What Happened to The Dark Knight Rises?

How do you follow up the greatest superhero movie ever made? This was the dilemma director Christopher Nolan was faced with when he made his third and final instalment in his Batman trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises. While Batman Begins had been a solid critical and commercial hit, The Dark Knight was a cultural phenomenon, with many proclaiming it the greatest superhero movie ever made, a status it’s managed to hold on to fifteen years later.

However, Nolan faced many issues, the most notable of which was that his iconic Joker, Heath Ledger, had tragically passed away before The Dark Knight hit theaters. Recasting the role was a non-starter, so they would have to find another equally impressive villain. They ended up settling on Bane, who would be played by Tom Hardy, whose star was on the rise following his acclaimed turn in the Nicolas Winding Refn film, Bronson and a key role in Nolan’s own Inception. The cast would include Anne Hathaway as The Catwoman, while Marion Cottilard (another Inception veteran) would join, alongside the returning Christian Bale, Michael Caine and Gary Oldman.

While a financial hit, The Dark Knight Rises would be a lightning rod for controversy even before it was released. An early prelude played before Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol in IMAX featured the Movie’s opening scene with Bane, but no one could understand Hardy’s muffled dialogue. It was a criticism that carried over to the film itself and would become a sticking point for Nolan films, in general, going forward. Many fans would criticize the movie, while others would call it underrated. In this episode of What Happened to this Movie (written by Brad Hamerly, edited by Juan Jimenez and narrated by Mathew Plale) we dig into the Movie’s making and controversial reception.