Crossing the Blues

Third 'Batman' Film Is Titled 'The Dark Knight Rises', The Riddler Won't Be Villain


The third "Batman" film will be called "The Dark Knight Rises". The big news comes from the helmer himself, Christopher Nolan, who also addresses rumor about who will be the next villain in an interview with Los Angeles Times' Hero Complex. "It won't be the Riddler," he states, eliminating one of the big contenders.

During the chat, Nolan is willing to discuss 3-D technology which he refuses to use for the upcoming project. Instead, he will use high-definition approaches and IMAX cameras. "We want the look and feel of the film to be faithful to what has come before in the first two films," he says. "There was a large canvas and operatic sweep to 'The Dark Knight' and we want to make a film that will carry on with that look and feel."

The filmmaker adds, "There's an intimacy at times [with spatial illusion of the 3-D effect] and we didn't want to lose scale.... Our ambition for the third movie is to complete a story that has begun. This is not starting over, this not rebooting. We're finishing something, and keeping a consistency with what's come before has real value."

With the commitment to IMAX and high-definition cameras, Nolan promises something new in "The Dark Knight Rises". "We're looking to do something technologically that's never been done before. Our ambitions are to make a great movie," he tells Hero Complex.

This follow-up to "The Dark Knight" is scheduled to start principal photography in April 2011 for a July 20, 2012 U.S. release. Christian Bale is expected to reprise his role as Bruce Wayne aka Batman while "Inception" actor Tom Hardy is rumored to be cast for a villainous role