Recently, I watched “The Dark Knight” for the fourth time. It is an all-around great movie with a complex and well constructed story
line. It also keeps the audience on edge as events unfold. ­Although classified as an action/suspense film, the powerful themes and symbols of the struggle between good and evil make it more. It's a modern classic that hopefully will not be forgotten by viewers – or those writing, directing, and producing the sequel.

Today, sequels seem to be spilling out of the movie industry without concern for the audience. Hollywood knows a sequel will sell as long as it is advertised enough. And so, they often neglect the final product. They should make sure a series develops with a natural continuation of the plot. For the sequel of “The Dark Knight” to live up to the original, successfully and naturally continuing or ending the Batman series, the writers, directors, and producers should follow some guidelines.

Those developing the character of Bruce Wayne need to understand that his persona is critical. It would be great for Christian Bale to play him again, but it's important that he not be overused. Wayne's actions speak louder than his words, which means that he should only speak when there is something important to say, thus maintaining his reclusive reputation. In addition, Wayne makes interesting decisions and subtly acts on them, which also define his character.

Audiences want to see the same basic idea in a sequel but with a fresh plot and aspects that make it significantly different. Therefore, writers should introduce new symbols and meanings in relation to the light and dark imagery. To maintain Wayne's love life, they should include a new love interest who has a similar relationship with Wayne and Batman that Rachel Dawson had but with an interesting, and different, personality. Furthermore, to keep the struggle between Batman and the “bad guy” different, the new antagonist needs to have purpose and meaning for his actions, unlike the Joker, who just wanted to cause havoc.

I can only hope that the Hollywood folks creating the sequel to “The Dark Knight” are insightful enough to create the next great installment this series deserve.