I think that a Batman 3 can and should be done, but it needs to be with Chris Nolan directing and Christian Bale starring. I can understand that Heath Ledger's death has messed up the production and that the Joker was supposed to come back, but the Joker character is not necessarily needed for this third movie. Even though Heath Ledger did a one of a kind job, the Joker should be recast, since the character and the actor portraying him should be separate. But if they wont do that and cant do their original idea for Batman 3, other ideas can work, such as this one right here..........PLEASE HAVE CHRIS NOLAN AND CHRISTIAN BALE READ THIS!!!

It has been about six months to a year since the events of the Dark Knight has passed. The Joker has been locked away in Arkham, Two Face is dead, and Batman is hated by the public for the supposed murders he committed, while Gotham is a bad as it has ever been. But some people have come to believe in the name of Batman and have also decided to fight the war on crime in Gotham City, just as ordinary every day citizens are trying to do what Batman did. One in particular is Catwoman, a woman who uses a cat as her symbol of justice, law, and order, and who copies Batman as a vigilante trying to stop crime in the midst of Batman's absence and actually is cleaning up Gotham. Bruce Wayne at this time has become a recluse since the events of the Dark Knight, personally blaming himself for the deaths of Rachael Dawes and Harvey Dent and the hands of the madman, the Joker. He has become a drunkard and keeps himself locked in Wayne Manor fighting through his inner demons and pain that comes to him every day. He has given up on being a hero, believing that he has only made things worse for himself and for Gotham City and that trying to be Batman was a foolish crusade. In addition to this, Wayne Enterprises is being bought and taken over by Cobblepot Enterprises, due to the recent 2008 failing economy in America, and is headed by a man known as Oswald Cobblepot and in some circles, is known as the Penguin due to his ugly and overweight appearance. Cobblepot has also been working behind the shadows to take over as the head crimeboss of Gotham City, since Carmine Falcone is still in Arkham Asylum, and the remaining crime bosses, such as Gambol, the Chechen, and Sal Maroni were killed off in the Dark Knight by the Joker and Two-Face. While this is going on, a mysterious criminal known as the Riddler has come on the scene and is trying to cause chaos in Gotham and bring about its ultimate destruction. What is later revealed in flashback sequences and through what is told by the Riddler, he was a simple computer programmer known as Edward Nygma, who unfortunately lost his job during the economic crisis of 2008 and was about to lose his home due to back payments, as well as trying to pay medical bills for his sick wife, who was unfortunately dying of an inoperable brain tumor. This led him to join a gang, who was going to rob a bank, so he could get money and save what little of a life he had left. Unfortunately during the robbery, Batman had come on the scene and stopped the bad guys including Nygma, who tragically broke his legs in the ensuing chaos and was sent to jail. All in all he became a crippled man with metal rods placed in his legs for support and leading him to use his well known cane and experiencing every day unending pain as a result. He also lost his house and his wife to her cancer in the process. He has since blamed Batman for what happened and vowed to get revenge on him, whatever the cost. Fast forward to the present, he took up the mantle of the Riddler and is trying to draw Batman out of his seclusion, so he can have his revenge and kill him. He does this by kidnapping various police officers and local government officials, and subjecting them to various traps of excruciating pain and eventual death if they cannot solve his insane riddles placed before them, such as (who is the dark knight) and (how can I find the batman). He also asks these riddles and others on Batman in newspapers and has the occasional tendency to blow up various buildings and such by trying to get people to give information or give up Batman if they are connected to them. Eventually, Alfred gets Bruce to go back out and face the Riddler and the Penguin. He asks Lucius Fox for a new Batsuit for his last fight and gets a nolan-versionized batboat and batwing and another tumbler, as well as new gadgets to do this. He eventually comes across Catwoman who also inspires him to become a hero again and since she believes in what he does, takes the blame for the five murders that two face committed in the Dark Knight. This works out because her suit looks like Batman's and people thought it was a case of mistaken identity. Batman comes to realize that the Riddler is virtually his polar opposite, he did similarly lose a love one that was close to him, but ended up losing everything else and turned to a life of crime, while blaming Batman, while Batman became a hero instead and let his need for vengeance not get the better of him. So Batman stops the Penguin and the Riddler that are teamed together. At the end of the movie the Riddler plans to use biologically infused chemical missiles to destroy Gotham, killing himself and everyone else, since he believes that all should suffer, like he has, and die. With the use of his batboat, batwing, new gadgets, and new batsuit ( a different one for every movie and event he faces) he stops the Riddler. Batman also makes a point to apologize to the Riddler for what happened, even though he broke the law and he had to face and still face the consequences of his actions, which the Riddler refuses even at the end As for Catwoman, she willingly takes the blame for the murders and is unfortunately killed by the other underworld foes that were connected to the victims of the murders. At the end of the movie, Batman stops the chemical missiles from destroying Gotham and depending if Nolan wants to keep making these movies ( I would certainly hope and ask that he does) can have Batman be killed off at the end or live and save the day and be reaccepted into society and be the hero of Gotham for ever, as the same in case he is killed and in that case be giving a hero's funeral as well.

The underlying theme of this movie is redemption and not letting your inner demons get the better of you, as Batman becomes a hero again and and wants to help and save Gotham, which he does and becomes an everlasting entity of good for Gotham, while the Riddler, his polar opposite, decided to lose himself and become a villain who wanted nothing but pain and destruction for all.

Also, please reintroduce the BATBOAT AND BATWING and let BATMAN HAVE A NEW BATSUIT, one for each movie and different time period and trials that he faces and the name for this new movie should be BATMAN ETERNAL.