As you'll likely not need to be reminded; when The Dark Knight hit cinemas in 2008 it took the world by storm. Building on what Christopher Nolan had created in Batman Begins, the second film took everything that made the first so good and magnified it. There was more action, more drama, more suspense – and of course, one of the greatest performances of all time from Heath Ledger. So good in fact that he earned himself a posthumous Oscar for his portrayal of the Joker.
Fast forward to 2011 and excitement is quickly building for next year's big release, The Dark Knight Rises. With set pictures leaking left right and center, people are finally getting their first taste of what to expect. And boy does it taste good. There are plenty of excellent reasons to get excited about the movie, but we thought it'd be handy to distil them into just three. So without further ado, here are three very good reasons we can't wait for The Dark Knight Rises to hit theatres in summer 2012.
A New Enemy in the Form of Bane
With each instalment of Chris Nolan's Batman 'reboot', fans are always eager to find out which of the many Batman villains have been chosen to play a role. The Joker was a clear choice and pulled off with real style, but with The Dark Knight Rises people didn't know what to expect. Would it be the Penguin? Or perhaps the Riddler? There are so many classic Batman bad guys that speculation was rife. But soon after the movie was announced rumors started that this time the villain would be Bane – the superhuman who is gets pumped up by the chemical 'venom'. The actor playing Bane, Tom Hardy, has been quoted as saying that he'll be playing the character in a much more menacing way than previous depictions (for example in the 'questionable' Batman & Robin).
A New Ally (or Enemy) in the Form of Catwoman
Not much is yet known about Catwoman's appearance in The Dark Knight Rises; and we don't even know if she'll be a good or a bad guy. Judging by previous depictions in the Batman mythos, she'll likely be a bit of a question mark with motives of her own. In pictures from the set we've seen her wearing the trademark black body suit, and we've seen the bike she rides – very similar in design to the one that Batman rides in the second film. The character is being played by Anne Hathaway: a choice that raised some eyebrows. So there will be a lot of work for Anne to do when she takes up the feline role next summer: no lounging on her catnapper couch that's for sure! The last time the character was on film was in Batman Returns, a portrayal which is probably the most well known depiction. However, Nolan's world is a much darker place, so we can safely assume the two portrayals won't share much more than a name.
The Conclusion of the 'New' Batman Story Arc
For all of the dedicated fans that have been watching since Batman Begins, there's a lot invested in the story. They (and we) have watched as Bruce Wayne endures a life of hardship before rising up as 'the hero Gotham needs'. As the second film ended, Batman was vilified by public, so we can all expect to see how Bruce Wayne will restore his name and his honor and fight the threat posed by Bane and (maybe but probably not) Catwoman too. We'll also likely get closure on the Ra's al Ghul storyline that began in the first movie – another likely source of the movie's main threat.
It's hard to speculate as to what the story of the new film will be, as Nolan plays his cards very close to his chest. But we think that's a good thing: it means that we'll take our seats in the cinema next summer with that sense of pure anticipation that only a new installment to a well-loved franchise can provide. And let's not forget, we'll also get to find out just how husky Christian Bale can make his voice this time!
Posted by Isabella Woods
