The Dark Knight Rises Prologue

In December 2007 at the IMAX showings of the film "I Am Legend" a six minute prologue scene to The Dark Knight was shown, this of course was the epic bank robbery scene that opens the film. For the past few month myself and other pathetic Christopher Nolan worshipers and Batman geeks have been wondering if something similar would happen this year for The Dark Knight Rises.

It was safe to assume that at least the first full length trailer would come out in December. (The first teaser for TDK came out in July, a year prior to its release, same as The Dark Knight Rises) So far they seem to be following the same timeline with this final installment to The Dark Knight trilogy.

We started speculating that if they were to do a special IMAX trailer like the prologue to TDK it would have to come out with Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, the only big IMAX movie being released in December. Along with that we believe that the regular trailer will be released with The Dark Knight Rises fellow studio film Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.

A few days ago on the nolanfans forums, a new guy stated that he "heard from a source" that there is in fact an 8 minute prologue that will be playing on IMAX screens in front of Mission Impossible. He stated that he wasn't sure if he would get in trouble posting it, but he did anyways.

Over at nolanfans we are used to people posting made up junk just to start rumors and annoy us fans, it happens alot, especially from new posters. So we all dismissed his claims.

But today /Films (a very reliable film news website) started reporting the same thing, claiming sources told them that an 8 minute prologue would be playing. They have since received more information confirming that its actually a 6 minute prologue. Either way its good news.

I haven't been terribly excited for Mission Impossible, but it looked fun enough but now this has guaranteed my spot in a seat at the IMAX midnight showing for Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. The Dark Knight Rises is gearing up to be the biggest film of 2012 (probably only second to The Hobbit) and what better way to get fans even more stoked for the epic conclusion than showing a 6 minute scene as well as releasing the full length trailer the same month? Be excited, be very very excited.

The Dark Knight Rises: Production update from Los Angeles

For the past few months there has been a real lack of released information on The Dark Knight Rises, even most of the leaked photos have been pretty standard. Luckily there has been a tiny bit of actual good information to leak through. Filming is almost done in Los Angeles than they head off to New York for a shot shoot there before Production finally wraps up and goes into post-production. So if all goes well and follows the same pattern The Dark Knight did...we should be getting a full length trailer sometime in December (probably attached to the new Sherlock Holmes movie).

So far we still don't have any clue really as to what the story is really about. I have gotten some solid rumors from some pretty reliable sources on Nolanfans.com (this is still speculation though) that at some point Gotham is under complete lockdown due to Bane taking over the city, causing the streets of Gotham to be empty and desolate. Some of the pictures we have gotten before, mainly the ones of Joseph Gordon Levitt, support this idea.

We also have gotten photos leaked showing more of the Catwoman suit and anne hathaway. Plenty of people were complaining when he official photo was released that there were no cat ears. Those people can stop worrying because Catwoman does infact have cat years....giving Anne Hathaway a look that seems totally influenced by the classic Julie Newmar version.



Also rumored to have been seen on set for his third time around is Nolan regular, Cillian Murphy (The Wind That Shakes the Barley, Sunshine, 28 Days Later, Inception) as Dr. Jonathan Crane aka Scarecrow. He was one of the main villains in Batman Begins, but only had a small cameo in The Dark Knight. It is unclear how big or small his role in this film is going to be, but the rumor is that his scene involves some sort of trial.



We have also received some good footage of action scenes being filmed, i'm only gonna post a couple so I don't spoil all the action scenes for not only myself but you as well. So below are some videos from the set as well as a couple of pictures. Hopefully we will have more information about the actual storyline soon.





and here is one of what appears to be a scene between Gordon (Gary Oldman) and Batman (Christian Bale)

The Dark Knight Rises: Batwing and Joseph Gordon Levitt as John Blake

After much speculation and discussion among fans whether we would see a new bat-vehicle in this film (such as a new bat-mobile or bat-pod) it is finally confirmed through set photos that we will indeed have "the batwing". This had never really crossed my mind that Chris Nolan would go this route with the vehicles due to his usual reality based ideals for his batman films. I mean in the classic Batmans the Batwing is a jet that he flies around the city, not very plausible. But after these photos and set videos got released it's obvious he is making it work, and the finished product is going to be nothing short of brilliant.

It's definitely not a Jet, more like a Tumbler that flies/hovers around. It definitely looks like it could cause some serious damage.



Video of Joseph Gordon Levitt as John Blake has also surfaced. His character is still quite a mystery, he has only been described as a "beat cop". Nobody knows if he is a good or bad guy. In the video released he definitely has a very suspicious/shifty look about him. I personally would love it if he wasn't a good guy. There is already so many villains it seems that the good guys have all the odds against them and I love that. So i'm pullin for John Blake being not who he seems.



I'm also loving the look of the snow around Gotham. It just adds to the ominous look and helps heighten the desperation. It really is starting to look like Bane (or whomever is in charge of him) has taken over the city. I can't wait to see how this all plays out in the film. Also Below are a couple more videos of Catwoman in action on set and some more set photos of Anne Hathaway and such.

The Dark Knight Rises: Bane Voice Leak Video and More Set Photos

This weekend they filmed crucial scenes at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. At what appears to be a Gotham City Rogues football game Bane it seems causes some serious shiz and walks out and makes a speech. The video below is Bane coming out and delivering his speech. Now remember the video is just of the scene being filmed so you won't see the football players running around and such or see the explosions in this take, but you do hear Tom Hardy's Bane voice. Luckily there are notes in the video that help explain what is going on in the scene.


and here is a closer video where you can actually see Bane delivering the lines.

Also below are some set photos of Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle on the batpod, and some of Marion Cotiliard's character Miranda Tate (aka probably Talia Al Ghul)





Now with the official releases and leaked videos that have been springing up, it shouldn't be too long before I have an firm idea of the plot, right now its only guesses. Soon I'll be writing a post about the possible plot lines this film could now follow.

The Dark Knight Rises: First photo of Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle

Today Warner Bros. finally released a photo of Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle. Instead of pointy cat ears or like anything we have ever seen from the character, she has practical clothing and goggles with lights on them. Now the title of the photo only says Selina Kyle, so i'm still not completely convinced she will ever be referred to as "Catwoman" in this film, although Selina Kyle is Catwoman.



Personally I think it looks great, of course she isn't going to be dressed like a cat this is a Christopher Nolan Batman film, not some Tim Burton or cussin Joel "the hack" Shumacher flick. Her suit is practical and perfect for a thief (which Selina Kyle usually is). Even the lights on the goggles fit with that. Anne Hathaway is going to surprise lots of people I think. She has a lot of doubters, and most people won't remember this but......so did Heath Ledger when it was announced he was playing the Joker and look how that all turned out.

The more that gets released from this movie, and the more leaked set photos the more confused I am getting at how it is all gonna come together. I get how Bane, Talia and the League are going to work into it, but Selina Kyle is the one I just don't understand yet, but as always "In Nolan I Trust"

The Dark Knight Rises: Production Update in Pittsburgh (photos and more)

The Dark Knight Rises production arrived in Pittsburgh to begin its long stint of filming in the U.S last week and already great photos and videos are poppin up on the web. Supposedly an action scene is taking place at the football stadium where the Steelers play, but I haven't found any photo's of that yet. What we do have is a picture and video of Bane up on top of one of the tumblers (batmobile) appearing to make a speech or something. He is wearin a thick coat and such, leading me to believe that TDKR is going to be taking place during winter (last winter Nolan and Co filmed helicopter shots of New York so they could catch it with snow). Also is a video of a jail exploding in which prisoners are going to escape. And to top it all of there is a video of Bane and Batman choreographing a fight, then an actual fight scene being filmed between the two! here is an epic picture from said fight!














So pretty much i'm geeking out hardcore right now, and since there is still a year away, i see no signs of this geeking out coming to an end. So if you are not a Christopher Nolan fan or a Batman fan...then i'm sorry because i will be posting about TDKR quite frequently for the next year.....If i can survive that long!

The Dark Knight Rises - Official Teaser Trailer [HD]

Ok So the it's finally here. The trailer came out on Friday with Harry Potter and all that was online was bootlegged copies. Now WB has released it online in full HD so we can enjoy it repeatedly in all it's epicness. Now it is only a teaser trailer so it shows very little new footage, but the new footage it does show is brilliant. Before I go into the full analysis , check it out below, or click on the link




Some people are complaining about the footage at the beginning from the previous two films, I personally think its brilliant! It helps set the tone of the whole thing, especially the voiceover from Liam Neeson's Ras Al Gul from "Batman Begins"

Then we have Gordon in the hospital bed talking to Bruce (who is wearing a ski mask in this scene to hide his identity from Gordon) Obviously Batman has left and all heck is breaking loose. This brings up thousands of questions. The first being, Why is Gordon in the hospital? Who did it to him? (probably Bane).

We also get a good look at Tom Hardy as Bane, and he looks like a freakin monster, I can't even describe my excitement for him in this film. The last shot in the trailer as he is walking towards Batman is beyond epic.

The trailer brings up more questions, like how is Anne Hathaway's Selina Kyle going to fit in with this? How does Ras Al Gul come into play? Are the League Of Shadows involved again? All things we won't know till later, but man I can't wait.

It also shows what we can expect from the film as well, pretty much that the stakes are all higher, and its going to be more than epic. Production has just begun here in the States in Pitsburg and it will continue here in the US till the fall. The Dark Knight Rises stars Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Anne Hathaway, Marion Cotilliard, Joseph Gordon Levitt and Michael Caine and is set for release July 2012!