The Dark Knight Rises shows 8 minute preview, introducing Bane
Is Tom Hardy's portrayal of the villain Bane going to steal the limelight from Christian Bale's Batman character? It certainly seems like it; fans seem more keen to sink their teeth into the brutally strong character, and that's a good thing. Since the passing of Heath Ledger who played The Joker in The Dark Knight Rises, generating massive audience interest in a villain would certainly be no easy task, something only a super-talented, fresh face could pull off.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, director and co-scribe Christopher Nolan showed around 8 minutes from the film last night in a preview, which can be caught in IMAX theaters just before fans see Paramount's Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol. The footage introduced Bane, while not revealing too much, showing a bank heist with a plane involved.
Footage was tension-filled, as is the norm for Nolan pics like The Dark Knight, and his more recent Inception. However, according to sources, those in attendance (mostly press) struggled to catch what Hardy said under the mask. This was followed by feedback from Nolan who stated that this may be due to Hardy's accent, and viewers being unable to see his lips to aid with hearing the dialogue.
The Dark Knight Rises opens July 20th next year via Warner Bros. Pictures. Also in the cast are Joseph Gordon-Levitt (John Blake), Anne Hathaway (Selina Kyle/Catwoman), Gary Oldman (Jim Gordon), Morgan Freeman (Lucius Fox), Marion Cotillard (Miranda Tate), Michael Caine (Alfred), Juno Temple, Josh Pence (Young Ra's Al Ghul), Josh Stewart, Joey King, Nestor Carbonell (Mayor Anthony Garcia) and Brett Cullen (Judge).