According to Collider, an AMC Theatre listing on its website revealed that The Dark Knight Rises will be nearly 3 hours long, clocking in at 2 hours and 45 minutes.
With the launch of The Dark Knight Rises drawing nearer, a variety of interviews and marketing promotions have offered bits and pieces for the highly anticipated movie.
In an interview with Empire Magazine, director Christopher Nolan noted that Batman's famous villain, The Joker, will not be mentioned at all in the new film.
"We're not addressing The Joker at all. That is something I felt very strongly about in terms of my relationship with Heath and the experience I went through with him on The Dark Knight. I didn't want to in any way try and account for a real-life tragedy. that seemed inappropriate to me. We just have a new set of characters and a continuation of Bruce Wayne's story. Not involving The Joker," said Nolan.
The late actor Heath Ledger portrayed the Joker in "The Dark Knight" and was the recipient of a posthumous Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Ledger died in 2008, months before the release of The Dark Knight. During a montage video screening Ledger as the Joker at the 2012 MTV Movie Awards, Batman actor Christian Bale became emotional after saying "Wow, great to remember Heath at that moment. Wonderful to see Heath Ledger there."
Nolan's past Batman films have included or referenced some of Batman's past villains from his first film "Batman Begins." Batman's old foe the Scarecrow was one of the featured villains in Batman Begins, and made a cameo in the second film The Dark Knight.
Ra's Al Ghul was the main villain from the first Batman film and is rumored to be in The Dark Knight Rises. According to the comic book series "KnightFall," Batman's latest villain Bane has connections to both Ra's Al Ghul and the Scarecrow. Could we possibly see all three in Nolan's final Batman flick?
From seeing the previews, Two Face is referenced as Harvey Dent in trailers of The Dark Knight Rises. Two Dark Knight Rises TV spots, about 30-seconds long, were aired as part of Warner Bros. marketing strategy.
The first TV spot revealed more of Catwoman and her conversation with Alfred asking, "Who are you pretending to be?"
"I'm definitely intrigued to see how Anne Hathaway's Selina Kyle/Catwoman fits into the story. Also, to see what Tom Hardy brings to the table as Bane, Batman's new physically imposing and intellectual foe, is one of the MANY reasons I'm supremely excited for 'The Dark Knight Rises," writes Flicks and Bits.
In the second TV spot, it starts with a night view of the Gotham City and a clip of Joseph Gordon Levitt's John Blake and a small kid asking, "Do you think he is coming back?" to which Blake replies, "I don't know." We see the explosion of the bridges and a conversation between Bruce Wayne and Alfred, "Takes a little time to get back in the swing of things."
A series of posters have also been released to promote The Dark Knight Rises. The end of the trilogy has been set eight years after "The Dark Knight" and comes with new characters of Selina Kyle played by Anne Hathaway as the Catwoman.
Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight Rises" is one of the most anticipated movies of the year and will hit theatres on July 20.
MORE "THE DARK KNIGHT RISES" NEWS:
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Dark Knight Rises: Nolan Reveals Bane's Mask, Gear, and Fervor
'Dark Knight Rises' Trailer Reveals Bane's Genius, Batman's Doom
Dark Knight Rises' Leaked Trailer vs. Avengers' $185.1M Overseas (Photos)
