• Chris Nolan, Morgan Freeman weigh in on 'Dark Knight' controversies

    Andrew Kelly / REUTERS

    Morgan Freeman at the world premiere of "The Dark Knight Rises" in New York City.

    By Natalie Finn, E! Online

    And Christopher Nolan thought "Inception"  was the big mind-bender! At the London premiere of "The Dark Knight Rises" Wednesday night, the director was inevitably confronted with questions about the apparent perils of saying negative things about the film, as well as about the Bane vs. Bain Capital conspiracy whipped up by the political blogosphere that later went mainstream when "The Daily Show" and Rush Limbaugh took notice (one a little more humorously than the other). 

    Guess which issue Nolan called "peculiar"?

    MORE: Batbrained? Debunking "Dark Knight Rises" Bane-Bain conspiracytheory

    "I'm not sure how to address something that bizarre, to be honest," the British filmmaker said on the red carpet about the chatter over whether the film's supervillain, Bane, is supposed to be representative of Bain Capital, the financial services firm once headed up by presidential hopeful Mitt Romney that Romney opponents say did a better job enriching its own coffers than it did helping other companies. 

    "I really don't have an answer for it, it's a very peculiar comment to make," Nolan concluded.

    He does, however, understand where the rabid Batman fans are coming from, to an extent. Yesterday, Rotten Tomatoes suspended commenting on the Dark Knight Rises reviews coming in (the first time the site had ever taken such measures) after critics who had the audacity to not like it were pelted with harsh retorts like, "You should die in a fire."

    "I think the fans are very passionate about these characters the way a lot of people are very passionate," Nolan said. "Batman's been around for over 70 years and there's a reason for that. He has a huge appeal, so I think you know people certainly respond to the character."

    MORE: "Dark Knight Rises": Early reviews roundup!


    Perhaps Nolan should talk Caped Crusader lore with Morgan Freeman, who played gadget master Lucius Fox throughout the trilogy, sometime.

    Freeman also called the Bane-Bain controversy "ridiculous," adding, "Chris wrote a fictional story that didn't have any political thoughts in mind, so it's like art or something you know, it's all in the mind of the beholder."

    GALLERY: Movie premiere pandemonium!

    But as Nolan would probably be first to point out, Bane was created by Chuck Dixon, Doug Moench and Graham Nolan (no relation) and first showed up in a comic book in 1993.

    Can we all get back to enjoying -- or, perhaps, not enjoying -- the anticipation of waiting for this movie to come out now? 

    Related content:

    Show more
    Explore related topics: , , , ,

  • Why Batman needs to die in 'Dark Knight Rises'

    Warner Brothers

    By Cody Delistraty, NBC News

    Warning: Possible spoilers for "The Dark Knight Rises" ahead.

    COMMENTARY: Director Christopher Nolan’s take on Batman has always been darker, grittier and more realistic, but now he and his fellow series creators have told Empire magazine that "The Dark Knight Rises" may come to a definitive end. Will Batman have to die to bring closure to the trilogy?

    The director’s brother, Jonathan Nolan, certainly makes it seem that way.

    “It’s the right way to end it -- to blow the whole thing up!" he told Empire. "It’s better than trying to spin the thing out indefinitely and make it into the Bond franchise.”

    Batman’s possible death, however, is inherently problematic. Superhero stories don’t end in tragedy. Batman is stronger, more courageous and has all the right gadgets and sidekicks. If he cannot defeat evil, then what does that say about the rest of us? Imagine if Voldemort defeated Harry Potter or if Frodo and Sam hadn't destroyed the Ring. If even the greatest, the anointed fail, then certainly that means we are helpless to the evils of the world.

    Still, some tales are meant to be tragic. What if Romeo and Juliet had run off and lived out their days in love and happiness, or if Humphrey Bogart’s Rick had stayed with Ilsa in “Casablanca”? Tragedy in film helps position the moral compass of society, exposing the natural vulnerability and flaws of people through on-screen characters.

    To see misery unfold unrelentingly on screen or in text is one of the greatest forms of catharsis we can experience.  For a hyper-affluent, handsome, righteous hero like Batman to die would be a blow to the good-triumphs-over-evil trope that is so thoroughly ingrained in Western cultural and religious traditions. The good figure -- the Christ figure -- must always rise after being beaten down; yet, as anyone struck by tragedy knows, this is not always the case in real life.

    Batman’s death would be the only satisfying conclusion to this trilogy that has seen its own fair share of heartbreak with the death of Heath Ledger, who played The Joker in “The Dark Knight.”

    Still, his death would upend the first rule of superheroes: They are beyond human and therefore out of reach of death’s mighty grasp. Batman as a symbol of good over evil is forever immortal. The character Bruce Wayne's fate, however, is up in the air.

    But is his death absolutely necessary for a satisfying ending to Nolan's series?


    “You’ve given them everything,” a distressed Catwoman says in the trailer, whereupon Batman forebodingly replies: “Not everything. Not yet.”

    "The Dark Knight Rises" hits theaters July 20.

    Should Batman live or die in "The Dark Knight Rises"? Vote in our poll, and share your ideas on our Facebook page.

    Related content: