rHodas: 'Dark Knight Rises' Is 'Just Epic,' Gary Oldman Says

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

'Dark Knight Rises' Is 'Just Epic,' Gary Oldman Says

'I will say this: There's a conclusion,' actor tells MTV News of 'Rises' being the last in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy.
By Kevin P. Sullivan, with reporting by Josh Horowitz

Gary Oldman in the teaser trailer for "Dark Knight Rises"
Photo: Warner Bros.

Gary Oldman may have learned his lesson about speaking candidly when it comes to Batman movies.

When he spoke with MTV News' Josh Horowitz while promoting "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy," Oldman measured each word about "The Dark Knight Rises" carefully.

Quite a few seconds passed before Oldman started to answer our first question about the next Batman movie, but he assured Horowitz that it was not something to read into. Oldman was quick to recount the tale of the time he opened up at Comic-Con two years ago and said the next Batman film would happen in the next year or so.

"It went around the world," Oldman marveled. "[Warner Bros. is] the studio, and it's their prerogative."

When he finally did open up about the purported finale of Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, Oldman offered up some insights into the overall vision of the film.

"I will say this: There's a conclusion. He touches on the first [film] and weaves it in," he said. "It resolves. I think it's a trilogy. It's just great. The story is terrific. It is just epic."

One of the biggest shadows "The Dark Knight Rises" will need to escape is the legacy of Heath Ledger's iconic performance. Oldman said the choice of Bane as the villain was a strategic one on Nolan's part.

"I think it was smart of Chris to go with a lesser-known villain rather than — because Heath's performance, first of all, we love the Joker in Batman," Oldman said. "Heath's performance was so dazzling that you got to think, 'How the hell do I top it?' Instead of going for Riddler, instead of going for Penguin, he's gone a slightly different way with the story."

Finally, Oldman commented on the essential role of "Rises" in Nolan's Batman story, saying it is something more than a cash grab. "I think [Nolan's] got enough smarts and enough class. I know this much about Chris Nolan: He wouldn't make a third for the sake of it," he said.

Check out everything we've got on "The Dark Knight Rises."

For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com.

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