Cool News
The Social Network's Josh Pence cast in The Dark Knight Rises as...
Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with some big news to kick off the weekend courtesy of Heat Vision's Borys Kit
The surface news is that The Social Network's Josh Pence (who played the other Winklevoss brother against Armie Hammer) has been cast as Young Ra's Al Ghul in the upcoming The Dark Knight Rises. That's exciting, especially if you've watched the special features on The Social Network Blu and seen just how much Pence brought to the performance... he was much more than a stand-in for Armie Hammer's face.
But the real news is who he has been cast as, which gives credence to the rumors that Marion Cotillard is playing Thalia Al Ghul and fits in with what Gary Oldman has said about The Dark Knight Rises, that it brings Christopher Nolan's trilogy full circle.
Kit says that Pence's scenes will take place 30 years prior to the present day story.
So, there you have it, Bathead. What do you think?
-Quint
quint@aintitcool.com
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...it's great! And none of that juvenile "first" shit, either.
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Just wishful thinking.
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This came out of left field.
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I said over on /Film that he has to be playing young Ducard cause Ducard only took over the identity of R'as after R'as died. But people over there say he was the real R'as? Really?
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April 8, 2011, 5:59 p.m. CST
Is the Dark Knight Rises going to be 5 hours long?
by Doctor_Strangepork
Even if each of these new characters gets 15 minutes of screen time, we're pushing 3 hours.
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I hope there's not a Lazarus Pit, it doesn't really fit in with Nolan's vision... but there are ways around that.
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This next Batman is definitely shaping up more promisingly than Synder's Superman. (Lohan... I mean, for heaven's sake... *shakes head* )
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For a second I thought you meant he would play a rejuvenated post-Lazarus Pit Ra's Al Ghul. Wouldn't that be out-of-character for Nolan, right? Pence actual resembles Neeson a bit, so good casting.
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I believe the character could work, but the actor's only, what, 5'9"? So a one-on-one fight with Batman is not going to look right. And I really doubt Nolan will use CG to make him look like a mountain of muscle if he uses venom. I just don't think Nolan will go there, which is almost a shame.
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Stupid shit I don't care about. Yes I have a facebook. No, it's private, I never use it, and I'll probably close it eventually when one friend request from a friend of a friend finally pisses me off enough. Can't wait to see the next film about a social networking site, I'd rather watch a fucking film about Moot from 4chan, honestly.
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April 8, 2011, 6:06 p.m. CST
juansanchez, of course Ducard was the real R'as. Why would you think otherwise?
by Stereotypical Evil Archer
Bruce Wayne is the real Batman. juansanchez, it's about duality, motivation and escalation. Did you watch the movie?
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Wait, that didn't come out right (that's what my father said).
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April 8, 2011, 6:09 p.m. CST
Haha can't wait to see the trailer and everyone backing their fucking words up
by Dharma4
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1961-2011 For all his mistakes, he will pay...
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I suspect those will be flashback/memory scenes for Talia Al Ghul. That or she has a video taped message from her father when he was young. Take your pick. I agree with the above that the Lazarus Pits are a bit far fetched for Mr. Nolan.
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I interpreted it as Ducard becoming R'as after R'as died - taking an alias like Wayne did. I don't feel like I was given any information to suggest Watanabe's R'as was a fake / decoy.
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Romania's probably just a good place to go to film on the cheap. But I've never been a comic book guy, don't know the character's story. Is there a reason why he'd be in Romania?
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Never, EVER see an Oscar winning movie that everyone says is great because it's about something that you don't care about but kinda use anyway. And maybe there's characters and drama, but fuck all that shit.
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April 8, 2011, 6:14 p.m. CST
marat, the social network isnt even about facebook dumbass
by Billy_D_Williams
its practically a mcguffin for the story...it could be facebook or mcdonald's or fucking wal-mart...the movie is about friendship, loyalty, capitalism, betrayal, the disparity between class, etc...its a damn fine film and you're really missing out.
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April 8, 2011, 6:15 p.m. CST
You have heard of multiple characters on the screen at same time have you Dr. Strangepork
by MRJONZ72
I'm guessing a 2 hour 20 to 2 hour 40 min movie or so.
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April 8, 2011, 6:15 p.m. CST
Anyway - no matter who the real R'as was - I didn't care for the League of Shadows
by JuanSanchez
Don't get me wrong - it was very cool and the locations were outstanding, but it didn't feel right for Batman. Bruce Wayne didn't need other people to teach him how to be theatrical and use smoke bombs for pete's sake. The origin in Mask of the Phantasm worked better for me. So the idea of book-ending the franchise with R'as and possibly the League does not appeal to me.
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April 8, 2011, 6:17 p.m. CST
Your beggining to sound like Mark David Chapman or something Daniel2010 slightly scary
by MRJONZ72
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April 8, 2011, 6:17 p.m. CST
Ummm, daniel2010... this "schtick" of yours has moved from "okay, ha-ha..." to "dude, seriously, enough..."
by WriteForTheEdit
and not too far from, "Please report this guy's IP address to the police."
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April 8, 2011, 6:18 p.m. CST
@Juan: He was definitely Ra's Al Ghul the whole time.
by Huey_Freemans_afro
When Ducard implied the immortality of Ra's Al Ghul, Bruce called it "cheap parlor tricks to hide your real identity, Ra's." (or something like that) So the real Ra's Al Ghul constantly used figureheads/decoys for the sake of deception and theatrics while he secretly ran the show posing as his own right hand man.
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April 8, 2011, 6:18 p.m. CST
Bruce: Or cheap parlor tricks to hide your true identity, Ra's?
by Larry Sellers
Ra's: *nod*
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I like the throwback element news that came with this announcement, this guy seems fine to me.
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April 8, 2011, 6:21 p.m. CST
@Billy_D: I'm glad we agree on something. Let's have a Colt 45!
by Huey_Freemans_afro
Also glad I didn't insult you too much in the last Arthur talkback.
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Bruce Wayne did actually travel the world learning esoteric shit from all sorts of masters. I like that Ra's Al Ghul and the LOS were in the movie because they were last Batman foes you'd ever expect to see in a movie. Now I'll admit I don't really care to see them bookend the franchise either, but if they flesh out Talia (pun intended) and make they chemistry palpable, I'll give it a chance.
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Mistake?? .... Will it jarring and weird, or not a problem? ....... Would be interested in opinions.
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April 8, 2011, 6:33 p.m. CST
Yeah, cocknasty, and he's ripping it off without your sense of humor.
by WriteForTheEdit
Unsettling.
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April 8, 2011, 6:35 p.m. CST
I'm not the biggest fan of Nolan's "real world" approximation of the villians...
by Huey_Freemans_afro
It's like the comic books are treated as exaggerations or urban legends inspired by his version of the characters. That being said, I begrudgingly respect his vision of Batman's world because it's kicked serious ass so far. And when he's done, I totally support some other director/writer with his own style coming in to make non-connected stories. Or in hated terms: a REBOOT
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April 8, 2011, 6:36 p.m. CST
I didn't find Hardy or Gordon-Levitt very interesting in Inception as it is
by JuanSanchez
Not looking forward to them in TDKR.
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Boring boring boring.
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We buy actors working together in different movies a lot, and it's cool, generally. If DeCaprio and Ellen Page were to show up, then yeah, maybe that would be getting too weird...
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April 8, 2011, 6:40 p.m. CST
Seems like Bane and the al Ghuls were chosen cause Noland can't deal...
by JuanSanchez
with the classic Batman villains. It's Batman, for pete's sake - give me the Riddler or something. Bring back Two Face. Do something interesting.
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Learn the difference between your and you're.
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If the Lazarus Pit doesn't fit with Nolan's 'vision' then Nolan's vision ain't worth shit. How can Nolan be celebrated as a comic book movie messiah if he eliminates all the difficult stuff?
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He's basically immortal, so thirty years ago he'd look pretty much the same as now.
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if thalia will bare bruce wayne's son in the film like she did in the comics
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Batman Begins is cool, but the movie lacks rewatchability because Liam Neeson just wasn't a very strong villain. People are going to expect something as epic in scope as TDK, and what we've heard of this so far just doesn't sound like it'll do it. I trust Nolan, but actually seeing The Dark Knight was as excited as I've ever been in a movie theater. Don't know if they can up the ante any more.
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Good news though
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ducard was the real ras and the guy played by ken watanabe was an impostor
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Social Network was about Facebook, and all your time spent on it fulfills any need you would have to see this movie.... You're a dumb ass.
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3D-Man summed it up even better than I could have
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April 8, 2011, 7:06 p.m. CST
my liege, "celebrated as a comic book movie messiah," I never said that.
by Stereotypical Evil Archer
I did say, "there are ways around that." If there is a Lazarus Pit in a Nolan Batman movie, it won't be the comic book Lazarus Pit. Heck, R'as just having a legacy could be considered a Lazarus Pit.
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I feel it's worth reminding people that The Dark Knight Rises is a fucking awful title.
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Go watch Bronson. If it's anything like that, they we are going to have another Oscar nominated villain in this series.
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April 8, 2011, 7:13 p.m. CST
it's doesn't have to be that long to fit all these villians in
by zooch
The Dark Knight had a bunch of villains; Joker and Two Face but also had Eric Roberts and the mob, that Chinese guy, and a brief appearance by Scarecrow.
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...Ra's was immortal? He's been living for hundreds of years via rejuvenated youth from the Lazarus Pit; why would they need a young version of him for? Granted, you could make the argument that Nolan's version of Ra's isn't immortal at all, but Ra's himself hinted as much when he said "But is Ra's al Ghul immortal? Are his methods. . .supernatural?" And then the whole bit about how the League of Shadows has existed throughout the ages trying to eliminate the criminal element. It definitely seemed like a heavy handed reference to Ra's being the Lazarus Pit enhanced comic book version of Ra's. But yeah, no idea what the young version of Ra's would be doing in this film.
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April 8, 2011, 7:16 p.m. CST
juansanchez, you're still being blinded by the "cheap parlor tricks."
by Stereotypical Evil Archer
Re-watch the Batman Begins.
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April 8, 2011, 7:28 p.m. CST
You guys are forgetting: Ra's still ages normally.
by Huey_Freemans_afro
It's when he gets too old or injured that he has to take a dip in the Pits. So a flashback to when he was younger does not go again the canon. He may have recently rejuvenated himself. Assuming Nolan leaves the immortality angle ambigious at best.
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You opened the floodgates of douchebaggery. Posting on talkbacks comes with responsibility.
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It all seemed so far-fetched, in what was supposed to be a film trying to stay grounded in reality. TDK had no mention of it and took the realistic angle to whole other level. I was hoping they would again take to another level with an even MORE gritty realistic detective style film, but now it just seems like they are going backwards.
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I heard he was great in Bronson. He sure looks mean as a motherfucker if google photos from that movie. I'm just afraid he's not going to look imposing at all when you put him in scene with Bale, who is 2 (maybe 3) inches taller. Even in Nolan's world, it's realistic to have huge guys who dwarf Batman. I'm just disappointed they didn't go that route.
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Heath Ledger did a magnificent job as the Joker. So did Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent. But I think Liam Neeson's work in the first film is my favorite performance from a villain in any Batman film. His motives for becoming the kind of man he did were fascinating.<br /> <br /> There was a good thematic contrast between the Rhas Al Ghul, Scarecrow, the Joker and Two Face. R.A.G. wanted to do a horrible thing because he thought it would bring about a good result. The Joker did horrible things because he didn't care about any morality and only wanted to expose the innate, petty hypocrisy that exists at the base selves of most people. Two Face just wanted to completely surrender to chaos and let chance decide everything. And Scarecrow believed that you could only see who a person truly was when they're experiencing overwhelming terror. Each of these characters resonated in a mythic way. In this sense, it's good that none of them will appear in more than one film (besides Cillian Murphy's brief Dark Knight cameo). If elaborated on further, they might lose their edge as archetypes of evil.<br /> <br /> This being the finale for a trilogy, it's appropriate that the third film has strong ties to the the first. The League of Shadows must have had heirs who weren't too happy about Bruce taking down their leader (or at least leave him to die in a train crash). I've never read any of the Batman books that feature Thaliah al Ghul but she seems like an intriguing character. Ironically, Marion Cotillard was my top choice for Catwoman. I'm just glad she's going to be in the thing. She's a truly radiant screen presence<br /> <br /> Since the Joker was originally supposed to appear in TDKR, I get sentimental thinking about how they'll give the character a proper denouement. I'll always wonder what the film would have been like had Heath Ledger lived to appear in it. He was a major talent who will probably be remembered as the James Dean of our generation.
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April 8, 2011, 7:36 p.m. CST
Hell, Tiny "Zeus" Lister was in TDK and he's 6'6"!
by Huey_Freemans_afro
Seriously, put him next to Batman. He could've played Killer Croc!
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If you think that Rachel, Maroni, Dent, Joker and all the minor characters like Chechen, Lau and Engel are all gone, you can fit in half a dozen new characters with as much screen time as those. Rachel= Thalia Al Ghul, Dent= Catwoman, Joker= Bane, Maroni= Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Lau= Young Ra's Al Ghul, etc..
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I kind of thought of the Scarecrow as a pure sadist hiding behind an educated veneer. I personally would be happy seeing Two-Face appear in TDKR. He wasn't really done justice in the last movie.
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But soon realized he wasn't really solving the world's problems and all of it was meaningless, which is why he formed the League of Shadows. Maybe Bruce is feeling similar to that in this film.
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You should not be proud nor upset that daniel2010 (if indeed you are not he) Stole such an atrocious gag from you. I've grown increasingly disturbed by this to the point where I will bring this to the attention of some "government friends" to investigate. I think Mr. Knowles will have some requests made shortly regarding this matter. There is such a pervasive stupidity amongst so many young people.
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So... if Nolan DOES include the Lazarus Pits in this movie, is it still not something that fits his "vision?" Or are we allowed to amend what we know his "vision" to be? Hilarious... let's hold him to the first movie now, and never let him add to or change what is possible in his universe! Not that I think he will use them, but Christ, some of you geeks really make me wonder what's going on in your heads... This news is interesting, but makes me seriously wonder what could be relevant enough 30 years prior to warrant showing in the film. Don't tell me there will be a scene in the past just to show Talia being born. Could there be something more to it than that? Or unusual circumstances of her birth, or alliances of Ra's Al Ghul?? I'm really curious to see what they are up to with this movie, but it does seem like there are getting to be a lot of characters. Hope it all works out well.
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Thankfully whatever this is, it will be the end of that "realistic" Bat(e)man trash.
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Seriously?! Too many villains?! In Batman Begins, you had Henri Ducard/Ra's al Ghul as the main villain who was very prominent in the beginning and the end, Scarecrow as the secondary villain who was more prominent in the middle section who worked as an unseen partner for Ra's, Carmine Falcone as the tertiary villain who represented the Mob's influence in Gotham, William Earle as the dirty sleazebag behind Wayne Enterprises, Detective Flass to illustrate the corrupt influence in the Gotham Police Department, the corrupt Judge Faden, Victor Zsasz in a cool wink-and-nod cameo, Joe Chill, and the Ra's al Ghul decoy serving as the antagonists! That makes NINE villains in a Batman film and none of you fuckers complain about that! In The Dark Knight, you had The Joker as the main villain despite the fact that he's only in the movie for a total of 30-45 minutes (even though his presence is felt throughout the film), Harvey Dent/Two-Face who is the secondary villain due to being created by The Joker and it's very much about his tragic story, Sal Maroni as the tertiary villain being the face of the Mob once again, Lau & the Chechen who are the secondary mobster characters, Anna Ramirez & Michael Wuertz as the corrupt GCPD officers, Coleman Reese as the greedy and manipulative pawn dealing with Wayne Enterprises, Gambol as a brief mobster character, the prison inmate who disarms the prisoner ferry, and Scarecrow coming back for the classic Batman villain wink-and-nod cameo! Now, we're up to ELEVEN villains in one Batman film and a lot of you fuckers let that amount of people slide too! So now that you people are bitching about Chris Nolan putting too many villains into a Batman movie after he had such amazing success with Batman Begins, Dark Knight, and Inception and completely writing off this movie is just so butt-fucking retarded that it's just pathetic and sad really! We'll have the main villain (probably Bane), the secondary villain (probably Catwoman), the tertiary villain for the Mob (possibly someone like Alberto Falcone), the classic Batman villain wink-and-nod cameo (probably a young Ra's al Ghul in this case), and chances are we'll soon see a couple more corrupt police officials, possibly a judge, and whatever other characters Nolan decides to put in! Whatever happened to "In Nolan We Trust"?! Because it seems like I'm only one of the few who's willing to go with it especially after all the brilliant films he's made! Now, if you're deciding to hate everything because that will get your giddiness to a more acceptable level, I must say bravo! If you're being serious about your bitching, then just shut the fuck up!
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April 8, 2011, 8:34 p.m. CST
I agree. Stop the bitching. The villian ratio is fine.
by Huey_Freemans_afro
He's going to team up with Catwoman anyway. You know this.
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...I feel like my chances of having sexytime with a ladywoman again fall 0.43%. Sometimes I hate the interputers.
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Give me a director that isn't afraid to use villains that require a little bit of imagination. Imagine Man-Bat, Killer Croc, or Clayface as the villain, with someone like Sam Raimi at the helm. Raimi's Spider-Man movies have the best super-hero action sequences, hands down. I'd love to see a Batman flick done that way. Oh, yeah. We might get an accurate Batman costume as a bonus. You can have his traditional costume be his armor, as well. You do know that, right Nolan? Have you seen any of the recent video games? Ah, forget it.
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I think yeah a little geeky, but with a lot truth behind it. For me the guy has yet to really put a foot wrong, I would say if some wrote "In the Coen Brothers we trust", that would be the same for me (though not a fan of Ladykillers & Intolerable Cruelty), but they have been doing it for longer
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I've been out of the loop lately (a shit ton of work) so you're post is my first exposure to the "Lohan in Man of Steel" information... I googled it... What the fuck is going on in Snyder's head? I loved Sucker Punch to bits... I thought the DOTD remake is at least as good as the original... I loved his take on Watchmen... but I can't really imagine a role for Lohan in Superman. Maybe Cat Grant, but still... She brings so much baggage to a role. Why put her anywhere near the Man of steel? Maybe Snyder sees something I don't, but this feels like a terrible idea.
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The only way this could be good is if they were keeping it silent that Neeson will be back, and there is a Lazarus-Pit-centric storyline. <p>Otherwise, I'll be waiting for Netflix, seeing as how this will be 3D and like $15 a ticket for essentially what will be disappointment. I know, I know, I sound whiny; but I like the idea of Batman in his natural element - what makes him special is that he is an extraordinary man - hero - amongst metahumans.
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can u imagine? the batshit energy Verhoven brings would be perfect the insane batshit Wayne/Batman
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Ha! Just kidding...I actually love it and looking forward to it....I just wanted to know what it feels like to be part of the usual angry for no reason, swearing off the movie before they've even seen it, AICN talkback crowd. Lemme tell ya...it feels pretty shallow lighten up people, they're just fucking movies
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its great, he is brilliant, just fucking watch it
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She was rumored to be in Spider-man 3 as Firestar.... Yep I guess what's left of her entourage is scrambling to keep her from disappearing into media apathy...
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I mean I'm sure it'll be fun but it does feel a little rehashy. Rehashishy?
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April 8, 2011, 9:45 p.m. CST
Has to be Talia resurrecting/rejuvenating her father
by performingmonkey
A Voldemort-style resurrection in a cauldron!!!
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Ducard was a Scotland Yard officer who taught Bruce Wayne how to be a detective... BB amalgamated the characters probably to save screen time or something
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It will probably be some clone. one imprinted with Ra's memories. This is going to rock.
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Will all these characters be as uninteresting as the ones in Inception?
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Now, personally I'm not that big a fan of the term "In ______ We Trust" (but I don't hate it either) however I'm using it because it should be people's proper reaction to everything associated with this movie and a lot of these people complaining really pisses me off especially when a lot of these people seem to love all or most of Nolan's films and so forth. Secondly, I'm so happy at this piece of news because of the fact that it's Josh Pence playing a younger Ra's al Ghul! This is the best thing to happen to his character beside the very highly doubtful possibility of Liam Neeson coming back as the character in the present day Gotham. I mean, Pence REALLY got shafted for his work as Tyler Winklevoss in The Social Network practically because his face and voice weren't to be seen or heard (except in a cameo where he plays a college student who encounters Mark & Eduardo outside the bathroom after the "groupie scene"). It's Armie Hammer out of the Winklevi actors who is getting all the press and all the big offers including J. Edgar with DiCaprio and Eastwood (which is well deserved but still for the longest time I felt bad for Pence since he came across as just as great actor as Armie did in the special features of The Social Network)! But now Pence will get a real chance to show off (however briefly) his great acting abilities to millions of people! Not to mention that he looks incredibly like a younger Liam Neeson which is an awesome thing to see! This casting decision alone has made me respect Christopher Nolan even more (if that's even possible)! Despite the fact that this movie will probably have way more enemies for Batman to face than in the previous two movies, chances are that most of these so called villains will just be small pieces in a much larger puzzle like in the last two films. The villains that need to be highlighted and learned about will be necessary to tell the story and be the main cause to drive it forward! The villains that aren't entirely essential to the film will be used as servants or parts to the larger machine that are the primary, secondary, and tertiary villains. Now, I recently rewatched Batman Begins and I've realized something after distancing myself from The Dark Knight in order to help my experience with this upcoming movie and I must say that Batman Begins is just as amazing as The Dark Knight but in entirely different ways which made me appreciate both films even more. Now that people who know the story and have read the script to The Dark Knight Rises have all come out and said that it tops The Dark Knight, I'm getting the real feeling that Nolan will make his Batman trilogy the Lord of the Rings trilogy of superhero movies! The trilogy that solidifies an entire genre that's been existent for many years but is now considered a REAL film genre! The trilogy that as a whole is considered a perfect one and the fan favorite movie of the trilogy will entirely depend on purely subjective feelings independent to the individual film viewer and there's no obvious answer. Either way, I'm confident that this movie will blow The Dark Knight out of the water like that did with Batman Begins in the grand scheme of things despite the fact that I already have absolutely ZERO expectations!
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I think he brought a fresh take on the material, a firm grasp on his ideals, and some terrific casting to back it all up. His two Batman films are as close to "auteur filmmaking" as you'll probably ever get in this glossy super hero genre. With that said... I'm hoping for a successful climax to this trilogy, but I will be ready for another new directorial voice to take the reins. Nolan's delivered with the much-talked-about commitment to realism and the carefully crafted plot structures that resemble a classic thriller than a comic book narrative... and he's delivered some classic moments, great performances, and revitalized the property. I think after 'TDKR,' it will be someone else's turn. And don't look at me to start throwing around suggestions. For all I know, whoever ends up taking over the Bat-verse around 2015 or 2016 hasn't even made a theatrical film yet. Or if they have, perhaps they don't jump out as a dream candidate just yet(circa 2004, I certainly didn't see Christopher Nolan's name and go "oh hell yes, this guy fits Batman like a glove!"). Either way I'm excited for Nolan's final installment, and I'm excited for what lays beyond for the character.
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The Keaton-Kilmer-Clooney Batmans were painfully godawful.
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I love the idea of Batman becoming Ra's as he becomes more jaded in his quest and has to resort to desperate measures like he did with the Big Brother stuff in Dark Knight when The Joker had his back against the wall. That sounds like a movie I want to see. I love the idea of Batman royally fucking up everything and it all ending in tears. I'd love to see it end in tragedy which would also make Batman Begins a better film (I'm also in the minority who think Begins is a superior movie to Dark Knight). My biggest wish however is that Christian Bale sorts that voice out. Some of the lines in Dark Knight are cringeworthy because of the delivery which for some reason always takes me out of the movie. When he paraphrases Harvey at the end of the film "live long enough to see yourself become the villain" it's as though it's Napoleon Dynamite behind the mask. I laugh at almost every one of Batmans scenes. His Batman growl combined with his distinct lisp made him sound borderline retarded. Personally I loved the hushed whispers of Michael Keaton's Batman to the forced-rage of Bale. Some of the lines he was given just didn't match up with that style. "I'm not wearring hockey pads" is a stupid line for Batman to say at all anyway but it was made ten times worse by the ridiculous delivery. The best Bale moments are where he's acting the part naturally. I loved that "Where are you?" followed by the whisper of "here". That's Batman; cool, scary, creepy, effortless, terrifying. I loved the scene where Bruce takes out a bunch of thugs in his apartment in TDK, I loved all the training sections in BB, and I loved the bits where he was in the Batman suit and just talking like Bruce (i.e. when he meets up with Ra's at the end). Just drop that forced voice. Rule of thumb, if Batman isn't in a physical struggle then that gruff voice will make him sound constipated. Just drop it, for the love of jebus.
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doesn't exist in the Nolanverse. Ra's is Ducard, Ducard is Ra's. The title of Ra's is like the Dread Pirate Roberts, nothing more. Ducard was a mortal man that secretly lead the LOS using guys like Ken Watanabe as figureheads. He was a mortal man that probably inherited that title from someone else. He died when the train exploded. End of story. And yes, I'm incredibly fucking pumped about this, because I really wanted the LOS arc to continue, and was afraid the 3rd film would be about the fucking Penguin or Freeze or Poison Ivy.
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Also, I don’t think he is supposed to be immortal in the current films. They are going for realism.
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April 8, 2011, 11:18 p.m. CST
the rumor is that it's only a flashback role. 30 yrs previous
by Chain
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April 8, 2011, 11:28 p.m. CST
I can't believe how many of you walked away from Batman begins thinking Ra's was suppose to be immortal!
by Rebel Scumb
Its clear that Ra's had invented that myth about himself, as it represents everything he had taught Bruce. An Idea can't be killed. The suggestion of him being supernatural and immortal was the power, the power to make his enemies doubt their common sense and to fear a man that might be more than a man, And its clearly established that this is, as bruce says a cheap parlour trick using decoys.
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It's neither good nor bad as it sounds like he's probably in a minor flashback, maybe of his daughters. I can't wait to see the movie and have lowered my expectations a bit. I don't plan on being disappointed.
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Was the joker's father?
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Weird coincidence. But great casting for a young version of Neeson.
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April 9, 2011, 12:22 a.m. CST
After Heath's ridiculous Joker, anything's an improvement
by Flip63Hole
I had an imprint on my head from facepalming (when I was awake) through the Dark Knight... RIP Heath, but your Joker fucking sucked. Let this be done with so we can get a real Batman franchise going, pronto...
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Nolan wouldnt have hired him unless he was going to use the resurrection pit in the story. I hope they do the pit like something out of Han solo's carbon freeze experience on Cloud City (Bespin). If Nolan is saying its going full circle then a young Ra's al Ghul would make sense.
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It's the only way to reinvigorate this doomed franchise. Also, since Arnold isn't governor anymore he can reprise his role as Dr. Victor Fries.
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But gotta hand it to him, the man knows what he's doing. That 'Warrior'' trailer featuring Tom Hardy, totally can see why Nolan cast him as Bane. Huge dude with great acting chops. Very nice piece of casting.
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April 9, 2011, 3:09 a.m. CST
Been saying it for 2 years....WB will split TDKR into 2 films, Potter-style
by zillabeast
Just wait for it
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Flip63hole, viggo... What?!? Vig, I know you think Ledger was good, but a re-boot already? Why? I (and I think it's safe to say, critics and movie-goers worldwide) love Nolan's take on the Bat-verse. I was sick of constantly campy takes, pretty much all we've ever had cinema wise til BB. And Flip? Just what the fuck did Ledger do wrong?!? I never thought I'd see my nightmare vision of the Joker on the big screen, and he was tonally *perfect*.
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Based on looks alone, the casting is spot on.
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Wasn't he basically riffing on the Joker from BTAS? How is that a bad thing?
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It's not like the comics aren't rebooted every week. Besides, it it wasn't for a reboot you wouldn't be bumming Chris Nolan.
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Under the Red Hood the best take ever of Batman? Jason Todd alone keeps it from that. No. So many people are lapping up Nolan's Batman because it IS the best Batman so far. That said I have no problem with a reboot. After all it's because of a reboot that we got Nolan. I'd much rather a group leaves on a strong note then we get progressively weaker films.
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it amazes me that so many batman fans fail to realize this. Its been around forever, I welcome any new interpretation of it WB has already said they are rebooting after TDKR, so relax, everyone regardless of how you feel about Nolans take, there will inevitablly be a different one. I mean what other franchise could have the Adam West Batman movie & TDK both be of the same character???? Those 2 movies could not be any more different, and yet they ARE both Batman, and both, in their own ways, are perfectly valid interpretations, and enjoyable films.
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April 9, 2011, 8:38 a.m. CST
I think it will easier to list who ISN'T in TDKR, this movie's getting far too many plot lines.
by Arkhaminmate001
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...and Michelle Pfieffer will play....oh wait, that was that OTHER movie....
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April 9, 2011, 10 a.m. CST
Rober7979797: I know the diff between your and you're. I cant stand simple picky ass people like that of a simple mistake. You know what I meant. The reason I got rid of my most recent girlfriend.
by MRJONZ72
Constantly nit picking at the most simplest things that don't need to be. "You forgot your apostrophe".... The remote should be on this side of the table".."Why your got your garage light on during the day" umm its my house..i can do w/e I want. If you don't like it get out.
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April 9, 2011, 10 a.m. CST
Okay I didnt proofread my last post, but before you comment..you know what I meant.
by MRJONZ72
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Just plaster the other actors' face on him. I bet his body would look quite sexy in skin-tight vinyl.
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I really wasn't that fond of the whole Ra's Al Ghul storyline in the first one. Just when I thought the series took a great turn with Joker, this shit is back. Great way to turn me off.
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I remember thinking that when Ra's showed up again at the end of Begins it was a little silly. I hope this character is just for flashback purposes. Not to say Begins was bad. It's awesome...but that's the point it turned back into a comic-book movie really. Anyways...still very excited over this...it's hard to hate on it when we've seen nothing from it, and the only thing to base judgement from is the two killer movies before it.
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The flashback might just be about Ra's similarities to Batman, and how both Bruce and Ra's started out in the same way. Maybe Talia in this film will be the one who actually comes to Gotham to help Batman steer away from following her fathers footsteps, as opposed to her being part of a boring "I will avenge you father!" story? Maybe Talia is there to help? Maybe not. Lets just see. The only thing I find annoying on these talkbacks is when people go "That's not whats in the comics". When it comes to Batman, any interpretation is pretty much valid. Fuck, even Joel Schumachers travesties are still valid interpretations of the character. I couldn't care less as to what the "tone" is, because to me that's just an arbitrary decision, the real issue is whther its a good film or not. I was going to say I'd love to see a version of Batman that's more like a Verhoeven flick with a dark twisted sense of humour, but I suppose Kick Ass is already that film in many ways. Anyway, I am so very glad that Batman went through a broad spectrum of changes over his life as a character. If Batman didn't have that flexibility that character would have never really left obscurity and we probably wouldn't have ever seen a single movie made.
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Needs about five more.
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I did not read the comments that have come before mine, so this may be a repeat. But fuck it. Nolan's whitewashing of both Ra's and Bane is deplorable and insulting, and speaking as a human mammal of Hispanic descent, I'm particularly disgusted by the choice of Lily McWhite Hardy as Bane. Bane wasn't the best villain ever invented. He could've been a great if they had left him alone after Jean-Paul valley took him out (just like Doomsday would've been great if they had let him go after "Hunter / Prey," but that's another story)... BUT, he was one of the last good Batvillains to come around. And as everyone knows, he was portrayed as a Hispanic character. Not a good guy, but he was a strong character with a good balance of values and flaws. A lot of people just saw him as 'the dumb wrestler.' Clearly they did not read Knightfall. Even as I type this, I reminisce about his intelligence and his gravitas. So, yeah, cast a dude as Bane who is white as they come. I don't care how good of an actor he is, and really, he's just NOT. THAT. GOOD. Don't give me this 'Bronson' shit. Stop making excuses. I must stop because I have nothing nice to say.
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I just read your post because it was intelligent and well-written, and it came right before mine. You are right about Batman's flexibility as a character, but I fear that in our zeal, in our craven desire to see a truly great Batman movie, we've accepted some rather boring choices made by Nolan and deified them as more than they are. I find that Batman Begins exemplifies this best. Up until Bruce becomes Batman, the movie entrances me. It feels Morrisonian--that is, everything feels heavy with the weight of impending destiny and, though I am loathe to use this word now ruined by pop culture, 'epicness'. As soon as he becomes Batman, and I mean LITERALLY the moment that he pulls Falcone out of the car, it turns into Action Movie 101. All the life just gets sucked out of it. I would like to see a fan edit of BB with TDK. take the beginning of BB and the middle / ending of TDK and that would be a good start. Nolan have given us some really great moments, but he's also passed off a lot of generic, phoned-in action movie beats as something they are not. See the entire last act of BB for examples.
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If they're going to wrap up the series in just three movies then why not go all in - do it Dick Tracy style: put *all* the big villains in it as a mass of cameo roles. Show Gotham descending into ever-deeper and freekish chaos and then reexamine who exactly won the first movie.
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Ha Ha Ha, you did that really funny thing where you take a subject that is universally applauded as being perfect and you go the other way. Ha I love it. That makes you special and important, and you are! Don't you forget that, you are special!. You have a place in this world and you are shining.
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and all this talk of Heath being rubbish, needs a reboot stat, is just trollish, and annoying respectively. Stop it. Just please stop it, right now.
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So, good casting! I like that they're bringing the League of Shadows back but to be honest it sounds to me like they might be trying a little too hard to tie up loose ends. The question of whether Gotham is a city that could or should be "saved," and what exactly that means, seems too complex to answer definitively. However it's Nolan, so I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt for now. I'm sure at the very least there'll be a lot of interesting ideas to chew on.
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on as similar a note as the Joker saying "we are destined to do this forever." Make it appear that this version of Gotham will continue to exist as a revolving door for freaks and that there is no end in sight to Batman's mission. The End.
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It is clear now that there will be a flashback. To add a new development, Katie Holmes is listed in IMBD as "Elaine Dawes." How crazy is that???
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Some of your guys complaints are confusing to me. I thought it was pretty clear Talia and Bane are the main villains with Catwoman and maybe someone else in minor roles. First off I'm fine with TLOS returning. Why if a world wide organization which has set up ways of quickly bringing up new leadership would just give up? Ras dies and a couple of his ninja's got fucked up. So then the League of Shadows just packed it up and gave up? Bull shit their end game was bringing Gotham down. So why wouldn't they come back? I'm pumped for this. Using the Riddler would have seemed like a Joker copy cat. Penguin wouldn't really work as an ending to a trilogy... No sci-fi villains so Freeze, Clayface, Poison Ivy are out. So what do you want? Sure I would have loved them to do Hush. But oh well this seems great to me. Young Ras will obviously just be flash backs to him raising his daughter. So why the issue with this?
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Like bruce, talia lost her mother at a young age but she still had her father until bruce killed him. Maybe her and bane had a rachel/ bruce like connection but i hope not. I love the idea of bane being raised in a prison.
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I'm very happy for Mr. Pence. Glad he got a big break.
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April 9, 2011, 10:59 p.m. CST
Almost thought TDKR was bringing in a supernatural element with this casting
by BoyNamedSue
I'm not an expert on the comic book, but isn't the Ras Al Ghul of the comic someone who can regenerate his body into a younger one when he dies, at least in the comic? I thought at first that's what is happening here......But this reminds me an awful lot of what they did with the Don Corleone character in Godfather Part II.
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April 10, 2011, 4:10 a.m. CST
tom hardy as Bane anyone? http://fav.me/d3czc5w concept art
by Arkhaminmate001
Some fan art i've done, let's hope Hardy can get this big!
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April 10, 2011, 7:26 a.m. CST
I Guess It'll Be A Flashback Scene? Unless... The Lazarus Pit?
by NeonFrisbee
Nah, probably just a flash back. Either way, I just reread Year One the other day, and wonder if Catwoman will be introduced in a similar fashion? I could see 'em doing some variation of that.
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April 10, 2011, 8:08 a.m. CST
Next he'll play a young Qui Gon in a prequel to the prequel.
by Tikidonkeypunch
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April 10, 2011, 11 a.m. CST
Best version of Batman? The one in the 'Arkham Asylum' game.
by BiggusDickus
They actually had the 'world's greatest detective' do some detecting!
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I agree with you about many of your points. To be honest my favourite parts of the entire Nolan-Batman is the stuff at the very beginning of Begins. I would have loved to have seen more of Bruce's training. I especially lamented the lack of any escape-artist/detective training. He trained as a warrior and that was about it. It was as though the magician element was meant to be in there but had to get cut out because it would have "taken too long" for Bruce to become Batman and start "kicking some ass". I'm convinced Nolan really wanted to do that stuff but was forced to remove it and that's what prompted him to make The Prestige - using a few of the ideas he had for Batman's origin perhaps. I just find it too much of a coincidence. It would have been nice to have seen a more in depth origin, a film untamperred by studio politics and focus test graphs, where in a completely unprecedented and bold move, Bruce dons the mask at the very end of the movie. That sounds insane but as a character you would believe that Bruce was ready by the end of it. His training was done, that's where he Begins. I'm not complaining really, I understand that the momentum towards a great genre of films is slow and evolutionary, it has to be in order to audiences to warm to new ideas. For the likes of me it's a painful process because I'm willing to give any new ideas a try but for most people they seem to require a ton of convincing just to let some of their preconceptions go and experience something truly new and different. Most people are happy in their little bubbles and anything that is bold will burst it and make them cry.
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April 10, 2011, 12:37 p.m. CST
Other than career considerations... why always THREE movies?
by SK229
What is this obsession with trilogies? The only thing that makes me wary of TDKR is this idea that he has to wrap up his version of the universe in three films. It seems to me like 5 would be more appropriate to fully explore everything and that this whole 'bringing things full circle' is premature. Full circle... we've only seen a VERY BRIEF Two-Face and The Joker... then back to Begins again? I don't know... the pressure of that could fuck up the film. I put a ton of faith in Nolan to be able to know the pitfalls and still pull it off spectacularly, but I think he could have done a few more of these. He's still somewhat young and to come back to Batman every other film and pull the hat trick of going beyond a trilogy with relatively the same cast and crew in a reasonable period of time would have been a feat in and of itself. I guess I can understand if he personally is done with the subject matter, but I'd much rather hear that this is 3 of 5 or even of 6, not the final chapter. Seems like we're just getting warmed up.
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because I think Nolan is one of very few filmmakers capable of pulling off 5 good-to-great Batman films. But I have this very strong feeling that if we ever see The Dark Knight Returns, it'll be 15 years from now when Nolan is pulled out of Batman retirement to do it. That is, unless the next incarnation is even better than his. Personally, I'd like to see someone get away from Burton and Nolan's universe and do something closer to the Legends of The Dark Knight series of comics like Shaman. But that's just me.
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It will be one of the few times I buy games on the actual release date.
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April 10, 2011, 4:22 p.m. CST
I WAS JUST WATCHING THIS MOVIE WITH LIAM NEESON CALLED HIGH SPIRITS
by Meadowe
He plays a ghost who keeps re-enacting the night he killed his fiancee, Darryl Hannah. Anyway, I thought it was funny he was playing a ghost so I started thinking about him coming back as a dream sequence or something, and now they cast someone to play a younger version of him. High Spirits is a comedy by the way. I mean, Steve Guttenberg is the star, so I'm assuming it was a comedy...allegedly.
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April 10, 2011, 5:01 p.m. CST
and that BANE FAN ART WAS NICE, HOPE TOM HARDY HAS HAIR IN TDKR ALSO
by Meadowe
Although I wouldn't be surprised if Christopher nolan liked seeing him without hair in bronson, or maybe even Star Treq Nemesis. Personally I would rather see the dapper looking Hardy we saw in Inception, but as long as the story is good his do is negotiable.
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First!
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IMHO
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April 10, 2011, 10:35 p.m. CST
Stop with the Lazarus pit... Please just think about it
by Andrew Coleman
You really think with the way the first two films have gone they would just throw in a sci-fi element. Just imagine the dialogue... "It's me, Ducard" "But how?" "Well I survived the train crash and was lowered into a pit of magical goo that brought me back to life... And made me young" "Ah, okay well time to fight more ninja's". No it will be a flash back to set up Talia's child hood. So enough please. Some of you seem to think it will be this guy/Talia/Bane trying to defeat Batman. It's mainly going to be Bane with Talia pulling strings I assume.
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Good stuff. I agree fully. That would be truly awesome and a big fuck you to convention to pull a Darth Vader and show him as Bats for the last couple seconds. The set-up could be so magnificent. Ah to dream...
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I don't really like my Darth Vader comparison but it's early and that's the first thing that made out of my mouthfingers. But you get the idea. A slow burn that had weight and meat to it.
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April 12, 2011, 10:22 p.m. CST
braindrain still not getting over your dead absent daddy i see
by Smack_Teddy
is that why you wank yourself of to this thread?
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