My thoughts on The Dark Knight Rises

This is not your father's Bane. Or your one-liner Mr. Freeze.

The Dark Knight Rises, Christopher Nolan's third and final stab at the Batman film franchise, is due out a little over a year from now, and so far, it looks pretty damn exciting. In addition to the outstanding ensemble from the first two films returning (Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman), we get two iconic Bat-villains in Anne Hathaway's Catwoman and Tom Hardy's Bane. I must say, I was excited that Hathaway would be Selina Kyle from the outset, thinking her perfect for the role, and was interested that Bane would be involved, as it would be exciting to see him done justice (as opposed to the horrifyingly oversimplified Bane from 1997's Bat-nipple bomber Batman & Robin). I, like many others, was puzzled at Hardy's casting; a short, skinny man playing the monster of a man that is the steroid-infused supervillain. Until I saw this picture, of course. Nolan appears to be using camera trickery, as well as a bulked up and partially masked Hardy, to make the Inception star far more imposing than he would otherwise be. As for Catwoman, it would appear that her costume will be relatively faithful to the comics, goggles and all (though with a more gritty, realistic vibe). As for who the main villain is, I cannot say. It may be Talia Al Ghul (many think that Marion Cotillard's character, Miranda Tate, is an alias for Talia, seeking revenge as the new leader of the League of Shadows on Batman for her father, Liam Neeson Ra's Al Ghul's, death), or it may even be the aforementioned Batman Begins antagonist himself, as Josh Pence has been cast as a young version of the character, while Neeson is reported to have been spotted on the TDKR set. Would Nolan's realistic universe really use a plot device as comic booky as Lazarus Pits? Then again, this could all be misdirection, and Bane could truly be the main villain, perhaps an apprentice of Ra's, now operating as the new leader of the League. Or he could be the muscle for the true villain, possibly an as-yet-unseen character. Gary Oldman implied that TDKR's main villain was from the earliest days of the comics, before even the Joker himself. Bane doesn't really fit that profile, as he's only been around for the last two decades or so. Catwoman's an old villain, so she's a possible candidate. I don't think it will be Hugo Strange (as many rumors have suggested), as I doubt Nolan wants to compete with the plot of the video game Batman: Arkham City (which features Strange as the main villain), due out later this year. If Strange is in fact the villain, then maybe Nolan is going for a combination of the Prey and Knightfall storylines from the 90s, which would allow for the inclusion of Strange, Catwoman, and Bane. Until we get more concrete details, I will take this stance: In Nolan I Trust. The man has done a far better job of adapting Batman for live-action than any man before him, and I believe that his final film will not be the exception to the rule.

The Dark Knight Rises opens July 20, 2012.

Gotta give kudos to the fans behind this poster. EPIC.