DARK KNIGHT RISES VIRAL CAMPAIGN BEGINS

It leaked.

Creepy

Awesome, Tom Hardy is looking like he's in Bronson shape. Can't wait to see him and Christian Bale kick the shit out of each other. Hopefully in wide shot, long takes and not close, fast cuts.

Design and texture wise, that mask more closely resembles Wayne Tech than anything else any of the Nolan-verse Bat-villians have used.

Except....are those supposed to be bone fingers on the front?

Aaaaaaaand the excitement begins.

Love the look of Bane. It's kind of what I was expecting but better. With Tom Hardy as Bane you're pretty much guaranteed that this version of the character will be much more interesting than the comics.

Though I kind of had my heart set on the Hugo Strange idea, this is starting to get me interested in what Nolan has cooking, especially if Nolan takes it in a weird metaphysical direction with the Lazarus Pit. I'm not expecting it to outdo THE DARK KNIGHT for me personally, but if Nolan delivers something exciting, epic and a little weird, I'll be happy. Here's to Nolan breaking the curse of the third superhero film.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jackson 

Design and texture wise, that mask more closely resembles Wayne Tech than anything else any of the Nolan-verse Bat-villians have used.

 

Except....are those supposed to be bone fingers on the front?

No, though I'd imagine the look is deliberately reminiscent.  If you look at the fully-embiggened hi-res shot, it's actually tubing.  Looks like "venom" or some reasonable facsimile thereof (perhaps distilled from the "Scarecrow Flower" somehow?) is in the film.

Someone needs to do some work on that .wav file as it seems to be playing in a backwards/choppy way.

Goddamn, Hardy looks enormous.

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Originally Posted by Shaun H 

Someone needs to do some work on that .wav file as it seems to be playing in a backwards/choppy way.

Someone at SHH did:

My guess would be that Venom is distilled from the Lazarus Pit.

Very interesting.

Not gonna lie, I'd have a huge nerd-boner if the Lazarus Pit ended up being some slightly modern update of The Box from The Prestige.

It looks like a Nolan Bane. Good. Long ways to go, but it's nice to see them get the ball rolling. TRON: Legacy filled a void, sorta, glad to see the master returning to roost.

Edit: Nevermind. I'm retarded.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bendrix 

My guess would be that Venom is distilled from the Lazarus Pit.

Maybe, but I'm not fully sold on the idea that Lazarus Pits are actually going to show up in the film.  Still more of the mind that "Young Ra's" is for flashbacks letting us in on Bane and (possibly) Talia-in-Disguise's origins.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jackson 

Design and texture wise, that mask more closely resembles Wayne Tech than anything else any of the Nolan-verse Bat-villians have used.

 

Except....are those supposed to be bone fingers on the front?

I thougth those were bones also, like Scorpions mask from MK. Looks weird.

It's metal. Look at the bigger picture in the actual Chud article.

Holy hell that looks awesome....

So, looks like Nolan is going the Venom route. Interesting. This definitely looks cool, and it once again proves that Nolan is not the boring, "strictly reality" guy that so many people accuse him of being.

So, we know that Josh Pence has been cast as a young Ras Al Ghul.  I'm thinking that a flashback, could show him, and a young Bane at the Lazarus Pit.  Instead of it "regenerating" youth, maybe it's a natural form of steriod?  Kind of like how the scarecrow flower had to be "inhaled" the same could go for that?  This "pit" would steam up, and the person would inhale it to become "stronger".  So, that would explain his gas mask, as a way he could take the "pit" with him everywhere, and constantly increase his strength. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by JacknifeJohnny 

So, looks like Nolan is going the Venom route. Interesting. This definitely looks cool, and it once again proves that Nolan is not the boring, "strictly reality" guy that so many people accuse him of being.

I think Venom is going to be synthesized just like Scarecrow's fear serum. Not reality, sure, but that's still got the stink of trying to have the base of one. Venom wasn't paranormal in the comics, was it? Or did retconning happen? Either way, I'm in just because of Hardy. I have no reservation about his involvement.

No, it was never a supernatural thing, but the non-reality of it is that it actually increased muscle mass immediately upon injection*. At this point we know we're getting something like Venom, but I suspect it's going to work a little differently. This all has me very excited, as the general process for myself and a lot of people has been about figuring out what Nolan will subtract, and often being proven wrong when he just decides to roll with some shit. I honestly did not believe that "Venom" was going to happen.

*Last time I checked, Bane beat his habit and hasn't used in years.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JacknifeJohnny 

I honestly did not believe that "Venom" was going to happen.

 

Too funny because I immediately snapped to thinking it would. I know Nolan deliberately doesn't teather himself with comic continuity, but when he does it's usually in regards to character elements(i.e. Scarecrow's fear toxin, Two-Face's double sided coin). Bane's Venom falls in line with that pattern.

Wouldn't be surprised if  "Venom" gets a different name, or even one at all. There's a reason for me saying this, but it's so stupid that I really don't feel like sharing. Regardless, this is really getting me jazzed hardcore. I'm willing to wager Hardy's feral performances in Bronson and The Take is what drove Nolan to choose Bane; with the mask and possibe Venom inclusion, Hardy's Bane might Nolan's version of Frank Booth.

I really think the Lazarus pit and Venom will be one in the same. 

Hardy looks awesome.

I hope Bale is a little bigger in this one as well.

I'm irrationally stoked about this. Almost giddy. Glad they're doing the viral thing again, as I loved the campaign for TDK.

And Hardy, in that lighting and pose at least, looks mildly terrifying as Bane.

Quote:

Originally Posted by NickP 

So, we know that Josh Pence has been cast as a young Ras Al Ghul.  I'm thinking that a flashback, could show him, and a young Bane at the Lazarus Pit.  Instead of it "regenerating" youth, maybe it's a natural form of steriod?  Kind of like how the scarecrow flower had to be "inhaled" the same could go for that?  This "pit" would steam up, and the person would inhale it to become "stronger".  So, that would explain his gas mask, as a way he could take the "pit" with him everywhere, and constantly increase his strength. 

Problem with that theory is: "Oh shit, Batman's screwed... what's he gonna do?!?! Oh, he just pulled off Bane's mask..."

I'm hoping he's akin to the Bane of Knightfall -- just not matching Batman in physicality but intelligence.

I hope he takes Batman through the ringer, and just not cutting off the supply of whatever is distributed through his mask and throwing in a one-liner.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Evi 

Problem with that theory is: "Oh shit, Batman's screwed... what's he gonna do?!?! Oh, he just pulled off Bane's mask..."

I would imagine the effects of the drug wouldn't instantly dissapear after the user stops inhaling it.  I could see the Lazarus Pit, being something only the leaders of the League of Shadows could use.  They would bath in it before battle to increase their strength and endurance before battle, and to aid in their recovery after.  Maybe Bane has wear a mask  because he smoked to much earlier in life, and needs constant oxygen for his emphysema?

What I like about the design of the mask is how Nolan and co. resolved the problem of the comic book design. The design in the comics is almost arbitrary, it's not that well thought out, it's a wrestling mask, there's basically nothing to it. It looks like the thinking behind what we have here, is that they want the character to have a mask (I'm sure the WB appreciates Bane remaining toyetic) , so to retain that, they took a look at the ports on the back of Bane's head in the comics and extended that element so that the whole thing is a support system for the drug (which also seems to have solved the problem of the exposed tube running down his arm). That's a cool way to crack the problem. There's also a muzzle, Hannibal Lector-ish thing going on there. He looks like Little Humungus, Lord Humungus' younger brother. I dig that.

Yeah, I always thought Bane was a lazy design. "He's a Mexican wrestler with a tube in his head!" C'mon. This movie will redefine a weak character and maybe even bump him up to Batman's a-list. Projecting a bit, but I really don't think it's a stretch considering what Nolan manged to do with the Joker, who was already THE most iconic character in comic book villain history. If DC is smart, they'll retool Bane in the comics to be closer to what Nolan is cooking up here.

It just occurred to me the main reason why Nolan might have chosen Bane, and a cursory google search revealed that a few others have made the same connection: Roy Batty.

I guess it just didn't click until I saw this picture, which looks like the picture of a guy who has been engineered for a specific (and clearly unpleasant) purpose. Nolan has long been open in his love for Blade Runner, and elements of it (from designs to themes and more) are threaded throughout many if not all of his films. Hell, just the other day I realized that Bruce lifting up Ra's Al Ghul with one arm in order to save his life, mirrors the scene where Batty saves Deckard at the end of Blade Runner.

I've been saying that Batman is the best Nolan protagonist that Nolan didn't create himself. The character is tailor-made for the kind of themes that the director likes to explore, and the character of Bane specifically comes nigh fully assembled as a "Roy Batty type", so the idea of using him was probably irresistible.

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Originally Posted by JacknifeJohnny 
The character is tailor-made for the kind of themes that the director likes to explore, and the character of Bane specifically comes nigh fully assembled as a "Roy Batty type", so the idea of using him was probably irresistible.

Interesting parallels. Food for thought for sure.
 

Can't wait for Bane to stick his fingers in someone. Really though, will we have to ask the question is Batman a replicant?! *

*Holy poo, if both Bane and Batman have ties to the League of Shadows...

There's a possible shot of Catwoman up now as well, though I won't link it in case CHUD wants to run a story on it.

That picture is so fake that my dick fell off when I looked at it. I don't know what the fuck Harry's problem is.

That "possible Catwoman shot" is the most hilariously embarrassing fake ever run by an online news site.

He ran that and the super obviously fake Spider-Man poster within a matter of hours. Not that there was much integrity left in the site, but Jesus Christ. If it had been one of the smaller names that throw news up at the first fart to blow through the grass, that'd be one thing, but Harry? I could see getting duped by stuff like that 10 years ago, but now...that's just sad.

I have to imagine he didn't even get "duped," he just wanted some cheap hits for some reason. (Which is, of course, arguably far far worse than getting fooled like that)

That Catwoman shot is soooooo bad.  I have a hard time beleiving anyone would think that's real.  Hit whoring is written all over that post.  Kudos to Chud for having integrity...

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Originally Posted by joeypants 

I have to imagine he didn't even get "duped," he just wanted some cheap hits for some reason. (Which is, of course, arguably far far worse than getting fooled like that)

Seconded. No fucking way anyone thought that Spidey poster was for real. Hit whoring at its finest.

If you guys really wanted to hit-whore you could spin some sort of "Joker confirmed to appear in TDKR" headline with Matthew Modine's casting.

Harry doesn't run a "movie scoop" site anymore. He's too in bed with the studios. But there is a large portion of the AICN fanbase that remembers the good ol' days and actively calls him on the new status quo. So, to counter, he runs a couple obviously fake "scoops" in an attempt to keep up the site's cred without pissing off the studios. That's my take, anyway.

I wonder if a site that modeled itself after AICN's or Coming Attraction's early days -- one that eschewed dealing with studio PR and ran whatever they felt was newsworthy regardless of how unhappy it made the studio -- could even exist today. Too many lawyers watching too closely now? Or maybe giving up access means you spend too much time playing catch-up to the sites who do play ball? Hmm ...

Oh, that's right ... this thread is about Batman. Sorry about the derail.

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Originally Posted by MichaelM 

Seconded. No fucking way anyone thought that Spidey poster was for real. Hit whoring at its finest.

You know, I don't think that Spider-Man poster is that bad.... pretty decent for a "teaser" poster.

Oh yes...Batman..well, I'm looking forward to it.

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Originally Posted by MoonBaseNick 

 

You know, I don't think that Spider-Man poster is that bad.... pretty decent for a "teaser" poster.

 

Oh yes...Batman..well, I'm looking forward to it.

The Spider-Man poster reads "IN JULY 3RD 2012." That's not even decent for grammar. As for the design, it looks like an extreme closeup of a lycra tampon. Running that while purporting to be a professional site is the epitome of cynical.

As for the heyday of AICN and ComingSoon--the studios have figured out the internet; they've figured out information flow. They know how to feed exclusives and marginalize the unofficial and unsanctioned material. 

Harry's been an open sellout forever now, hit-whoring should be the least surprising thing he does.

I was wondering what the hell happened to Matt Modine.

Matthew Modine, following in the footsteps of Rutger Hauer, Eric Roberts and Tom Berenger. You've done it again, Nolan!

Rumors of a teaser in front of Potter VII.2 now gaining traction. It opens a few days before the kick-off of Comic Con 2011; probably not too farfetched to imagine the viral stuff getting active again with those two events. They did a surprise ARG event at Comic Con 2007, and they seem to be roughly following the same timeline as the previous viral stuff (first event was viral release of Ledger in Joker makeup, using people registering to reveal pixels, in May of 2007).