Nolan Puts Official Title on Third Batman Flick

[Snowpact]

Well, two of the most psychologically intriguing villians from Batmans rogues gallery were in The Dark Knight, and we can be positively sure they won't make an appearance anymore.

With the Riddler, the Scarecrow, Ra's Al Ghul and the Pinguin ruled out, the most interesting ones would be either Bane or Catwoman (but they would need one hell of a good script/actress to get her to be equally awesome as Ledger's Joker), so I'm guessing Bane. And not the one from the previous series of films, but the one of the comics. The one that's both genius and strong enough to snap Batman in two like an old straw. But I have a slight feeling that won't be happening, since Bane is mostly a physical threat to Bats (he actually broke his spine in the comics), and the Joker/Scarecrow/Ra's/Two-Face have all been mostly psychological adversaries. I know Batman has a ton of other enemies to choose from, but many of them actually have superpowers or some gross, unnatural anomaly, and the serum Bane uses to get so insanely strong is the closest thing to remotely scientifically explainable, like pretty much everything in Nolan's Batman-series has been so far.

Anyway, I'm most eager to find out and I'm sure Nolan won't disappoint us .

 

[mikeybuthge]

I think they should try the whole "Batman vs. Bane vs. Azrael" story, Batman, mentally broken after Dent, the Joker, and Rachel dying, succumbs to Bane, passes the mantle, and takes it back

 

[Aisaku]

If they keep their toes on the Tim Sale/Jeff Loeb run The Long Halloween -> Dark Victory I'd say Catwoman... and some other villian... maybe even the Calendar Man?

BTW, The Long Halloween and Dark Victory are EXCELLENT books, if you want to see where they drew a lot of the themes and arcs in The Dark Knight you should give them a try.

 

[Malkavian]

DiCaprio could be Hush, that could make a good flick. Also we could see Talia Al Ghul as an antagonist and love interest. I'm a little relieved that they won't bring in the Riddler, not that I don't love a character who is a genious dressed in green tights, I just don't see how it would work in the Nolan Gotham City.

No? I'm thinking Saw...

 

[thenumberthirteen]

*Crosses fingers* Come on Condiment King!

http://media.comicvine.com/uploads/2/25827/861418-tnba_condimentking_1.png

"Who wants some Flavour!?"

 

[Zeromaeus]

Plus, if they do Bane, they could have Mr. Wayne go to a certain circus and set off a series of events that could build up into a different series of movies.

 

[floppylobster]

It would the right time for Catwoman to appear given that Bruce Wayne is now looking for love.

And if she's hot then the title 'The Dark Knight Rises' makes perfect sense.

 

[Captain_Pancreas]

Dude, they killed him right at the end

 

[Spacelord]

I want Mr Freeze as a villain.

And I want him to be played by Schwarzenegger!

Well he's going to have a lot more free time soon...

Spoiler: actually, eff that

JOHN MALKOVICH ************!!!

Honestly, how fitting would that be? Look at that picture and tell me that's not the Mr. Freeze Nolan needs.

 

[theSovietConnection]

Harley Quinn looking for vengeance?

That would actually be pretty cool. Say Harley was a mental patient who was working for the Joker and wants to continue his legacy. Or like they said in Arkham Asylum, that she was The Joker's therapist who fell in love with him. There's a myriad of ways Nolan could work Harley Quinn into the story.

This could easily work into the new movie in a way that Nolan won't have to worry about bringing Joker back. They could have that Joker truly is dead, and that Harley wants to avenge Joker's death, while at the same time, she falls for Bruce Wayne. I unno, it's a part of the plot I'd like to see.

Riddler would have been a perfect villain, though. Have him be like a trivia show host who lost his job over the Joker crisis, and is now looking to get back at Batman/Gotham City over the loss of his job. It would have fit perfectly with Nolan's realism, at any rate.

 

[permacrete]

I really don't want another Catwoman for this one, she just really isn't all that interesting storywise save her looks.

She should be interesting, it's just that her story hasn't been told very well in previous movies. Selena Kyle should be the survivor of a rough childhood growing up on the streets, now a social worker running a non-profit and a community center in the worst part of Gotham. She runs into Bruce Wayne at a charity function where they talk about the mysterious anonymous donor that knocked Wayne out of the #1 donor spot. The donor is, of course, Selena herself who is becoming an infamous cat burglar, stealing from mob bosses and hedge fund managers to fund her own charity. She sees it as justice.

I would like to see the Black Mask as the villain in Rises, and the script to interpret the story line from the comics where Cat Woman kills him.

 

[M-JN]

*Crosses fingers* Come on Condiment King!

Yyeeeessss. Seriously if I was a billionaire dark-gritty-angst director, that is exactly the kind of shit I would pull in the last film of the series, and fly off cackling into the night.

In that case, I'm guessing Red Hood and Black Mask.

Nah, they wouldn't do Red Hood so soon after the animated flick.

I think the only real possibility is a Catwoman tale. Scarecrow and Ra'as already had their moments, most of the others are wholly too ridiculous, and it'd make for some much-needed romantic levity after that whole bint Rachel thing. Maybe Hatter, but I'd be surprised.

Halle Berry come back and bring your cleavage.

Don't be so sure about Red Hood. Him being in the animated film just means more people will be familiar with him which is good for marketing. Plus it would rule.

Don't forget Red Hood was Batman's old Robin. The one who died. Guess he got better... Anyway, Robin hasn't appeared in the Nolan-verse yet, has he?

Hasn't yet and never will according to Word of God. Probably for the best.

Although now that I'm thinking it, I was struck in TDK with how insidiously they downplayed Barbara Gordon's existence. Like, she was there, but she wasn't really there and the breezeover seemed rather intentional, so maybe she'll play a role? Likely a small one, but it could be neat to see hints at the "Bat-family" that got so foofy in the animated.

Although this is Gritty Reboot Land, and so Batman must never ever be happy.

 

[Sabbad]

For those keeping the score of who it WON'T be, it won't be (as some have suggested) Mr Zsasz - because he was already in Batman Begins. Go back and watch it if you like.

And it won't be Two Face, because Two Face is dead. Batman breaking his "one rule" is a very significant thematic point in The Dark Knight - indeed, it's what makes him a "Dark Knight" rather than a conventional hero - and if Two Face is not dead, then Batman never broke his "one rule". This stuff was talked about at length in the film's closing monologue and throughout the film, it's quite disturbing how much this seems to have sailed over people's heads.

 

[Extasii]

Twoface, clearly. The setup for his appearance was so blatantly obvious in Dark Knight, that i'm surprised there is such speculation at all. It also fits with the claim, that some characters will return.

except for the whole... you know... death thing, i agree. he's the logical choice XD

 

[dillirgaf]

who was the crazy guy with the puppet? i remember him from the cartoons

 

[Sam Doctorman]

it should be moth man aka killer moth

 

[VirusHunter]

It'll never happen...but what if robin was the villain? Not as Red Hood, but just plain ol Robin with a twisted origin story that makes him fucked up and such?

 

[circularlogic88]

The Black Glove maybe? I think it'd be neat to try that villain.

 

[SniperMacFox]

How about we look at just the facts.

We know that this film won't be containing Joker, Two-Face, Riddler or Penguin and through them, I doubt it would contain Harley Quinn either (though interesting she needs the Joker to play off, having her alone won't work.)

The previous two films have had a single word theme, being "Fear" and "Chaos" respectively. It's therefore possible that this film will also have a single word theme, possibly something which is also related to the things which Batman fights against.

At a random stab, I'm going for the one word theme to be something like "trust" or "honesty" as a possibility, as then it could also include the introduction of Robin (kudos to MovieBob for that idea) and then carry on with the idea of emotional as well as physical attacks on Gotham.

In that case, I'm gonna go for a female villain, more probably Poison Ivy than Catwoman but again I doubt that it will be either of them as they've both been used before.

All in all, female villain who causes Batman to feel he cannot trust anything and he eventually trusts Robin and they save Gotham. And they all have cake.

 

[Arec Balrin]

Batman having his back broken by Bane is one of the iconic canon events in the comics and Bane is plausible if they don't do him as a cartoon Incredible Hulk-type thing.

Nolan stays well away from super-natural and science-fiction characters, putting a rational and realistic explanation on anything that seems mystical; like Scarecrow's gas and Rah'as Al Ghul being 'immortal' because he's simply an idea, anyone can assume the role of him- no Lazarus Pits. Poison Ivy, Killer Croc, Mr Freeze and Clayface just simply can't do that without the serious kind of ret-conning given to Rah'as by Nolan.

Bane is the logical choice as performance enhancing chemicals are a reality now, just do away with the Hulk-like transformation.