Entertainment Weekly on the set of “The Dark Knight Rises”

In a year crowded with some of the most anticipated movies in years (“The Hunger Games”, “The Hobbit”, “The Avengers”, and “The Amazing Spider-Man”, to name just a few), “The Dark Knight Rises” might be the most anticipated of them all. The third and final installment in Inception director Christopher Nolan’s trilogy of Bat-flicks — which will once again star Christian Bale as the caped crusader and introduce Thomas Hardy as the brilliant, brutish terrorist Bane and Anne Hathaway as the purrrrfectly mercurial Selina Kyle — will swing into theaters on July 20, four years after “The Dark Knight” ignited a cultural sensation, grossed $533 million, and earned Heath Ledger a posthumous Oscar. Entertainment Weekly goes to the Rises set and offers some insight into how Team Nolan hopes to match their previous success. “I can tell you the truth because I’m done with it: I felt immense pressure,” Christian Bale tells EW. “And I think it’s a good pressure, because you owe it to the films — and the people’s expectations — to make great work.”

We know some Batman fans want to know absolutely nothing about Rises, so much so that even the smallest bit of intel requires a SPOILER ALERT! Like the fact that the new movie returns to The Batcave (M.I.A. during “The Dark Knight”, as Wayne Manor was still being rebuilt following the events of “Batman Begins”), or that Rises takes places eight years after The Dark Knight. In fact, fans may want to revisit that second film, as Nolan tells EW that the last chapter of his cinematic saga explores the ramifications of The Dark Knight’s chilling climax, in which Batman and super-cop Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) hatch a conspiracy to cover up the sins of Gotham City’s so-called “white knight,” the late Harvey Dent, a.k.a. Two-Face (Aaron Eckhart). While grappling with that conspiracy, Bruce also has to repair his troubled relationships with faithful butler, Alfred  (Michael Caine) and weapons master/vehicle designer, Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman). New characters include John Blake, a cop played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Miranda Tate, a Wayne Enterprises board member played by Marion Cotillard.

Of course, there are the new villains. Anne Hathaway’s high tech burglar, Selina Kyle a.k.a. Catwoman, and the brilliant, brawny terrorist, Bane (Tom Hardy), who hides behind a menacing and medically necessary mask.  The mask raised concerns though that the audience may not be able to understand him.  Nolan says that we don’t have to worry.  “I think when people see the film, things will come into focus,” says the director. “Bane is very complex and very interesting and when people see the finished film people will be very entertained by him.”

If it’s anything like “The Dark Knight”, Rises will pair epic entertainment with a political subtext.  Production shot throughout 2011 in the UK, India, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, Manhattan, including the Wall Street area. In fact, Christian Bale’s last day of shooting was in New York. “I said goodbye in the batcowl.”  As he took off the cowl and tight-fitting armour for the last time, Bale recounts that he suddenly realized the significance of what he was doing. “I had to pause. I had to.”

The Dark Knight Rises will be in theatres July 20.

Source: Jeff Jensen – Entertainment Weekly

Photo source: Coming Soon

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