<P> Over the course of seven years , Warner Bros. commissioned Darren Aronofsky for an adaptation of Batman : Year One and Wolfgang Petersen for Batman vs. Superman before deciding to reboot the film franchise in 2005 with Batman Begins , directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Christian Bale . Nolan returned to direct two further installments through the release of The Dark Knight in 2008 and The Dark Knight Rises in 2012 , with Bale reprising his role in both films . Both sequels earned over $1 billion worldwide , making Batman the second film franchise to have two of its films earn more than $1 billion worldwide . Referred to as The Dark Knight Trilogy , the critical acclaim and commercial success of Nolan 's films have been credited with restoring widespread popularity to the superhero , with the second installment considered one of the best superhero movies of all - time . Ben Affleck became the newest actor to portray Batman in 2016 with Batman v Superman : Dawn of Justice , which began a sequence of DC Comics adaptations that Warner Bros. refers to as the DC Extended Universe , including Justice League , a crossover film featuring other DC Comics characters , in 2017 , and a stand - alone Batman film starring Affleck and directed by Matt Reeves that is set for release in 2019 . </P>
what are the dark knight movies in order
2005 with Batman Begins The Dark Knight in 2008 The Dark Knight Rises in 2012