Batman appeared to be one of those franchises that still held promise, but had been long dead and buried (thanks to the terrible sequels that followed the Tim Burton movies), until Christopher Nolan (Inception) came along and completely revitalized the character; with a new origin story (in Batman Begins), and an impressive sequel (The Dark Knight); that meant everyone became infatuated with the Dark Knight once again, and eagerly awaits the next movie in the series.
It a clear sign of how well the two previous movies have been received, when something as relatively small (when compared to casting announcements, shooting locations, and release dates) as deciding upon the films title, becomes headline news, and Christopher Nolan has now confirmed that the title of his next movie to be based in Gotham City, will be the second Batman movie to leave the superhero’s name out of the title; as it’s going to be called, The Dark Knight Rises.
Chris was also keen to point out (in a recent interview with the L.A. Times) that Warner’s have caved in, and are allowing him to continue to keep telling the Batman story in two dimensions, rather than filming it in 3D (as the studio is a big believer in squeezing out the extras few bucks that 3D release can help a movie produce), and will be continuing to include a number of high definition IMAX sequences.
There wasn’t too much else said in the interview, where Nolan made sure to stay vague and mysterious; by saying that the new film “will use many of the same characters as we have all along, and will be introducing some new ones”; although he did confirm, in a rather shocking statement, that the film’s villain “won’t be the Riddler.”
The decision not to use the Riddler as the villain may be a wise one, and is certain to get people talking about which of his many foes Batman will be facing up against; as most fans had begun to accept it as all but a given that we would be seeing the Riddler up next; when The Dark Knight Rises is released in July 2012.
Christian Bale (The Fighter) is expected to reprise his role as Bruce Wayne/Batman in the film, which will once again feature Michael Caine (Harry Brown) as Bruce’s butler Alfred, and while the identity of the picture’s bad guy, and the man or woman playing him or her, has yet to be confirmed, there’s a good chance it may be Tom Hardy (Inception); as he was recently confirmed to have landed an unnamed part; or possibly Philip Seymour Hoffman as the Penguin, if the non-expert internet forums are to be believed (which they really shouldn’t).
