The Dark Knight Rises!

[_____V_____]

Aug 18, 2008


The First Step: Warners has an offer out to the director

The Dark Knight soared past the first Star Wars movie this weekend to become the second highest-grossing domestic release of all time just behind Titanic. With over $470 million now in their coffers, Warner Bros. is understandably eager to make sure that filmmaker Christopher Nolan, the director of TDK and Batman Begins, returns to helm the third installment in their revitalized Bat-franchise.

So far there had been little hard news about Batman 3 (but plenty of unfounded casting gossip about who might play the villains in the next sequel).

Until now.

According to Variety, "There's a deal for the director to helm a third pic, but he has yet to decide on whether to tackle it yet." Warner Bros. studio boss Alan Horn told the trade, "We have no idea where Chris is going with this. ... We haven't had any conversations with him about it."

Although the paper doesn't say, it should probably be expected that Nolan's next directing effort will likely be a non-Batman project (assuming he even wants to do Batman 3), much like how he followed the success of Batman Begins with The Prestige.

[The_Return]

Please God let Nolan accept...

I do like the idea of seeing him do something else first though - as much as he's perfect for Batman, I'd love to see what else is brewing in that mind. All of his movies so far have been masterpieces - except for Insomnia, IMO - and I'm pumped for his next project.

[_____V_____]

August 27, 2008


Given the phenomenal success of The Dark Knight, fans -- as well as studio Warner Bros. and production company Legendary Pictures -- are all eager for a third installment in the revitalized Batman franchise.

But there is one key player -- director Christopher Nolan -- who has yet to commit to making another sequel.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, both Warner Bros. and Legendary want a Batman 3 but concede that "it will be up to Nolan to come to them with a story and a plan."

As Batman Begins and Dark Knight producer Charles Roven put it, "There are a lot of us who emotionally would love to do it. ... But it's really Chris' call. Chris is the kind of filmmaker who just doesn't think about the next movie before he has completely finished the movie he is working on."

Warners recently made an offer to Nolan, but THR says Nolan is currently away on vacation. "When he comes back, we will see how he feels," Roven said.

The studio revealed this week that it wants to release four DC Comics movie adaptations by 2011, with a third Batman film being one of them.

[_____V_____]

Okay, there have been no end to rumors (do you blame the mongers, after what TDK did at the BO?), but this one is pretty much direct from a source who has pretty close ties with both Nolan AND Goyer :-

"The other day, they (Chris & David) were discussing the follow-up, before Chris Nolan had to leave for his vacation. And Chris was very pleased with the way TDK shaped up, and was very animated in describing the character traits of three characters for pt.3, if he gets a chance to get on the director's chair again.

They are - The Huntress, Catwoman & Hugo Strange.

Considering that Chris likes his Batman dark, grim-faced and faithful to his roots, I am willing to place a very safe bet on a storyline involving these 3, with a hint at a bigger villain for a possible follow-up trilogy."


Excited? I am!

Let's wait for the confirmation and official news, when and if they come.

[Phalanx]

I'd like to see Hush in a Nolan Batman film - the characters dark enough to throw in without much change, a good counter character to Batman.

[Cheap_Remake]

I'd like to see Hush in a Nolan Batman film - the characters dark enough to throw in without much change, a good counter character to Batman.

If you are talking about the crocodile that is Killer Croc. I think Mr.Freeze would be tragic enough and have plenty of story, and with the thoughts brewing in nolan's head he could easily make us forget the "terminator".

[roshiq]

I just saw this poster at a Bangla community forum and like to share with you here:

http://www.firstshowing.net/img/darkknight-returns-fan-poster.jpg

[ferretchucker]

Good poster. I'd be worried with the riddler being in it. Great character but it can be easy to make him similar to the joker without them realize they're doing it.

[Posher778]

I just saw this poster at a Bangla community forum and like to share with you here:

http://www.firstshowing.net/img/darkknight-returns-fan-poster.jpg

I totally thought of the big question mark idea even before Dark Knight came out.

[Despare]

Good poster. I'd be worried with the riddler being in it. Great character but it can be easy to make him similar to the joker without them realize they're doing it.

I think the Riddler is different enough from the Joker, we haven't seen any good death traps yet and (hopefully) we'd see some more actual detective work from the bat.

[_____V_____]

September 8, 2008


Either Michael Caine believes all the Batman 3 casting gossip that he reads in the British tabloids, or he knows something we don't.

Well, now we know it, too, because he's blabbed about it.

In a chat with MTV, the actor who portrays Alfred the butler in Christopher Nolan's Batman films said, "They've already got (the villains) in mind. ... It's Johnny Depp as The Riddler. And The Penguin is Philip Seymour Hoffman. I read it in the paper."

But before you completely dismiss this comment as a glib throwaway line, Caine revealed, ""I was with [a Warner Bros.] executive and I said, 'Are we going to make another one?' They said yeah. I said, 'How the hell are we going to top Heath [Ledger as The Joker]? And he says 'I'll tell you how you top Heath — Johnny Depp as The Riddler and Philip Seymour Hoffman as The Penguin.' I said, '(Expletive), they've done it again!'"

The Comic Book Cynic recently pointed out that Depp addressed the Riddler rumors during a radio interview, saying, "I heard about that. Not that I know of. ... It seems like it'd be a fun gig for a while, yeah."

And when asked about the Penguin rumors at the Toronto International Film Festival, Hoffman advised The Stone Report, "I don't think so." But then Hoffman admitted that he was a comic book fan growing up and added, "I think what they're doing with that whole Batman story is really true to what that whole Batman thing has always been. It's one of the darkest origins of a superhero, to get all nerdy and geeky on you. That character sees his parents gunned down as a young child: I remember when I was a kid reading that story, so seeing it now come to life as the dark tale that it really is as an intense, really dark, very visceral, adult tale that they're doing now, all the great work people are doing on it, of course I wouldn't say, 'Well, no, no no.' But I don't know the reality of it, so I wouldn't say 'yes' to you."

[ferretchucker]

Good casting for the penguin. I'm not sure about depp. Great actor but at the moment I just can't picture him being right for it.

[roshiq]

.... and (hopefully) we'd see some more actual detective work from the bat.

I'm looking forward for that too.

I don't know why but I have doubt that they'll put both the Riddler & Penguin in a same story.

[Phalanx]

Why not?
They're friends...PSH as the Penguin would seem a decent choice. Depp I'm kind've over practically playing very similar characters all the time, his "quieter" roles serve him a lot better I think. Wouldn't mind seeing someoe like Greg Kinnear take on the Riddler.

Like I said before, I'd love to see HUSH, just wiki him if you don't know who it is - wasn't introduced all that long ago but the character has a long history with Wayne, he's pretty much like the twisted version of Wayne. I mean seriously, this character is practically Nolan-ish already.

[Doc Faustus]

Will Ferrell as Maxie Zeus with John C. Reilly as Manbat.

[Vodstok]

I would love to see Johnny Depp as the riddler. After what he did with Willie Wonka, I can see him playing any goofball role.


Mix Wonka with Sweeny Todd (Maybe a little Jack Sparrow), and you would have a seriously messed up villain. I have a hard time thinking anyone could pull of the the feeling of being threatened that Ledger did, but if anyone alive could do it, i would put money on Johnny Depp.

[Phalanx]

Maxie Zeu
Christopher Walken

[Vodstok]

He already had his time as a batman villain.:D

[urgeok2]

and as a james bond villian - named Max Zorin

Maxie Zeu - Max Zorin .. hmmm

[crimson_ghost]

Depp would make a good riddler if he had no likeness to any previous role, i think he could do a good job being himself, he seems eerie like that

[Vodstok]

and as a james bond villian - named Max Zorin

Maxie Zeu - Max Zorin .. hmmm
Max Zorin. from one of the most reviled james bond movies of all times. Pity too, i awlys loved a view to a kill




and i dont think depp would play the riddler anything like jim carey. there is no way.

[roshiq]

Nolan unsure about the sequel of TDK!?!

It's frustrating...:(

http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/christophernolan_blog.html

[The_Return]

Well, you KNOW that there'll be another one - whether Nolan comes back or not.

Hopefully he'll return so the studios don't ass-rape the franchise again (remember when Burton left?), but I also dont want him to be pressured into it and do a rushed job.

If he doesn't really want to do another one, there shouldn't be another one. One of the main reasons that Begins and TDK were so phenomenal is because they were a labor of love for him. If he can't give the same passion to part 3...what's the point?

[_____V_____]

He'll do it. Just dont expect it very soon.

If you ask me, 2011-12 is where I ll put my money at. Till then, let's watch some Nolan works which would be different. Like say, a suburban comedy? :D

[ferretchucker]

As I've said before, I'd like to see Clayface or/ and Ventriloquist with Scarface. I think they're realistic, which is what Nolan seems to be going for, and they can easily be made quite creepy, especially ventriloquist and scarface. I mean, think how many people are scared of those puppets!

[massacre man]

As I've said before, I'd like to see Clayface or/ and Ventriloquist with Scarface. I think they're realistic, which is what Nolan seems to be going for, and they can easily be made quite creepy, especially ventriloquist and scarface. I mean, think how many people are scared of those puppets!

I think you're referring to the original Clayface, but I don't see how a serial killer in a mask and a guy with a puppet could be a movie-worthy Batman villain on the scale of the villains from Begins and Dark Knight.

[Phalanx]

They should do Hush, or a version of Bane that's far closer to the comic.
Again, I think Greg Kinnear would be a great Riddler too.

As for Nolan not working on another Bat-film straight away, I'm good with that - I love his batman stuff, don't get me wrong, but I like his other stuff more.

[Doc Faustus]

They should do Hush, or a version of Bane that's far closer to the comic.
Again, I think Greg Kinnear would be a great Riddler too.

As for Nolan not working on another Bat-film straight away, I'm good with that - I love his batman stuff, don't get me wrong, but I like his other stuff more.

Definitely. Bane was badass in Knightfall. To balance this out, everybody else was written very poorly, but comic Bane is awesome. If you basically did the plot of Knightfall without the backbreaking aspect and added the social stigma of fleeing from the cops that would be awesome. Batman off the streets would cause a freak buildup, lending power to crime bosses like the Ventriloquist (William H. Macy would rock for this) and Scarface, Black Mask, Penguin and a more realistic Killer Croc. These guys and a newly freed Scarecrow and Mad Hatter (requires very little backstory and can be explained using somewhat real science) could have Batman working past his breaking point to try and shut down a more sadistic Bane (Danny Trejo).

[The_Return]

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I'm still pushing for Black Mask. He's perfect for this franchise, plus he's never been done on film before.

His backstory is somewhat of a mirror to Bruce's - not quite so much as Hush I suppose, but they still contrast each other. And, as I've said oh-so-many times, the beauty of Hush was in the manipulation: the best part of that character/plotline was how him and Riddler had everyone wrapped around their fingers. I love Hush, but I think they could only do him justice either in an animated movie set in the Timm-verse, or much later in this series once alot more characters have been introduced - especially Riddler.

[ferretchucker]

Definitely. Bane was badass in Knightfall. To balance this out, everybody else was written very poorly, but comic Bane is awesome. If you basically did the plot of Knightfall without the backbreaking aspect and added the social stigma of fleeing from the cops that would be awesome. Batman off the streets would cause a freak buildup, lending power to crime bosses like the Ventriloquist (William H. Macy would rock for this) and Scarface, Black Mask, Penguin and a more realistic Killer Croc. These guys and a newly freed Scarecrow and Mad Hatter (requires very little backstory and can be explained using somewhat real science) could have Batman working past his breaking point to try and shut down a more sadistic Bane (Danny Trejo).

The knightfall story sounds awesome. I have an old comic from it (Just one, the one where Jean-Paul Valley makes the new suit) but I really liked it. I looked it up on the internet and it sounded great. I think catwoman would be pretty good in a film.

[_____V_____]

October 29, 2008


Warner Bros. intends on producing four DC Comics movies by 2011, including Batman 3. One project that the studio has long kicked around doing -- and almost did this year until it fell apart -- is Justice League of America.

The question was whether Batman, as currently realized by director Christopher Nolan and actor Christian Bale, would fit in the more comic booky realm of JLA. Nolan thinks there is a place for Batman in such a movie -- but not his Dark Knight.

"I don't think our Batman, our Gotham [Nolan's emphases], lends itself to that kind of cross-fertilization. It goes back to one of the first things we wrangled with when we first started putting the story together: Is this a world in which comic books already exist? Is this a world in which superheroes already exist?," Nolan told the Los Angeles Times.

He continued, "If you think of Batman Begins and you think of the philosophy of this character trying to reinvent himself as a symbol, we took the position -- we didn't address it directly in the film, but we did take the position philosophically -- that superheroes simply don't exist. If they did, if Bruce [Wayne] knew of Superman or even of comic books, then that's a completely different decision that he's making when he puts on a costume in an attempt to become a symbol. It's a paradox and a conundrum, but what we did is go back to the very original concept and idea of the character. In his first appearances, he invents himself as a totally original creation."

And when asked whether the studio is pressuring him to make a third Bat-film sooner rather than later, Nolan replied, "They're being extremely gracious. I have a very good relationship with the studio. They know that I really needed to go on holiday and take some time to figure what I want to do next. They've been very respectful of that, which is terrific and one of the reasons I enjoy working with Warner Bros."


Christopher Nolan gave a very diplomatic answer when asked recently whether he could see himself NOT directing another Batman film.

"Well ... let me think how to put this. There are two things to be said," Nolan told the Los Angeles Times. "One is the emphasis on story. What's the story? Is there a story that's going to keep me emotionally invested for the couple of years that it will take to make another one? That's the overriding question. On a more superficial level, I have to ask the question: How many good third movies in a franchise can people name? [Laughs.]"

He continued, "At the same time, in taking on the second one, we had the challenge of trying to make a great second movie, and there haven't been too many of those either. It's all about the story really. If the story is there, everything is possible. I hope that was a suitably slippery answer."

Nolan was also asked whether, given how The Dark Knight ended, if the plan was to bring The Joker back for the next installment. (That, obviously, would be difficult now in light of Heath Ledger's death.) "No, really and in truth, I only deal with one film at a time. I find myself sort of protesting this issue a lot. We've never attempted to save anything for a sequel or set up anything for a sequel. That seems improbable to some people because, particularly with Batman Begins, the film ended with a particular hook [with Jim Gordon showing Batman a Joker playing card announcing the arrival of a new villain in town]. But for me that was just about the excitement of people leaving the theater with the sense that now we have the character up and running."

He added, "Then I got excited about seeing where that character would go. It was planned in advance, but it followed in that way. But we tried our hardest to really do everything in this movie that we would want to see the Joker do and to get that in the fabric of the story as much as possible. We wanted the Joker's final taunt to Batman to be that they are locked in an ongoing struggle because of Batman's rules. There's a paradox there. Batman won't kill. And the Joker is not interested in completely defeating Batman because he's fascinated by him and he enjoys sparring with him. It's trapped both of them. That was really the meaning of it. Of course what happened is Heath created the most extraordinary character that you would love to see 10 movies about. That's the bittersweet thing. It was incredible characterization. It is a bittersweet thing for all of us."

[_____V_____]

December 16, 2008


There has been a lot of buzz lately that Batman 3 is further along than the powers-that-be have let on. Today's gossip claims the sequel is currently being scripted and that Warner Bros. has an Oscar winner in mind to play the villain.

According to E! Online columnist Ted Casablanca, "Warners sources are leaking to us that Rachel Weisz is being considered for the Catwoman role."

Weisz, 37, starred in the first two installments of The Mummy, as well as The Fountain, Constantine, About a Boy, and The Constant Gardener, for which she won an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actress.

If Weisz is indeed cast as Catwoman then she would not be the first Oscar winner to play the feline fatale. Halle Berry, who the Best Actress nod for Monster's Ball, starred in the ill-fated Catwoman standalone film. Michelle Pfeiffer played the same in Tim Burton's Batman Returns.

E! also claims that Christopher Nolan will indeed return to direct the film, and that Christian Bale will be back to star. The site adds that "we're very pleased to report that he'll be playing a 'sexier' Bruce Wayne" in the next sequel.




Meanwhile, if any of you have read/ are reading the following article, take it with a huge pinch of salt :-

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/bizarre/article2048300.ece

[Despare]

December 16, 2008


There has been a lot of buzz lately that Batman 3 is further along than the powers-that-be have let on. Today's gossip claims the sequel is currently being scripted and that Warner Bros. has an Oscar winner in mind to play the villain.

According to E! Online columnist Ted Casablanca, "Warners sources are leaking to us that Rachel Weisz is being considered for the Catwoman role."

Weisz, 37, starred in the first two installments of The Mummy, as well as The Fountain, Constantine, About a Boy, and The Constant Gardener, for which she won an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actress.

If Weisz is indeed cast as Catwoman then she would not be the first Oscar winner to play the feline fatale. Halle Berry, who the Best Actress nod for Monster's Ball, starred in the ill-fated Catwoman standalone film. Michelle Pfeiffer played the same in Tim Burton's Batman Returns.

E! also claims that Christopher Nolan will indeed return to direct the film, and that Christian Bale will be back to star. The site adds that "we're very pleased to report that he'll be playing a 'sexier' Bruce Wayne" in the next sequel.




Meanwhile, if any of you have read/ are reading the following article, take it with a huge pinch of salt :-

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/bizarre/article2048300.ece

Are you just ignoring the Eddie Murphy as The Riddler rumor in hopes that it's not true or that by not acknowledging it, it will never happen? ;)

The same guys who got laughed at when they leaked info about Daniel Craig being considered for Bond...

[_____V_____]

Are you just ignoring the Eddie Murphy as The Riddler rumor in hopes that it's not true or that by not acknowledging it, it will never happen? ;)

The same guys who got laughed at when they leaked info about Daniel Craig being considered for Bond...

You could say that. If that happens I ll personally go over and shoot Chris Nolan.

[freddy69]

i hate batman , so i hate the batman movies:mad:

[_____V_____]

January 12, 2009


Remember a few months ago, when Aaron Eckhart was telling all and sundry that Harvey Dent/Two-Face, the villain he so memorably played in The Dark Knight, was definitely dead?

Well, he seems to have maybe changed his mind, having said the following to MTV News at the Golden Globes on Sunday: "I think Harvey - if he's not dead - is in a serious coma and I'm not sure he's coming out. They might pull the plug on him."

Whilst he still doesn't sound too optimistic about reprising his role as the villain in Nolan's second Batman sequel, the fact that Eckhart is now saying his character is alive is certainly more ambiguous than what he was saying back in September, when he told Coming Soon: "He is dead as a door nail. ... He ain't coming back baby!"

The fact that he reckons his character may well be alive will give hope to Bat-fans eager to see Two-Face in Batman 3.

[Doc Faustus]

Warner Brothers is starting to piss me off with their fake security breaches and cast members used to leak antinews.

[_____V_____]

Warner Brothers is starting to piss me off with their fake security breaches and cast members used to leak antinews.

I think its just a bit of pre-Oscar publicity gimmick, now that they are re-releasing TDK.

[neverending]

Where's all the brouhaha over Ledger's win at the Golden Globes? I expected all you Batman fans to be all over this.

[_____V_____]

Where's all the brouhaha over Ledger's win at the Golden Globes? I expected all you Batman fans to be all over this.

I celebrated that.

Since nobody took any interest in the BFCA Awards I posted in General, I refrained from making a Golden Globe Winners thread, although I thought about it more than once.

Next stop, the Oscars. There will be a thread for that for sure, interest or no interest.

[roshiq]

Where's all the brouhaha over Ledger's win at the Golden Globes? I expected all you Batman fans to be all over this.

We would... if there was no award for him!

That was mostly expected & more or less all fans were sure enough that he'd going to win that.

[_____V_____]

Yes, we know that the rumor mill is churning out of control on all things related to Batman 3, but this report was just too juicy not to tell you about.

Although it appeared unlikely that we'd ever see the Joker in another Christopher Nolan-directed Batman film after Heath Ledger died, a Warner Bros. source for Moviehole suggests that the Clown Prince of Crime just might end up being part of a third Bat-film after all.

Moviehole's Clint Morris claims to have "heard from someone at the WB that The Joker may be a part of the next Batman film -- if even in a minor capacity. I believe 'It's definitely possible; ya never know. Heard some things' were his exact words."

The Joker, you may recall, was literally left hanging at the end of The Dark Knight. According to Moviehole, the Joker's inclusion in Batman 3 would be "merely for storytelling reasons -- they want to tie-up the character's storyline -- not because they wanna keep selling the Joker T-Shirt (which, of course, they do)."

While for many it's unthinkable to even ponder anyone else but Ledger as The Joker (especially given all the awards the actor has posthumously received), the site points out that producer Charles Roven recently suggested to MTV that the role is more important than the actor playing it.

So might the Joker be recast? Or, if it's just a small role, could Ledger's Clown Prince be digitally recreated a la Oliver Reed in Gladiator or Brandon Lee in The Crow in order to have the character make an appearance? Given today's special effects, that's certainly possible. But, as Moviehole stresses, right now the studio and filmmakers are simply tossing around ideas for a third Bat-film so this is all just rumor, so take all stuff like this with big grains of salt.

[_____V_____]

Warner Bros. really wants Christopher Nolan to direct Batman 3. That much is obvious, but a new report suggests that the studio already has a replacement in mind just in case Nolan should pass on helming a third installment.

Batman-on-Film reports that when "Nolan came to an agreement to helm Inception for Warner Bros., there is at least some sort of understanding between him and the studio that he'll do a third Batman -- though his reps won't confirm or deny it."

In case Nolan decides to pass on directing Batman 3 -- we already know he's working on the script for it -- then BoF claims that Warners "might" have considered its Watchmen and 300 director Zack Snyder as a possible replacement or as a successor once Nolan completes his trilogy.

While we fully expect Nolan to return to direct Batman 3, let's at least wonder what a Snyder-directed Bat flick would be like. Hmm...what say, Leonidas?

[Doc Faustus]

Too flashy by half.

[_____V_____]

MTV News caught up with Michael Caine at the Toronto film festival yesterday, and quizzed the British star (who played Alfred in Batman Begins and The Dark Knight) about the future of Batman 3.

"There is nobody, there's no script, there's nothing," he told them. "It can't possibly be made before 2011 because Inception [director Chris Nolan's next film] is such a big picture."

Caine said the studio weren't giving him any updates because he kept spilling the beans, then promptly revealed that as far as he knew, the rumour linking Pirates of the Caribbean star Johnny Depp to the role of The Riddler was false.

He said: "Johnny Depp is great in anything, but there is no Johnny Depp in this Batman. They tell me in no uncertain terms."

[_____V_____]

Some news that we missed last week about a little-known comic book movie franchise called Batman.

Batman On Film reports that director Christopher Nolan and studio Warner Bros. will officially announce their plans for Batman 3 in January.

Their scooper told the site: "The longer we don't hear a Nolan/B3 announcement in 2010, the less likely it is that the director will return."

We've heard so many rumours and counter-rumours about Batman 3 over the past year, so here's hoping BOF's source is true, and that 2010 brings some kind of official news about the project.

[_____V_____]

Some fresh Batman 3 rumours have hit the Net today, with a scooper – apparently from Warner Bros. – giving Comic Book Movies the lowdown on the plot for Christopher Nolan's sequel.

First up, we have to reiterate that – as with so much The Dark Knight sequel gossip we've heard in the last couple of years – this is unverified by the studio and thus should be taken with a pinch of salt.

The source claims that, with screenwriting beginning this month, the plot is already in place. We heard last week that David Goyer and Jonah Nolan might have already actually finished a first draft.

Furthermore, they claim that the villain of the piece is The Riddler and that Arkham Asylum will feature heavily in the story. Apparently several other classic Bat-villains will cameo – including The Penguin and Mr. Freeze (although only in his Dr. Fries incarnation).

According to the source, Barbara Gordon's role will be beefed up and Dick Grayson may also make an appearance, though probably not as Robin.

Finally and potentially most excitingly, Commissioner Gordon could name-check the Superman universe in the film, with Metropolis and Lex Luthor getting a mention. (You'll remember that only last week TDK director Christopher Nolan was hired by WB to "godfather" new Superman films.)

So there you go; some pretty juicy Bat-gossip, but we stress again that it should be treated as mere conjecture at this stage.

[_____V_____]

Despite the fevered speculation about the future of Batman in the wake of the spectacular success of The Dark Knight two years ago, we've been given very little in the way of hard facts about the future of the series.

That is, until now.

A new interview with director Christopher Nolan, in which he talks about his plans for the third film, as well as his overseeing role on Superman, appears to outline where the man who brought Batman back from the horrors of the Joel Schumacher years sees the character going.

And it may not make comfortable reading for execs at studio Warner Brothers.

Nolan, while characteristically tight-lipped, confirms that the third episode of his Batman series will be the final instalment, and will mostly feature the characters and actors who appeared in the first two films. "We have a great ensemble, that's one of the attractions of doing another film, since we've been having a great time for years," he told the LA Times.

Nolan refused to confirm whether there would be another main villain for the third film, saying only that Mr Freeze would not be appearing. But his comments over the returning cast make me wonder whether he and screenwriting brother Jonathan Nolan might have plumped for a scenario in which the story continues straight on from the end of The Dark Knight, in which Batman was left running for his life with the forces of Gotham at his heels, rather than a distinct new episode with a new bad guy to be outwitted.

"I'm very excited about the end of the film, the conclusion, and what we've done with the characters," Nolan said. "My brother has come up with some pretty exciting stuff. Unlike the comics, these things don't go on forever in film and viewing it as a story with an end is useful. Viewing it as an ending, that sets you very much on the right track about the appropriate conclusion and the essence of what tale we're telling. And it harkens back to that priority of trying to find the reality in these fantastic stories. That's what we do."

Ending it at the trilogy point will certainly help give the series a cohesive form (provided the film-makers get the final episode right). But one wonders what the reaction will be at Warner Bros, where that could presumably be read as shutting down a successful franchise just as it has got going. One can only assume that the movie would end with Batman either dead (unlikely, even in Nolan's dark universe) or retired. But even if Nolan does bring his tale to a satisfactory conclusion, who's to say that the studio won't attempt to revive the character in some form of continuation of the story, with a new director at the reins?

Short of saying that he will definitely be directing Batman 3, Nolan did admit that his brother, Jonathan Nolan, was currently working on the Batman 3 script for him.

"My brother is writing a script for me and we'll wait to see how it turns out.... He's struggling to put it together into the epic story that you want it to be. Without getting into specifics, the key thing that makes the third movie a great possibility for us is that we want to finish our story. And in viewing it as the finishing of a story rather than infinitely blowing up the balloon and expanding the story," he concluded.

[roshiq]

Final part of Nolan's Dark Knight tale & their take on Superman reboot...things getting pretty exciting. :cool:

And yes, may be that's kinda sad & warning part for the studio but I think they'll continue to making Batman films years after that but probably keep Nolan's trilogy stand alone. They can go for a big budget alternate world of Cape Crusader where he may again find his side kick Robin & get the chance to fight against villain like Mr. Freeze or unwanted alliance like Bat woman:p.

[_____V_____]

Same bat channel, new bat time.

Warner Bros. isn't about to let little details like no title, no production start date and no locked-down plot stop it from setting up a tentpole, as the studio today announced a July 20, 2012, release date for the third installment of the rebooted Batman franchise.

Christian Bale will be back in the cowl under the direction of Christopher Nolan.

With the release date now set, Nolan is currently hashing out a story for the Dark Knight followup, which already faces some steep competition.

Also headed to the big screen in 2012: The Avengers (May 4), Battleship (May 25), Star Trek 2 (June 29), and what will likely be the Bat's biggest competition: the Spider-Man reboot's reboot (July 3).

Comic geeks, get ready.

[_____V_____]

Congrats, you Bat nuts finally have an actual day to obsess over for months and months.

Warner Bros. has officially announced the release date of Christopher Nolan's third Batman film: July 20th, 2012.

All signs have been pointing toward the third Bat installment arriving in 2012, and you didn't have to be a rocket scientist to guess Warners would stick the flick on the same weekend as its closest sibling (especially since it shattered records), but it's still nice to know for sure that we'll be getting a new Batman movie from Nolan on a specific date in the future. It's all set in stone -- we can change the pencil to pen, make the invitations and start looking for a florist and photographer. This deal is done.

Now comes the fun part:

1. Who are the villains?

2. Which actors and actresses are playing those villains?

Who else will Nolan add to his delightful, ever-growing ensemble cast?

Which actress will replace Maggie Gyllenhaal as the girl Bruce Wayne wants to sleep with?

Will Christian Bale lessen the growl a little bit so we don't immediately make fun of him after the credits roll?

Can anyone top Ledger?

Will this new film forever live in the shadow of its predecessor no matter what they do?

How do you make a follow up to one of greatest superhero films of all time?


Those questions -- and many more -- will be answered one by one over the next several months.

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Director Christopher Nolan says that he won’t bring back The Joker in Batman 3 or in any installment of the franchise while he’s in charge. From the latest issue of Empire Magazine [via Obsessed with Film, emphasis their's]:

“No”, says Nolan emphatically and unhesitatingly. He resists elaborating simply because, quite understandably, he says, “I just don’t feel comfortable talking about it”.

It’s good to know that Nolan is choosing not to make the crassest decision of all-time.

Besides, who could you recast? Heath Ledger’s Joker is a singular performance, and while it can be impersonated, it can never be replicated. So let us simply resume speculation over who will be the villain of the next Batman movie.

Batman 3 (tentative title) is slated to hit theaters on July 20, 2012.

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Batman 3 rumours are escalating, with further indication The Riddler may feature, and that Joseph Gordon-Levitt is interested in the role.

FirstShowing.net got their hands on a casting grid for Batman 3, a document which lays out the roles in the movie and actors available to play them.

For Bat-fans, this is as close to confirmation that The Riddler will be appearing as you can get without hearing it from Nolan himself.

Perhaps even more exciting is the mention of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who is listed next to The Riddler as 'interested'.

JGL has been touted for the role in fan circles for some time, and thanks to his high-profile performance in Inception is now well known to the general public.

We already know that Nolan likes to work with the same trusted actors in his film projects, so it is easy to see the director offering the versatile young actor the part.

The problem with the slow leak of rumours like these is that it always leaves us wanting more... it's going to be a long wait.

We'd like to point out that this news should be considered confirmation that The Riddler is the villain in Batman 3 and less confirmation of the recent suggestions/rumors regarding Gordon-Levitt's casting as the enigmatic villain. A casting grid is used in the industry to keep production companies, agencies, etc. in the loop on a project's progress and the roles available for actors to potentially take. These documents are used for business planning in the industry and by no means would use internet speculation to list a character that may not even appear in the film. But when it comes to listing actors, this is info that can change at anytime, and just because an actor or studio is interested in one or the other, does not mean it will actually happen.

We're also cautious because the age range listed for the character is 35 to 45, and with Gordon-Levitt being 29 years old falls a little short of the mark. Of course, this wouldn't really be a reason for him to be excluded as characters can be modified in the script to accommodate a favored actor. On the lighter side though, the actor is fresh off working with Nolan on the brilliant Inception, so they've surely developed quite a working relationship as Gordon-Levitt called him "the genuine article… a real artist" and "a unique voice." For now we'll consider Gordon-Levitt's involvement a rumor, but seeing The Riddler in a studio casting grid is solid confirmation of Nolan's villain for Batman 3. Hopefully we'll get an official confirmation sooner than later.

Batman is due to begin filming next year, and is set for release July 2012.

[cheebacheeba]

If I haven't said this already - He ought to consider Greg Kinnear as the riddler...I honestly cannot think of another actor who could look/play/sound the part as well as I envision him.
As for Johnny Depp rumours, I wish that guy would stop with the over the top shit and get back into something remotely serious...that would *almost* make me not want to see it.

I maintain, Hush would be the shit...perfect for the Nolan universe.

[roshiq]

what if JGL may get the chance to appear in the last-quarter of the next film as a sidekick wannabe for BatMan!?!:eek:

:D:D

[Doc Faustus]

JGL would work great if the Riddler was used the way Paul Dini and Grant Morrison have been using him in the past few years, as a consulting detective and a foil to Batman. Particularly if he starts getting a good reputation while Batman's in the shadows.Supplemented by another villain with whom he could form an alliance after being revealed for the lunatic that he is, he would be a great character. My picks would be: William H. Macy as The Ventriloquist, James Spader as The Mad Hatter, Sam Rockwell as Hush or Black Mask, Antonio Banderas as Bane.

[_____V_____]

Given how great he was in Inception, this doesn’t exactly count as surprising news, but it’s still very welcome: according to Deadline, Christopher Nolan has recruited Tom Hardy for a major role in the next Batman film.

Before anyone hits the ‘net to scream “TOM HARDY IS THE RIDDLER!!!1!!” A WORD OF… Sorry, left the caps lock on there. A word of caution: there is zero information as to what his role might be, and only an insinuation that he’s playing a villain.

But while there’s zero confirmation on his part, feel free to go nuts with your guesses – would he make a good Riddler?
Is he taking on one of the other iconic characters from Bats’ rogues’ gallery?

Or could he be Robin? Kidding on that one. We hope…

Hardy, of course, has been shooting Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy for Thomas Alfredson and he also has McG’s action comedy This Means War, alongside Reese Witherspoon and Chris Pine, on his schedule. While we thought Nolan might try to factor him into the Bat-universe, there was always the lingering spectre of Mad Max: Fury Road in his future, but thanks to rain and a lot of flowers, that one has been pushed back.

As for Batman 3, all that we really know for sure is that Chris Nolan is definitely making the film (he told us himself) and that Jonah Nolan and David Goyer have been hard at work cranking out another script.

Batman is due to hit theaters in July 2012.

[benny02]

Nolan unsure about the sequel of TDK!?!

It's frustrating...:(

http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/christophernolan_blog.html

I have no doubt the Batman will come up with it's 3rd version sooner or later. All they are looking for a killer script for they don't want the classic series getting disreputed for any lacking.

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Big news from the Batman camp in today’s L.A. Times: Christopher Nolan has revealed the name of the third film in his Gotham City trilogy.

In July 2012, we’ll be queuing for The Dark Knight Rises.

Not only that, but in something of a bombshell, Nolan went on to dispell what many had begun to assume to be a given – “It won’t be the Riddler,” reports L.A.T.’s blog Hero Complex, effectively pulling the leading villain candidate completely out of the pool.

So easy to get ahead of yourself, isn't it? Of course, true to form, the director wouldn’t reveal who it would be.

What Nolan seemed most interested in imparting was that he’s convinced Warner Bros. to keep telling his story in 2D, and to continue down the path of hi-def IMAX sequences.

And he’ll get no argument from us on the subject – if it ain't broke, etc.

The post contains one other potentially juicy, enigmatic Nolan quote: “We’ll use many of the same characters as we have all along, and we’ll be introducing some new ones.” From here, you can go down two schools of thought – 1) This is a straightforward, non-commital comment. 2) You can subscribe to the oft-chanted mantra that "In comic books, no-one is ever really dead" – and we lost two big characters in The Dark Knight.

But then again, of course, that doesn’t – to date – really wash with the realistic leanings of the first two films. What was that about getting ahead of ourselves? Exactly.

So, who will be the next "Batman" villain, and what do you think of the title?

[phantomstranger]

I suppose if he "rises" for more than four hours he'll have to see his doctor

[ferretchucker]

Not sure about the title, a bit wordy and perhaps pretentious? I dunno, just sounds like one of those ones film-makers take 10 seconds to come up with but feel it sounds "really dramatic".

As for the villain, I've got my fingers crossed on Clayface (the original masked killer movie star) or The Ventriloquist. I think both of those would work brilliantly in the Nolan universe.

Although, I think it might be interesting to see the "Batman: Knightfall" story on the big screen.

[harrynia]

I think the Riddler is different enough from the Joker, we haven't seen any good death traps yet and (hopefully) we'd see some more actual detective work from the bat

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Because Christopher Nolan likes keeping his projects as secret as nuclear launch codes, there’s been heavy speculation over who Tom Hardy will play in The Dark Knight Rises. Nolan apparently thinks that if we know who Hardy is playing now instead of a few months from now when it’s inevitably revealed, our enjoyment of the film will be absolutely destroyed.

However, the rumor du jour is that Hardy is playing Dr. Hugo Strange, one of the film’s villains. As we previously reported, the other villain will be a woman.

If you don’t know much about Strange, that’s okay. He’s not one of Batman’s more famous rogues.

According to Wikipedia, Strange has actually been around since 1940 and was one of Batman’s first recurring villains. He’s a villain in the mad-scientist mold and possesses genius-level IQ and is a master of psychology. In the comics mythology, Strange learned Batman’s secret identity but kept it to himself. He eventually becomes obsessed with Batman, even going to the point where he starts dressing up like the Caped Crusader.

Keep in mind, Hugo Strange as the film’s villain is just a rumor at this point, although the folks over at Batman-News say that their source is reliable and knew that The Riddler wouldn’t be the villain and that Rachel Weisz and Anne Hathaway were in the running for the lead female role.

Assuming this is true, what are your thoughts on Strange being the villain? Do you think Hardy is right for the role?

[GoreHound13]

Just wanna say I absolutely love this movie, saw it in theatres 6 times lol

[_____V_____]

It looks like Christian Bale only has so much gravel-voice to give.

In a recent interview with E! News, Bale says that The Dark Knight Rises will be his last turn as the Caped Crusader. Said Bale,

“The thing is that this will be, I believe, unless [Christopher Nolan] says different, this will be the last time I’m playing Batman.”

Nolan has previously stated that The Dark Knight Rises will be the last Batman film he directs and that the third film will “finish the story” that started with Batman Begins.

"I’m very excited, because if Christopher Nolan maintains, this will be the last one, we’ve got to up it!"

Bale, who is picking up strong critical acclaim in David O. Russell’s The Fighter, says that when it comes to the plot of The Dark Knight Rises,

“I probably know a little bit more than some other people out there, but I think most people would be surprised at how little I do know… It just hasn’t been necessary yet. I know he’ll give me plenty of time to prepare for whatever I need to, and I’ll discover it. He’s a pretty damn good filmmaker. I trust that he’s going to come up with something wonderful.”

This coincides with Michael Caine’s recent interview where he said they weren’t set to receive the script until January.

Filming on the highly-anticipated sequel is set to begin in May. The Dark Knight Rises also stars Michael Caine and Tom Hardy. It’s slated for release on July 20, 2012.

[Quantumus]

Assuming this is true, what are your thoughts on Strange being the villain? Do you think Hardy is right for the role?

Honestly I'm pretty excited to see what becomes of Tom Hardy over the course of the next couple years. After educating myself with Wiki about Dr. Strange, my knee jerk reaction is that Hardy is too young for the role...but I'm sure that's nothing a little Nolan/Hardy fusion can't fix.

I hope it's true.

[massacre man]

Honestly I'm pretty excited to see what becomes of Tom Hardy over the course of the next couple years. After educating myself with Wiki about Dr. Strange, my knee jerk reaction is that Hardy is too young for the role...but I'm sure that's nothing a little Nolan/Hardy fusion can't fix.

I hope it's true.

Scarecrow, R'as Al Ghul, and Joker were all respectively older than Cillain Murphy, Liam Neeson, and Heath Ledger in the comics. So I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem.

[_____V_____]

Right now, it seems we know more about what won’t be happening in Christopher Nolan‘s upcoming “The Dark Knight Rises” than what actually will be happening.

The film won’t be in 3D, won’t feature the Riddler, will not feature a CGI Heath Ledger as the Joker and now we can tell you you one more thing that won’t be happening.

Aaron Eckhart, speaking with MTV at a recent shindig for “Rabbit Hole,” has revealed he won’t be reprising his role as Harvey Dent/Two-Face.

“Chris and I had a meeting, on the beach, just the two of us,” Eckhart said. “I said, ‘Chris, a lot of people are asking me if I’m in the next ‘Batman.’ And Chris said, ‘Yes?’ I said, ‘Am I?’ He looked at me and he said, ‘No.’ “

We wish we had our meetings on the beach instead of the windowless storage closet we call a “conference room,” but it appears that with the third and final installment, Christopher Nolan is breaking completely from “The Dark Knight” and really, it’s not that shocking. With Heath Ledger’s passing, the alleged original plans to bring back the Joker for the third film had to be scrapped and we imagine that many of the other story elements that might have been planned have probably been scrapped completely for a fresh approach.

The only thing we do know right now is that Tom Hardy will be in the film and will join the regular cast of players—Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman—who are all expected to return.

The cast will get the script in January, the film will begin lensing next spring and will hit theatres on July 20, 2012.

[massacre man]

http://www.comicbookmovie.com/images/users/gallerypictures/22403L.png

BURBANK, CA, January 19, 2011 – Warner Bros. Pictures announced today that Anne Hathaway has been cast as Selina Kyle in Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight Rises.” She will be starring alongside Christian Bale, who returns in the title role of Bruce Wayne/Batman.

Christopher Nolan stated, “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Anne Hathaway, who will be a fantastic addition to our ensemble as we complete our story.”

In addition, Tom Hardy has been set to play Bane. Nolan said, “I am delighted to be working with Tom again and excited to watch him bring to life our new interpretation of one of Batman’s most formidable enemies.”

Nolan will direct the film from a screenplay he wrote with Jonathan Nolan, from a story by Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer. Nolan will also produce the film with his longtime producing partner, Emma Thomas, and Charles Roven.

“The Dark Knight Rises” is slated for release on July 20, 2012. The film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.


Read more: http://batman-news.com/2011/01/19/anne-hathaway-is-catwoman-tom-hardy-is-bane-in-the-dark-knight-rises/#ixzz1BVVVExE5

[Die4me]

Now that it's a new year, i hope he's willing! Batman Begins, and The Dark Knight were brilliant

[Die4me]

hahaha I posted my previous question too fast,
2012, okay!

[_____V_____]

The Dark Knight Rises might just be the most anticipated comic book movie in the history of always, so it's no surprise that everyone has been following casting rumors and announcements very closely.

For several weeks we've known that Inception stars Marion Cotillard and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are re-teaming with director Christopher Nolan, but we haven't known what roles they'll be playing until today. Smart money was on Inception's Mol playing Talia Al Ghul and JGL playing Falcone's son, Alberto.

Nope. Not happening. Instead, they are playing a...Wayne Enterprises employee and a cop on Gordon's force, respectively.

Cotillard will play Miranda Tate "a Wayne Enterprises board member eager to help a still-grieving Bruce Wayne resume his father's philanthropic endeavors for Gotham." Gordon-Levitt will play John Blake, "a Gotham City beat cop assigned to special duty under the command of Commissioner Gordon."

http://movies.ign.com/articles/116/1162771p1.html

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Fans in Southern California will have their own opportunity to parade around the set of a comic book come to life as an open casting call for extras, stand-ins and photo doubles has been announced for the Los Angeles leg of director Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises (TDKR) production.

The Third and final installment in Nolan's Batman film series is now heading into principal photography and casting for extras, stand-ins, and photo doubles for the film's stars has begun. There will also be principal actor casting [sic] Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, New York, and London.

The Dark Knight Rises goes into production in India on May 6, 2011.

The shoot in India will be a short one with only Christian Bale filming scenes there at Mehrangarh Fort located in Jodhpur city in Rajasthan state. Shooting in Pittsburgh will take place for four to six weeks. The production will movie to the United Kingdom before returning to the U.S. and shoot in New York. The majority of filming will then take place in Los Angeles, mainly in sound stages at the Warner Brothers studios in Burbank.

The Screen Actors Guild currently lists the filming dates for The Dark Knight Rises as May 6, 2011 through November 14, 2011.

Most of the location information was previously known, but the casting call did reveal one juicy bit of new information about The Dark Knight Rises: the character that actress Juno Temple will play in the movie. Temple's character was previously only described as a "street-smart Gotham girl," but the call reveals that Temple will actually be playing a role taken right out of the pages of the Batman comic book, that of Holly Robinson.

Holly first appeared in Batman #404 in Frank Miller's now-classic "Batman: Year One" story arc as a juvenile prostitute who found refuge with Selina Kyle, aka Catwoman (to be played by Anne Hathaway in TDKR). Following a later story arc, Holly actually took over the mantle of Catwoman for a short time after Selina became pregnant. Holly is also one of the few lesbian characters in the DC Universe, which earned Catwoman recognition from the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) in 2004. It will be interesting to see how Nolan chooses to portray this complex character, but comic book movie fans are sure to be excited by the announcement of her inclusion into the Batman movie mythology.

In addition to Bale, Morgan Freeman, Sir Michael Caine, Nestor Carbonell, and Gary Oldman all return in The Dark Knight Rises. New additions include Tom Hardy, Josh Pence, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Daniel Sunjata, Diego Klattenhoff and Burn Gorman.

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First look at Tom Hardy as Bane -

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g12/ravenavi/dark-knight-rises-movie-image-bane-tom-hardy-01.jpg

Official site launched - http://www.thedarkknightrises.com

Production has officially commenced on Thursday.

[ferretchucker]

Saw this earlier and it does look very awesome. I was wondering how they'd make him realistic enough but it seems to have worked. Now we just have to wait for Catwoman!

[nightmare_of _death]

I'm excited to see "The Dark Knight Rises" the title seems to of lacked a little creativity to me, but I but should still be great. And like most movies probably wont see it in the theater, but will try.

[_____V_____]

Shooting is officially underway on Nolan's epic trilogy closer, and a few more names have been added to the line-up.

Matthew Modine (ironically best known for playing 'Joker' in "Full Metal Jacket") has landed the role of a character only known as 'Nixon': we're guessing he's not playing Tricky Dicky, but if Nolan is using Ra's al Ghul flashbacks, you never know…

Modine looked set to become a big star after "Jacket", but his career never went quite as stellar as expected. Perhaps that had something to do with mega-flop "Cutthroat Island".

Still, he's worked fairly consistently since then, and luckily Nolan has a penchant for unsung 80s heroes (Rutger Hauer, Anthony Michael Hall, Tom Berenger) in his A-list populated blockbusters.

Also joining the cast is Tom Conti, the Scottish thesp known for his work on the stage as well as the big and small screens.

His notable movies include "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence", "Reuben, Reuben", and "Shirley Valentine".

And finally, Joey King, the young actress who starred in "Ramona and Beezus", has also come aboard the production.

Despite being only 11 years old, King has racked up an impressive list of screen credits, including appearances in "Crazy, Stupid, Love", "Battle: Los Angeles" and "Quarantine".

There's currently no word on who Conti and King will be playing.

In addition, Israeli actor Alon Aboutboul joined after Nolan wrapped his two-day shoot in Jodhpur, India, and moved the production to London.

Nolan's production is currently set up in Clerkenwell, London, where the Farmiloe Building is doubling as the Gotham City Police Station. A scooper for AICN sent in photos of vehicles emblazoned with "Gotham Police Department" from the location and said that title star Christian Bale and Tom Hardy, who plays Batman's nemesis, Bane, were on site, but neither actor has been captured on film so there is no way of confirming this.

Additionally, LiveForFilms nabbed an assortment of pictures of actors, extras or stuntmen wearing Gotham police and S.W.A.T. uniforms at the location, and Aboutboul has been spotted on the set.

After London, the TDKR production will most likely move to Scotland before heading Stateside, where it will shoot in Pittsburgh, New York and Los Angeles.

"The Dark Knight Rises" was written by Nolan's brother, Jonathan, from an idea conceived by Nolan and David S. Goyer, the writer of both "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight".

The cast includes Anne Hathaway, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Sir Michael Caine, Nestor Carbonell, Josh Pence, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Daniel Sunjata, Diego Klattenhoff, Burn Gorman and Juno Temple.

[_____V_____]

As usual, Christopher Nolan and company are maintaining strict secrecy regarding details about The Dark Knight Rises.

But Hollywood Life scored an interview with a "source very close to the costume design," who revealed details about Anne Hathaway's Catwoman costume.

The outfit apparently won't have the overt sexiness many are expecting, but instead will go back to the DC comics for inspiration. Rumors on the Internet speculate that the design will resemble that of award-winning comic-book artist Darwyn Cooke, who worked on the reboot of the Catwoman comic 10 years ago.

The anonymous source spoke to Hollywood Life about the design:

Anne's outfit is more tactical, like the comic book, than the previous Batman movies. She will definitely be wearing the goggles and it's going to be less sexy than Halle Berry and Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman costumes. She's going to look more like a robber... But fan boys shouldn't be worried. This costume is going to be form-fitting enough to make Anne look smoking hot.

Here's an image of the Cooke design, courtesy of Spinoff Online -

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g12/ravenavi/catwoman2-cooke.jpg

The Dark Knight Rises opens July 20, 2012.

[ABjerg]

I think the Riddler is different enough from the Joker, we haven't seen any good death traps yet and (hopefully) we'd see some more actual detective work from the bat.
Cant wait for this movie!!!



Seriously!!!

[_____V_____]

apMXFloDH6M

http://i2.blogs.indiewire.com/images/blogs/theplaylist/archives/TDKR-joke-poster.jpg

[ziesha07]

that was a superb flick...i can't forgot !

[_____V_____]

First look at Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle, the future Catwoman -

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g12/ravenavi/dark_knight_510.jpg

Bigger pic - http://www.cinemablend.com/gallery/previews/The-Dark-Knight-Rises-4942.html?tid=34540

[living_dead_guy]

I'm looking forward to this one, but they should have got Christina Ricci as Catwoman

[The Villain]

Anne Hathaway is so much better

[semene]

Christina Ricci would have been an awesome Catwoman! <3 <3 <3

[ferretchucker]

Catwoman looks awesome. I love that Nolan has an equal balance of respect for the source material, but the drive to do something different and set it in his own world. I think the Nolan trilogy will be talked about for years to come, and is already becoming the basis on which many new comic-movie adaptations are being made.

[_____V_____]

You might've seen the new Empire covers with Batman and Bane (http://collider.com/dark-knight-rises-image-batman-bane/127522/), but here's a sneak peek at some of the news on The Dark Knight Rises inside the magazine.

Specifically, Nolan himself gives away a few tidbits on the film's plot and setting, and Tom Hardy talks about Bane. According to Christopher Nolan himself, The Dark Knight Rises doesn't pick up where The Dark Knight left off, with Batman on the run and Commissioner Gordon rebuilding Gotham; it takes place eight years later.

Let's hear from director Christopher Nolan first, and see what he'll divulge about the film. "It's really all about finishing Batman and Bruce Wayne's story. We left him in a very precarious place. Perhaps surprisingly for some people, our story picks up quite a bit later, eight years after The Dark Knight. So he's an older Bruce Wayne; he's not in a great state.

"With Bane, we're looking to give Batman a challenge he hasn't had before. With our choice of villain and with our choice of story we're testing Batman both physically as well as mentally."

You've got to love how Nolan understates how important this information is, claiming it is "perhaps surprising" that the movie takes place after an eight-year jump. In all the rampant speculation about The Dark Knight Rises that started pretty much the moment the last film came to theaters, I don't think many people ever really considered that the sequel would jump ahead so far in time. The leap does help take care of a number of narrative problems, though, from the fact that Batman on the run and in hiding wouldn't have made for much of a movie to simply eliminating Heath Ledger's The Joker from the story-- he was left alive and dangling from a building in The Dark Knight, but with eight years gone by there won't really be any reason for the citizens of Gotham to wonder where the crazy painted man went.

Speaking of physical challenges, what can Tom Hardy tell us about Bane? "He's brutal. Brutal. He's a big dude who's incredibly clinical, in the fact that he has a result-based and oriented fighting style. It's not about fighting. It's about carnage. The style is heavy-handed, heavy-footed, it's nasty. Anything from small-joint manipulation to crushing skulls, crushing rib cages, stamping on shins and knees and necks and collarbones and snapping heads off and tearing his fists through chests, ripping out spinal columns. He is a terrorist in mentality as well as brutal action."

Costume designer Lindy Hemming also lets drop a few clues to his backstory as she talks about Bane's look. On the mask, she says, "He was injured early in his story. He's suffering from pain and needs gas to survive. He can't survive the pain without the mask. The pipes from the mask go back along his jawline and feed into the thing at his back, where there are two cannisters."

For much, much more from all these people - as well as Christian Bale - pick up the new issue of Empire when it hits newsstands on Thursday.

The Dark Knight Rises is out in cinemas on July 20, 2012.

Its prologue, Nolan has confirmed, will be in select IMAX cinemas on December 21. As with The Dark Knight, it will be - according to Nolan - "basically the first six, seven minutes of the film" and will serve as "an introduction to Bane, and a taste of the rest of the film."

Mouth. Watering.

What is this eight-year jump going to mean for the movie? How will The Bat have changed? And how are we expected to wait until next summer to find out all these answers?

[_____V_____]

In an interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Christian Bale has been singing the praises of his Dark Knight Rises co-stars, while at the same time making us weep at the thought of "the end of that Batman era".

On Anne Hathaway, who plays Selina Kyle/Catwoman, Bale said, "In many ways, she has the hardest job. There are a number of people who feel that the Catwoman role has been defined previously. So, I always saw Anne’s role as being the toughest job of any of us.

"In my case, I’ve stopped referencing outside sources. I now reference Chris’ own world of Batman as a guide to what I will continue doing."

When talk turned to Tom Hardy, Bale called him "a phenomenal actor", adding, "I like working with him a great deal. He goes the whole hog.

"I know that Bane has been seen in movies before. But, in my eyes, Tom is essentially creating Bane for the first time so there’s great freedom for him to be able to do so."

Bale also called Joseph Gordon-Levitt, "a very intriguing guy".

"He’s somebody who truly seems to love acting. He’s a good, smart guy. He did a very good job in the movie."

But the comments that got us fighting back a lump in our throat was when Bale discussed the end of his reign as cinema's Batman: "I wrapped a few days ago so that will be the last time I’m taking that cowl off."

"I believe that the whole production wrapped yesterday, so it’s all done. Everything’s finished. It’s me and Chris – that will be the end of that Batman era."

The Dark Knight Rises opens on 20 July 2012, a date which should by now be etched in your memory.

SOURCE - http://entertainment.inquirer.net/22169/bale-talks-about-his-co-stars-in-%E2%80%98dark-knight-rises%E2%80%99

[crazy raplh]

Im excited I remember the comic series back in High school, definently a good story, better then batman and robins version of bane

[_____V_____]

As was reported a couple months ago, when Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol hits IMAX theaters on December 16th, some audiences will be getting an extremely special treat: a six minute-long prologue for the finale of Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises. Since then we've learned that the footage would only be shown in authentic IMAX theaters, but still it was unknown exactly where fans could go to see their first look at the last Caped Crusader movie.

According to a press release sent out by Warner Bros., The Dark Knight Rises preview will be playing in 42 locations across the United States and Canada, and on December 21st four theaters in the UK will also show the footage. Below you will find a list of every single theater:

Boston, MA - Jordan’s IMAX - Natick
Boston, MA - IMAX 3D Theatre in Reading - Reading
Calgary, AB - Scotiabank Theatre Chinook 16 - Calgary
Chantilly, VA/Washington, DC - Udvar-Hazy Center IMAX - Chantilly
Chicago, IL - Navy Pier IMAX Theatre - Chicago
Des Moines, IA - SCI IMAX Dome Theater - Des Moines
Detroit, MI - Henry Ford IMAX - Dearborn
Edmonton, AB - Scotiabank Theatre Edmonton - Edmonton
Harrisburg, PA - Whitaker Center for Science & the Arts - Harrisburg
Houston, TX - Houston Marq*e Stadium 22 + IMAX - Houston
Indianapolis - White River IMAX - Indianapolis
Los Angeles, CA - Irvine Spectrum 20 + IMAX - Irvine
Los Angeles, CA - RAVE 18 + IMAX - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA - Ontario Palace Stadium 22 + IMAX - Ontario
Los Angeles, CA - Citywalk Stadium 19 with IMAX - Universal City
Madison, WI - Star 18 Fitchburg with IMAX - Fitchburg
Miami, FL - AutoNation IMAX - Fort Lauderdale
Minneapolis, MN - Great Clips IMAX - Apple Valley
Montreal, QC - Cinema Banque Scotia Montreal - Montreal
Nashville,TN - Opry Mills Stadium 20 + IMAX - Nashville
New York, NY - Lincoln Square 13 with IMAX - New York
New York, NY - Palisades IMAX - West Nyack
Omaha, NE - Star Cinema 16 with IMAX - Council Bluffs
Orlando, FL - Pointe Orlando Stadium 20 + IMAX - Orlando
Ottawa, ON - Silvercity Gloucester + IMAX - Gloucester
Palm Springs - Desert IMAX Theatre - Cathedral City
Philadelphia, PA - IMAX & the Tropicana - Atlantic City
Philadelphia, PA - Tuttleman IMAX–Franklin Institute - Philadelphia
Phoenix, AZ - Arizona Mills 25 with IMAX - Tempe
Providence, RI - Providence Place 16 with IMAX - Providence
Quebec City, QC - IMAX Le Theatre At Quebec - Quebec City
Sacramento, CA - Esquire IMAX - Sacramento
San Antonio, TX - IMAX at RiverCenter - San Antonio
San Francisco, CA - Metreon 16 with IMAX & ETX - San Francisco
Seattle, WA - Boeing IMAX–Pacific Science Center - Seattle
Tampa, FL - Museum of Science and Industry - Tampa
Toronto, ON - Coliseum 12 Mississauga + IMAX - Mississauga
Toronto, ON - Scotiabank Theatre Toronto + IMAX - Toronto
Toronto, ON - Colossus 18 Woodbridge + IMAX - Woodbridge-Vaughan
Vancouver, BC - Colossus Langley + IMAX - Langley
Vancouver, BC - Silvercity Riverport 18 + IMAX - Richmond

On December 21st:

UK - BFI London - London
UK - National Media Museum IMAX - Bradford
UK - Glasgow Science Centre IMAX Cinema - Glasgow
UK - Odeon Manchester IMAX @ The Printworks - Manchester


The Dark Knight Rises, starring Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, and Michael Caine, will arrive in theaters on July 20, 2012.

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http://famousmonstersoffilmland.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Leonid-Pavel.jpg

http://famousmonstersoffilmland.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Pavel-Transcript1.jpg

http://www.wired.com/underwire/2011/12/leonid-pavel/

http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=32638

[Tangleduponblue]

I heard Cillian Murphy will have another cameo as Scarecrow. I wouldn't have minded if they brought him back as the villian given Heath Ledger's passing and knowing that it would have worked but as it stands I'm glad they brought in who they did.

I think Thomas Hardy will bring a lot to the table as Bane and though I'm not sold on Anne Hathaway (at all, not just in this role), I think she'll at least be servicable. I'm just glad they didn't try to pull a cop out by saying Harvey Dent survived or something like that and then continue the last movie more directly.

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GokKUqLcvD8

The first time you watched the theatrical trailer for The Dark Knight Rises, a ton of questions obviously popped onto your head. One of them was, “Why is Bruce Wayne in prison again?”

In Batman Begins, the young Mr. Wayne was in prison punishing himself for the fate of his parents only to come out of the experience stronger than before and on his way to becoming the Caped Crusader. In The Dark Knight Rises trailer, we see Bruce walking into an almost Inception-esque room filled with staircases and chanting prisoners. “What does that mean?” asks Bruce. “Rise,” says a knowing prisoner. As fans, we can ask the same question, “What does that mean?”

A new article written on the set of The Dark Knight Rises offers up a significant clue but, of course, it should be considered a massive spoiler.

The information comes from the Los Angeles Times who recently ran a profile of Anne Hathaway‘s Catwoman:

***BEWARE OF SPOILERS IN THE FOLLOWING LINK***

http://herocomplex.latimes.com/2011/12/29/dark-knight-rises-star-anne-hathaway-gotham-city-is-full-of-grace/

So it seems Selina Kyle is in cahoots with Bane, almost acting as one of his minions, at least at one point in the movie. Also, Bruce Wayne is a hostage (does Bane know his true identity?) and why are the citizens all sitting together behind barb wire? Throw those questions in with the images we’ve already seen, such as Bane and Batman fighting on the stairs and Catwoman on the Bat Pod, and the mystery gets even murkier.


Also of note, is this description of the Catwoman costume -

Selina Kyle, played by actress Anne Hathaway, navigates the steps with stiletto heels that, on closer inspection, turn out to have serrated edges capable of leaving nasty claw marks in a fight. She also wears high-tech goggles that, when not in use, flip up and resemble feline ears.

Anne Hathaway says -

I love the costume. I love the costume because everything has a purpose, nothing is in place for fantasy’s sake, and that’s the case with everything in Christopher Nolan’s Gotham City.

[ozzy_nightmare]

Wow thanks for the updated info - can't wait for the movie to finally come out :D

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The official length of Christopher Nolan's final Batman film is 164 minutes 27 seconds.

http://www.empireonline.com/news/feed.asp?NID=34444

[llewis]

The official length of Christopher Nolan's final Batman film is 164 minutes 27 seconds.

http://www.empireonline.com/news/feed.asp?NID=34444

WHOA. I'm going to a midnight showing. Best prepare to be exhausted at work the next day.