The Dark Knight Rises TDKR News - NO Discussion

[Dragon_316ca]

http://www.multivu.com/mnr/56313-mtn-dew-dale-earnhardt-jr-no-88-the-dark-knight-rises-paint-scheme (video included)

PURCHASE, N.Y., May 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s popular No. 88 Chevrolet went “dark” today thanks to fans of The Dark Knight Rises and Mountain Dew® (DEW). Following a week and a half of voting at DEWCrew.com, Earnhardt revealed which “Dark Knight”-inspired paint scheme will be featured on the hood of his No. 88 Chevrolet in Michigan next month. In addition to the Bat Shield on the hood, the redesign features Batman and Bane, Gotham City’s newest villain, on either side of the car. The unveiling continues to drive anticipation for Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ The Dark Knight Rises, before the film’s opening day, July 20.

DEW and ‘Dark Knight’ fans have spoken, and it’s pretty cool that the paint scheme they picked is the one I helped create,” remarked Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. “Now that the winning design has been selected, I can’t wait to see how fans will react to the car on the track in Michigan.”

Members of the DEW Crew were given the option of four different paint schemes to vote on, with each capturing a different element featured in the third and final installment of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy. The winning design was revealed by Earnhardt and select DEW Crew members at the Hendrick Motorsports Fan Fest in Concord, N.C., and will race for the first time in Michigan on June 15.

“We aren’t totally shocked that the DEW Crew chose the scheme with the two lead characters as the winning Mountain Dew ‘Dark Knight’-inspired design for Dale’s car,” said Brett O’Brien, Vice President of Marketing for Mountain Dew. “I think we speak for fans everywhere when we say, aside from the Tumbler, we can’t think of a cooler set of wheels.”

Mountain Dew will be bringing fans more unique Dark Knight-inspired experiences next month with a new limited-time-only flavor, Mtn Dew Dark Berry, inspired by the film, and special 16-oz cans of DEW that feature a bat symbol that transforms to the distinctive green color of DEW when chilled. The limited-time offerings will hit shelves in mid-June.

 

[Kane52630]

SHH! From the Set of The Dark Knight Rises - Part 1

http://www.superherohype.com/features/articles/170777-from-the-set-of-the-dark-knight-rises-part-1

 

[kvz5]

http://collider.com/the-dark-knight-rises-set-visit/169238/

It’s a beautiful Sunday afternoon in Gotham City. The stadium is packed with families and fans excited to watch their football team, the Gotham Rogues. As the game starts, the fans are screaming because number 86 (Hines Ward) has caught the opening kickoff and appears to be headed for an easy touchdown. But as he approaches the end zone, the opposing players are swallowed by the collapsing field, as explosions are rocking the stadium and causing holes to appear all over the arena. Meanwhile, at the opposite end zone, an intimidating man with a heavy coat and a strange black mask is walking into the light. As he approaches a dead referee, he reaches down to pick up the PA microphone. A moment later, the intimidating figure is speaking to the crowd, and after delivering a few linesm director Christopher Nolan calls cut. Meanwhile, up in the press box, a small group of reporters from around the world are watching from up high, and excitedly trying to figure out what it all means. It’s a great day to visit Gotham City. I mean Pittsburgh.

But let me back up a second.

As I type these words, it’s Sunday, August 7, 2011, and I’m flying back from the set of The Dark Knight Rises. Yesterday, I got to visit the set with a few online reporters, and we spent all day watching filming at Heinz Field, interviewing the cast and filmmakers, and trying to figure out the secrets of the most-anticipated movie of 2012. While I’ve been incredibly lucky to see many filmmakers work up close, this was my first time on the set of a Christopher Nolan movie, and I have to say it was everything I’d hoped it would be. Hit the jump for so much more.


Before going any further, I know many of you don’t want to know the secrets of The Dark Knight Rises. Perhaps you clicked the jump because you couldn’t help yourself. Maybe you had to know just a bit more about the movie. So for those that don’t want to know what happens, and simply wish to know what I thought about being on the set, well let me put it this way: Remember when you were a kid and the holidays came around? You’d be sitting, unwrapping your presents, and were so excited about everything in front of you? That was me on the set of The Dark Knight Rises. Everything I saw, learned, and heard was amplified by a thousand because I was on the set of THE DARK KNIGHT RISES!

Like all of you, I think Nolan operates on another level, and to be able to see him work, and watch the raw footage on a monitor was just incredible. In addition, I watched director of photographer Wally Pfister use a huge IMAX camera on a steadicam. I also saw over ten thousand extras react to a terrorist attack, and then I saw the production set off around 50 massive explosions in a professional football stadium. It was truly an amazing day and one of the best set visits I’ve been on.

But I’ve left out the best part: everything I saw and learned tells me that Nolan and his team have found a way to at least match The Dark Knight. But I have a suspicion he’s actually going to top it.

Read on At Your Own Risk

It’s time for me to get specific about the set visit. If you’re trying to stay spoiler free, you might want to scroll to the bottom and click over to the interviews. Most of the interview subjects were well-trained in the art of talking a lot but saying very little.

20 Things to Know About The Dark Knight Rises

While the cast and filmmakers were very guarded, and tried to tell us as little as possible, I still learned a lot about the movie on set. Some of what I learned could be considered spoilers, and some are just things I thought were cool. Either way, here’s the list:

- The production is using the old-school huge IMAX camera (not the rumored smaller prototype) on both action scenes and scenes with dialogue. Anne Hathaway said the camera sounded like a cappuccino machine when it was next to her. We were told they will often film a take with the standard 35mm camera, and then the next take would be in IMAX. That’s why they’re unsure how much of the final film will be in IMAX until it’s all put together in the editing room. Either way, if you love the look of IMAX, prepare to be blown away next summer.

- On set, Nolan doesn’t watch playback on a monitor like most filmmakers. Instead he follows right behind the camera and watches the action up close. While he might watch playback at some point, he’s clearly not a filmmaker who stays in video village (where the playback is located and where most directors stay).

- On this particular day, the production paid for 500 extras to be in the stadium, and they had over 10,000 unpaid extras that were there just to watch filming. However, throughout the day, they kept doing contests and at the end of the day they were giving away a car and some other cool merchandise.

- Most of the crew have worked with Nolan many times. Also, Nolan expects his crew to stay on for the entire production.

- All the actors and the crew are incredibly guarded about everything. No one wants to be the one that spills a secret.

- One of the reasons they went to Pittsburgh instead of going back to Chicago is that they wanted a new look and they felt like they’ve shot everything in Chicago. Producer Emma Thomas talked about not wanting to repeat themselves.

- According to the actors and filmmakers, the script generally doesn’t change on set, which allows the actors to get comfortable with their lines.

- You will definitely see Bane break someone’s neck in the movie.

- They didn’t want to revisit the Joker as a villain, so they decided on Bane because he represents a physical challenge to Batman as opposed to a intellectual one.

- The Dark Knight Rises will have a different visual aesthetic than Batman Begins and The Dark Knight.

- They shot in India, England, Scotland, Pittsburgh, L.A., and New York.

- For the Bane character, they’ve “retained what works for this universe” with regards to his comic roots, but they’ve also changed some things.

- Christopher Nolan and co-writer David S. Goyer drew from comic book elements for the script, but ultimately their plan was to complete the stories they started in Batman Begins and The Dark Knight.

- The movie starts a few years after The Dark Knight Returns. Bruce Wayne has some grey hair on the sides of his head. which Bale showed us during his interview.

- It appears that Bruce Wayne might be pulling a Howard Hughes in the beginning of the film as we saw a few images of Wayne with long hair and standing around in his pajamas.

- The three Tumblers that many of us have seen in leaked photos are all used in the climax of the film. Each one has a different weapon on top.

- Anne Hathaway’s Catwoman is a cat-burglar in the film. Her costume is just like Batman in the sense that everything she has on her is practical. For example, her heels are metal and they’re used as weapons.

- Bane is older than he looks. Also, when he was young, he was injured, and he now jury requires a venom/gas (not sure) to keep him alive, and that’s what the mask is pumping into his body. He can’t survive without it.

- The Batcave is definitely in the movie, and it looks like the new way in and out will be through the water. But the water info isn’t 100% as I’m basing this on having seen the promo art, which wasn’t final.

- Batman has a new vehicle, and it’s definitely airborne. I saw promo art and the front of the unnamed vehicle looked like a cross between an X-Wing from Star Wars and the ship from The Last Starfighter. It should be noted by the time anyone reads this, I’m sure the toy images and trailers will have been released, and everyone will probably know the name of the vehicle.

- Gotham Stadium is going to get destroyed in the movie. When it happens, it’s the first time Bane really steps into the limelight in Gotham. I’d imagine this is a little before halfway in the movie, or near the end of the first act.

- Bane has a powerful weapon of some kind. As Bane addresses the crowd at the stadium, his men are wheeling up a huge metallic ball on a cart and it looks like this is the device that does all the damage. No one would tell us what the device was called or any additional information on what it does.

Promo Art and Images

After getting to speak with the cast and with the filmmakers, I still didn’t know much about The Dark Knight Rises. However, that all changed when we got to see a number of images and production artwork on huge cardboard sheets near where we were sitting. Here’s what we saw, which may be online by the time you read this:

Police Officer John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) are in a hospital. The scene looks like it took place either before the scene in the teaser trailer or right after. Levitt is holding a shotgun while Oldman has a handgun and both were standing up. They look like they’re both scared for what is about to happen.

The next image was a close-up of Bane looking at the camera. Behind him was a jail cell, but not in an American jail.

Promo art of two Tumblers on a winter street in Gotham City. The two Tumblers look like they’re approaching a big government building but I couldn’t make out what it was. The streets were empty. I think this is from the climax of the film.

A shot of the Batpod, which has the same design from The Dark Knight.

A scene with a hundred extras. It’s a jail of some sort with the cells towards the top, similar to the jail cell from the Bane image.

Promo art of Gotham Stadium getting destroyed by Bane and his henchmen. It looks very cool.

Shot of Bruce Wayne wearing pajamas in his apartment. Blake is sitting on the couch talking to him. No idea what he’s saying.

Awesome shot of Anne Hathaway as Catwoman. If Warner Bros. had released this as the first image of the character, people would have loved it.

A shot of Anne Hathway as Selina Kyle. She’s in street clothes, her hands are raised, and she’s in handcuffs. I’m wondering if she meets Wayne for the first time when she attempts to break into his apartment and encounters Wayne in Howard Hughes-mode. Again, just a guess.

Shot of Bane from behind approaching Batman. It’s a better looking shot from the teaser trailer. In this shot we can see the liquid going into Bane’s neck and the back of the mask.

Promo shot of the new Batcave. The image shows a long elevated ramp that goes to a single desk. In the image, we definitely see Wayne, but I couldn’t make out if it was Alfred (Michael Caine) or Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman) standing behind him. Also worth noting is the water that covers the entire floor of the Batcave. It seems that the rebuilt cave is filled with water, and perhaps this is the new way Batman gets in and out of the location.

Finally, the last image I saw was only for a few seconds before it got pulled. That’s because this piece of promo art showed the new vehicle. From what I could tell, the new vehicle flies and looks like a mix between an X-Wing from Star Wars and the ship from The Last Starfighter. I’d imagine the production build the shell of the vehicle, and will then use CG to make it fly. Also, on all four wings, I saw a bright white light coming off the engine. I couldn’t be sure if it’s from the engine, or a light shining down. Either way, the ship looked extremely cool.

Bane’s Big Entrance

If you’re still reading this report, then you clearly don’t mind spoilers. Therefore I’m about to get specific with what I saw being filmed, and what I thought of the footage. The thing to know is that we couldn’t see on the monitor what was being shot, so I’m not exactly sure what it’s going to look like. However, we got a crystal clear view at the main shots of Bane entering the stadium and how Nolan filmed it.

When we first arrived on set, we saw the production setting up to film a kickoff return by the Gotham Rogues. The stadium was packed with around twelve-thousand extras, and when they shot it, it looked and felt like a real football game was being played. They initially used a wide show, which means you could see everything in the frame. Not only did Nolan have a camera on the field following the main action, but on the sideline he’d set up a long dolly track, and the camera followed along as the players ran down the field.

Later in the day, they shot the same scene with a camera car driving in front of the players, so the player with the ball was running towards the camera while the camera was driving towards the zone. This is called “coverage” as Nolan will edit all these shots into one great looking return.

In between watching the players running the ball downfield, we watched as assassins from the League of Shadows (Ra’s Al Ghul’s shadowy organization from Batman Begins) entered the stadium with guns drawn, and the fans reacted in horror. They would often film these kinds of reaction shots in between the football shots so there was no wasted time. It’s worth noting that while Nolan could have shot the stadium empty and added in the screaming fans, no computer can make a stadium full of people look totally convincing. Having a section completely filled with real people reacting in different ways will add so much more than any CGI crowd.

After getting the shots he wanted, and many takes of the crowd reacting to the chaos, Nolan’s team started setting up the field for a lot of pyrotechnics. The first thing the team did was lay out a number of orange traffic cones. The crew was using the cones to show the area where the explosions would be set for the eye of the camera. In total, we counted 55 explosive devices on the field, and before they set them up, the crew blew one up so the crowd would understand what would happen and the level of noise to expect. That first one was pretty loud, so we were all pretty excited to hear what 55 would sound like.

As you might imagine, setting up what could be a potentially dangerous situation took a lot of time, and we patiently waited and watched the crew make everything perfect.

Once the field was set, we watched a number of rehearsals and then observed filming of the main Gotham Rogue player running down the field, and being chased by the opposing players. When the explosions go off in the movie, it will cause the field to sink in on itself, leaving huge holes in the stadium. As the player runs downfield, the explosions will go off behind him, and as they happen, areas around where he is running will form sink holes, and the opposing players will fall into them. That’s why he’ll get to the end zone unscathed.

To make this look as real as possible, the production built an area on the field that was elevated, but looked like it was absolutely part of the stadium. Then, in select areas, the crew made holes and filled the bottom with mattes so a stunt person could fall in and not get hurt. To make the stunt as safe as possible, Nolan and his team did a number of rehearsals, and then filmed a few takes without the explosions going off behind them.

Finally, once they’d shot enough coverage, they shot the same take except on this one they set off all 55 explosive devices as the players were running towards the camera. While the previous few takes had gone off without a hitch as the players fell into the holes at just the right time, and everything looked perfect, on the one with the explosions, there was a slight mix up towards the end, and one of the opposing players missed his mark. However, I’d imagine with all the ways Nolan shot the scene, he’ll be able to cut away or use another take, and you’ll never know anyone was out of place.

While I’ve seen a lot of cool stuff up close on a movie set, it was really something else to watch twelve-thousand people react to these explosions.

Finally, for the last bit of filming, we got to see Tom Hardy as Bane.

According to producer Emma Thomas, the football game is where Bane makes his grand entrance to the citizens of Gotham City. And if this ends up being true, that first shot is going to be amazing.

Rather than follow Bane from the front into the stadium, Nolan and cinematographer Wally Pfister follow Bane from behind and down low, so we see this hulking man wearing a long wintercoa,t and a weird mask as he’s really walking onto the field for the first time. Bane is in the center of the frame. As he walks in, the thousands in the stands are terrified as Bane’s men have taken control of the stadium after all the explosions have gone off.

As Bane walks in, he grabs the microphone off a dead referee and addresses the crowd. As he talks, the camera slowly follows him by having the steadicam operator walking around him. Bane is located in the center of the frame and all around you can see the stadium and the fact that he is really there. Where the seats are empty, I’m sure some CG people will be added. This is the moment where Bane makes his grand entrance, and after blowing up the field and terrifying thousands of Gothamites, it’s going to be a powerful moment on screen.

Another thing that was very interesting about this particular scene is that we watched it being filmed a few different ways. The first few takes were with a 35mm camera, and then for the next few we saw the IMAX camera attached to the steadicam. For those unaware, an IMAX camera weighs around 150 – 200 pounds and I have never seen it used on a steadicam. As a film nerd, I was flabbergasted that Nolan and his team had set this up. If he ends up using most of his IMAX stuff, The Dark Night Rises is going to be breathtaking to watch in an IMAX theater.

In addition, after Bane addresses the crowd, we watched as his soldiers brought a prisoner to his feet and then after Bane let the prisoner say something to the crowd, Bane snapped his neck! This was actually the final thing we saw and it was a hell of a way to go out.

Final Thoughts

As you can imagine, getting to be on the set of The Dark Knight Rises was an amazing experience and something I’ll never forget. While I sometimes leave a set thinking what I just watched might be good, I left this set 100% sure that Nolan and his team have crafted something that will make everyone very happy. I just wish I didn’t have to wait almost a year to see it.

 

[kvz5]

Full audio of the interviews:

Christian Bale - http://media.collider.com/collider_...s_Set_Visit/Christian_Bale_TDKR_Interview.mp3

Anne Hathaway - http://media.collider.com/collider_...es_Set_Visit/Anne_Hathaway_TDKR_Interview.mp3

Tom Hardy - http://media.collider.com/collider_..._Rises_Set_Visit/Tom_Hardy_TDKR_Interview.mp3

 

[kvz5]

EMPIRE BATMAN ISSUE (Part 1)
(credit to James.B)

[[click for bigger pic]]

 

[kvz5]

EMPIRE BATMAN ISSUE (Part 2)
(credit to James.B)

[[click for bigger pic]]

 

[kvz5]

Bale at the Jun/Jul 2012 issue of GQ Australia:

[[click for bigger pic]]

 

[Dragon_316ca]

http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/...-guys-choice-awards-450211/20120601spiketv01/

CHRISTIAN BALE AND CHRISTOPHER NOLAN TO ACCEPT "MOST MANTICIPATED" AWARD FOR "THE DARK KNIGHT RISES" AT SPIKE TV'S 2012 "GUYS CHOICE" AWARDS

"Guys Choice" Tapes on Saturday, June 2 at Sony Pictures Studios and Premieres on Spike TV on Saturday, June 9 At 9:00 P.M. ET/PT

Los Angeles, CA, June 1, 2012 - Spike TV's talent roster for the sixth annual "Guys Choice" (#GuysChoice) is filled with megawatt smiles from the industry's biggest names. This one night only event has become the place for luminaries from all over the entertainment landscape to gather in order to honor the year's most "man-tastic" achievements. The 2012 "Guys Choice" Awards tapes tomorrow, Saturday, June 2 at the Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, CA, and premieres next Saturday, June 9at 9:00 PM, ET/PT on Spike TV.

Spike TV announced today that Academy Award(R)-winning star Christian Bale and uber-talented director Christopher Nolan will be on hand to accept the "Most Manticipated" award for their upcoming blockbuster, "The Dark Knight Rises." The film marks the epic conclusion to Nolan's "Dark Knight" trilogy.

 

[Kane52630]

Epic new ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ footage from the MTV Movie Awards (video)

Christopher Nolan, Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt just took the stage at the MTV Movie Awards and showed off some amazing new footage from The Dark Knight Rises! Check it out for yourself, and let me know what you think in the comments below.

Thanks to redfirebird2008 from the Superhero Hype forums for the video

http://batman-news.com/2012/06/03/new-the-dark-knight-rises-footage-mtv-movie-awards-video/

 

[The Trainman]

Dark Knight Marathon. Tickets go on sale June 11th, Noon.

http://go.amctheatres.com/tdkr

 

[kvz5]

http://t.co/TZcMHVpl

Dark Knight Gets Emotional

In perhaps the night's most unexpected moment, Christian Bale appeared to be on the verge of tears after a montage of "Batman" footage, including shots of Heath Ledger, played during the show.

Afterwards, Bale, director Christopher Nolan and co-stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Gary Oldman all embraced one another again and again. This was a special moment, clearly, for them all. Nolan (whose teleprompter, alone among presenters on Sunday, read simply, "Ad lib") was the focus of all the "Dark Knight Rises" well-wishing.

"Thank you," Bale told him. "Thank you," Gordon-Levitt echoed. "Thank you."

 

[Kane52630]

http://www.facebook.com/thedarkknightrises/posts/417897048250911

 

[Rowsdower!]

edit

 

[RedSkull]

Found on a certain other website:

BATCAVE - "Completely rebuilt after the fire, the new Batcave headquarters is the nerve center of Batman's operation. Here, he can monitor criminal activity in real time. The cave is concealed by massive stone cubes that mask the presence of any activity within. Bridges and ramps have also been built inside the cave to allow Batman's vehicles' entry as well as to help transport computer equiptment safely in and out."

JOHN BLAKE - "Is a passionate young police officer who shares Batman's vision of a crime-free Gotham City. Blake quickly formed a strong bond with Jim Gordon and has learned a great deal under his guidence."

MIRANDA TATE - "As a board member of Wayne Enterprises, Miranda Tate helps Bruce resume his father's philanthropic endeavors. She is also a very clever and intelligent businesswoman.
Ra's al Ghul - "My book has announced Ra's did not survive the train wreak. So he only appears in flashback."

 

[Vengeance of Bane]

Nokia and Warner Bros. have teamed to launch The Dark Knight Rises, an exclusive app for Nokia Lumia smartphones. This app would offer The Dark Knight Rises movie trailers, along with behind-the-scenes video footage and exclusive TDKR wallpapers and audio tones.

It also has The Dark Knight Rises game – Claim Gotham City that has people choose sides – Batman or Bane – and claim and defend places through real-life Foursquare check-ins. Users will be rewarded with TDKR exclusive content for claiming places for their side and can play solo or with others.

In addition to these features, the app also has A countdown to the film’s US release on July 20th and theatre locator using Nokia Maps. and Film Info & Social Buzz that offers background on the film and cast bios, fans will be able to track all the live social buzz related to the film on Twitter.

 

[RedSkull]

 

[Dragon_316ca]

http://www.importedfromgothamcity.com/

 

[Dragon_316ca]

http://www.deadline.com/2012/06/chr...s-no-love-for-digital-produced-by-conference/

Christopher Nolan made two things extremely clear today as the Produced By Conference got underway on the Sony lot in Culver City. He will definitely not be making a fourth Batman movie, and he believes that digital filmmaking is “devaluing of what we do as filmmakers.”

 

[kvz5]

From: craigdbfan

TDKR Official Soundtrack Tracklist (possible spoilers)

Spoiler

01. A Storm Is Coming (0:37)
02. On Thin Ice (2:55)
03. Gotham's Reckoning (4:08)
04. Mind If I Cut In? (3:27)
05. Underground Army (3:12)
06. Born In Darkness (1:57)
07. The Fire Rises (5:33)
08. Nothing Out There (2:51)
09. Despair (3:14)
10. Fear Will Find You (3:08)
11. Why Do We Fall? (2:03)
12. Death By Exile (0:23)
13. Imagine The Fire (7:25)
14. Necessary Evil (3:16)
15. Rise (7:11)
TOTAL TIME: 51:20

 

[Kane52630]

Tickets for ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ on Sale Now

http://batman-news.com/2012/06/11/get-your-tickets-for-the-dark-knight-rises-now/

It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for! You can officially buy your tickets to the July 20th release of The Dark Knight Rises! Tickets should be available at your theater’s website, however Batman-News.com has partnered up with Fandango to simplify the buying process.

Ticket sales through these links benefit Batman-News.com financially, and provide a way for readers to directly support this site.

 

[Kane52630]

Fandango's The Dark Knight Rises

http://apps.facebook.com/fandangodarkknight/

 

[StianSteel]

Matthew Modine interview:

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=39116

With the opening of Warner Brothers and DC Entertainment's "The Dark Knight Rises" about a month away, rumors and questions about the secrecy-shrouded film abound -- and no one knows this better than actor Matthew Modine, the man playing Gotham Deputy Commissioner Foley in the film.

"I'm very excited to be a part of the film...if I told you any more, I'd be in violation of my non-disclosure agreement!" Modine laughed as he spoke one on one with CBR News about what it was like working on director Christopher Nolan and star <A href="http://www.comicbookresources.com/tag/christian+bale" itxtBad="1" itxtNodeId="48">third Batman film and his upcoming projects.
While he could not speak about who the mysterious Foley was or movie's plot points, Modine is confident that all the secrecy surrounding Nolan's final chapter will be worth the wait for fans come July 20 when the film finally releases.

"The only thing I can say is that the experience of working with Christopher Nolan and this tremendous cast of returning characters and new characters -- Tom Hardy and Anne Hathaway, my friend Gary Oldman -- on such an extraordinary franchise is one of the highlights of my career," Modine said.

Dubbing himself a "Dark Knight" movie franchise fan, Modine said the appeal of doing the film was partly motivated by his movie fandom but largely motivated by his love of Batman.

"I think he's such an extraordinary character, Batman, because he's a human being. He's not a man with supernatural powers, he's not a mythological character -- he's just a man who's damaged, who's broken like so many people in the world...trying to do good," Modine said.

"The interesting point then becomes, when you do good, when you're fighting crime, when do you cross that line of becoming a vigilante? I think that 'broken person doing good' is something we all aspire to in our life, trying to overcome our fears and trying to fight evil in the world. He's a character we all relate to."

With another laugh, Modine joked, "You can't really relate to Thor, for instance! I like the story, but I don't relate to him -- I can't use his hammer!"

Modine, then compared "Dark Knight Rises" to "The Avengers," attributing the popularity of Nolan's Batman to the painstaking real world grounding.
"I don't want to offend the [Marvel] people by saying that the Avengers are just mythological characters with magic powers, because I'd offend half of the people who buy comic books. But the thing that's extraordinary about Batman is that he's a man, he's not a superman. He's of this earth...he's broken and he's trying to repair himself," Modine clarified.

"I think that Christopher Nolan has been a masterful storyteller in taking that story about the Dark Knight and re-envisioning the story for a whole new generation of film goers."

Describing his excitement the first time he walked on "The Dark Knight Rises" set, Modine continued his praise for Nolan, describing the man behind the trilogy as a hands-on director.

"This may sound simplistic to say it, but when Christopher Nolan makes a film, he stands by the camera. The only person I can compare him to in this sense is Stanley Kubrick, who used to operate the camera. I'd say 90% of 'Full Metal Jacket,' the camera was operated by Stanley Kubrick," Modine said.

"Today, so many film directors are not on the set. They're behind the television monitor viewing the movie from dozens of yards away from where the action is actually taking place.

"We know from the past, that image of the director standing there with a megaphone saying 'Action!' My point is, that's not so much done today, so to have a director standing on set, participating and being involved in the scene, is very old school."

Modine was also thrilled to get screen time with Gary Oldman, who reprises his role as Commission Gordon.

"Gary's an old friend, we've worked together before, we came up together. I'm a great admirer of Gary," Modine said, confessing good naturedly he was a bit awed by the rest of the cast. "Even if I wasn't in a scene, I wanted to be there, watching how [Nolan] was making the film, watching the other actors work. I mean, look who you have! When do you get a chance to watch Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman and Gary Oldman and Christian Bale? Some of the most wonderful actors alive working today?"

The actor also admitted to being a big fan of the Batman comics as both a kid and an adult. "Of contemporary artists I love Frank Miller -- I think his illustrations are so extraordinary and graphic, and I think his relationship with ['Sin City' co-director] Robert Rodriguez is a powerful marriage between two visionaries," the actor said.



"The Dark Knight Rises" isn't Modine's only high-profile film role fanss have to look forward to as he recently agreed to appear in the upcoming Steve Jobs biopic "Jobs." Filming is set to begin this summer, with Ashton Kutcher playing Jobs and Modine portraying John Sculley, the CEO of Apple from 1983 to 1993.

"The man who fired Steve Jobs from his own company!" Modine declared. The actor then compared the story of how Jobs was fired from Apple in 1985 to how Michael Jordan got cut from his high school basketball team -- both events, according to Modine, that helped drive the two men to achieve the extraordinary.

"When Steve Jobs was fired from Apple Computers, he went off and founded his own company. It was during that journey, being away from Apple that I believe, like Michael Jordan, he began to understand who he was and gave him the drive he needed in order to become...the great innovator we all know him to be."

This summer also sees the twenty-fifth anniversary of "Full Metal Jacket, director Stanley Kubrick's famous Vietnam film and the movie that first brought Modine to national attention. It also is the subject of Modine's book, "Full Metal Jacket Diary."

"I was encouraged by Kubrick to keep a diary [while shooting] and he allowed me to take photographs on set, which became 'Full Metal Jacket Diary,'" Modine explained, saying that the 2005 publication was
limited to about twenty thousand metal-bound, serial numbered copies.

"I wanted to make something that Stanley Kubrick would be proud of, that he would say this is a beautiful book...I wanted it to be a collector's item. [After publication,] I met this young fellow [Adam Rackoff] from Apple Computers and he was a fan of 'Full Metal Jacket Diary' and he asked me, 'What if I turned your book into an app?' I said, 'An app?'" recalled Modine with a laugh.

Rackoff explained that he wanted to record Modine reading the book, playing all the parts, and scan in the photos and never before seen content, essentially creating an audio/visual iPad app. "The app will come out this summer to correspond with the release of the twenty-fifth anniversary Blu-Ray edition of the movie," Modine said, adding that there are plans to expand into the Android market in the future.

While Modine's career has spanned multiple prestigious films and shows, from "Any Given Sunday" and HBO's "Too Big To Fail," the actor confessed his absolute dream role is not from a contemporary source but was written 130 years ago.

"There's a story I've always been in love with since I went to acting school, it's a play written by Henrik Ibsen called 'An Enemy Of The People,'" Modine said. The 1882 play revolves around Dr. Thomas Stockmann, a small town doctor who discovers pollution from a local tannery is getting into the town's water. However, when he tries to stop it the town rises against him, worried that bringing the issue to light will hurt their tourist trade.

"The reason I like this story is the man who discovers this problem becomes an enemy of the people because of the other people's greed, their desire not to change their lifestyles; I don't know an environmentalists today who won't tell you we're at a tipping point, that our behavior on this planet is unsustainable," Modine said. "I want to play that guy who's trying to get people to wake up and pay attention and realize we have to do something before we create a situation that is disastrous."

Bringing the conversation back to "The Dark Knight Rises," Modine compared the upcoming film to the blockbuster movies his father would show at the drive-in theatre he managed when Modine was younger.

"I remember the big ticket movies that would come to my dad's theatre, the excitement that would surround them, anticipation," Modine said. "I think this film will deliver that kind of hope and love for people and humanity -- it may sound strange, but I think all those things will be embodied in this final chapter of Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale's Batman.

"Legends don't die, you see. People die but legends live -- and what Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale have created with this story will be stuff of legend."

 

[Kane52630]

Mimoco Announces Dark Knight Rises/DC USB Drives
http://www.superherohype.com/news/articles/171079-mimoco-announces-dark-knight-risesdc-usb-drives

Mimoco, creator of the MIMOBOT® line of designer USB flash drives and MIMOMICRO® card readers, and Warner Bros. Consumer Products on behalf of DC Entertainment, today announced the Batman™ The Dark Knight Rises Edition, Superman, and The Flash series of MIMOBOT designer USB flash drives. Joining the original Batman and Green Lantern waves of MIMOBOT flash drives, these essential super hero characters are available in up to 64GB capacities and come preloaded with bonus Mimory™ and mimoDesk™ suites of screensavers, avatars, and wallpapers.

"We're beyond thrilled to introduce these iconic and essential super heroes into the DC Comics X MIMOBOT line-up," said Scott Seraydarian, Director of Media at Mimoco. "Superman, in many ways, defined American pop-culture in the 20th Century, and The Flash is just perfect for our line of designer USB flash drives. We at Mimoco are also excited to see 'The Dark Knight Rises' when it hits theatres this summer and are pleased to take part with the release of our awesome new 'The Dark Knight Rises' Edition of Batman MIMOBOT flash drives."

Take a look at the drives with a special reenactment of The Dark Knight Rises below.

[YT]kqiBAq9jC34[/YT]

 

[Dragon_316ca]

U.K. residents only (contest by Nissan): http://www.builttothrill.co.uk/

 

[Kane52630]

30 second samples from &#8216;The Dark Knight Rises&#8217; soundtrack

http://batman-news.com/2012/06/14/30-second-samples-the-dark-knight-rises-soundtrack-audio/

Earlier this week the official album art and track listing for The Dark Knight Rises was revealed, and now you can listen to 30 seconds of each track! You&#8217;ll be able to pick up the full soundtrack on July 17th. Give the tracks a sample, and let me know what you think of Hans Zimmer&#8217;s work in the comments.

Listen: http://soundcloud.com/batmannewscom/01-a-storm-is-coming