character who also perfectly illustrates Bruce Wayne's growth from a bitter old bastard who wants revenge to someone making proactive, positive change in the world. And I know fanboys hate the idea of people doing good things that doesn't involve a boot to the face, but maturity finds us all some day. Even the Batman.

"The inclusion of Robin would make a statement, that this film matters as part of a larger story"

So if Nolan did put Robin in The Dark Knight Rises, it'd be a ballsy move at the very least. And not just because the fanboys would go "whhhhhhaaaa?" While people who say Robin can't be handled well need to read up, it's also true that people who say Robin isn't inherently a little silly also need some help. And in the very monochromatic world of Nolan's Batman, that red's gonna pop. So I'd have to give him props for that.

What would really make me excited, though, is that it'd show an absolute willingness to not simply rely on the same old thing. The Dark Knight was almost a completely different film from Batman Begins tonally, stylistically, and aesthetically. The title - The Dark Knight Rises - smelled like a whole lot of cash cow, and it wouldn't be hard to just go back to the same bag of tricks as one of the decade's most culturally significant films. The inclusion of Robin would make a statement, that this film matters as part of a larger story. Big things are happening here.

Now it's all about sticking the landing.

And this rumor being true.

*I use the term "fanboys" lovingly. You guys are like my own personal PETA - you're crazy, obsessed with your cause down to the tiniest detail, and I can sit back and get a laugh from you on a very regular basis, but deep down I'm glad you're fighting the good fight that I just don't have the energy for.

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