Bane: Batman Villain Unintelligible? + ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ Oscar Pedigree

‘The Dark Knight Rises’ villain: Tom Hardy as the unintelligible Bane.

‘The Dark Knight Rises’ villain: The unintelligible Mr. Bane

Regarding the villainous Bane’s oftentimes unintelligible dialogue in The Dark Knight Rises prologue and trailer, director/co-screenwriter Christopher Nolan has recently explained: “I think when people see the film, things will come into focus. Bane is very complex and very interesting and when people see the finished film, people will be very entertained by him.”

Playing the complex, interesting, entertaining, and hard-to-understand Mr. Bane is London-born Tom Hardy, last year’s winner of the British Academy of Film and Television’s Orange Rising Star Award.

Upcoming Tom Hardy movies

Besides The Dark Knight Rises, Tom Hardy will next be seen in the following films:

• McG’s This Is War, opposite Reese Witherspoon (Water for Elephants), Chris Pine (Star Trek), and Til Schweiger (Maybe… Maybe Not).
• John Hillcoat’s The Wettest Country, with Jessica Chastain (The Tree of Life, The Help), Shia LaBeouf (Transformers: Dark of the Moon), and Hardy’s fellow The Dark Knight Rises actor Gary Oldman.

Further down Hardy’s cinematic road are – for the time being, at least – Mad Max: Fury Road and Cicero.

Tom Hardy could eventually find himself as one of the top 2013 Best Supporting Actor Oscar contenders for either The Wettest Country or, following on Heath Ledger’s footsteps, The Dark Knight Rises.

Now, is it too early for this type of prediction? Should one have to wait until after the Best of 2011’s Golden Globe winners are announced?

Really. Why bother?

‘Pretty spectacular’ Bane

While recently discussing Tom Hardy’s performance as Bane, The Dark Knight Rises co-screenwriter Jonathan Nolan (who is a rumored possibility for doing some brushing up on the currently stalled Akira) got the awards-season buzz ball rolling by remarking, “I think what Tom Hardy is doing with the role is spectacular. I’ve had the benefit of seeing a little bit more than the audience has seen at this point, and it’s pretty spectacular.”

So, another Heath Ledger?

Or just a bit of savvy marketing?

If in the U.S. or Canada, you can decide for yourself after July 20, ’12 – The Dark Knight Rises’ North American release date.

Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne with ominous-looking batsuit.

Batsuit, Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne

As a bonus of sorts, above is an image of last year’s Best Supporting Actor Oscar winner Christian Bale – Mark Wahlberg’s half-brother in David O. Russell’s The Fighter – standing in front of an ominous-looking batsuit.

“I can tell you the truth because I’m done with it. I felt immense pressure,” Bale told EW about starring for the third – and last – time as Bruce Wayne a.k.a. Batman. “And I think it’s a good pressure, because you owe it to the films – and the people’s expectations – to make great work.”

Once again, we’ll find out if “the people’s expectations” will be fulfilled beginning next July 20.

‘The Dark Knight Rises’ cast

In addition to Tom Hardy, Christian Bale, and Gary Oldman (a likely Best Actor Oscar contender for Tomas Alfredson’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), The Dark Knight Rises cast features the following “prestige” actors:

Best Actress Oscar nominee Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married, 2008) as Selina Kyle/Catwoman.

Best Actress Oscar winner Marion Cotillard (La Vie en Rose, 2007) as Miranda Tate.

Two-time Best Supporting Actor Oscar winner Michael Caine (Hannah and Her Sisters, 1986; The Cider House Rules, 1999) as Alfred.

Best Supporting Actor Oscar winner Morgan Freeman (Million Dollar Baby, 2004) as Lucius Fox.

Best Actor Oscar nominee Tom Conti (Reuben Reuben, 1983).

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who supported Leonardo DiCaprio in Nolan’s 2010 blockbuster Inception.

Veteran Matthew Modine (Alan Parker’s Birdy, Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket).

Juno Temple. Josh Pence. Daniel Sunjata. Nestor Carbonell. Joey King. Brett Cullen. Chris Ellis. Josh Stewart. Christopher Judge. Aidan Gillen. Adam Rodriguez. Rob Brown.

The Dark Knight Rises predecessors were Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight (2008), both directed by Christopher Nolan, and starring Bale as Batman.

The first movie also featured Liam Neeson and Tom Cruise’s wife, Katie Holmes. The second co-starred eventual Best Supporting Actor Oscar winner Heath Ledger as The Joker, in addition to Aaron Eckhart and Maggie Gyllenhaal.

Jonathan Nolan’s quote via MTV.uk.

Images Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne in front of Batman suit, and Tom Hardy as The Dark Knight Rises villain Bane: Ron Phillips / Warner Bros, via EW.

Bane: ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ villain played by Tom Hardy.

Bane Broods! ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ villain image

The villainous Bane, played by Tom Hardy, is seen above looking, huh, intense? Or is he merely flexing his bulging muscles? Or is he perhaps feeling just a wee bit constricted? Answer: None of the above. He’s brooding.

So, forget Garbo Talks! Garbo Laughs!* The Internet is in a tizzy because Bane Broods. (No exclamation point required.)

Anyhow, if this scary-looking dude only talks through that mask (?), no wonder people have such a hard time understanding his lines in The Dark Knight Rises’ trailer and preview. (Warner Bros. has reportedly “cleared up” Bane’s speech so there shouldn’t be any need for subtitles when The Dark Knight Rises comes out.)

* Note from the Editor: The tag “Garbo Talks!” accompanied the release of Greta Garbo’s first talkie, Clarence Brown’s Anna Christie (1930). “Garbo Laughs!” accompanied the release of her first comedy, Ernst Lubitsch’s Ninotchka (1939).

Batman: ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ hero played by Christian Bale.

Christian Bale as Batman: ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ hero image

In The Dark Knight Rises, Bane’s nemesis is Batman a.k.a. the Dark Knight a.k.a. the Caped Crusader a.k.a. The Hoarse Whisperer, etc. Batman Begins and The Dark Knight star Christian Bale is back as that multifarious character.

In the picture above, you get to see Batman aiming a funky-looking weapon (?) at … the audience. Personally, I wouldn’t be too worried. The Dark Knight Rises isn’t going to be released in 3D.

‘The Dark Knight Rises’ cast

In addition to Tom Hardy as Bane and Best Supporting Actor Academy Award winner Christian Bale (The Fighter, 2010) as Batman, Christopher Nolan’s follow-up to Batman Begins (2005) and the megablockbuster The Dark Knight (2008) also features the following Academy Award-pedigreed performers:

• Best Actress Oscar nominee Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married, 2008) as Catwoman a.k.a. Selina Kyle.
• Best Actress Oscar winner Marion Cotillard (La Vie en Rose, 2007).
• Best Supporting Actor Oscar winner Morgan Freeman (Million Dollar Baby, 2004).
• Two-time Best Supporting Actor Oscar winner Michael Caine (Hannah and Her Sisters, 1986; The Cider House Rules, 1999).

In addition to potential Oscar nominee Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), Joseph Gordon-Levitt (one of Leonardo DiCaprio’s dreamland partners in Nolan’s Inception), Juno Temple, and veteran Matthew Modine (Birdy, Full Metal Jacket).

Written by director Nolan and his brother Jonathan Nolan, The Dark Knight Rises opens in North America on July 20, ’12.

Besides Christian Bale, The Dark Knight, starred Heath Ledger as The Joker and Maggie Gyllenhaal as the love interest. Batman Begins featured Liam Neeson as the villain and Tom Cruise’s wife, Katie Holmes, as the romantic interest.

Images of Tom Hardy as Bane, Christian Bale as Batman in The Dark Knight Rises: Ron Phillips / Warner Bros.

This Tom Hardy Bane photo has been around online for some time, and we’ve finally gotten around to posting it here. Hardy’s Bane, of course, is the chief villain in Christopher Nolan’s upcoming The Dark Knight Rises.

Tom Hardy as Bane: The Dark Knight Rises’ villain

In addition to Tom Hardy, The Dark Knight Rises features Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne, Oscar nominee Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married) as Selina Kyle/Catwoman, Oscar winner Marion Cotillard (La Vie en Rose) as Miranda Tate, two-time Oscar winner Michael Caine (Hannah and Her Sisters, The Cider House Rules) as Alfred, Oscar winner Morgan Freeman (Million Dollar Baby) as Lucius Fox, and Oscar nominee Tom Conti (Reuben Reuben). Gary Oldman was the latest addition to The Dark Knight Rises’ Oscar roster: this year, Oldman is in the running for Tomas Alfredson’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

Among the other The Dark Knight Rises cast members are Joseph Gordon-Levitt (who supported Leonardo DiCaprio in Nolan’s 2010 mind-bending sci-fier Inception), veteran Matthew Modine (Alan Parker’s Birdy, Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket), Juno Temple, Battleship‘s Josh Pence, Daniel Sunjata, Nestor Carbonell, Joey King, Brett Cullen, Chris Ellis, Josh Stewart, Christopher Judge, Adam Rodriguez, and Rob Brown. The Dark Knight Rises opens July 20.

The Dark Knight Rises predecessors were Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight (2008), both directed by Christopher Nolan, and starring Bale as Batman. The first movie also featured Liam Neeson (who’ll also be seen in the upcoming Battleship) and Tom Cruise’s wife, Katie Holmes. The second co-starred eventual Best Supporting Actor Oscar winner Heath Ledger as The Joker, in addition to Aaron Eckhart and Maggie Gyllenhaal.

Tom Hardy/The Dark Knight Rises image: Warner Bros.

Tom Hardy as Bane, Christian Bale as Batman, The Dark Knight Rises

Christopher Nolan has shown a rough cut of The Dark Knight Rises to top Warner Bros. executives. The epoch-making event took place on Friday, say The Hollywood Reporter‘s “sources.” Among those present at the screening were film chief Jeff Robinov and production president Greg Silverman.

Obviously, this exclusive “premiere” was held so Nolan can hear suggestions from his bosses. The Dark Knight Rises opens July 20, and it’d better be in perfect form by then. After all, the final installment in Nolan’s Batman trilogy is expected to be 2012’s biggest box office grosser, quite possibly – due to its wider appeal – surpassing strong competitor The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2, the final installment in the Twilight series featuring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner.

The Dark Knight Rises’ predecessor, The Dark Knight, took in slightly more than $1 billion worldwide in 2008, more than 50 percent of that amount in North America.

And finally, the Reporter raises the possibility that Nolan may show up for the first time at Comic-Con, as The Dark Knight Rises opens the week after.

Written by Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan, The Dark Knight Rises stars Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, Marion Cotillard, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Tom Conti, and Matthew Modine.

Also: Juno Temple, Josh Pence, Daniel Sunjata, Nestor Carbonell, Joey King, Brett Cullen, Chris Ellis, Josh Stewart, Christopher Judge, Aidan Gillen, Adam Rodriguez, and Rob Brown.

The picture at the top of this article was part of Entertainment Weekly‘s The Dark Knight Rises spread.

Gary Oldman, The Dark Knight Rises

March 11: This Gary Oldman pic from Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises has been bouncing around online for, I don’t know, maybe a couple of decades. Anyhow, we’re finally posting it here. Needless to say, the Oldman pic was initially published in Entertainment Weekly, which had a special The Dark Knight Rises spread. (Here’s wondering what it takes to get an exclusive like that.)

So, I’m here to announce that Oldman – thanks to Tomas Alfredson’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy – is now the latest TDKR actor to have an Oscar pedigree. And that is an Alt Film Guide exclusive – well, in case no one has mentioned the obvious before.

Anyhow, Oldman’s fellow Oscarites are the following: Batman himself, Christian Bale, last year’s Best Supporting Actor Oscar winner for David O. Russell’s The Fighter; Oscar nominee Anne Hathaway (Jonathan Demme’s Rachel Getting Married) as Selina Kyle/Catwoman; Oscar winner Marion Cotillard (Olivier Dahan’s La Vie en Rose) as Miranda Tate; two-time Oscar winner Michael Caine (Woody Allen’s Hannah and Her Sisters, Lasse Hallström’s The Cider House Rules) as Alfred; Oscar winner Morgan Freeman (Clint Eastwood’s Million Dollar Baby) as Lucius Fox; and Oscar nominee Tom Conti (Robert Ellis Miller’s Reuben Reuben).

Of note regarding the connection between Bruce Wayne’s billionairishness and the Occupy Wall Street Movement (via EW and comicbookmovie.com):

Nolan denies reports that he wanted to shoot the protesters who encamped in Zuccotti Park last fall for the film. He and his collaborators conceived Rises more than three years ago, he notes, and obtained their New York shooting permits “nine months before Occupy Wall Street even existed.” Still, he’s not shying away from the implications. “The truth is, we wanted to shoot on Wall Street for the same iconic reasons that the Occupy movement chose that location: It is a symbol of American wealth and capitalism,” says Nolan, who has just begun editing the movie and cautions that the question of relevancy is premature. “In trying to tell as story of a self-made hero who is a multibillionaire, it raises certain issues that I do think are important in the world today, about the use and abuse of what is Bruce Wayne’s only superpower: extraordinary wealth.”

Co-written by Nolan and his brother Jonathan Nolan, The Dark Knight Rises hits theaters on July 20.

Other cast members include Inception alumni Tom Hardy (as Bane – Oscar 2013?) and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, veteran Matthew Modine (Alan Parker’s Birdy, Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket), Juno Temple, Josh Pence, Daniel Sunjata, Nestor Carbonell, Joey King, Brett Cullen, Chris Ellis, Josh Stewart, Christopher Judge, Aidan Gillen, Adam Rodriguez, and Rob Brown.

This has been labeled “The New The Dark Knight Rises trailer.” In the latest Christopher Nolan-directed entry to Batman’s pop culture cannon, Christian Bale stars as Bruce Wayne a.k.a. Batman a.k.a. The Dark Knight a.k.a. The Whisper. Actually, Bale doesn’t do much whispering in this one – at least not intentionally. The sound in the trailer isn’t the greatest, which makes it seem like just about everybody is whispering. Anne Hathaway’s Catwoman certainly is, while doing her best to seduce Bruce.

Marion Cotillard, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are a few other faces we get to see in the above trailer, which also features a football stadium-turned-meteor crater (or equivalent). Also in the Dark Knight Rises cast: Tom Hardy, Juno Temple, Morgan Freeman, and Matthew Modine.

Written by director Nolan and his brother Jonathan Nolan, The Dark Knight Rises opens on July 20, 2012. Its predecessors are The Dark Knight, starring Bale and Heath Ledger as The Joker, and Batman Begins, with Bale, Liam Neeson, and Tom Cruise’s wife Katie Holmes.

Update: Apologies to our visitors, but we’ve removed the new The Dark Knight Rises trailer. We’ll repost it once Warner Bros. releases the official version. Please see below the official The Dark Knight Rises teaser trailer.

Anne Hathaway/Catwoman photo/The Dark Knight Rises: Warner Bros.

Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne, Anne Hathaway as Catwoman do the dance in Christopher Nolan’s third Batman movie: The Dark Knight Rises

Screening before Guy Ritchie/Robert Downey Jr’s box office disappointment Sherlock Holmes, The Dark Knight Rises HD trailer is now officially available online. (See below.) Directed by Christopher Nolan, this follow-up to Batman Begins (2005) and the megablockbuster The Dark Knight (2008) stars Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne a.k.a. Batman a.k.a. The Dark Knight. Anne Hathaway (remember her in The Princess Diaries?) is Catwoman, who reminds Bruce that there’s a hefty price to pay for being a member of the gluttonous 1 percent. (Wasn’t the Dark Knight Rises screenplay written before the Occupy Wall Street movement began?)

Oscar winner Marion Cotillard (La Vie en Rose), two-time Oscar winner Michael Caine (Hannah and Her Sisters, The Cider House Rules), potential Oscar nominee Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), Joseph Gordon-Levitt (who supported Leonardo DiCaprio in Nolan’s Inception), and an unrecognizable Tom Hardy (another Inception alumnus) as Bane – whose dialogue is hard to decipher – are a few other faces we get to see in the trailer. Also in the Dark Knight Rises cast: Juno Temple, Oscar winner Morgan Freeman (Million Dollar Baby), and veteran Matthew Modine (Birdy, Full Metal Jacket).

Although it’s much, much too early to talk about Oscar 2013 nominations – it isn’t January 1, 2012, yet – it’s fair to say that The Dark Knight Rises will be shortlisted at least in a couple of categories: Best Editing (it’s quick-paced) and Best Sound (it’s loud, even if some of the dialogue is inaudible). The latest Batman movie may also be a contender for Best Make-Up. I guess that depends on how well Tom Hardy wears his mascara.

Written by director Nolan and his brother Jonathan Nolan, The Dark Knight Rises opens on July 20, 2012. The Dark Knight, co-starred Heath Ledger as The Joker, and Batman Begins, also featured Liam Neeson and Tom Cruise’s wife, Katie Holmes.

The Dark Knight Rises image: Warner Bros.

The Dark Knight Rises fan-made poster

You know a movie is hot when talented people spend their time creating unofficial posters and/or trailers for them. On YouTube, you’ll find countless fan-made Twilight trailers, for instance. And above you get an explosive (quite literally) The Dark Knight Rises poster, initially found at Shockya. The most notable difference between this poster by DevianArt’s visuasys and the Dark Knight Rises materials released thus far is the color scheme: whereas the poster has lots of yellow, orange, and red, official TDKR images and videos have emphasized blue and gray tints.

Last week, Christopher Nolan reportedly screened a rough cut of the film, the last installment in his Batman trilogy, to the suits at Warner Bros. The Dark Knight Rises opens July 20.

Jan. 11

Christian Bale as Batman, The Dark Knight Rises

The Dark Knight Rises has already sold out several midnight screenings in Los Angeles and New York even though it only opens on July 20, reports The Hollywood Reporter.

As per the Reporter piece, AMC and Fandango have been immensely successful at selling tickets for The Dark Knight Rises midnight screenings. Those should be held at IMAX theaters, which carry a ticket-price premium. Though not in 3D, The Dark Knight Rises was shot with widescreen IMAX cameras.

Directed by Christopher Nolan, and written by Nolan and his brother Jonathan Nolan, The Dark Knight Rises stars Christian Bale as Batman. In addition to Bale, this follow-up to Batman Begins (2005) and the megablockbuster The Dark Knight (2008) also features Oscar nominee Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married) as Catwoman, Oscar winner Marion Cotillard (La Vie en Rose), two-time Oscar winner Michael Caine (Hannah and Her Sisters, The Cider House Rules), Oscar winner Morgan Freeman (Million Dollar Baby), and potential Oscar nominee Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy).

In addition to Inception alumnus Tom Hardy as the villainous Bane, Joseph Gordon-Levitt (who also supported Leonardo DiCaprio in Nolan’s Inception), veteran Matthew Modine (Birdy, Full Metal Jacket), and Juno Temple.

The Dark Knight co-starred Heath Ledger as The Joker, while Batman Begins, also featured Liam Neeson and Tom Cruise’s wife, Katie Holmes.

Christian Bale/Batman/The Dark Knight Rises photo: Ron Phillips / Warner Bros.