Lazarus Pit and Young Ras al Ghul

With the Dark Knight Rises already a week and some change into production, we can clearly get a grip as to what is definitely NOT in the movie and reconfigure what might be.  For starters, let's begin with the confirmed characters and reconsider some older rumors that now have some merit.

Juno Temple has been added to the cast as a character called "Holly Robinson."  Those familiar with the comics know that in Batman:Year One, Holly Robinson is a prostitute and is close friends with Selina Kyle.  One of the rumors suggests that Catwoman will not make an appearance, but there will be a setup (as in sequels) for future stories.  Don't get your panties in a bunch, though, Nolan has stated that this will be his final installment.  Instead, think of this being a complete origin setup so that by the end of Rises, Batman will be as well all know it.

Joseph-Gordan Levitt has been confirmed for a cop on the hunt for ending corruption.  This means that all roles set aside for him that were villainous are now out the window.  This allows the villains confirmed (Bane and Ras al Ghul) to take more of the focus rather than diluting it with an over-abundance of bad guys.  It also suggests his role will be more of a support role to Commissioner Gordon and a secondary-supporting role to Batman.  In shorter terms, he won't be a main character.

This brings us to Josh Pence.  This is the kid playing a younger version of Ras al Ghul.  Keep this in mind when we consider the following rumors that have sprouted up in the Internets.

Okay, rumor one: Josh Pence is playing a younger Ras, but not a younger in years, younger in appearance.  There are pictures on the Internet of the Lazarus pit.  Do a Google search for "Dark Knight Rises Lazarus Pit" and you'll see literally 1,000s of them.  In Batman Begins, Ras was jettisoned from the back of the train car.  As an audience, we didn't actually see him die.  The rumor suggests that his body was taken from the wreckage and brought to the Lazarus Pit, rejuvenating the body and healing itself.  In essence, the character of Ras al Ghul is back to again wreak havoc against Batman.  The downside to this rumor is that it goes against the anti-supernatural theme set in place by Nolan.

Rumor two:  This is the more likely scenario.  Younger Ras is portrayed in a flashback.

But hold up.  If Nolan is avoiding the supernatural, why include the Lazarus Pit at all?

That, my friends, is the real question.  Some suggest that it is merely a spring with bacteria that act like white-blood cells.  Knowing Nolan, it'll probably be some extremely logical manipulation of an object that benefits his vision (think about the sonar abilities in cell-phones from TDK).

How do you think Nolan will make the Lazarus Pit believable?

Possible Details Released

Here's some info I found dated March 2, 2011.

It seems that there is a possible leak (or false spoilers) coming from those working on The Dark Knight Rises.  It's marked as "spoilers" rather than "rumors."  But, we all know not to feed into false prophesies.

In either case, this is the news:

Catwoman WILL be in the film, but not necessarily as a villain.  She will be more so a force that works with Batman rather than against him.

The main force of corruption you ask?

The League of Shadows.  Bane, from the comics, was a member and probably the only person on Earth that can match Bruce Wayne punch for punch.  With Ras al Ghul confirmed as to NOT being in the picture, the website that released this info states that the League will be led by Talia Al Ghul.  Joseph Gordan-Levitt will also be associated with the League, possibly as Black Mask.

So here's the breakdown.

We discussed earlier that too many villains can be anti-clamatic and lead to the destruction of a film (in more or less words...).  With Catwoman marked as a force working with Batman, that frees up some room for the villainry.  We're looking currently at Bane, Talia al Ghul, the League of Shadows, Black Mask, police, and the Mob (with possible encounters from Scare Crow, Holliday Killer, among others).

Forces for Good stand with Batman, Commissioner Gordan, and Catwoman.  We're looking now at a full out war with the following end result happening:

Batman's Rise.

In the title, it has to happen.

Don't Be Two-Faced About It

So, things have been kept close to the chest for the last few weeks.  Nothing truly new has come out other than repeats of the usual.

We can take light in the fact that we know a few things with absolute certainty.  We know Selina Kyle will be in the movie.  We know Bane is not the characture character like in the Batman and Robin movie from the late 90s.  We also know the script for Rises makes Nolan's vision a perfect trilogy.

We also know Two-Face is done.  "But wait," you say, "We already knew that.  Nolan even told Aaron Eckhart (when asked about Harvey Dent's appearance in the third movie, after TDK was released in theaters) that Harvey Dent was dead.  Why is this making news?"

Well, it seems that Aaron Eckhart still hasn't given up his conviction that Dent should be in Rises.  In a recent interview, he was asked about his noninvolvement with Rises, to which he replied sarcastically "I sucker-punched Chris [Nolan]."

Now, I'm assuming that there a few of us that have read the Batman comics.  Harvey Dent, in The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller is portrayed alive and well, and still insane.  This comic takes place well into the future, when Bruce Wayne is old and beaten down by life, looking for one last hoorah as Batman.

In either case, Aaron Eckhart's persistency is interesting.  It's borderline admirable and annoying.  Here's my reasoning: In the comics, Dent lives on.  So, that said, in a well-received version of the saga made for the silver screen, Dent should also live.  This would be true to the comics, since Nolan himself is quoted to saying "This is an early version of Batman."

But come on.  Nolan said Dent was dead ages ago.  Give it up people.

Bane in the Arse

Tom Hardy, you are a saint.

In a recent interview with Tom Hardy, he revealed to the world that Nolan's version of the character Bane will not be like the version portrayed in Batman and Robin, by Joel Schumacher.  I'm pretty sure that the majority of us were able to figure that out by ourselves, but it's just nice to know 100% from the actor playing the role.

He did, however, say that the characters will both be the same size.  SO.  If you'd to know what Tom Hardy is going to look like as Bane, photoshop his face onto the Bane from Batman and Robin.

Batman Jong Il?

Okay, this is short and sweet.  You can't even really qualify this as real Batman news, but I thought it was funny as hell.

Kim Jong Il, of North Korea, promises to abandon his country's nuclear program in exchange for having the lead role in the next Batman movie.

That's it.

...I know, right?

So What's the Deal, Pittsburgh?

It's all about one thing in business:

Location, location, location.

You won't need to tell that to Chris Nolan as he scouts his locations for TDKR.  Pittsburgh, a recent addition to the rumored list of possible cities to appear in the movie as Gotham, was taken off the rumored list almost as quickly as it had appeared.  Here's the scoop:  as soon as Pittsburgh wasn't a major online interest to the online community, Nolan himself appears there with his team looking over (what some believe to be) a map of the city.

That is a fact.  That happened.

Here is where the rumor kicks in.  The rumor is that the so-called "map" Nolan and his team were looking at was directing them to possible scouting locations within Pittsburgh to film some areas as Gotham.

So what's the deal, Pittsburgh?  Are you first jumping the gun by releasing some privileged info, then immediately retracting the info saying it's false, then going ahead and releasing a photo of Nolan in your city while on "business?"

Here's what I think:

I believe Pittsburgh will have a scene or two in Rises.  It's as simple as that.  Shooting starts in just over two months, so Nolan needs to not be selecting possible cities and needs to be selecting areas within cities.  He needs to be finding the rights scenes for the backdrop, not the silhouette of a skyline.  Those days are long since passed.

Let's all anticipate the Caped Crusader himself to fall into the Pitts.

Lukas Haas Attacks!

Ok, screw the corny "Mars Attacks!" joke.

Here are the latest versions of the DKR rumors to start circulating.  Starting with the "confirmed" roles:  Marion Cotillard as Talia Al Ghul and Joseph Gordan-Levitt as Roman Sionis.  I can see it, but only just.  With Bane, Selina Kyle, Talia Al Ghul, Black Mask, the Mob, as well as other villains, there seems to be an overwhelming amount of villainry going on around here.

So let's add to the chaos.

Lukas Haas, a cast member of Inception, and who is probably best known for his role in "Mars Attacks!" (at least for me), is rumored to be in talks for the role of Alberto Falcone.  I'm not going to lie here.  I've seen the comic book versions of Alberto, and to be honest, this would be a better casting choice for this role than Gordan-Levitt.  Haas just has the traditional comic-book look of Alberto.  Though, I don't feel that this role will be very large.  You can't have a million villains all with their own agendas.  It' anticlimatic.

Casting Gordan-Levitt as Black Mask could be interesting.  That said, I'm not sure the fitting of this role into Nolan's vision.  I had figured Alberto Falcone would be the perfect tie for all three Batman films.  Black Mask seems to be more of an after-thought to me.

Who knows.

Thats why I'm not the one writing the script.

WB, You're Just Like Mr. Cane

Attention!  Attention!  New news from WB!  They just confirmed Marion Cotillard and Joseph Gordan-Levitt as Talia Al Ghul and Black Mask.

AND THEN they immediately said, "Nope, our bad.  Just a rumor."

/golfclap

Ok, so there's a few possibilities with the way things happened over the past few hours.  What better way to pass the time waiting for official confirmations than to speculate on the fakes.

1) WB is jumping the gun.  It is possible that they already know how the script is going to play out and who is playing which parts.  Given this, someone at the WB headquarters could have leaked the info that should have been top secret.  In order to cover their "mistake," they're just pretending it was a false story.

2) WB has no idea what the hell is in the script.  Maybe they are choosing characters that they feel makes the most sense to them and they're dishing it out as "real" news.

3) WB is looking for publicity and they'll get it anyway they can.  Hmm, aren't we all?

4) Just more fake news from fans eager to hear the true inside scoop.  Think back to the following Tweet:
 "RW as Hugo Strange?  Hmm..."
 Ring any bells?  It should.  That Tweet is the reason that Robin Williams is on IMDb as "Hugo Strange (rumored)" under the Dark Knight Rises page.  All nonsense, to be sure.

Here's the point:

When looking for facts about Rises, the best people to get info from are those that A) wrote the script, or B)  are directing the movie.  In other words, wait till the big man himself spits out the goods.  Nolan will reveal little by little until he feels the world is ready for the teaser trailer.  When that teaser trailer drops (and I'm predicting it will between August and October), then we will trim the fat with all the ridiculous rumors and color up the good ones with story ideas and endings.

Filming Locations on the 'Rises'

Chicago.  One of the greatest America cities.  A true place for there to be a Gotham believable on screen.  Only Chicago could-

Wait.  

New York?  Nolan wants to film NYC with snow on the ground?  But what about Chicago?  Well, I suppose NYC could have a few spots not recognizable as the Big Apple.  Maybe there could be shots in the dark alleys and the pits-

You're kidding.

Pittsburgh??  Okay, I'm pushing to believe that Nolan is going for every city with even the slightest resemblance to his Gotham vision.  Next we'll hear news that Seattle, downtown LA, and Philly are all in this list as well.

Here's what I think.  Nolan has only one city he's planning on using.  So how does he keep the wild fan-base at bay?  If we've learned anything from the Prestige, it's misdirection.  You wave your hand over New York City, drawing all of the attention away from where you truly intend on shooting.  That does beg the question "where does he plan on filming?"

Well, two cities I'm 95% sure of.  Chicago was in the other two films, so by default, it's there.  The most plausible rumor I read about was Detroit.  It has dark and dismal locations that would easily show the darkness encompassing Gotham in its time of trials and tribulations.  It's also not too far from Chicago, much closer than NYC and much less of a tourist trap.  

This doesn't mean that Nolan will only use the said cities.  There might actually be a chance that he will intentionally use every rumored city that appears on the Internet, just like there's a chance that an asteroid will fall from the sky and kill all of the dinosa-...oh...wait...

In either case, I'm going to wait in anticipation for the next rumored city to be named.  My pick is Seattle, so let's see where that takes us.

Marion Cotillard and the Holiday Killer

Let's start the day talking about Marion Cotillard.  For those who don't recognize her name, she was the female character in Inception that wasn't Juno.  Got her in your mind?  Good.

Here's the story.  So a French article says that Cotillard is set to be in Rises.  The article states that she had the choice to do one movie this year, and TDKR was the one she chose.  This led to her "scheduling conflict" that forced her out of another movie, set to starting filming during the same time as Rises.  That aside, let's assume, for the sake of argument, that she's in the movie.

Roles?  I thought you'd never ask.

Talia Al Ghul.  The logic is simple, and I'll explain it to you.  For starters, Pfister's claim of the Rises script making the "perfect trilogy" needs a character that can tie all of the films together.  As far as female characters go, Rachel Dawes really didn't hit that mark as well as we might have hoped.  (Let's face it, she wasn't terrible, but there wasn't an attachment when she died, more so relief).  Selena Kyle brings something new to the movie, but doesn't really bring the audience back tot he other films.  AND don't give me that quote where Batman's suit "will do fine against cats."  Not even the point.

So, that really only leaves Talia Al Ghul as far as the female role is concerned.  Her presence is almost mandatory if Nolan does wish to make this a final chapter.  Besides, look at Cotillard's facial features.  I'd buy it that she was the daughter of Liam Neeson (Ras al Ghul).

Since we're on the topic of characters that can refer the audience to the previous movies, the Holliday Killer would be able to accomplish this nicely as well.  Alberto Falcone would fit into Rises perfectly, assuming that revenge is still a motif Nolan wants to use (and I'm on my bottom dollar betting that he does).  Refer back to the Joseph Gordan-Levitt post when I mentioned it last.

Just to be clear, the rumors on Google searches as of now state that Marion Cotillard will be in Rises playing Talia Al Ghul and Joseph Gordan-Levitt will play the Holliday Killer.    

To Have Catwoman or to Not Have Catwoman?

Le sigh.

The interview I saw with Chris Nolan depicts Anne Hathaway and Tom Hardy portraying Selena Kyle and Bane repetitively.  When asked about Catwoman, Nolan corrected saying "Selena Kyle."

So here's the thing.

With this kind of wordplay going on, can we automatically assume Nolan is throwing us all for a loop?  Is he intentionally making us bicker and argue as to whether or not Catwoman really does have a role in Rises?  Let's be honest.  I think Selena Kyle is a great addition to the script.  Bruce Wayne just lost Rachel Dawes in TDK and he emotionally ridden between who he is as the Gotham Billionaire and the Caped Crusader.  Selena will offer a kind of "relief/tension" that can really pull on the psychological level.  I think it would be great on screen to have a compelling Bruce Wayne story on top of a Batman story.  

But Catwoman?

I'm not convince, based on Nolan's correction.  Until more light is shed on the character, I don't think the villainess will appear.  So this does beg the question about Pfister's interview.  He was talking about doing screen tests with Hathaway and he is quoted saying "She looks great in her wardrobe."  Some people see this as clear cut evidence that Catwoman is making an appearance.

Not me.

I think it's just another red herring here to place a false scent for the hound-dog fanboys to follow.  Consider it similar to the scouting locations where "Robin's hideout" was said to be.  Another false trail to throw off what they were actually scouting for.

So, that said, what if Catwoman IS in the film?  Well, I won't lie.  It will not be my favorite decision.  In fact, it will likely be overshadowed by the presence of Bane.  I'm much more intrigued to see what happens with Nolan's version of Bane, and see if it at all follows the Kinghtfall series.  I think it would be a cool thing to see Bane break Batman.

Harley Quinn? Maybe. But HAROLD Quinn???

Let's be honest.  When The Dark Knight came into theaters, I was blown away.  And since then, I have speculated all possible rumors for Batman 3, even before Nolan officially said he was doing it.  I even remember the story leaked on April Fool's Day some time ago saying that Johnny Depp would be a part of the Batman franchise as the Riddler, but only if Tim Burton would direct it.  Remember that one?  No?  It's a doozy, for damn sure.

After leaving the theater, my first thoughts were on the Penguin and Riddler just like everyone else's.  With Heath Ledger passed on, Joker was certainly out.  This did beg the question, though, that Nolan said he would only return if Heath's Joker was in the third installment.  Well, if one cannot do Joker, why not do the next best thing?  Harley Quinn and Riddler were my villains of choice.

That time has long since passed.  But here's some food for thought.  Selena Kyle (not necessarily Catwoman) is confirmed, Bane is confirmed, and Scarecrow (I would bet 1000 bucks on it) will make an appearance.  AND Joseph Gordan-Levitt is unconfirmed for a role.

Here's the story.

There's a video on the Tube that has some guy with "reliable sources" (as they all have) saying that Harley Quinn would be rewritten as Harold Quinn.  This character would be the Joker's psychiatrist and would go insane treating him, thus becoming the Joker.

This is the way (according to the Tuber's proclamations) that the Joker would be recast without actually recasting Heath Ledger's Joker.

To be honest, I don't like it.  It's too different and too radical.  I think a change like this would send tremendous ripples throughout Batman Fandom, but don't take my word on it.  Anything is possible I suppose.

Joseph Gordan-Levitt's Role in TDKR

There's a lot to cover, so we haven't anytime time to waste then, have we?

First, let's begin with the rumors about Robin.  I've read article after article stating that "It only makes sense that Robin SHOULD be in Rises."  False.  Nolan has stated before that this young Dick is currently in diapers somewhere and wouldn't make an appearance in the film.  Given that TDK took place about 6 months after Begins, I'm assuming a similar time lapse will occur between TDK and Rises.  Therefore, Robin with still be in diapers sucking on bottles.  Also, keeping in mind Christian Bale's statement should solidify this.  He says that if Robin is in the script, he's going to chain himself down and refuse to go to work.  'Nough said.

But what about Joseph Gordan-Levitt?  If not Robin, what possible roles could he fill?  Well, let's look at the facts before we start fabricating rumors.  Levitt is a great actor.  If you don't believe so, then you clearly haven't seen Inception.  With Robin out of the picture, there leaves a few other possibilities.  One rumor that I personally enjoy is the recast for the Joker.  Take a look at Levitt's facial features and compare them to Heath Ledger's.  They could be brothers.  it's disgusting how close they resemble one another.  The only controversy that stems from here is Nolan's statement denying any involvement of Joker's presence in the film.

Now I know what you're thinking (at least I'm going to assume what it is and act accordingly).  When TDK came out, Nolan was quoted as to saying he would only do a Batman 3 if Heath's Joker would be involved.  With Heath out of the picture (no pun intended), that leaves three solutions: 1) Reuse footage that was previously edited out of TDK; 2) Recast the last Ledger with a look-a-like, namely Joseph Gordan-Levitt; and 3) leave out Joker entirely and rewrite the original storyline.  Let's assume nothing is set in stone, but for the sake of argument, let's assume Joker's out.

Therein lies a new problem.  If not Robin, nor Joker, what else is there?  Bane is already casted for the movie, played by Tom Hardy, and Anne Hathaway is playing Selena Kyle.  I'm not convinced that Catwoman will make an appearance, but that's another post.  A rumor that seems the most logical is Levitt playing the Holiday Killer.  This enemy is not supernatural and would easily fit into the Nolan's vision.  Check out a Google search on "Holiday Killer Dark Knight Rises."  Not a bad read.  You'll just have to deal with message boards rather than a full out article.

Moving on, let's scrap the idea of villains altogether.  In the Knightfall series, which seems to be the basis for Nolan's Batman, Bane is shown Breaking Batman's back.  This leaves us with a Batman that is out of commission.  One bit of news that I read that seemed to spark a light in my brain was Levitt's role being that of Azreal: Batman's replacement.  Where there is Bane, there must also be Azreal.  It's like salt and pepper.  This is the theory I currently support the most.

However, with Azreal comes a new problem.  This film is supposed to be Nolan's last Batman film.  The script has been read by Nolan's staff and they are quoted as saying "It's the perfect trilogy."  Check up on Pfister's first impressions on TDKR script to get his full take on it.  With Batman's back broken and Azreal taking the reins as the new Caped Crusader, I can hardly believe the whole story will be told in one movie.  Some things will need to be cut in order to make this a closing chapter, and Azreal's existence seems to be the biggest thing that can be cut.  Though, let's not be hasty.  I want to see Azreal as much as the next guy, so let's not sweep this one under the carpet just yet.

Black Mask is a difficult rumor to find, but it's out there, and so it's here.  I'm not really sure what to think of this one, so I won't say anything until I've had some time to actually think about it.  Perhaps you can give some ideas.

And then there's the possibility that Levitt will just be some guy.  Maybe he'll just be a character with a role like that Rachel Dawes.  Not a love interest, get your mind out of the gutter.  What I mean is that Levitt might just be a character that is highly influential to both Batman and Bruce Wayne.  No telling on what roles this one could be.  Everyone just assumes he'll be a villain.

There's my two cents.  On Joseph Gordan-Levitt, we can all agree that his addition will only help TDKR become an even greater monster than it already is.

The Dark Knight Blog Rises

So here's the deal.  I'm a fan of the Batman series, and like a true fan, I spend about an hour a day reading all of the new information that comes out on the Google searches.  The idea of writing a blog about it is simply to exercise my mental capacity to either A) Handle the terrible rumors like Eddie Murphey being casted as the Riddler, or B) Ponder over the excellency of the rumors like the possbile addition of Joseph Gordan-Levitt to the DKR cast.

Think of it more as me coming to terms with what others have already speculated and presenting ideas of my own that will feed into the frenzy of this radical obsession.  In either case, let's get started.