re: Will Batman ever be the same without Christopher Nolan directing?

I enjoyed Batman Begins, but I think that Nolan whiffed on Ra's Al Ghul. Al Ghul works better as a late-arriving villain, not as a first villain. What made him imposing in the comics was that, after all of the amazing rogues gallery villains that Batman defeated over his first 30 years, Al Ghul was the one who evaded his detection while knowing EVERYTHING about Batman.

And Al Ghul choosing to reveal his existence to Batman shocked Batman into becoming a proactive superhero. Something that we hadn't seen in superhero comics. That makes for a much better story than having Al Ghul as a teacher turned foe.