'The Dark Knight Rises' Info from Nolan and Hardy

Christian Bale/Batman - Empire magazine

I don't know about you, but I really think there's been a dearth of Dark Knight Rises-related photos, rumors, and spy videos lately. Juuust kidding - of course it seems like nary a day goes by in which something having to do with Christopher Nolan's final Batman epic makes news. However, this week is different, because we actually have info (not rumor) about the movie that's been a closely guarded secret up to now.  The latest issue of Empire magazine is hitting the stands this Thursday (Nov. 24) and it'll have a major article on TDKR, including an exclusive interview with Nolan, in which he reveals important plot details and character info about the villain, Bane - played by Tom Hardy.

Tom Hardy/Bane - Empire magazine

Here's a couple of highlights that Empire released on their site, but to get the full scoop, you'll have to pick up the mag. The quotes below are a tad spoilery, so read at your own risk.

Nolan on when the film takes place and the choice of Bane as the villain -

"It's really all about finishing Batman and Bruce Wayne's story... We left him in a very precarious place. Perhaps surprisingly for some people, our story picks up quite a bit later, eight years after The Dark Knight. So he's an older Bruce Wayne; he's not in a great state."

 "With Bane, we're looking to give Batman a challenge he hasn't had before...With our choice of villain and with our choice of story we're testing Batman both physically as well as mentally."

Tom Hardy on what type of villain to expect in Bane -

 "He's a big dude who's incredibly clinical, in the fact that he has a result-based and oriented fighting style," he said. "It's not about fighting. It's about carnage. The style is heavy-handed, heavy-footed, it's nasty. Anything from small-joint manipulation to crushing skulls, crushing rib cages, stamping on shins and knees and necks and collarbones and snapping heads off and tearing his fists through chests, ripping out spinal columns. He is a terrorist in mentality as well as brutal action."

 Read the entire article at the link below.
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