Robin and/or The Joker in “The Dark Knight Rises”?


With today’s release of the official trailer for next summer’s mega-magnum-opus-epic The Dark Knight Rises, I was able to examine some things more closely than in the shaky-cam bootleg version. If you haven’t seen it yet, shame on you. And you’re welcome: Because here it is.

 

POTENTIAL SPOILERS BELOW!!!!!!!!

 

 

1. Catwoman seems to be wearing Bruce’s mom’s pearls.

As you may have noticed, the pearl necklace that Selina Kyle is admiring in the mirror looks exactly like the one Bruce’s papa gave mama in Batman Begins. One glaring difference? Joe Chill ripped that one to pieces. Still, the emphasis on that shot in the trailer, as well as the fact that the design is identical, could mean that the necklace was repaired at some point, and now it is a personal thread between Batman and his new seductress. This would outline the difference between Selina’s poverty and steal-from-the-rich methods versus Bruce’s immense wealth, which seems to be a theme based on her dialogue in the trailer. Some have even speculated that Catwoman may be Joe Chill’s daughter.

 

 

2. There are very obviously hints that Robin may appear.

The football stadium destruction scene which features prominently in the trailer reveals a couple of Robin-centric nuggets. First, there is a fan holding a sign in the stands with the trademark Robin “R”. Now, as I have discovered, apparently extras cast in that scene were allowed to bring their own signs. So it could be a red herring. Or Nolan may have allowed it so that we speculate thusly. Second, is that the football player who makes the touchdown only to find the entire field gone behind him, well his name on his jersey is “Ward”.  Of course, Burt Ward was the actor who played Robin in the old ’60’s Batman show. And Hines Ward is indeed a player for the Steelers, and the scene was shot in Pittsburg. But is this coincidence?

 

This was obviously done on purpose. The question is whether Nolan is just f*cking with our delicate fanboy sensibilities because he is an evil genius, or if he is hinting at something else within the film. Because he is an evil genius.

And finally, here’s a excerpt from Bleeding Cool in which a source claims that Batman will have his back broken by Bane, as happened in the comic series Knightfall, as well as a vague hint of an appearance by The Joker:

So, we’ve been told – amongst a few other things that we hope to make sense of and share in the near future – that The Dark Knight Rises gives Bane the opportunity to break Batman’s back. And he grabs that opportunity with both hands. So to speak. And I’m guessing he’ll also make use of his knee. Our source cracked wise about the various “rumours” surrounding Bane in the film, expressing some amount of disbelief that people thought the back-breaking might, somehow, not be featured. “Rumour: Joker to smile in new Dark Knight movie.”

 

This lends credibility to the long-standing rumor that Nolan may utilize unused Heath Ledger footage in the film. It’s been done before, and I’m sure there’s enough cutting room material to render Joker sitting in Arkham Asylum, grinning about the events going on in Gotham due to Bane’s rampage.

What say you?  Remember where you heard it first if these things turn out to be true. Sound off below!