The Dark Knight Rises

News

The Dark Knight Rises will contain over an hour of IMAX footage [23rd April 2012 00:00:00]

The Dark Knight Rises looks set to become the first must-see-in-the-IMAX movie, with The Wall Street Journal reporting that the film will contain "more than one hour's worth" of specially filmed footage.

Warner Bros had initially suggested that the film would contain around 40 minutes of IMAX footage, before producer Emma Thomas revealed to Collider that that figure could rise to more than 50 minutes. Now that figure appears to have jumped again.

Christopher Nolan is fast becoming a pioneer of IMAX filmmaking, in much the same way that James Cameron championed and revolutionised Hollywood's use of 3D, having only agreed to direct The Dark Knight if he were allowed to do so in IMAX.

"There was a huge irony that we were told it would be too difficult to shoot a Hollywood movie on IMAX," says Nolan, "when we had this gigantic camera department, grips, electric... hundreds of people working for us."

"These were cameras that had been to the top of Mount Everest," he continues, "to the bottom of the ocean and into outer space, but people thought we couldn't make a feature film. It was absurd." Source: www.totalfilm.com

Liam Neeson reveals key Dark Knight Rises plot detail [24th January 2012 00:00:00]

It was only last week that teen actress Joey King put her foot in it by revealing the identity of her character in The Dark Knight Rises, and now Liam Neeson has buckled under the constant questioning, and confirmed his involvement as well.

"I can tell you nothing about Dark Knight Rises, seriously," Neeson told ShowbizSpy, before inadvertently telling them plenty. "I was on set for maybe an hour-and-a-half and the director didn't tell me anything of what it's about. So, I'm being very honest when I say I have no idea what's going to happen."

Now unless Neeson is bluffing about how much he knows, that would suggest that his reappearance as Ra's al Ghul will take place in the form of a flashback, rather than interacting directly with the main narrative.

Crucially, however, he's confirmed he was on set. Perhaps he will be appearing with Ms King, or maybe his return will have something to do with the rumoured involvement of the Lazarus Pit. However, what appears certain, is that Ra's will be returning in once capacity or another.

Can Christopher Nolan plug the constant flood of leaks before the film arrives later this year? On the one hand, we want some things to stay a surprise, and on the other... we want it all now! Source: www.totalfilm.com

The Dark Knight Rises viral campaign continues [16th December 2011 00:00:00]

More viral goodness to bring you this morning from The Dark Knight Rises, with the release of a new Bane t-shirt, and more interestingly, a map of Gotham listing various "strike zones".

The new info comes courtesy of Superhero Hype, who were sent a package containing a t-shirt emblazoned with Bane's image and bearing the motto "Fire Rises". Pretty neat on its own merits, but more interesting was the packaging it came in.

Attached to the cylindrical tube in which the t-shirt was delivered was a map of Gotham detailing a number of "strike zones", presumably a list of targets for Bane's terrorist uprising.

The map makes reference to a series of "rally points" (one of which is presumably Gotham's mirror-image of Wall Street) as well as noting the potential response time for the Gotham City Police Department.

Looks as though Bane's got quite the plan in mind for Gotham, with the League Of Shadows' plan to raze the city to the ground seemingly back up and running. We'll let you know as soon as the next viral nugget tells us more... Source: www.totalfilm.com

Dark Knight Rises will contain 50 minutes of IMAX footage [12th December 2011 00:00:00]

In case there were any doubt remaining as to how best to watch The Dark Knight Rises when it arrives next summer, Chris Nolan has revealed that a whopping "45-50 minutes" of the film has been shot using IMAX cameras.

"We shot about twice what we did last time [on The Dark Knight], at least," said Nolan to Entertainment Weekly. "Last time we were about 25 minutes [in IMAX]. Obviously, I haven't cut [the rest of The Dark Knight Rises] yet, so I don't know the exact running time, but I think we'll be in the 45 to 50 minute range."

"It's basically all the action sequences, and some of the more large-scale other bits of the film that aren't necessarily action. We even shot some dialogue scenes and some quite intimate dramatic scenes, which we haven't done before, so some of that will make its way into the film."

Anyone who saw The Dark Knight on an IMAX screen will be able to testify to how much the big-screen technology added to the overall experience, so with double the amount of footage optimised for the format, IMAX is once again the best way to enjoy the film as Nolan intended.

As for whether we might see a film shot entirely in IMAX any time soon, Nolan was sceptical, "unless they could make an IMAX camera that was quiet enough to shoot dialogue scenes." In the meantime, we'll just have to make do with the action sequences. Oh well... Source: www.totalfilm.com

Dark Knight Rises set for Operation Early Bird [1st December 2011 02:00:00]

The Dark Knight Rises' viral marketing campaign continues apace today with the release of a new document referring to something called Operation Early Bird.

Coming hot on the heels of the two documents released yesterday, the new information was released via the viral Twitter account @thefirerises . Much of the information is again blacked out, but from what we can tell, Early Bird refers to a Special Forces operation to extradite Dr. Leonid Pavel.

As if that weren't enough to get us all excited, a new website has been set up bearing the name Operation Early Bird, in which a clock counts down to 6pm this evening.

Hopefully by then we'll have a better idea of what all this subterfuge is about, and just how the good doctor will fit into Nolan's movie.

The Dark Knight Rises is released in the UK on 20 July 2012. In the meantime, here's the latest document for you to pore over... Source: www.totalfilm.com

The Dark Knight Rises goes viral [1st December 2011 01:00:00]

And here we go again! The viral marketing campaign for Chris Nolan's final chapter in the Batman trilogy is up and underway, with Warner releasing of a pair of leaked "CIA documents" referring to a certain Dr. Leonid Pavel.

The first document shows a mug-shot of actor Alon Abutbul, alongside a potted profile of nuclear physicist Pavel. Much of the accompanying information has been blacked out, but the second document sheds a little more light on proceedings.

The document is a transcript between a CIA official and a militia unit, concerning possible asylum for the Doctor, who apparently fears for his life. Is Bane after him? Is Batman?

Its impossible to say at this stage, but one thing's for sure: we're going to waste many an hour combing the rest of the internet for clues!

Take a look at the pair of documents, see what you conclude, then post your theories in the comments box below... Source: www.totalfilm.com

The Dark Knight Rises Bane prologue plot revealed [29th November 2011 00:00:00]

We've known for a while that the Dark Knight Rises IMAX only prologue will introduce us to Tom Hardy's Bane, much like the Dark Knight IMAX only prologue gave us our first proper gawp at Heath Ledger's Joker.

And, as it turns out, both Bat-villains are destined to debut during a high-concept heist.

According to a Metro source, Bane and his cronies will hijack a plane to assassinate a despot dictator.

According to the source:

"Bane and his mercenaries hijack a military plane transporting a dictator of a country which is in unrest (think Saddam Hussein type figure).

'He successfully kills the leader, but makes some mistakes along the way and is unable to safely land the plane.

'Because of the resulting injuries from the accident, he has to undergo complicated surgeries and that is how he winds up with that scar down his neck and the need for the mask to numb the pain.'

The source goes on to describe Bane's origin story as reimagined by Nolan.

"'He is raised by Ra's al Ghul [Bruce Wayne's old mentor] and his up bringing mirrors that of Bruce Wayne.

'It's a mirror of Bruce, except it's darker and twisted. Bane is trained to be an assassin for the League of Shadows.

'He kills political figures that are deemed unfit by the LOS. So he is a bit of a Che Guevara/ Jason Bourne type character.'

Bane is described as a 'revolutionary and an assassin' who is hellbent on starting his own uprising."

Which certainly sounds like a Nolan-esque rework of the comic-book mythology.

And it isn't long before we find out the truth. The Bane prologue will debut in IMAX cinemas, attached to Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol next month. Source: www.totalfilm.com

Filming wraps on The Dark Knight Rises [16th November 2011 10:08:07]

After seven months during which we've seen enticing one-sheets, a teaser that lived up to its name and plenty of leaked set footage, the filming of Christopher Nolan's final Batman film has officially ended.

Shooting commenced on the concluding part of the hugely successful franchise in India back in May and ended last night in New York City, with set-pieces filmed in London, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles along the way.

Exposure of The Dark Knight Rises has been off the scale, with glimpses of Tom Hardy's Bane, Anne Hathaway's Catwoman and the Batwing coming under intense scrutiny, but we're expecting the viral marketing to kick into gear soon.

Come next month, we should hopefully get a full-length trailer before Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows, and , perhaps more excitingly, a six-minute prologue that's only being shown before IMAX screenings of Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol.

With a release date of 20 July 2012, it really isn't that long until the film will be flying into cinemas, generating a palpable sense of genuine-event-picture excitement that's all too rare these days. Source: www.totalfilm.com

Dark Knight Rises prologue plays before Mission: Impossible [26th October 2011 07:12:35]

The marketing bods working on Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol are pretty busy at the moment, with the release of a new poster today and another trailer due later this week.

To give them a hand, we should point out that this film is not to be confused with Tom Clancy's Ghost Protocol, which Ubisoft plans to make as part of its new focus on movies. Brad Bird's film opens 16 December on US IMAX screens and five days later in conventional cinemas (it opens Boxing Day in the UK).

Why the detailed theatrical information? Well, it seems we're not the only ones who want to help Mission: Impossible's marketing team.

It's been confirmed that six-minutes of Dark Knight Rises prologue footage will play before Ghost Protocol in swanky IMAX theatres.

We say 'swanky' because the whole thing was still just a rumour until it was revealed that only IMAX venues with high-resolution 70mm screens will be able to show the Batman footage.

"The six-minute Dark Knight Rises prologue footage will only be shown on the higher resolution 70mm IMAX screens. Not the digital IMAX screens. Locations haven't been confirmed yet, so stay tuned for an update on AMC Theatre locations that will be showing the prologue Dark Knight Rises footage at a 70mm IMAX screen nearest you," said an official statement from US cinema chain AMC.

Our prediction: expect to see bumper IMAX ticket sales for Mission Impossible 4 and tickets for peak showings changing hands for a lot of money on eBay! Source: www.totalfilm.com

The Dark Knight Rises to film at Occupy Wall Street [18th October 2011 07:51:56]

According to production sources, The Dark Knight Rises will include footage from the Occupy Wall Street protests. We're not entirely sure what the anti-capitalist movement has to do with a 250 million dollar movie featuring a billionaire who spends his spare time beating up poor people (and supervillains), but we're sure it'll be very exciting.

Christopher Nolan's crew arrives in New York on Oct. 29 to film. They've filed for permits under code name Magnus Rex in the area the protests are taking place.

A casting call has gone out asking for actors with "military and / or law enforcement training / experience, weapons training, and / or martial arts training."

So, yeah, the protesters had probably better be polite to their new pals. We're secretly hoping that Nolan's written in a scene in which Batman throws batarangs to knock the champagne glasses out of the hands of the bankers who've been pictured gloating high above the protests. But that's probably fairly unlikely. Source: www.totalfilm.com

Tom Hardy's Bane will have a voice box in The Dark Knight Rises [13th September 2011 09:48:56]

Tom Hardy's Bane will sound scarier than Scream's Ghostface killer if the latest Dark Knight Rises set reports are to be believed. The actor is apparently using a voice box to control the pitch and tone of Bane's villainous vocals. Despite the original rumour source being The Sun - the hallowed tome that once reported Eddie Murphy playing the Riddler in Batman 3 as fact - this one seems fairly realistic. Bane's voice needs to be intimidating, to match Bale's intense delivery of Batman's lines, as the characters are supposed to be equals in the terror stakes.

So we're going to chalk this one down as a very realistic rumour. After all, if Christian Bale and Tom Hardy are both doing gravelly voices using only their vocal chords, the production crew would have to double the throat-sweet budget.

That could run to billions.

But let's face it, even if they both sounded like Alvin from Alvin & The Chipmunks: The Threequel, we'd still be at the front of the queue when The Dark Knight Rises is released on 20 July, as we're pretty sure it's going to be the most awesome thing ever. Source: www.totalfilm.com

Dark Knight Rises newspaper ad thanks Pittsburgh [23rd August 2011 09:05:53]

Christopher Nolan's production for The Dark Knight Rises used a newspaper advert to thank Pittsburgh now that shooting there has finished.

The final scenes were shot in the city this past weekend and Nolan and the producers wanted to show their appreciation.

Don't believe for a second that this marks the end of the spoiler videos though, as shoots in Los Angeles and New York are still to come.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette also reported that producers paid "tens of thousands of dollars" to remove two dozen leafy trees from Pittsburgh streets so scenes shot in August would look like they occurred in winter.

The original plan was to pluck the leaves from those trees but city officials worried that could have damaged them.

Replacements trees will be planted in the fall and the deal also included a $20,000 donation to the non-profit group Tree Pittsburgh. Source: www.totalfilm.com

Tom Hardy compares Dark Knight Rises to Starbucks [27th July 2011 09:10:30]

Hardy, who plays villain Bane in Christopher Nolan's upcoming The Dark Knight Rises, has compared working on the film to working in Starbucks.

'These movies are huge vehicles to make a lot of money? and make a large audience happy. So now you're at the very top level of trying to bring character work in a boutique way to something that is, you know, Starbucks,' he said.

It sounds like Hardy might be hankering after more indie roles such as Bronson, but The Dark Knight Rises, and Mad Max: Fury Road are still far from complete.

He said of Warrior, his new, comparatively low budget MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) drama, it, 'is like the top end of creating something out of nothing,' unlike Mad Max then, which he likens to working in an airport duty free.

"You deal with something like Dark Knight ? or 'Mad Max,' or 'Superman' or 'Spider-man,' whatever ? it's like going to work in an airport and going, 'Hi I'm over here!' and then everybody goes 'Oh here's that, that's the villain of the piece.' Then it's a thousand people going to Duty-Free. Like, [shouting] 'I AM THE VILLAIN!' and make a lot of noise.

"There's a formula here, you can't muck around with it. There's a lot of rules, you're restrained in many ways as an artist. But then you're also grateful because of the huge exposure and the paycheck."

While we're not adverse to some Starbucks action here at TF, we're sincerely hoping that The Dark Knight Rises makes us a great deal happier than a nice Americano.

  Source: www.totalfilm.com

Matthew Modine and Tom Conti join The Dark Knight Rises cast [21st May 2011 03:48:35]

With the unveiling of Tom Hardy's Bane that occurred to rapturous excitement yesterday, The Dark Knight Rises anticipation has been at fever pitch.

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.

The Dark Knight Rises is released on 20 July 2012, and we're counting down the minutes? Source: www.totalfilm.com

Joseph Gordon-Levitt will play Gotham City cop John Blake in Dark Knight Rises [19th April 2011 15:51:08]

Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Dark Knight Rises role has finally been announced - he's set to play a Gotham Cop named John Blake, who is assigned a special duty by newly promoted Comissioner Gordon (Oldman, reprising his role).

Though it's doubtful the role will be as straight-forward as a simple friendly cop, at least this ends one round of the rumour mill - speculation will now begin on who the cop could turn out to be, if anyone.

Christopher Nolan has also announced Marion Cotillard will play Wayne Enterprises board member and Bruce Wayne ally Miranda Tate.

She is said to help Bruce reconnect the company with its philanthropic roots, put in place by his father Thomas when he started the company.

Nolan stated, "When you collaborate with people as talented as Marion and Joe, it comes as no surprise that you would want to repeat the experience.

"I immediately thought of them for the roles of Miranda and Blake, and I am looking forward to working with both of them again."

Gordon-Levitt and Cotillard join fellow Inception alums Michael Caine, returning as Alfred, and Tom Hardy (Bane), with Nolan keeping true to his habit of casting actors he's previously worked with.

Though it's long been rumoured that Cotillard will play Talia Al-Ghul, the announcement doesn't mean that won't still happen, and that Miranda Tate is just a cover for her to get close to Bruce Wayne.

Last week the announcement that Josh Pence will be playing a young Ra's Al-Ghul (Liam Neeson's character in Begins) heavily suggests that Rises will include the League of Assassins in some form, so we can't rule out Talia just yet.

Expect much more on this over the coming months. Source: www.totalfilm.com

Nestor Carbonell returning for The Dark Knight Rises [17th April 2011 10:08:11]

In another minuscule (but still interesting for obsessives) update, Variety are reporting that Nestor Carbonell will reprise his role as the Mayor of Gotham in The Dark Knight Rises.

Carbonell didn't have a huge amount of screentime in the last movie, but it'll be nice to see him return for continuity's sake.

This news will aslo ignite speculation as to how the character could fit in with the threequel's storyline.

A few days ago, it was announced that a few smaller roles had been cast in the Nolan's threequel, further amping up our anticipation for things to come.

With shooting set to begin imminently, excitement has been at fever pitch. Knowing Nolan's admirable inclination towards secrecy, it could be a long time until we get any official images of new characters, or even a teaser trailer to abate our fervour.

Carbonell and returning cast members Christian Bale, Michael Caine and Gary Oldman are joined by newbies Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy and Juno Temple for Rises, which is expected to bring Nolan's series to a definitive close.

Filming is set to begin in May, so there's not much time for more small-fry casting announcements like this.

The Dark Knight Rises will be released on 20 July 2012. Source: www.totalfilm.com

Josh Pence bags a pivotal Dark Knight Rises role [9th April 2011 02:49:30]

Josh Pence has been cast in a key flashback role in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises, according to Heat Vision.

It's a potentially spoilery role, so anyone hoping to go into the movie cold should probably stop reading now.

Pence will play the young Ra's Al Ghul in flashback scenes that take place some 30 years before the current setting. He's certainly got a look that would make him an uncannily-striking match for a young Liam Neeson.

This news is in keeping with previous comments by Gary Oldman, who claimed the trilogy closer would return to the events of Batman Begins.

Marion Cotillard has been linked to the role of Ra's Al Ghul's daughter Talia, although her casting has yet to be confirmed.

Pence was dealt the short straw with his appearance in Fincher's Facebook movie. He played Tyler Winklevoss, but he had to have his fizzog digitally replaced by Armie Hammer's in a scarily-seamless piece of SFX magic, to create the identical twins effect.

He has also wrapped shooting a role in Peter Berg's 2012 blockbuster hopeful, Battleship.

The Dark Knight Rises will shoot imminently, and this casting news has us going even more insane with excitement thinking about the scope of Nolan's final Bat-flick. Source: www.totalfilm.com

Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Dark Knight Rises character revealed [20th March 2011 11:19:52]

Since Joseph Gordon-Levitt's name was linked to The Dark Knight Rises, there has been a ton of speculation surrounding which character he'll play.

It has finally been announced by Variety (via WorstPreviews) that Inception actor J G-L has been cast as Alberto Falcone in Christopher Nolan's feverishly-anticipated trilogy closer.

Alberto is the son of mob boss Carmine Falcone, played by Tom Wilkinson in Batman Begins.

Gary Oldman has previously mentioned in a interview that Rises will round off Nolan's Bat-story, and bring it all back to Begins, and this character announcement certainly seems to validate those claims.

Nolan will undoubtedly keep the plot details tightly under wraps until the film is released, but Alberto had an interesting role to play in Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale's The Long Halloween (spoilers for that comic follow?)

In that storyline, Alberto was revealed to be the Holiday Killer, a murderer who had been taking various people out on significant holidays throughout the year.

It's hard to guess whether this is something Nolan plans to bring into the film, but it seems more plausible that Alberto will be used as a vengeful son figure, considering how Carmine ended up in Batman Begins.

It'll also be a neat link back to the death of Bruce Wayne's parents, and Carmine's involvement with that incident.

Hopefully this announcement should also diminish the persistent, irksome rumour that Robin will be appearing in this installment?

This news has done little to quell our excitement for The Dark Knight Rises, which is due for release on 20 July 2012. Source: www.totalfilm.com

Juno Temple could be joining The Dark Knight Rises [19th March 2011 10:02:41]

British actress Juno Temple is in talks to join The Dark Knight Rises, according to a report by Variety (via The Playlist).

Variety also confirmed that Joseph Gordon-Levitt is 100% officially signed on for Christopher Nolan's threequel (this seemed pretty much certain anyway, but it's nice to have it in writing).

There's not much info on Temple's character yet, only that she'll be playing "a street-smart Gotham girl." This is bound to cause intense fanboy speculation: could she be linked to Anne Hathaway's Selina Kyle?
She does have the kind of quirky looks that would be ideal for Harley Quinn too, so don't expect that to go unmentioned.

21-year-old Temple has been impressing in supporting roles for some time now, doing memorable work in Atonement, Notes on a Scandal, and, ahem, the recent St Trinian's movies.

Recently, she was outstanding as the lead in Jordan Scott's Cracks, about a psychologically fraught bunch of girls at a '30s boarding school, and she also appeared in Gregg Araki's festival fave Kaboom.

If she signs on she'll be a fine addition to the cast, and will be in keeping with the 'British' contingent that runs through Nolan's Bat-movies: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Tom Wilkinson? (and Irish superstar Cillian Murphy deserves an honourable mention, too).

Unsurprisingly, given Nolan's admirably penchant for secrecy, there's no word yet on who Gordon-Levitt will be playing, but the rumour mill has linked him to everything from Carmine Falcone's offspring, to Robin, to Gotham Cop #2.

The Dark Knight Rises is due to hit cinemas on 20 July 2012. We've never wanted a time machine more? Source: www.totalfilm.com

The Dark Knight Rises plot leaked online [3rd March 2011 09:56:04]

Chris Nolan has been keeping security around his third Batman movie pretty airtight over the past few months.

But he may have overlooked a breach somewhere, as one online source is claiming that it's gotten its hands on the (very basic-sounding) plot for The Dark Knight Rises.

Bad Ass Digest report that the threequel's plot follows Batman's fight against the League of Shadows, the vigilante organisation spearheaded by Talia al Ghul, who has Bane (Tom Hardy) as her love interest protector.

According to BAD, Joseph Gordon-Levitt will play a member of the League, while Catwoman (Anne Hathaway) will join forces with Batman to fight the organisation at the film's close.

BAD haven't named their source, referring to them as 'someone close to the Batcamp'.

Despite our reservations about these things, the plot does sound pretty legit ? especially when you consider the League originally showed up in Batman Begins, which would give Rises a very trilogy-esque dove-tail closer. Source: www.totalfilm.com

Liam Neeson talks Taken 2 and The Dark Knight Rises [9th February 2011 10:08:35]

Liam Neeson has spoken about the possibility of appearing in follow-ups to two of his biggest hits.

When MTV asked the actor about the surprise success of actioner Taken, he responded: "It just seemed to hit a pulse in people, it did very, very well which I'm thrilled about and we're hoping to do another one next year sometime."

When Neeson was asked to elaborate on the sequel, he said: "Taken 2... Who's gonna get taken?"

He couldn't offer any plot details yet though, simply saying "[They're] working on a script."

Neeson did also state that he didn't expect the movie to be a prequel, as some have suggested.

In related new, Neeson also said that he "definitely" won't be appearing in The Dark Knight Rises, which would conflict with the shoot for Clash sequel Wrath of the Titans anyway.

While his exit from Batman Begins pretty much ruled out his return, you can never be sure you've seen the end of a villain like Ra's Al Ghul, and The Dark Knight Rises is obviously going to be subject to endless amounts of scrutiny until it's released. Source: www.totalfilm.com

Rumour: Is Robin Williams Dark Knight Rises' Hugo Strange? [29th January 2011 09:47:01]

File this one firmly under 'tantalising rumour' for the moment folks: could Robin Williams be set to play Hugo Strange in The Dark Knight Rises?

Batman On Film stoked the rumour with a tweet, and Batman News claims to have a source who believes Strange will turn up in the new movie.

Rumours about the character's appearance in Christopher Nolan's threequel have been circulating for a while now, with Tom Hardy once believed to be playing the character (he's been confirmed as Bane now).

We're taking this one with a huge pinch of salt for now, although it's not entirely out of the realms of possibility.

For one thing, Williams has expressed interest in appearing as a Bat-villain several times in the past.

He's also worked with Nolan before, on Insomnia, when the director effectively tapped the funnyman's inherent creepiness to create a genuinely unsettling villain.

Hugo Strange is set to appear in the upcoming videogame Arkham City, so is this current rumour just fanboy wishful thinking?

With Nolan planning to make The Dark Knight Rises his final Batman movie, would he really want to introduce three new villains (Bane, Catwoman, Strange) into the mix as he's trying to wind down the trilogy?

That would be extremely ambitious to say the least, and one of the best things about Nolan's series so far is the way it has kept the focus on Batman/Bruce Wayne.

Or could Nolan surprise us all and continue with the franchise beyond the third movie? Maybe that's just wishful thinking on our part now... Source: www.totalfilm.com

Anne Hathaway as Catwoman and Tom Hardy as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises [19th January 2011 22:58:37]

The Dark Knight Rises casting speculation can officially end right now - Warner Brothers have confirmed that Anne Hathaway will be playing Selina Kyle, aka Catwoman, while Tom Hardy has been confirmed as Bane.

Catwoman has long been a fan favourite for Rises - despite that Halle Berry film - and Hathaway has been a front runner during recent casting calls.

In the comics the character is high class cat burglar of questionable moral character who forms a complex love/hate romance with Bruce Wayne/Batman.

Hardy, who was cast before Christmas and thought to be attatched to any number of roles, will play Bane, who - unlike the joke of a character portrayed in 1997's Batman & Robin - is actually a genius military strategist and fearsome soldier driven insane by the super soldier serum 'venom'.

Bane famously broke Batman's spine during a confrontation in the Knightfall saga in the early 1990s, forcing Bruce Wayne to relinquish the mantle of the bat for a time.

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."

On working again with Tom Hardy, 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."

This news couldn't have come at a better time, with 2012's other superhero movies gathering all the column inches in recent weeks.

We're particularly excited about the announcement that Bane will be the villain - and seeing Hardy bring the monster to life - might we be seeing the long-awaited adaptation of Knightfall? We can only hope. Source: www.totalfilm.com

Chris Nolan confirms Dark Knight Rises is "last chapter" [1st December 2010 04:09:11]

Christopher Nolan has revealed what we all expected/feared - The Dark Knight Rises will be the "last chapter" of his Batman saga. Source: www.totalfilm.com

The Dark Knight Rises will be last Batman film for Christian Bale [23rd November 2010 09:45:20]

Christian Bale has announced that The Dark Knight Rises will mark his last time in the cowl and cape... as far as he knows. Source: www.totalfilm.com

Tom Hardy to play Dr Hugo Strange in Dark Knight Rises? [18th November 2010 11:47:42]

OK, so you know that Tom Hardy is already confirmed for Dark Knight Rises, but now the rumour mill has him attached to the role of Dr Hugo Strange.

The rumour, started at Batman News (guess what they report on...) is that Hardy will play the Batman-obsessed police psychiatrist, and not Sgt. Max Cort, as we predicted.

However, we did predict that the Dark Knight Rises would be based on a graphic novel called Prey, and if true, this rumour confirms that we made the right call.

With a story that would lead neatly off from Dark Knight's cliffhanger, Prey features Strange as the main villain, an insane psychiatrist working with Gotham PD as head of a unit assigned to capture Batman.

Obsessed with the Caped Crusader - and wanting to become him - Strange hypnotises police sergeant Max Cort into becoming a masked vigilante to try and bring Batman out of hiding.

Yes, this is still only a rumour, but Batman News have been on the money with their rumours so far (they knew The Riddler wouldn't be the villain, and that Rachel Weisz and Anne Hathaway were potential lead females), so this holds some stock.

Not the role we'd called, but the potential for an insane Tom Hardy facing off against Christian Bale is even better. Source: www.totalfilm.com

The Dark Knight Rises will not be shot completely in IMAX [14th November 2010 05:45:44]

There has been much speculation about whether Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight follow-up will be shot entirely on IMAX cameras. It seems that cinematographer Wally Pfister, Nolan's longtime collaborator, has finally put an end to the whispers with a definitive statement during an Inception Q&A session. Source: www.totalfilm.com

Natalie Portman to star in The Dark Knight Rises? [12th November 2010 05:39:25]

Chris Nolan has been meeting up with some of Hollywood's finest actresses to discuss two female roles in his upcoming The Dark Knight Rises. With the part of a love interest and a separate female villain apparently up for grabs, Deadline report that Nolan has met with Naomi Watts, Rachel Weisz, Natalie Portman, Blake Lively, Anne Hathaway and Keira Knightley. Though we know nothing about either roles as yet, we do know that the main female villains of the Batverse are Catwoman, Poison Ivy, Talia Al Ghul and Harley Quinn. So it's pretty safe to assume one of those will appear in Nolan's third and purportedly final Batman. Who'll get cast? Natalie Portman as Catwoman could just be the most amazing idea we've ever heard, so claws crossed on that front. Source: www.totalfilm.com

The Dark Knight Rises will not be in 3D [28th October 2010 05:57:29]

Batman! Batman! Everywhere! A landslide of Dark Knight news has been swamping us over the past few days, and now director Chris Nolan has spoken out about the possibility of Batman 3 being in 3D. Source: www.totalfilm.com

Tom Hardy as Harvey Bullock in The Dark Knight Rises? [27th October 2010 22:26:43]

Ever since Tom Hardy was announced as a lead in the next Batman film, now officially named The Dark Knight Rises, rumours have been circulating as to which character he'd be playing. Source: www.totalfilm.com

Christopher Nolan reveals official Batman 3 title [27th October 2010 10:18:24]

Christopher Nolan has revealed the official title of his third Batman flick. It'll be called The Dark Knight Rises. Awesome. That's the first bit of big Batman news. The second is that The Riddler won't be in the film. Nolan said: "We'll use many of the same characters as we have all along, and we'll be introducing some new ones.

"When pressed about whether the villain would be covered in question marks, Nolan gave a negative response. "It won't be the Riddler," he said. All very, very exciting. We love the title, it's a clever bit of branding designed to remind us of The Dark Knight's brilliance. As if we needed it. Source: www.totalfilm.com

Is Chris Nolan auditioning Catwoman for Batman 3? [26th October 2010 21:49:36]

Christopher Nolan is meeting with actresses in their late 20s / early 30s for 'the prospective female lead' in Batman 3. Source: www.totalfilm.com