Chris Nolan talks Dark Knight Rises timeline and more on Bane’s origins

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

For the first time, director Christopher Nolan is opening up publicly about THE DARK KNIGHT RISES. Speaking to Empire Magazine in advance of the upcoming six-minute preview that will be in theaters with MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 4, Nolan talked about how this film fits into the trilogy.

“Perhaps surprisingly for some people, Nolan says, “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.” You mean, he’s in New Jersey?

Lest you think Nolan would give Bruce Wayne the opportunity to sip team and contemplate retirement Nolan adds, “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.”

So who is this Bane character anyway? Explains Tom Hardy: “He’s brutal. Brutal….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.” Ouch?

The film’s costume designer explains Bane’s look and hints at his origins somewhat by saying, “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 canisters.”

Speaking of origins, Nolan confirms that the six-minute prologue in December will focus mostly on Bane’s beginnings so we’ll all find out how it happens soon enough…