October 29, 2010

Gotham on the Rise

Well, after months of speculation, we have something to go on. Christopher Nolan has finally broken the silence regarding his third entry into the Batman franchise. He dropped some real winners of information, but, still kept a lot in dark. Here's what we know so far.

Good to be back, Gotham


1. It's called The Dark Knight Rises: Bit of a mouthful if you ask me, but, I'm interested, all the same. Since TDK ended with Batman being declared a hunted man, this title is a fitting foreshadow to his supposed redemption. One thing I am very interested in is how Nolan will play with the fact that Bruce Wayne is still an accepted member of the Gotham community, while his alter-ego is not. He's a master storyteller. This will be fantastic.

Talent Epitomized

2. The Riddler is not the villain: Guess I can give up on my fantasies of Joseph Gordon-Levitt going toe-to-toe with the caped crusader. With The Riddler confirmed not to be in the film, and with Two-Face, Joker, Scarecrow, and Ra's Al-Ghul already having had their chance to bring down the bat, the question now arises as to who Nolan will throw into the ring with everyone's favorite masked crime fighter. For my money, Mr. Freeze, Bane, and Killer Croc are out, as they are too fantastical to fit in Nolan's universe of realism. I would also throw Poison Ivy into that mix, but something tells me that Nolan could come up with a really cool way to include her, so I'm not ruling her out just yet. I think the best chances are Catwoman, or Penguin. Catwoman would be easy to pull off, although I can't really imagine how she would pose any real threat to Gotham. Penguin could also be pulled off, but only if they ditch the mutation thing from the comics. Make him an incredibly powerful crime lord on the rise who uses the moniker Penguin as an alias. That could definitely work. Maybe the two of them will be combined, with Catwoman working as an enforcer for Penguin while she furthers her own goals. I think Catwoman could work as both hero and villain. If Nolan goes that route, it will be interesting to see an ambiguous foe, someone who helps the people of Gotham, but who clashes with Batman. That could be great.

Who's it gonna be?

3. It's not gonna be in 3D: THANK GOD!! I have no doubt, that if Nolan wanted to do 3D, he'd give James Cameron a serious run for his money. But, until that day comes, Nolan is going to do what he does best, making visually astounding movies using IMAX cameras and traditional methods. If his last two films are anything to go on, The Dark Knight Rises will put the most visually astounding 3D movies to shame.

Leave em' at home.

4. All the main players are back in the mix: Christian Bale said he would only return if Nolan did, so he's in. Michael Caine is back as well, and I'm assuming Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman will return. New to the mix is Tom Hardy, fresh off Inception, in an undisclosed role. All rumors of Aaron Eckhart's Harvey Dent or Maggie Gyllenhaal's Rachel Dawes surviving from the last movie can be put to bed. Nolan has since confirmed to Eckhart that his character is indeed dead, and if he's dead, then Gyllenhaal's character most certainly is. I can't wait to see who else Nolan taps to star in his final Batman film. If Catwoman does in fact play a part, Marion Cotillard better be playing her. If I can't get Jo-Go, then I sure as hell better get Cotillard. She proved to be an incredible screen presence when she last worked with Nolan, so no one should doubt her ability when it comes to his films. As with the last two, the returning players should turn in great performances, but, let's not forget. It's the new additions that get all the attention. Nolan better not disappoint. I mean, he won't, but it's early, so I'm just gonna play devil's advocate for a little bit. You know, have some fun.

Make it happen!

Oh boy! I can't wait. I know nothing, but I'm already excited as hell! Information will probably be slow to trickle, but, I'll savor every little morsel we get in the coming months. 2012, end of the world aside, can't come soon enough.

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