Skip to main content

Frank Miller is writing another sequel to The Dark Knight Returns

ben affleck batman director
Those wondering why the DC film universe is so dark and gritty, and has been for a long time, may want to familiarize themselves with Frank Miller’s iconic 1986 comic series The Dark Knight Returns, one of the most influential series in comic book history. Now, the legendary comic book artist, writer, and film director is planning on creating another sequel to his masterpiece.

The Dark Knight III: The Master Race will be written by Miller and writer Brian Azzarello, whose works included an acclaimed run on Wonder Woman. “Batman remains my favorite comic book hero and a sequel to Dark Knight is going to be daunting,” said Miller said in a press release, “but we’ll do our best.”

Related Videos

Azzarello said, “It’s been an amazing experience collaborating with Frank these past six months. I think we have an epic story that these characters truly deserve.”

“We are thrilled to have Frank back home at DC writing Batman,” according to Dan DiDio and Jim Lee, Co-Publishers for DC Entertainment. “The story he and Brian have crafted is an astounding and triumphant conclusion to this seminal body of work which influenced and shaped generations of readers and creators alike.”

The original series, The Dark Knight Returns, showcased an aging Batman gearing up for the fight of his life. It heavily influenced comics and the movies that came after them, including Tim Burton’s two Batman films, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises, and the upcoming iteration of Batman in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. As a collection, the series was also named as one of TIME’s 10 greatest graphic novels of all time. In 2001, Miller returned to the Dark Knight by penning and drawing Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Back. However, while the sequel was incredibly successful, it was panned by both critics and fans alike. It will be interesting to see what the man behind the darkest cowl has in store this time.

The Dark Knight III: The Master Race is slated to be released in September 2015. No artist has been announced as of yet.

Editors' Recommendations

The Batman: The movies and comics that inspired the hit film
Split image of Robert De Niro in Taxi Driver, Robert Pattinson in THe Batman, & Jake Gyllenhaal in Zodiac.

Note: Spoilers for The Batman are discussed in this article.

Following the turbulent opening phase of the DCEU, director Matt Reeves was given the massive task of helming the third incarnation of DC's Caped Crusader within the last 10 years. Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy set a high bar for how Batman could be shaped in live-action theatrical endeavors, but The Batman needed to be much more than going back to those fundamentals. For that, Reeves and co-writer Peter Craig needed to draw on several sources of inspiration to make Robert Pattinson's hero resonate with a 2022 audience numbed from relentless reboots and sequels. Thankfully, they did just that and then some by looking toward the gritty crime-noir thrillers of director David Fincher and the comic book source materials that make Batman the "World's Greatest Detective."

Read more
Where to watch all the live-action Batman movies
Split image of Michael Keaton, Christian Bale, and Ben Affleck as Batman

Even if you’ve never read a comic before, you’ll more than likely know who Batman is. After first appearing in 1939’s Detective Comics #27, the billionaire philanthropist-turned-masked vigilante has made his mark as one of the most iconic superheroes of all time.

The character also has no shortage of live-action movie appearances. Each movie offers something different for everyone, from super campy to deadly serious. We’ve created a handy guide to inform you of all the live-action Batman movies and where you can watch them.
Batman: The Movie (1966)

Read more
Every theatrical Batman solo movie, ranked
Split image of Batman in Batman Returns, The Batman, and Batman Forever

As one of the greatest superheroes of all time, Batman has been the subject of multiple big-screen adaptations, each attempting to bring something new to his already complex mythos. The latest entry in this venerable franchise, Matt Reeves' highly anticipated The Batman, is a neo-noir take that puts the world's greatest detective and his legendary skills front and center. Critics are calling it the best comic book movie since The Dark Knight, which is still the barometer against which all comic book adaptations are measured.

But what makes a good Batman movie? Faithfulness to the ever-changing source material, compelling villains, and ambitious production values contribute to a successful adaptation, but the Dark Knight invites intricacy. Dating back to the 1960s, fans have seen all manner of takes on Batman, from the pulpy and colorful to the aggressively dark, from merely decent to quite good. Each Batman movie is memorable in its own way, but a few rise above the genre's conventions, redefining what audiences expect from a comic book movie -- and Batman himself.

Read more