There have been rumors about rumors when it comes toChristopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises. Spoilers and images from the set have flooded the interwebs in recentweeks; but we are still no closer to finding out what is really going on inthe film.
There have been numerous speculations about characters, plotpoints, which actor was playing who and why. Then the conspiracy theories started finding their way around and by thetime the film hits theaters next summer, Bat-mania will have gripped us onceagain.
The main cast of characters Christian Bale, Gary Oldman anddirector Christopher Nolan have all announced that this will definitely betheir last Batman film. We’ve heard itbefore though from Nolan, but this time there does seem to be finality to hiswords. Go out on a high note and don’tlet the franchise suffer from Bat-fatigue.
Is Christopher Nolanplanning on killing off Batman in this film? If so, are we as fans ready to see that happen? We all know what happened to Batman when hefirst tangled with Bane in the 90s. Theresult was a broken back and Bruce Wayne giving the mantle of the Bat to Jean Paul Valley.
With the recent release of the film’s new teaser poster, itdefinitely implies that the Dark Knight meets his end. That implication could mean quite a fewthings and I am sure in the months leading up to the film’s release, there willbe endless debate about it.
This is where you will see people coming down on differentsides. While I maintain I do not want tosee Batman die in the film, my partner JP thinks it would be exciting to seeBatman go to the big Batcave in the sky. Comic book heroes die all the time, at least in the past twenty years ithas become a sad cliché in the industry. Kill off a popular character or presume they are dead, and then with theappropriate flourish and hype, bring them back from the dead.
Would it be appropriate for Batman to die in The Dark KnightRises? You’re going to get all kinds ofanswers from fans. Nolan wants to wrapup his trilogy and move on, but DC and Warner Bros want the Bat-train tocontinue rolling. Warner Bros will need asuccessful franchise after The Dark Knight Rises. Their other box office juggernaut HarryPotter has ended and with the failure of Green Lantern to draw audiences in,Warner Bros is desperate for the next big thing.
A reboot of the Batman franchise has been discussed with thepossibility of launching a DC Universe franchise similar to what Marvel hasdone with The Avengers. The best hopefor a Justice League movie died two years ago after a cast had been announcedand filming was about to begin. Fanshave been clamoring for a Justice League film for quite some time and the endof the current Batman franchise could certainly pave the way for that.
Killing Christian Bale’s Batman would certainly seem like adirection Nolan would take to bring his trilogy to an end. With Batman dead, a sequel would seemunlikely. But would a backlash from fansbe more negative to DC and Warner Bros than they would care for? I certainly would not want to see Batman diein this film. It’s just unheard of tokill such a legendary and beloved character like that. Who knows what’s in the mind of ChristopherNolan right now. Filming has wrapped andpost production is underway. In spite ofall the set photos on the internet, there is quite a bit of secrecy in theNolan camp about the story.
I am taking a “wait and see” approach to The Dark KnightRises. There is no doubt that it will bea fantastic film; there is no way it couldn’t be. In Nolan We Trust is a mantra I have adoptedsince Batman Begins. I trust what Nolanwill do and I know that whether I agree with what he does or not, he willdeliver another masterpiece. We will allget to see this summer.
By The Nerd
Word of the Nerd 