While director Christopher Nolan has gone on the record to say that The Dark Knight Rises will be his last film of the Batman franchise, it seems actor Christian Bale is done playing the caped crusader as well.
The actor, who just wrapped The Dark Knight Rises recently told a newspaper in the Philippines that he is pretty much done playing the popular superhero and that the third film, which will be released in May, 2012 will be his last.
“I wrapped a few days ago, so that will be the last time I’m taking that cowl off,” said the star of director Christopher Nolan‘s Batman Begins and The Dark Knight.
He continued, “I believe that the whole production wrapped yesterday, so it’s all done. Everything’s finished. It’s me and Chris – that will be the end of that Batman era.”
Christian Bale is the fourth actor to play Batman, with Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer and George Clooney all playing Bruce Wayne/Batman before him. As a treat for those who want a little insight into what we can expect from the highly-anticipated final chaper, Filmcritic.com took the time out to separate fact from fiction in regards to what we can expect from the new movie.
How Much Time Has Passed Since The Dark Knight?
Answer: 8 years. As I speculated when the first teaser trailer for The Dark Knight Rises hit, much time has passed since Commissioner Gordon and his annoying son watched Batman run off to become the "hero that Gotham needs." In the brief clip of an injured Gordon talking to Batman (or is it Bruce Wayne?), we learn that the Caped Crusader has been "away" for some time. Now we know that Batman has been absent from Gotham for nearly a decade. Nolan revealed to Empire, "Our story picks up quite a bit later, eight years after The Dark Knight. So he's an older Bruce Wayne; he's not in a great state." And, from the looks of the early photos of Bane in action, neither is Gotham.
Will Bane "Break" Batman?
Answer: Yes, metaphorically at least. Since Bane was announced as the "big bad" in The Dark Knight Rises, fans have been wondering whether Nolan and company would bring the infamous moment from the "Knightfall" storyline where Bane broke Batman's back to the big screen. Indeed, Tom Hardy, who plays Bane, has revealed that the villain's fighting style is "brutal" and that he does everything from "crushing skulls" to "ripping out spinal columns." While there's no indication so far that Bane will literally "break" Batman, Christian Bale's recent comments about Batman's emotional state in The Dark Knight Rises hints that perhaps Bane's destruction of Gotham will push the Caped Crusader to his breaking point. As Bale told Ace Showbiz, "It's time for Bruce Wayne to face the pain that has always stirred his life." Bale confirms that Bruce will finally start to deal with the death of his parents. Between his emotional pain and the physical beatings that Bane will no doubt hand out, Bruce Wayne will be lucky to come out of The Dark Knight Rises in one piece.
Will Christian Bale's Hang Up the Batsuit After The Dark Knight Rises?
Answer: Yes. Bale recently told the press, "I wrapped a few days ago, so that will be the last time I'm taking that cowl off ... It's all done. Everything's finished. It's me and Chris -- that will be the end of that Batman era." We all suspected that The Dark Knight Rises would be Bale and Nolan's swan song, although many fans wondered whether Bale would sign on for a fourth film without his director. Now we know that Bale is officially saying goodbye to the franchise. Let the casting rumors for "Batman 4" begin!
Will Ellen Page Play Batgirl?
Answer: No. Rumors have circulated for a while that Ellen Page would cameo as Barbara Gordon, the daughter of Commissioner Gordon who eventually becomes Batgirl. Recently, Dark Knight Rises Rumors claimed to have spotted a sign on The Dark Knight Rises set that read "E. Page 'B. Gordon.' " However, sources close to the production have now confirmed that the sign is a fake. Looks like we'll have to wait until the inevitable Batman reboot to see a new Batgirl on the big screen. Maybe Batman & Robin's Alicia Silverstone can play the new Batgirl's mom! Let's start that rumor now ...
Why Does Bane Wear a Mask?
Answer: For this one, we go to costume designer Lindy Hemming, who told Empire, "[Bane] was injured early in his story. He's suffering from pain and needs gas to survive. He can't survive the pain without the mask. The pipes from the mask go back along his jawline and feed into the thing at his back, where there are two canisters." So the question is, will the gas be the "Venom" drug that Bane draws his strength from in the comics? Also, will his gas tie into Scarecrow's fear toxin? You know Scarecrow has to pop up somewhere in The Dark Knight Rises.
Will the First Scene of The Dark Knight Rises be shown before Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol?
Answer: Yes. Nolan confirmed that, much like The Dark Knight prologue that played before I Am Legend way back in 2007, the first six or seven minutes of The Dark Knight Rises will be shown before IMAX screenings of Tom Cruise's latest spy opus. (In case you skip that flick, a new trailer will be shown before Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.) Nolan also revealed that the prologue would introduce Bane to audiences and be "a taste of the rest of the film." Clearly Batman will once again be the talk of the holiday movie season.
And there you have it. While I am a bit sad that this will be the final film Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale will do of the Batman franchise, I always feel as an atrist it's best to go out on top while they still love you, because the moment you make a film for the sake of making a studio a lot of money, it kills the essence of the franchise. It's what I feel will happen if they make any more Transformers movies (which I've been hearing producers will shoot two back-to-back sequels with Jason Statham allegedly taking over for Shia LaBeouf), so if Warner Bros. does decide to make more Batman movie, at least Christian and Chris won't be tied to their decision and won't have to deal with all the superhero fanboys going after them with their bitchy comments.
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