Revisiting Inception, on the 10th anniversary of its release

The 10th anniversary of Inception (2010) fell earlier this week on July 16. The movie had a huge impact in my life, after its release, I had so many thoughts that it pushed me to launch this very blog a few months later. At the time, I was working as a compositor in an animation studio. While I loved working in animation, but after some time, I had begun to feel like another cog in a machine. I hoped the blog would be an outlet for my passion for movies, and one thing lead to another that two years after working on the blog, I finally began working on a television show revolving around films. 

Five years after the blog was launched, I was writing about films full-time, a position I'm still grateful for. I love writing about cinema, and while the world right now is uncertain, in the midst of a global pandemic, cinema is still what we turn to for comfort. Therefore, I decided to dust of the old blog after more than year to check, does Inception still hold up, after a decade? The answer: Abso-bloody-lutely!

The film, written and directed by Christopher Nolan, is audacious and bold in every aspect of filmmaking. Nolan, coming off a highly successful sequel with the The Dark Knight (2008), presented us with an original high-concept story, with an international cast led by Leonardo DiCaprio. 

Opening with the swell of Hans Zimmer's majestic score, and the roar of the seas, Inception drops in the action right away, establishing its inner world with confidence. "What's more resilient than a parasite, or a virus?" asks Dom Cobb. It's an idea! 

Inception is built upon this premise, where thieves infiltrate the world of dreams to steal ideas and secret thoughts, sold to competitors. However, DiCaprio's tortured thief Cobb ends up taking the largest gamble of his life when he takes up an offer from the billionaire Mr Saito (Ken Watanabe), hoping to return to his young children. 

Cobb lives in exile, moving from country to country, as he extracts secrets from dreams. However, one last heist should be enough for him. The mark is young Robert Fisher (Cillian Murphy), heir to a large empire and rival to Saito. The billionaire wants Fishcher, who inherits the business after his father's death, to break it up, and therefore be less of a threat to him.

Cobb and his crew are tasked with infiltrating his mind and planting the seed to do so. A whole enterprise is dangerous and can fall apart at any stage. The intricately layered screenplay makes it so that they very nearly fail, only to emerge victorious at the end, or did they? The beauty of the film is that seed of doubt is planted neatly within it, making us question it, even now. 

What does that ending mean? Cutting away from Cobb's spinning totem, did we leave him in a dream or a reality? We'll never know. There has been no sequel thankfully and it should remain that way. Sometimes we don't need all the answers to the questions we have. 

But back to the film's story, as Nolan lines up his dominoes as Cobb and his team go deep within the subconscious to dream within a dream, for a few layers in. Everything is tied together so precariously, but wonderfully, logic comes into play at every leave. To the ordinary mind, it may seem outrageous, it makes sense all the same.

Cobb, who wallows in his memories, is a tricky character to get behind. Wrapped in his own guilt and grief, he's not very reliable, but we still want to him to get his happy ending. His late wife Mal (Marion Cottillard) swoops in like a mischief-maker to destroy his schemes, or is it his guilt coming in  through waves of his subconscious? Mal, who questions his very reality, becomes the 

To get through to Fisher, Cobb, Saito, Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), Ariadne (Ellen Page), Yusuf (Dileep Rao) and Eames (Tom Hardy) navigate through layers of dream worlds - from a rainy nondescript city, a modern hotel, to a highly-guarded fortress on a snowy mountain before emerging on the other side. The trigger for them to return to the real world is Edith Piaf's song 'Non, je ne regret rien", a statement if there was any. 

Nolan is an old-fashioned filmmaker who likes to shoot with film and loves the big spectacle meant for the big screen. Watching it at home is still thrilling but it does not compare to the experience of watching in the theaters. I loved it so much that monsoon season, that I saw three times in the theatre! The first time was always the best - experiencing it with the early morning crowd as they sipped their coffee in silence, allowing the story to unfold on the screen. And remember being dumbfounded on my seat later, wondering about that spinning totem!

Zimmer's gorgeous score is as much as part of the storytelling. He weaves in these emotional cues to remind us of the stakes and consequences of wading and lingering in dreams too long. Inception released in a crowded year along with A King's Speech, Black Swan, Toy Story 3, and The Social Network. It hauled four technical awards for Wally Pfister's solid cinematography, best sound editing, best sound mixing and best visual effects, (which still holds up today IMHO). 

It's a shame that Nolan's screenplay was denied an Oscar. When people lament over and over the lack of original stories in Hollywood, Nolan continues to deliver. After Inception, he went back to the comic book genre for The Dark Knight Rises (2012) and followed it up with another original Interstellar (2014) and the war film Dunkirk (2017). His latest Tenet (2020), which again reminds us of Inception, is currently in limbo in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. When, not if, it does release in theatres, we all be waiting to watch it, but only when it is safe.

Meanwhile, revisit some old classics while you can, as these films still have the power to thrill and excite you.

Awards Season Trailers: Suffragette, Bridge of Spies, The Martian and more!

It’s June, you know what that means. It's time to roll out trailers for films releasing in the latter half of the year that could potentially have an awards presence. Hence, you’ll find Hollywood’s A-list Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks and Matt Damon all featured in the trailers for Suffragette, Bridge of Spies and The Martian respectively. The films below all come with good pedigree with award-winning and nominated directors, screenwriters, and actors showcasing their latest work.

The early struggle of the British women’s suffrage moment and their fight for equality is the focus of director Sarah Gavron (Brick Lane) and screenwriter Abi Morgan (The Hour). The mostly British cast, minus Meryl Streep, of Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham Carter, Ben Whishaw and Romola Garai show how dangerous and brutal a fight the feminist movement had to have an equal voice. Streep, who plays British activist Emmeline Pankhurst, can be counted as an honorary Brit, after all, she did win her third Oscar for portraying the late Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady. Come awards season, Suffragette could land potential nominations for best film and lead and supporting nominations for its actresses. The film releases in theatres on October 23, 2015.

James Marsh’s 2008 documentary Man on Wire on Phillippe Petit’s daring walk between the World Trade Towers already won the Best Documentary Oscar. Now, director Robert Zemeckis (Forrest Gump, Back to the Future) is retelling Petit’s story from his book, To Reach the Clouds. With Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Petit and Oscar winner Ben Kingsley, The Walk recreates his famous 1974 walk in breathtaking 3D and will be showcased on the large screen IMAX format. Best of all, the film gives Gordon-Levitt the chance to show off his French accent. The self-confessed Francophile has been a fluent French speaker for years. Take that, Bradley Cooper! The Walk, with Zemeckis’s previous Oscar and Golden Globe wins, might gain best film, director and lead actor nominations for Gordon-Levitt. It releases in theatres on October 2 and will have its premiere as it opens the New York Film Festival on September 25, 2015.

Based on writer Jon Krakauer’s (Into the Wild) book Into Thin Air, Everest details the 1996 fatal climb to Mount Everest. A strong ensemble cast of Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, John Hawkes, Robin Wright, Sam Worthington, Keira Knightley, Emily Watson and Jake Gyllenhaal take us throw the harrowing expedition which takes a turn for the worse once a severe snow storm hits. Directed by Baltasar Kormakur (2 Guns) and co-written by Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire) and William Nicholson, Everest also features a score by Oscar-winning composer Dario Marianelli (Atonement). Lately, most true life stories get recognized for their screenplay and direction, Everest too could like be nominated for the same. I have a feeling it could also squeeze through the technical categories, especially for VFX, if all the superhero films don’t crowd it out. Everest releases in theatres on September 18, 2015.

This is collaboration number 124578 between director Steven Spielberg and actor Tom Hanks. No, not really, but the Spielberg-Hanks partnership goes way back to 1990 when they first worked together a little film called Joe Versus the Volcano. (Sidebar: This ‘little’ film is a gem, do watch it if you can.) Based on the true life story of the 1960 incident when an US spy plane was shot down in Soviet airspace, Bridge of Spies is also adapted from the book of the same name by Giles Whittell. Co-starring Mark Rylance, Amy Adams and Alan Alda, this Spielberg-directed cold war thriller could land plenty of nominations during awards season. The prolific Coen brothers, Ethan and Joel, have contributed to the screenplay and composer Thomas Newman could earn his 13th Oscar nomination for the score. Could the 13th time be the charm? Bridge of Spies releases in theaters on October 16, 2015.

We just saw Matt Damon play a stranded astronaut in Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar. He’s back to repeat the experience, this time on the red planet, Mars, closer to home. Directed by Ridley Scott (Gladiator) and featuring a screenplay by Drew Godard (World War Z), The Martian is based on the popular novel by Andy Weir. The film costars Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels, Kate Mara and Chiwetel Ejiofor in this intense story of a man surviving and trying to find his way back to Earth. Damon could find himself once again competing for lead actor and this film, like Everest, will feature prominently in the technical categories like sound and VFX as well. The Martian releases in theaters on October 2, 2015.

These are just five of the many award hopefuls releasing in the second half of the year. What film are you most looking forward to?

News Update: Marvel's Ant-Man, Harry Potter, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and You've Got Mail at 15!

• I'm a big fan of Marvel superhero franchises and I even enjoy the TV series Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.  But I have to say I have no interest in its upcoming Ant-Man which is joining the overcrowded field of blockbusters releasing in 2015 (Star Wars! Avengers! Batman!) even though they've cast the very likable Paul Rudd (I Love You Man, This is 40) in the lead.  The film will be directed by Edgar Wright, who has been attached to the project for many years now and is due to release on July 31, 2015!

• Speaking of July 31st, it's the birthday of a very famous literary bespectacled wizard who had a great run at the press and the big screen and now Harry's heading to the stage.  J.K. Rowling isn't done surprising us as yet.  She's co-producing and bringing forth a new play based on Harry Potter's life before he became a wizard and lived with the Dursleys.  The play will debut on the West End in 2015.  Please keep surprising us like this forever Ms Rowling!

(Photo: Joseph Gordon-Levitt Facebook)

• What can't Joseph Gordon-Levitt do? The actor-writer-director is also turning producer for the big screen yet again (He also produced Looper last year) with author Neil Gaiman's Sandman.  He'll also be voicing the character of Jiro Horikoshi in the English language release of Hayao Miyazaki's last feature as director, The Wind Rises.  (PS- The resemblance is uncanny!)
• And finally, just for fun, let's revisit the trailer of You've Got Mail which celebrated its 15th anniversary two weeks ago.  Remember dial-up? Or typewriters! Or *sob* bookstores!  Contrasted with 2013's Her in which a character now falls in love with the OS on his phone, the story of two people falling in love over e-mails sounds so old-fashioned, doesn't it?

Around the World in Posters: X-Men, Saving Mr. Banks, How To Train Your Dragon 2 and more!

 I would watch any movie of Rooney Mara's, I find her choice of movie roles fascinating. 

 Here she is in Ain't Them Bodies Saints.

 

How do I get myself one of those T-shirts? 

Keri Russell plays out the ultimate Jane Austen fantasy in Austenland.

 I love this busy comic poster of The To Do List.



Beautiful poster of Saving Mr. Banks with Walt Disney and P.J. Travers
alongside their creations, Mickey Mouse and Mary Poppins.

 More posters of X-Men, Don Jon, Saving Mr. Banks, Diana and more after the cut!

Movie Review: Looper

Looper is one of the best time travel films I've seen. Period.  It's due to the great writing that even though you'll have so many questions about the whole enterprise, the film will literally blow you away. I think I watched the film at the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next. I thought I could predict what happened next but the film surprised me with turns and twists it took.

In 2044, a bleak looking Kansas, we meet a looper named Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) whose job it is to "take care" of the unwanted criminals/associates that the mob sends back from the future.  Joe tells us that in 2044, time travel hasn't been invented yet but in the future, thirty years from his present, 2074, it has been outlawed and only the criminals use it.  It is impossible to get rid of a body there so it is easier for the loopers to do the job for them.

However, the life of a looper is quite grim and depressing.  They do the dirty work of offing all these people and they also have sign an agreement that eventually they will close the "loop". That they will kill their future selves and be paid handsomely to live the 30 years till their death.  Well, would it be called a suicide since they are killing themselves?  Another question to think about it.

Joe goes about his business and has aspirations for a better life than the alternative he has now; he is learning French and saving up for a new life later.  Seriously, there seem to be no great job opportunities in Kansas 2044.  This is not the future we'd want to imagine for ourselves.  But this is not a film about how bad the future is.

The day comes when at the cornfield where Joe has to exterminate whoever is sent back in time (his usual spot), he meets his future self.   But unlike the bound and head covered "hits" that usually pop up, he looks right into his own eyes and is disconcerted.  This little moment allows Old Joe (Bruce Willis) to gain the upper hand and escape.

And here's where the film goes up another notch.  Both Joes (young and old) have their own agendas.  Young Joe has a plan in place for his life forever, he has accepted what will happen to him after closing his own loop and doesn't want to get on the wrong side of Abe (Jeff Daniels), his current mob boss.  Old Joe has 30 years of life on the other side and the love of a good woman who dies as as the new mob boss, the Rainmaker, in the new future comes to send him back to the past.  He's devastated and believes the only way to do change her death is to get rid of the man who put the orders to close every looper's loops.

So simple yet so complicated.  In an amazing scene set in a diner that Young Joe frequents, they both sit across each, assess and tell each other what they both should do.  Both of them are headstrong, so strong in their beliefs that their way is correct way to handle the situation. While Old Joe may have been mellowed by marriage, he is clouded in his judgement and is willing to do anything to solve his future's problems.

Young Joe on the other hand for all his youth and impetuousness seems more willing to weight the pros and cons once he sees the big picture.  It all comes to a head at a farm where a young mother Sara (Emily Blunt) is trying to raise her son Cid (Pierce Gagnon).  The scenes at the farm revealed so much about these three characters: Young Joe, Sara and Cid.  We see the best and worst of them.

I love a film that raises questions and doesn't just answer them for you.  The two Joes are on the same path to fix what's broken in their lives but their methods and executions are so different.  But they are the same person, divided only by time.  It is so fascinating.  Would you recognize and identify who you will become 30 years into the future?  There is substantial enough time to change the person you once were.

But can you ask your former self to change who you are at the time?  Others might take away something else from the film. Maybe the justification of trying to change the past by eliminating something or someone from it or to can you change a person's nature by nurture? But what stayed with me was the meeting of the past and future selves, both making a claim that they had a right to their lives. Even if one wins, the effect of changing the past is massive and might not bring the change you desire.

However, I did feel the film's ending is just right and fitting.  Director Rian Johnson has written an amazing script of a sci-fi tale that has hints of everything from action, love and suspense in it.  There are even a few lines of humor through in once in a while to ease the tension thankfully.  Initially, I was still thinking of a few stray plot lines that were introduced earlier but my questions were answered by the end.

The three leads are spot on.  The film does a good job of trying to show Gordon-Levitt as younger version of Willis with a changed voice, face and mannerisms although it was obvious the facial changes were due to prosthetic makeup.  Many times, it was like watching another actor and it felt like relief to finally see the typical arch of the eyebrow on Gordon-Levitt's face.

Bruce Willis is as cool as ever as the hardened looper just trying to get it done but you see the toll of making some awful and difficult decisions and what it does to him.  Emily Blunt too has a strong role as a conflicted mother who wants to do right by her son.  Pierce Gagnon who plays Cid brings equal amounts of creepy and cute to the role.  Looper is a film that you will want to watch again mainly because you'll want to discuss it with your friends and family.  Try not to get to learn too much about the film before you go in, let the events unfold before you and it'll make for a better viewing experience.

Written and Directed by Rian Johnson; Cinematography by Steve Yedlin; Edited by Bob Ducsay; Music by Nathan Johnson.

Also in the cast: Paul Dano, Noah Segan, Piper Perabo, Summer Qing, Garrett Dillahunt

Rating: 

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!

News Update: Gravity, Brave, Catching Fire and more!

(Video: Rope of Silicon)

• A new Brave featurette by way of France comes our way showing a lot more new scenes with references to the wish-gone-wrong and that ferocious bear.  I really can't wait to see how all this unfolds onscreen.  
• Gary Ross is not retuning for Catching Fire.  He cites the tight production schedules as an issue.  After days of will he/won't he, The Hunger Games sequel Catching Fire will definitely have another director.  The Hunger Games has spent the third weekend on top so I doubt Lionsgate will have a problem finding another to fill Ross' shoes.
• Joseph Gordon-Levitt has dropped out of Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained as he doesn't have the time as he is focusing on his directorial debut.  Don't worry, Gordon-Levitt fans, he still has Premium Rush, Looper, Lincoln and a little movie called The Dark Knight Rises coming out this year.  
• Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity starring George Clooney and Sandra Bullock will feature some very long shots.  According to executive producer Chris DeFaria, who spoke at a conference at USC, the opening sequence will contain a one 17-minute take and many shots will be 6-10 minutes long.  The film, however, is only two hours.  The cinematographer for this film is Emmanuel Lubezki (The Tree of Life).  What do you think? Are you looking forward this new style by Cuaron?

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!