Archive for November 21, 2011

As we saw with the magazine covers over the weekend, Empire's new issue includes a feature story about the upcoming "The Dark Knight Rises". Now, several scans of the photos inside have gone online (via SHH) while a few potential spoiler facts given by director Chris Nolan himself in the article have emerged via Empire's website.

---- SPOILERS AHEAD ----

The biggest surprise from the piece is the time setting of 'Rises'. While a few months passed between "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight", the gap between that second and this third film will be longer… a lot longer.

"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" says Nolan who adds that this film is "really all about finishing Batman and Bruce Wayne's story".

With Batman not fighting fit, Bane was to be used as the villain for the physical threat he presents - "With Bane, we're looking to give Batman a challenge he hasn't had before. With our choice of villain and with our choice of story we're testing Batman both physically as well as mentally" says Nolan. He confirms the prologue in IMAX cinemas next month will serve as "an introduction to Bane, and a taste of the rest of the film".

Costume designer Lindy Hemming gives a hint of that threat when asked to talk about his mask - "He 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 cannisters." So instead of Venom making him into a ridiculous mutated wrestler, we have a mercenary under the influence of a drug that makes him practically impervious to pain?

Don't expect him to be a wimp though, actor Tom Hardy says this guy wouldn't be above pulling some manuevers you'd expect to only see in horror films - "He's brutal. Brutal. He's a big dude who's incredibly clinical, in the fact that he has a result-based and oriented fighting style. 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."

For the new photos, click the photo below:

Several bits of information have surfaced today on the currently shoot 23rd James Bond film "Skyfall".

First up The Sun reports that one action sequence in the film will pay homage to the rope bridge battle in "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" - "007 will have it out with a villain on a rickety affair like in 'Doom'".

One location that was to be used, but has now been ditched, is Duntrune Castle in Argyll reports STV. The Scottish castle was originally going to be used in February for filming but that's no longer the case.

Rory Kinnear, who stars as M's aide Bill Tanner in the film, tells CultBox that he's been shooting scenes with Daniel Craig and Judi Dench at Pinewood and around Waterloo and Smithfields. Kinnear confirms his role is larger in this one and his filming commitments will continue through until early February, while the production itself doesn't wrap until April or May.

Also over the weekend scribe John Logan spoke with Collider about working on the script and he says he doesn't see it as a stand alone film as some have already declared - "as far as I’m concerned, because I don’t think these films are standalone, I think they’re part of a legacy. When I was working on it I was deeply aware as much of Quantum of Solace and Casino Royale as I was of Thunderball, as I was of Ian Fleming in the 50’s writing it, you know you’re a float in a parade."

The surprising thing is Logan apparently had a lot of freedom with the screenplay - "What was particularly thrilling about this is the freedom, because I had the fear that you would going into a franchise movie that you have to put all the toys back in the sandbox, but I’ve never felt anything but completely free as a writer to explore different material, to explore different ideas with these characters and this world. It’s been amongst the best experiences I’ve ever had on a movie."