After making his comic-book debut in January 1993, the masked antagonist wreaked havoc on Batman. So Uslan immediately understood why Nolan picked Bane as Batman’s next adversary.

Then, the Joker represented the line between insanity and chaos.” It was this incredible psychological unfolding of what makes a superhero a real person. “There you had somebody that tied Batman to Bruce Wayne’s psyche. “I was ecstatic that Ra’s al Ghul was in the first movie,” Uslan says. Uslan never had any doubt Nolan would make the right choice, especially considering how successful Liam Neeson’s Ra’s al Ghul had been in Batman Begins, too. Out of respect for Ledger, Nolan decided not to recast Joker, which meant he had to figure out who the brand-new villain would be. Tom Hardy as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises. He even made Inception before finally signing up to bring his Batman trilogy to an end. The release of The Dark Knight had been marred by the tragic death of its actor Heath Ledger, whose performance as the Joker was so remarkable he posthumously collected a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for it.Īs The Dark Knight kept on breaking box office records - while also being labeled the greatest superhero film ever made by many - Nolan took his time deciding whether or not to do another sequel. Nolan’s achievement with The Dark Knight Rises is all the more remarkable when you consider that he had several issues to overcome before he finally agreed to make it. It’s really quite the accomplishment.” “Bane represented the physical aspects of Batman’s villains.”

I don’t remember talking to anyone who wasn’t brought to tears by the last five or six or seven minutes of The Dark Knight Rises. Everything that was planted along the way comes to life. “It is one of the most beautifully structured trilogies of movies ever made,” he continues. “Christopher Nolan’s mission was to restore the darkness and dignity to Batman,” declares Uslan, who believes that Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, and The Dark Knight Rises should be regarded as one complete story, split into three movies.

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