"He's always had this need, this drive, to take action because of the tragedy that befell him," Christian Bale tells
Total Film Magazine in their latest issue.
"He's not in the healthiest of places, in many ways." With the plot of
The Dark Knight Rises still one of Hollywood's best kept secrets, we have no idea what state we find Bruce Wayne eight years after the events of the last film. However, there will be one constant in his life. Pain.
"That's constant throughout. But I think it's more about him feeling the consequences of a life that's entirely directed by pain, and holding onto that pain, and just how long he can do that. It's about making the decision to continue [being Batman] in order to maybe self-destruct, or whether he can find some kind of rebirth, to be himself. There's a certain amount of reflection."
"Chris is very good at recognising the kind of movie that we're making, that we're not making a little character piece," he adds for anyone concerned that action might be put on the back burner.
"There's no reason why you can't have a substantial amount of character in it, but we're not going to go so far that people say, 'This is no longer the excitement I'm looking for.' It's the end of an era. For me, personally, and for Batman." As ominous that sounds, producer (and wife of director Christopher Nolan) Emma Thomas makes it clear that the Caped Crusader faces his biggest challenge yet.
"I would say that in terms of brutality, this one exceeds the last one. This is the first episode that Batman's ever physically been taken. Bane is a brute. I think what's great about this villain is that The Joker is all about mind games and messing with people, whereas Bane is about physical strength. We're giving Batman someone truly worthy of him. It's not just pure force. Je's really switched on."
For more from these two (as well as Christopher Nolan and the rest of the cast) be sure to pick up the latest issue of
Total Film Magazine which is now on sale.
STARRING:
Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman
Michael Caine as Alfred
Gary Oldman as Commissioner Jim Gordon
Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox
Tom Hardy as Bane
Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle/Catwoman
Joseph Gordon-Levitt as John Blake
Marion Cotillard as Miranda Tate
Josh Pence as Ra's Al Ghul
RELEASE DATE: July 20th, 2012