"Dark Knight Rises Trailer": The Comeback Kid

I can't stop watching this trailer...it is amazing. Can't wait for next summer already.

Also a great screen shot by shot look at the trailer from io9.

And yeah, it's hard to hear what Bane says, but it's not thaaaaat hard. They'll fix it before July, and even if they don't, it doesn't take a genius to figure out what he'll be up to.

Watch out for that end zone Hines Ward.

These New "Dark Knight Rises" Photos Are Effing Amazing

Soon enough we will some real footage for The Dark Knight Rises, with a real trailer and the 6-minute-sure-to-be-amazing IMAX prologue to fawn over, but for now all we have are some pics. And they are spectacular.

The new pics show off Batman standing over some rubble looking grizzled and bad-ass, Bane standing on what looks to be his own customized Tumbler in front of a city building (City Hall?). He is holding up a picture of fallen DA Harvey Dent, perhaps in a speech telling Gotham that his hero story was a cover up?

The last picture is the best, as usual. Bane in the foreground, back to the camera, veins and muscles pulsing with rage. Batman is in the background prepared to do some battle, but clearly looking slightly worried.

While there aren't many details on the upcoming film, director Christopher Nolan has let out a few snippets that make the story sound like it will be something truly epic.

Said Nolan to Empire Magazine: "It's really all about finishing Batman and Bruce Wayne's story. We left him in a very precarious place. Perhaps surprisingly for some people, 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."

Actor Tom Hardy also spoke about his role as the villain Bane: "It's not about fighting. It's about carnage. The style is heavy-handed, heavy-footed, it's nasty. Anything from small-joint manipulation to crushing skulls, crushing rib cages, stamping on shins and knees and necks and collarbones and snapping heads off and tearing his fists through chests, ripping out spinal columns. He is a terrorist in mentality as well as brutal action."

Cannot wait for this one.

First Poster Released for "The Dark Knight Rises"

Christopher Nolan is just amazing. The first poster for "The Dark Knight Rises" has just come out, and it's already too much for me. I can't wait for this movie and the depth and symbolism of the poster are just awesome. Batman as a symbol of hope? Gotham City crumbling? A Knight who must rise from the depths? Who knows. Nolan always keeps things close to the chest, and this time should be no different. A teaser will be attached to the new "Harry Potter" but don't expect to see much footage. Ugh, I already can't fucking wait for this movie.

Nolan's "The Dark Knight Rises" Starts Production, First Photo of Bane Appears

Anything Batman related always gets the Internet chatter rolling, but today, there aren't many rumors around, just excitement about Christopher Nolan's (most likely) last Batman film starting production.

As the press release reads:

Filming will take place on three continents, with an all-star cast working under the direction of Christopher Nolan.

BURBANK, CA, May 19, 2011 – Principal photography has begun on Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ “The Dark Knight Rises,” the epic conclusion to filmmaker Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy. Leading an all-star international cast, Oscar® winner Christian Bale (“The Fighter”) again plays the dual role of Bruce Wayne/Batman.

The film also stars Anne Hathaway, as Selina Kyle; Tom Hardy, as Bane; Oscar winner Marion Cotillard (“La Vie en Rose”), as Miranda Tate; and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, as John Blake.

Returning to the main cast, Oscar winner Michael Caine (“The Cider House Rules”) plays Alfred; Gary Oldman is Commissioner Gordon; and Oscar® winner Morgan Freeman (“Million Dollar Baby”) reprises the role of Lucius Fox.

In helming “The Dark Knight Rises,” Christopher Nolan is utilizing IMAX® cameras even more extensively than he did on “The Dark Knight,” which had marked the first time ever that a major feature film was partially shot with IMAX® cameras. The results were so spectacular that the director wanted to expand the use of the large-format cameras for this film.



The screenplay for “The Dark Knight Rises” is written by Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan, story by Christopher Nolan & David S. Goyer. The film is being produced by Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan and Charles Roven, who previously teamed on “Batman Begins” and the record-breaking blockbuster “The Dark Knight.” The executive producers are Benjamin Melniker, Michael E. Uslan, Kevin De La Noy and Thomas Tull, with Jordan Goldberg serving as co-producer. “The Dark Knight” is based upon characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by Bob Kane.

Behind the scenes, “The Dark Knight Rises” reunites the director with several of his longtime collaborators, all of whom worked together on the “The Dark Knight.” The creative team includes director of photography Wally Pfister, who recently won an Oscar® for his work on Nolan’s “Inception”; production designer Nathan Crowley; editor Lee Smith; and Oscar®-winning costume designer Lindy Hemming (“Topsy-Turvy”). In addition, Paul Franklin and Chris Corbould, who both won Oscars® for the effects in “Inception,” will supervise the visual and special effects, respectively. The music will be composed by Oscar® winner Hans Zimmer (“The Lion King”).

The locations for “The Dark Knight Rises” span three continents and include the American cities of Pittsburgh, New York and Los Angeles, as well as sites in India, England and Scotland.

“The Dark Knight Rises” is a presentation of Warner Bros. Pictures, in association with Legendary Pictures. Slated for release on July 20, 2012, the film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

On top of that, it seems as if the first "real" photo from the film has been released, showing off Tom Hardy, aka the man, as the villain Bane. Hardy (above) looks even more dark and sinister that I thought he would, and it only makes me more excited for what's ahead.

The cast is utterly brilliant, Nolan is a genius. I cannot wait for this movie. I know you can't either.

Next "Mad Max" Sets Filming For January

Following numerous delays, mostly due to weather issues, it looks as if George Miller's next "Mad Max" installment has found an official start date. According to The Daily Telegraph Aussie filmmaker Miller said that the next "Mad Max" has targeted a January 2012 date to kick off filming.

Miller said to the paper: "We've built the vehicles. We've designed the movie. The principal cast is locked in. The film is funded. It's all ready to go. We just wait."

The film had originally aimed to begin production around the Broken Hill in the Australian state of New South Wales this Spring, but the production was shut down last October due to unseasonal rains in the area. The terrain had once been perfect to depict a post-apocalyptic landscape but due to the rain had turned much more green and fertile.

Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron are still set to star in the film, which will kick off pre-production later this year.

Although that seems like a way off, it could turn out to be great timing for the project. Hardy has only become a bigger star since starring in "Inception" and he should only continue to rise as time goes on, considering he is starring in Hollywood's next most anticipated film. "The Dark Knight Rises." Theron is beautiful, talented and an Oscar winner so bringing the two together should be a great combination for the project.

Miller is a professional and he has already been through problems with weather on the first "Mad Max" film, so this is nothing new to him and he should be able to fight through the delays.

Jennifer Lawrence Up For Stone's "Savages"

When I sat down to watch "Winter's Bone" recently, I wanted to closely watch the performances of Jennifer Lawrence and John Hawkes, because they both received Oscar nominations for their work on the film.

I didn't know much about Lawrence beforehand, but after seeing the film I can emphatically say that she deserves her nomination and I really wouldn't be all that surprised if she won (shocked maybe, but not surprised – little different). It's clear that she's a rising young star, she will appear in this summer's "X-Men: First Class" and according to Deadline she's in line for a new project as well.

According to the site Lawrence is in talks to join the cast of Oliver Stone's latest project "Savages."

The film is based on the bestselling novel by Don Winslow, and follows a love triangle between two best friend pot growers and 'O', the wild child girlfriend they share. Lawrence will play O.

"Despite their sharing, the friendship between brainy botanist Ben and Chon, a hardcore ex-Navy SEAL who returned from Afghanistan with top-quality pot, is unaffected. Together they live a quiet lucrative existence in Laguna Beach, growing and distributing said product."

Stone has been meeting with top actors to play the lead roles including Leonardo DiCaprio, Aaron Johnson, Tom Hardy, James Franco and Garrett Hedlund. He's also after Benicio Del Toro to play a Mexican drug cartel enforcer sent to muscle Ben and Chon out of business and who kidnaps 'O'.

Although I thought "Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps" wasn't quite up to par with the original, I thought it was ambitious and smart for Stone to show the effects of the financial crisis through that perspective. He has always been a controversial but top quality filmmaker and this type of story seems suited to his style very well.

Lawrence truly was great in "Winter's Bone" and whomever she stars in this film with should make for a compelling love triangle.