The Dark Knight Rises Anticipation Station

[Lapis Exilis]

Re: Third Nolan Batman film title announced!

Joseph Gordon-Levitt in talks to join the cast!

http://www.deadline.com/2011/02/joseph-gordon-levitt-in-talks-to-join-the-dark-knight-rises/

I love him! Been watching him since he played DJ's nervous friend George on Roseanne when he was about 8 years old, all the way through The Lookout (a fantastic performance), 500 Days of Summer and Inception. Thought on his possible role: virulently anti-Batman police detective Max Cort (from Prey). Cort is eventually manipulated by Hugo Strange into becoming a crazed vigilante). It'd be interesting to see Gordon-Levitt take on a hefty action role.

 

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

Re: Third Nolan Batman film title announced!

JGL was great in Brick.

 

[Captaindemotion]

Re: Third Nolan Batman film title announced!

^ Agreed. Brick is a super film.

 

[DigificWriter]

Re: Third Nolan Batman film title announced!

Why can't people take Christopher Nolan's word as fact? He's already unequivocally stated that we will not be seeing (again or for the first time) the following characters:
Robin (too young for his timeline and too at-odds with the tone he's set)
The Penguin (too 'tricky' to do realistically)
The Riddler (not a part of TDKR, his final Bat-film)
The Joker (too disrespectful to Heath's memory to cast a new actor in the role and bring the character back)
Mr. Freeze (too unrealistic)

I don't know and couldn't speculate about what type of role JGL might be up for, but it's not going to be any of the above.

 

[Timby]

Re: Third Nolan Batman film title announced!

Since we're well beyond a title announcement, I changed the thread title to something more pertinent.

 

[Dark Gilligan]

Re: Third Nolan Batman film title announced!

The Joker (too disrespectful to Heath's memory to cast a new actor in the role and bring the character back)

Not necessarily. Joe and Heath were very good friends in real life, and you'd have to be blind not to see the uncanny resemblance between them. Plus, Joe's acting chops are unquestionable.

This is Nolan's final Bat film. It would be glaring for the Joker not to be present somehow. What better tribute to Heath than for a trusted friend to carry his baton?

 

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

I think it would be a mistake to include the Joker. Perhaps JGL will play Hugo Strange.

 

[CaptainCanada]

Re: Third Nolan Batman film title announced!

The Joker (too disrespectful to Heath's memory to cast a new actor in the role and bring the character back)

Not necessarily.

Those are Nolan's own words on the subject.

I don't really see any need to revisit the Joker, anyway. His first appearance took his schtick about as far as it can go.

 

[Saul]

Re: Third Nolan Batman film title announced!

Since we're well beyond a title announcement, I changed the thread title to something more pertinent.

Thanks! Great Avatar.

I'm hoping we will see Hugo Strange still.

 

[DigificWriter]

Re: Third Nolan Batman film title announced!

The Joker (too disrespectful to Heath's memory to cast a new actor in the role and bring the character back)

Not necessarily. Joe and Heath were very good friends in real life, and you'd have to be blind not to see the uncanny resemblance between them. Plus, Joe's acting chops are unquestionable.

This is Nolan's final Bat film. It would be glaring for the Joker not to be present somehow. What better tribute to Heath than for a trusted friend to carry his baton?

I didn't just pull the statement "He's already unequivocally stated that we will not be seeing (again or for the first time) the following characters" out of my butt, dude, but if you want 100% proof of Nolan saying that he won't be bringing back The Joker, here you go:
Nolan won't replace Ledger as Joker in 'Batman 3'

'Dark Knight Rises' won't include Joker; will be Nolan's last Batman film

 

[Christopher]

The Penguin (too 'tricky' to do realistically)

It still puzzles me that Nolan thinks this. The Penguin is one of the easiest Batman villains to do realistically. He's simply a short, big-nosed thief or gangster who likes fancy dress and has pretentions of being a sophisticate. Easy enough to ditch the bird fetish and umbrella gimmicks and just have Oswald Cobblepot as a mob kingpin who's called "the Penguin" (not to his face) because of his squat build and penchant for tuxedoes.

 

[DigificWriter]

^ I get why Nolan said what he said regarding the Penguin character (the 'freak Penguin' that's been included, in one shape or form, in most of the on-scren portrayals of Batman since 1992), Christopher, even if I disagree with him.

 

[Christopher]

^ I get why Nolan said what he said regarding the Penguin character (the 'freak Penguin' that's been included, in one shape or form, in most of the on-scren portrayals of Batman since 1992), Christopher, even if I disagree with him.

Sure, I could buy some ignorant newcomer who only knew Batman from movies believing that the Penguin was intrinsically a freakish fantasy character, but I would've thought, given how closely the first two Nolan Bat-films were rooted in comics lore, that Nolan himself would be sufficiently familiar with the comics not to make such a fundamental mistake about the Penguin's nature. That's why it surprises me.

And "most of the on-screen portrayals" since '92? Let's see:

Batman Returns (Danny DeVito): Freakish mutant.
Batman: The Animated Series (Paul Williams): Based on Tim Burton's design, but true to his debonair comics incarnation in personality.
The New Batman Adventures/Superman: TAS (Paul Williams/David Ogden Stiers): Redesigned with his classic comics look, squat and long-nosed but not a mutant.
The Batman (Tom Kenny): Based on Burton's design again, but even scruffier.
Batman: The Brave and the Bold (Steven Root): Faithful to his Silver Age design.

Three out of five is technically "most," I suppose, but it feels like an overstatement. In fact, I'd call it two and a half out of five, since B:TAS seemed to be going with Burton's design only grudgingly and otherwise portraying the Penguin as if he were the comics character.

And of course if we throw in the pre-1992 screen depictions of the Penguin -- Burgess Meredith, the Filmation cartoons, Hanna-Barbera's The Super Powers Team -- then the "standard" depictions of the Penguin outnumber the Burtonesque ones five to three (or five and a half to two and a half).

 

[Samurai8472]

Bringing over from another thread hypothesizing how Nolan could adapt Batman's villains

Penguin is not hard to do. He could be a pudgy high class night club owner.

He lends his club out to mobsters and is often wearing tuxedo's. Since he wears so many black and white suits people call him "The Penguin"

 

[Admiral_Young]

It could be that Nolan couldn't think of a way to do the Penguin justice as a character. Did that occur to you Christopher? "Tricky" doesn't mean he thought it difficult to use in his world. You're also assuming that Nolan and company wouldn't have done their own homework on the character. Sigh.

 

[Dark Gilligan]

Re: Third Nolan Batman film title announced!

I didn't just pull the statement "He's already unequivocally stated that we will not be seeing the following characters" out of my butt, dude.

Ah, gentlemanly to the last. Well spoken, sir, with just the right amount of class.

I'm merely voicing the possibility that Nolan might go in a different direction than previously stated, as happens so often in pre-production. It's not like his words have been carved into stone.

 

[Admiral_Young]

Re: Third Nolan Batman film title announced!

Nolan rarely changes his mind.

 

[JarodRussell]

Bringing over from another thread hypothesizing how Nolan could adapt Batman's villains

Penguin is not hard to do. He could be a pudgy high class night club owner.

He lends his club out to mobsters and is often wearing tuxedo's. Since he wears so many black and white suits people call him "The Penguin"

Always pictured the Penguin as THE Mafia head in Gotham.

 

[Admiral_Young]

^ Same. I think that is how most fans think of how he would work and certainly how he is in the comics recently. Corrupt nightclub owner and what not.

 

[Set Harth]

Batman should punch him right in the penger.