Chris Nolan might pull a Bruce Wayne
I’ve been thinking about The Dark Knight Rises a lot lately. On Monday, I walked through a Pittsburgh cemetery, where areas are sectioned off for extras parking and probably some filming, and wondered what Christopher Nolan has planned for the expansive grave site.
Today’s news does not ease my worried mind.
Reportedly, Adam West will make a cameo in the third movie. As Josh Wigler of MTV Splash Page smartly observes, “Bringing West in for a small role might be fun, but it also runs the risk of ripping the committed viewer right out of an otherwise dramatic picture.”
I completely agree. In fact, many of Nolan’s decisions for his last (most likely) Batman film have me wringing my hands in concern. Bane as the choice bad guy? I used to have respect for the villain who broke Batman’s back, until contemporary writers started dismissing him as a joke (and not a deadly one, unlike the Joker’s knack for humor). He’s been reduced to a steroid-raging wrestler-type who’s all talk and no crippled Batman. Maybe Nolan wants to restore him to his old glory. Or maybe Nolan isn’t going for realism this time around, as Wigler suggested—”It just doesn’t seem like Nolan’s style.”
And the Lazarus Pit? Explain that one to me.
I’m not the biggest proponent of Anne Hathaway as Catwoman, either, but perhaps she’ll surprise me. I just hope she doesn’t turn out to be another Rachel Dawes.
Nolan has never steered me wrong before, and I have no concrete reason to doubt his genius now. But I’m still worried. Nolan could be pulling a Bruce Wayne here: either he’s setting us up to blow our minds, just like every time Bruce steps into the Batsuit, or he’s going to embarrass us horribly at some dinner party. I’m not sure which.
