You're basing your argument on the Oscars which aren't voted on by the public. So to say America as a group prefers dramas because dramas win Oscars, then you're point doesn't make sense.
Ledger's Joker seemed, at least to me, to be based on The Killing Joke. I always thought he was hinting that something really, really bad had happened to him, and he was going to make a point that the way he was behaving post-trauma was no different than how anyone else would behave if given an impossible situation.
I guess that I would have to read it to understand where you're going with that. Batgirl paralyzed? Oracle sounds a lot like Chloe Sullivan on Smallville, at least in MO.
The summary on Wikipedia works pretty well for purposes of my point. The Killing Joke theorizes that the Joker became the Joker because he was a normal guy who had a really bad day where society basically failed him. And when I was watching TDK, I saw a guy who hinted at a Killing Joke-like past, with lines like "Whatever doesn't kill you only makes you stranger." IMO that was basically Joker telling us his Nolan-universe origin in one line.
Awesome TDKR fan made trailer using footage from the Animated Series. Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1BOacY5eME&feature=player_embedded
Word is WB/Nolan sent or are sending out a new audio soundtrack to the prologue to make Bane easier to understand. They have toned down the background noise from the plane and lowered the volume on the score and possibly did some new mixing to Bane's voice but it is now easier to understand what he's saying.
Haha. I think by the time the movie officially comes out his voice will be worked on a bit to make it easier for everybody to understand.
A couple of small news items: -The flying Batwing is named "The Bat" -Joey King is a 12 year old actress and what role she is playing was a mystery but she confirmed to Entertainment Today that she's playing a young Talia al Ghul. A young Ra's Al Ghul also appears in the film.
So we have Bane, Catwoman, a possible appearance by Sacrecrow, Talia, and Ra's? Wow. I am still not convinced that there is someone involved that we aren't 100% aware of either.
Don't forget there are Maroni/Falconi offspring in this film as well. And no one seems to believe that Joseph Gordon Levitt's character is actually "John Blake", many people feel he's either Dick Greyson or a villain working under cover. On the surface it does seem like a lot of characters but I'm sure Nolan has a plan for each. And I'm sure there's going to be a lot of twists and surprises in the film, like always with Nolan's films.
He's always had a lot of characters in his other Batman films and it was fine. Like you said I trust Nolan, there's really no reason not too.
Christopher Nolan's ability to write and direct a coherent and compelling movie is one of the few things in this world I trust. I like that TDKR is taking place eight years after TDK. That leaves open so many possibilities. And it potentially allows Nolan to do one of the things he does best, which is weave in the past with the present.
I didnt think about that. With TDKR being 8 years ahead of TDK there is tons of possibilities for characters/villians to have some part in the movie in flashbacks to those 8 years leading up to the movies present time. This movie is going to be awesome!
I would certainly count on it. I mean 8 is a pretty random number tyo use if its "just because". There has to be a reason for it being 8 and not 10 or 6.
I doubt you're going to see a random cameo of villain(s) in flashbacks or anything that Batman had done between those 8 years. For example I doubt you'll see a quick flashback of Batman fighting the Penguin or Riddler. Any flashbacks you still will probably only involve a young Ra's and young Talia, since those roles have been confirmed. Maybe you'll see a flashback with Harvey Dent in it (pure speculation on my part) since his name and what happens at the end of TDK plays a role in TDKR. I definitely think we're going to get a sense of what Bruce/Batman has been up to since TDK ended but I think it will be weaved into the narrative opposed to flashbacks focusing on him. The reason I think they went with 8 years is because that would make Bruce Wayne at 39/40 years old (He turned 30 in BB, TDK took place about a year after BB). Nolan is into realism and realistically how long could a man do what Batman does nightly without his body giving out on him, which we see him walking with a cane in the trailer. Plus it's close enough to Bale's real age as well. And of course knowing Nolan there's a reason behind it.
Zsasz was in BB, wasn't he? I could have sworn that he is one of the villains that is let out of Arkham Asylum towards the end. One of the wink, wink, nod, nod cameos that goes unnoticed by a casual fan. edit: Slighly more than a cameo now that I am remembering it.
Having said what I did about weaving past and present, I agree with Ray that it probably won't be heavy handed, like it was with a movie like The Prestige. BB had it's fair share of it. But it was more needed for that movie than it probably will be for TDKR because BB was so much about Bruce's past that we needed it to develop the character and show how he came to be Batman. With TDKR, it will only be needed to fill in some blanks about what happened since TDK and possibly set up a character like JGL's, Selina or Bane.
I think a cameo of Zsasz would be pretty cool. Maybe he's one of the prisoners Bane breaks out of jail.
I didnt mean with other "surprise" villians, i meant, since there are so many villians in this movie, some of them may get screen time during the 8 years we only see in flashbacks. So there isnt a cluster **** of villians (ala spiderman 3) during the "present" of the film. If that makes sense.
Gotcha. I don't think that will happen though. I think Bane and Catwoman are during "present" time, unless one or both were trained by the Al Ghul's or something like that. I don't think you'll see a villain only in a flashback during the 8 years since TDK.
Yeah, early rumors had Scarecrow on set. For the record, I also have faith in Nolan, just seems like quite the cast for one movie. I also don't know whether to buy Levitt being a completely new character in the Batman saga. It seems unlike Nolan to just have a new character to the DC universe be introduced and seemingly have a large role in their staple franchise.
Most people don't think someone like JGL would take on a small role just to be in a Batman movie or part of the franchise. People are just speculating that there's much more to his John Blake character than Nolan is letting on. Ditto for Marion Cotillard's character of Miranda Tate, which is why people assume she's going to be revealed as Talia.
Someone, and it may have been you posted an article a few pages back about how some guy thought batman was going to die based off patterns in Nolan's other work etc. I believe that guy also speculated that John Blake would assume the mantel of the bat after Bruce's death.
Yeah there's been tons of speculation on the fate of Batman/Bruce Wayne especially considering all the promo material states "the legend ends". Many speculate either Bruce/Batman dies at the end or Bruce simply retires as Batman. And as stated a few posts earlier much like the Miranda Tate character, people aren't buying JGL as simply "John Blake: Cop". The feeling is that JGL is too good of an actor to take a simple role as cop, there has to be more to the character whether he turns out to be Robin or takes the place of Batman at some point in the film to him even being a villian like The Riddler (for example). The great thing about Nolan's films is no one ever has a clue of what's going to happen especially at the end. Hopefully nothing leaks online in terms of spoilers about the ending and the fate of Batman. Personally I don't think Bruce Wayne will die at the end but he simply steps aside/retires and let's the police/city officials led by Gordon and John Blake be the ones cleaning up the city from now on. I don't think you'll see someone else step into the Batman costume either at the end.
Fair points, and I agree about JGL being too good of an actor to be just a cop. There's no way he could be a batman or even a robin, he just doesn't have that vibe. So I think in the end you are right, he just simply steps aside.
Yeah I honestly can't see Nolan killing off the Bruce Wayne character nor do I think Warner Brothers would let him no matter how much they trust him and how much money he's made for them. I think Bruce might fake Batman's death to make him a martyr and keep the Batman symbol alive or I can see Bruce's identity being revealed to the public and thus the public realizes that they don't need a "superhero" to clean up the streets that if one person can stand up for justice, surely the whole city if united can as well. Although there's still part of me that doesn't think this story will have a happy ending either. Is it July 20th yet?
You know what's a bummer? Realizing that WB will make more Batman movies after this one. And knowing that most likely...they are going to suck ***.
