Christian Bale's Batman Begins Audition Video

Christian Bale auditions for Batman Begins in... by BatmanNewsCom

With the Blu-ray of The Dark Knight Trilogy: Ultimate Collector's Edition signaling the end of Christopher Nolan's Batman series (and Warner Bros. moving onto Batman vs. Superman with Ben Affleck as the older, wiser superhero), it's time to look back once again at Christian Bale's tormented Batman.  In this look at Bale's audition, Nolan talks about how Christian understood Bruce Wayne/Batman and why he eventually got the role.  Fun fact: That's Amy Adams he's auditioning with. Yup, Lois Lane! Holy foreshadowing Batman!

Ben Affleck is the new Batman!

"Ben Affleck, you've just won your second Oscar. What are you going to do now?"

"I'm Batman."

Folks, Ben Affleck is your new Batman. This is no joke.  Affleck is the new caped crusader of Gotham city for the Man of Steel sequel in which Batman faces off against Superman. Coming his huge Best Picture win with Argo this year, no one could predict that they saw this startling announcement coming. Looks like he was serious when he announced at the DGAs (when he won the night's big prize for best director) and in front of the roomful of some of the top directors that he was still available for roles.

Affleck is not forsaking his acting career for directing as yet. He still on board to direct and star (like Argo) in the film adaptation of Dennis Lehane's novel Live by Night and act in another book adaptation, Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl to be directed by David Fincher which will also release in 2015.

2015 is going to be huge year for Hollywood.  Disney alone has The Avengers: Age of Ultron, Star Wars: Episode VII, two Pixar features Inside Out and Finding Dory, the fifth Pirates of the Caribbean, Cinderella and the bonus Marvel film Ant-Man.  Whew! Meanwhile, Universal Pictures has Jurassic Park 4 and Paramount Pictures has Terminator 5.  Warner Bros. needs a lot of muscle to go up against these films and who better than the biggest superheroes in the world, Batman and Superman in the same film?  I'm guessing this will be launching pad for the long rumored Justice League franchise as well. 

I don't doubt that Affleck is bad actor.  I have held my actor stock in Affleck throughout the years from Forces of Nature to Pearl Harbor to Surviving Christmas to Hollywoodland and beyond.  Remember, he has tackled a superhero film before with Daredevil who's popularity lead to spin-off film for his wife, Jennifer Garner, who played Elektra instead.  My worry is that it's too soon to be launching and rebooting the Batman universe (and to include Superman) right after Christopher Nolan's masterful The Dark Knight trilogy.  Those films will stand the test of time. And Christian Bale's Batman lead other actors to believe that they too could merge critical success with the box-office in a superhero film.

Director Zack Snyder insists that this older and wiser Batman will bring an "interesting counter-balance" to the younger Superman.  Summer 2015 is still two years away.  We will have time to process and the scheme of the films lined up for 2015, this matchup of Batman vs. Superman won't seem as surprising as it does now.  What were your thoughts when you first heard the news?

News Update Comic-Con Edition: Superman, X-Men, Avengers and More!

Okay, so let's discuss what we have learned (and are still trying to digest) from this year's Comic-Con over in San Diego. 

Photo: Cinema Blend

• Caesar Rises Again!  A first look at Dawn of the Planet of the Apes directed by Matt Reeves (Cloverfield) shows us how the years after The Rise of the Planet of the Apes have been as we saw (SPOILER ALERT) Caesar leading the rest of the apes back to the forest.  In this film, due next summer, Reeves reveals that the situation has worsened as humans have been fighting against the apes.  The sequel's cast includes Gary Oldman, Jason Clarke, Judy Greer, Keri Russell and of course, motion capture artist extraordinaire Andy Serkis as Caesar.

Photo: 20th Century Fox

• The cast for X-Men: Days of Future Past is massive featuring Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, Jennifer Lawrence, Peter Dinklage, Nicholas Hoult, Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, Anna Paquin, Ellen Page, Shawn Ashmore, Evan Peters (as Quicksilver), Omar Sy (as Bishop) and many more. I think I've probably missed a few.  What does this mean for the time-traveling mutant film? Head on over to MTV News for a quick recap of the panel.

Photo: Entertainment Weekly

• Lots of juicy info from Marvel on their upcoming films.  Loki is back to his nefarious ways in Thor: The Dark World, Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow has quite a substantial role in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and the big reveal, the title for Avengers 2 is (drumroll, please) Avengers: Age of Ultron.  Any ideas on what this means for the Avengers? 

Photo: Indiewire

• DC Comics and Warner Bros. are not far behind on the big reveal either.  The biggest news, and it's a bit of a shocker, is that the next Man of Steel sequel will feature both Superman (of course!) and Batman (whoa!).  Director Zack Synder announced the news to an ecstatic Hall H at Comic-Con.  Is this the start of the long rumored Justice League franchise?  I really think so.  But my biggest question is: Is Christopher Nolan going to be involved?

Movie Review: The Dark Knight Rises

Let’s get this out of the way.  The Dark Knight Rises is not like The Dark Knight, nor does it even top the magnificence of that film.  What remains is a fitting and satisfying conclusion to the trilogy and universe as presented by director Christopher Nolan, his cast and crew.

Batman Begins was all about pain.  The Dark Knight was about chaos.  The Dark Knight Rises is all about fear.  Fear as instilled by villain Bane (Tom Hardy) onto Gotham’s citizens in a warped bid for them to claim back their city.  Who can stop him?  Can Batman?  That becomes the question of this film.

When we last left Bruce Wayne aka Batman (Christian Bale), he had been put through the wringer by the Joker (the late Heath Ledger) and left shaken by the events that took place at the end of The Dark Knight.  It has left him a recluse who has lost interest in life.  It definitely is a shock to see Wayne at the start of the film, unshaven with sunken eyes and leaning on a cane.  He is roused out of this state by the theft of his mother’s pearls by Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway) who peaks his interest to follow her out of the house.

And as he does so, he begins to discover the peace achieved in Gotham due to the Harvey Dent Act is slowly eroding away and something big is about to happen as he begins to investigate Bane.  Equally alarmed are Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman), who looks just as haggard as Wayne does, and rookie cop John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who start to pick up on the right leads a little too late.  

Bane ruthlessly goes ahead with his plan to take over Gotham by systematically overpowering the police, the politicians and citizens.  He exposes the deep divide between the haves and the have-nots.  But by then Gotham has descended into complete anarchy by Bane’s terrorist methods.  And it will be up to citizens to save themselves unless Batman comes through for them once again.

What I loved about the film is that Nolan knows his audience and who he’s making his films for and makes no apologies for it.  This is a long film which takes its time to tell the story.  There are so many action and fantasy films that do away with explanation for sake of the big bang.  This film melds both together wonderfully.   The consequences of the previous films are felt deeply here, previous characters (Joker notwithstanding) do not just melt away, they come back to haunt you.  

The characters, who have been there since the beginning, like Gordon and Alfred, they too must atone for their earlier transgressions which begin to weigh in on their conscience.  Gary Oldman, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman are at their usual best and it’s quite comforting to see their presence onscreen.

Selina Kyle is never called Catwoman throughout the film for which I was grateful.  The name brings back unwelcome images from the disastrous 2004 Halle Berry film.  Hathaway plays Selena as a mercenary jewel thief albeit one who develops a conscience later on.  She was a welcome match and partner for Batman in his adventures.

The real standout of the film, for me, was Joseph Gordon-Levitt who has quite a substantial role than we were lead to believe.  His John Blake is a young idealistic police officer who calls it as it is.  He took on more and more of a leadership role as the film wore on and it looked good on him.  The new cast additions to the film with possible exception of Marion Cotillard’s weak Miranda Tate were stellar choices.

Tom Hardy’s Bane is a massive hulk of a man and Batman is physically no match for him.  Whilst Bane is also no match for Joker’s unhinged chaos and no one can touch Heath Ledger’s performance in The Dark Knight.  It’s in a league unto itself.  While many complained about his garbled speech, I never felt I couldn’t understand him.   Bruce Wayne’s problem is that he allows these villains such as the Joker, Bane and Ra’s Al Ghul to take up residence in his head allowing them to affect his actions.  Now older, he must learn to control his emotions.


Christian Bale is outstanding in his final outing as Bruce Wayne and the Batman as he comes to terms with his capabilities and demons.  Just as Heath Ledger's The Joker is the standard to which all villains are measured so will other portrayals of Batman be ever compared to Bale's take on the iconic superhero.  He really is the chameleon actor of our generation, picking diverse and intriguing characters that stay with you long after you leave the theater.

The action sequences are done with minimal CGI and they are quite stunning.  The introduction of Bane, the return of the Batman after 8 years and the lengthy climax will have you glued to the screen.  The Batmobile and his Batpod both have an update and they still are awesome as ever.  Hans Zimmer has done it again.  His chilling score, especially the chant, is fits perfectly over the sweeping sequences.  The music raises the action to another level of excitement and anticipation.

There are times that we forget that this is a comic book superhero film as you begin to believe in the universe that has been created for the screen.  This particular Batman trilogy has rescued Batman from the 1990s and brought it back into popular culture.  Nolan’s Batman films contain tortured characters, epic sequences of cinematic proportions, jaw-dropping twists in a gripping tales which all excite and remind us that this is why we come to watch a film on the big screen.

This trilogy can be compared to the Star Wars trilogy in terms of the middle film being the best of the lot and the last film tying up all the knots in the air.  But this film does more than that as it proves to be a satisfying goodbye to the franchise.  It has most certainly been worth the wait.

Directed by Christopher Nolan, Written by Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan and David S. Goyer, Cinematography by Wally Pfister, Edited by Lee Smith, Music by Hans Zimmer

Additional Cast: Matthew Modine, Daniel Sunjata, Nestor Carbonell, Juno Temple, Brett Cullen.

Rating:

The Dark Knight Rises Trailer #3

Trailer #3 out now for The Dark Knight Rises and it could possibly be the last before the film releases.  More new looks and scenes of Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway) and her alter ego Catwoman and Joseph Gordon-Levitt's John Blake are revealed along with glimpses of old friends of Batman, Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman), Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman) and ever faithful Alfred (Michael Caine).  Alfred's line, "I've buried enough members of the Wayne family," is ominous enough for the final film of trilogy directed by Christopher Nolan.

But before that, there's plenty of action to behold as it really does look like an all out war in the trailer.  Bane's (Tom Hardy) dialogues are actually discernible.  Did they actually listen to the online grumblings? But they saved the best for last.  At the end of the trailer, Catwoman tells Batman, "My mother warned me about getting into cars with strange men."  To which he replies, "This isn't a car."  Cue flying engines.  Oh, how the theaters are going to explode on July 20th all over the world!

New Poster: The Dark Knight Rises

(Photo: The Dark Knight Rises on Facebook)

Ominous new poster from The Dark Knight Rises show us Bane (Tom Hardy) and no Batman along with the tagline, "The Legend Ends".  Both Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale have stated that they want this film to end the Batman trilogy and probably won't continue in the universe.  This make me highly worried about Batman aka Bruce Wayne.  What happens in this movie?  I absolutely cannot wait until summer 2012.

Marion Cotillard and Joseph Gordon-Levitt's roles announced for The Dark Knight Rises

The worst kept secret about The Dark Knight Rises has been officially confirmed by Warner Bros. in a press release.  That being that Christopher Nolan's Inception actors, Marion Cotillard and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are joining The Dark Knight Rises as new characters in the Batman universe.

BURBANK, CA, April 19, 2011 – Warner Bros. Pictures announced today that Oscar® winner Marion Cotillard (“La Vie en Rose”) and Joseph Gordon-Levitt have joined the cast of “The Dark Knight Rises,” the epic conclusion to the Dark Knight legend.

Cotillard will appear as Miranda Tate, a Wayne Enterprises board member eager to help a still-grieving Bruce Wayne resume his father’s philanthropic endeavors for Gotham.

Gordon-Levitt will play John Blake, a Gotham City beat cop assigned to special duty under the command of Commissioner Gordon.

The film reunites the actors with Christopher Nolan, who recently directed them in the award-winning blockbuster “Inception.”

The director stated, “When you collaborate with people as talented as Marion and Joe, it comes as no surprise that you would want to repeat the experience. I immediately thought of them for the roles of Miranda and Blake, and I am looking forward to working with both of them again.”

Heading the cast of “The Dark Knight Rises,” Christian Bale stars as Bruce Wayne/Batman. The main cast also includes Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle and Tom Hardy as Bane.

Nolan will direct the film from a screenplay he wrote with Jonathan Nolan, from a story by Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer. Christopher Nolan will also produce the film with his longtime producing partner, Emma Thomas, and Charles Roven.

“The Dark Knight Rises” is slated for release on July 20, 2012. The film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

The film is due to start shooting this May and this shuts up the rumors abound what villainous role would Gordon-Levitt be playing.  He was previously rumored to be playing Alberto Falcone.  I'm intrigued by Cotillard's role, is she the new love interest to replace Rachel Dawes played by Maggie Gyllenhaal in the previous film? Where does that leave Anne Hathaway's Selina Kyle aka Catwoman?  One thing is for sure, July 2012 is too far away! And yay, for the Inception reunion!

Weekly News Roundup: Casting buzz for Superman and Batman!

• Holy Batman! Could Joseph Gordon-Levitt be re-joining his Inception director in The Dark Knight Rises.  We say: Yes, please!  Christopher Nolan himself confirmed that shooting will commence in May.  We'll know before then if Gordon-Levitt is a part of the cast.
• Now that the Man in Steel aka Henry Cavill has been announced, it's time to guess who might be Lois Lane.  The actress shortlist includes Jessica Biel, Olivia Wilde, Rachel McAdams, Malin Akerman and many more.  Expect an press release about this role soon enough too.
• Javier Bardem is seriously being considered for a villainous role in Bond 23.  He is scary good as a villain.  Watch out, Daniel Craig.
• Seth Rogen and Barbra Streisand make up the cast of Mother's Curse which involves them going on a mother-son road trip.  Somehow, I can totally pciture them as mother and son already. 
• Until now, Scarlett Johansson was the lone female in the Avengers film.  That may be changing soon.  Deadline is reporting that Cobie Smulders (How I Met Your Mother) is very close to joining the Avengers as SHIELD agent Maria Hill.  Word is that she was director Joss Whedon's choice as Wonder Woman too.  Intriguing! 
• After Robert Downey Jr. and Johnny Depp, new Oscar host James Franco's name is being offered as the lead in Oz, the Great and Powerful.  Shame, as I was really looking forward to seeing Robert Downey Jr. interpreting this role.  
• I wasn't sure I read this right, but it turns out that Tarsem Singh wants Julia Roberts to play the Evil Queen in his version of Snow White.  This will be interesting.
• Finally, for all you James Patterson fans, Alex Cross will be played by Tyler Perry.  Is he the right choice for the role?

Weekly News Roundup: New Year's Eve and a Heroine for Batman!

• Whoa! New Year's Eve got a whole lot of interesting.  Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Ashton Kutcher, and Hilary Swank are all considering roles in the holiday flick.  Empire Online has more deets about it.
• Robert De Niro's New Year will also be very special for him because it's been announced that he will be receiving the Cecil B. DeMile Award Lifetime Achievement Award at the Golden Globe Awards on January 15th, 2011.  He's ready for his closeup!
• Steve  Carrell (The Office) will produce and star in Imagine where he discovers he's the long lost son of a famous rocker who wants to reconnect.  This will be Dan Fogelman's, writer of such animated hits as Cars, Bolt and the upcoming Tangled, directorial debut.  
• Dame Judi Dench's cameo in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides confirmed by producer Jerry Bruckheimer.  This movie just got cooler!
• Cameron Crowe's We Bought a Zoo added two new cast members.   Patrick Fugit, from Crowe's hit Almost Famous and Elle Fanning, younger sister of Dakota, will be acting alongside Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson.  
• Disney is in talks with Jon Favreau to make Magic House where the attractions at the theme park come to life.  I so don't want to go there.  
• Twentieth Century Fox has acquired the rights for BBC's Walking with Dinosaurs 3D which will release in 2012.  Let the dinosaurs roam the earth, I say.
• And finally, the best for last, let's add one more rumor to the Batman rumor mill.  Chris Nolan is said to be looking at a short list for an actress opposite Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale).   Will it be Rachel Weisz, Naomi Watts, Blake Lively, Natalie Portman, Anne Hathaway or Keira Knightley? Or will it be someone else all together?  

OMG NEWS: Batman 3 gets a title and more Avatar?

Yeah, that's right.  I'm leading with OMG news because it's official and technically from the horse's mouth in both cases and it qualifies.

Christopher Nolan spoke to the Hero Complex blog over at the LA Times and he confirmed a few facts.  First up, the title, The Dark Knight Rises, showing that it is indeed continuing where the last film left off.  And the article contains some big news, the Riddler won't be the villain in the feature as assumed by the entire Internet.  No reveal on who though.  Let's be patient on this, it'll be very hard to top Heath Ledger's Joker.  The movie will not be in 3D but will be shot in HD using IMAX cameras.  Great choice!

Moving on to features where 3D actually counts and is needed, James Cameron has said that his next two films will be Avatar 2 and Avatar 3.  There are release dates that come along this announcement.  The second sequel is scheduled for December 2014 and the third in the trilogy will be released a year after on December 2015.  Think of the gap between Titanic and Avatar, this is genuine progress!

Bonus Link of the Day:  Excellent interview on Michael Caine over at TIME who will, incidentally, be in the next Batman.  Love his succinct interpretation and take on Inception.

This post contains a whole lotta news!

Onwards and let's begin!

• The first Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides teaser trailer will debut alongside the Tron: Legacy movie.
• Not only has the How To Train Your Dragon sequel been sanctioned, a TV series is also set to air on the Cartoon Network.
• Tarsem Singh is going to direct a live-action feature on Snow White.  I'm really excited about this, his last film, The Fall, was completely underrated.  I wish more people had seen it, each frame was an astonishing visual and I was so moved by young Cantinca Untaru's performance in the film.  Please see it if you ever get a chance.
• Ok, so I was all been that, seen that with the news that Men in Black 3 was announced.  But now they might bring on board Alec Baldwin, Sharlto Copley (District 9), Gemma Arterton (Prince of Persia) to join Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones.  Emma Thompson and Jermaine Clement (Flight of the Conchords) are already in the cast.  What am I to do?  Fine, I'm in. Please release it around the Fourth of July.  Doesn't Will Smith have it in his contract that he must release a movie on the Fourth of July?  
• From Harry Potter to Spiderman, Rhys Ifans is will play the new villain in the new Spiderman prequel.  No official confirmation on the character though many are guessing the Lizard.  Whatever happened to Venom? And how about a title?  Let's work on that.  I can't keep typing Spiderman prequel each time.
• Another superhero franchise is also abuzz with casting rumors.  Christopher Nolan is re-teaming with Tom Hardy (Eames the Forger from Inception) on the next Batman.  No word whatsoever on what role he'll play but that hasn't stopped the Internet from its wild speculations.  It's fun, no?
• After Brad Bird and Pete Docter, John Lasseter will now use Michael Giacchino (Oscar winner for Best Score for last year's Up) for Cars 2.  Giacchino and Newman are both becoming the go-to music directors for Pixar and I wholly approve.   Their soundtracks always fits so perfectly and are sublime.
• As I had suspected, Warner's Brothers isn't completely abandoning the idea of 3D for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1.  Never fear, it'll be waiting for you when the Blu-Ray discs come out.

Finally, I'm going to end this long post with the link of the day!!!  Zach G poses in his swimsuit for Vanity Fair.  Warning: You will collapse with laughter and oh yeah, these are not safe for small kids and pets.  You have been warned!

Whew, that was exhausting.  I might take tomorrow off.