Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight is frequently considered to be the pinnacle of comic-book movie storytelling. Upon the film’s release in the summer of 2008, it was an immediate sensation, with both die-hard Batman fans and casual audiences praising the film for its grounded approach to DC’s famous caped crusader and his iconic rogues gallery.
Much of the conversation specifically surrounded the groundbreaking performance given by Heath Ledger, who tragically passed away about six months prior to the film’s release, in the role of the Joker. Ledger went on to posthumously win an Oscar for his supporting role, while the film itself was nominated for a total of eight Academy Awards, also winning for Best Sound Editing.
The Dark Knight was the most buzzed-about film of 2008, and it topped the box office both domestically and internationally. It would be another four years before Christopher Nolan would return to direct the third film in his Dark Knight trilogy, as he shifted his focus to directing 2010’s Inception between films.
His third Batman film, The Dark Knight Rises, hit theaters in 2012 and experienced much of the same success at the box office. While critics and fans were a bit divided on the film itself, it was still a remarkable blockbuster achievement and a satisfying conclusion to Nolan’s run with DC.
However, The Dark Knight Rises was almost a very different film. Early in its development, there were a lot of ideas being thrown around about how to approach the third film. Some of these ideas included the return of Ledger’s Joker, as well as the introduction of a new version of the Riddler. While Nolan ultimately, and thankfully, chose to focus the film on Bane, the early concepts make for interesting footnotes in the film’s history. Here’s what we know:
The Original Plan for the Joker
The passing of Heath Ledger was a tragedy, as the actor was only 28 years old at the time and just at the beginning of an already incredible career. With a varied list of standout performances in films such as 10 Things I Hate About You, Brokeback Mountain, The Patriot and more, Ledger came into The Dark Knight as one of the biggest rising stars in the industry.
Though some fans were skeptical of his casting, he saw the role of the Joker as a tremendous opportunity. His performance went on to become one of the defining aspects of the film, and the role of the Joker was one Ledger’s family later confirmed he was expecting to continue to play in Nolan’s third Batman film.
The expectation that Ledger would continue to play the Joker in the third Dark Knight film was not solely one held by the actor. Both Nolan and screenwriter David S. Goyer had planned to bring the character back. Goyer specifically has spoken about what he envisioned for the third film, which he says would have centered on the Joker’s trial in Gotham City following the events of The Dark Knight. Another interesting detail is that Michael Jai White’s character, Gambol, from The Dark Knight was also intended to return in some capacity.
Scenes had even been filmed for the second film that would’ve confirmed he survived his encounter with the Joker, though these scenes and their subplot were removed from the film after Ledger’s passing.
While there were some broad ideas for what the third Dark Knight film would be, Nolan was hesitant to put too much in stone for the film prior to the release of the second movie. Ultimately, with the passing of Ledger, Nolan and Goyer decided to leave the Joker behind. Out of respect for Ledger and his incredible performance, they chose not to recast the role, instead opting to move forward with an entirely new idea for the third film.
Warner Bros. Was Interested in The Riddler
After the incredible success of The Dark Knight, Warner Bros. was eager for Nolan to make his third Batman film sooner rather than later. However, the director was not keen to rush into anything. He wanted to take a break from Batman, which added to his desire to make Inception his next feature outing.
Despite his work on Inception, the studio was still pushing for the director to settle on his approach to the third film quickly. According to Goyer, a WB executive spoke to the screenwriter as early as the premiere of The Dark Knight about incorporating the Riddler into the third film, even going as far as suggesting they cast Leonardo DiCaprio in the role.
Goyer says he shot down that WB exec’s request on the spot, saying “That’s not the way we work.” That said, the writer was also interested in the potential of incorporating the famed green-suited and question-mark-riddled Batman baddie into the third film. On a recent episode of Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast, Goyer confirmed that he had put a lot of thought into what his and Nolan’s iteration of the Riddler could have been.
He said that their approach would have needed to be something fresh, in order to bring a new energy to the third film. While he was hesitant to provide any details beyond that, it’s safe to assume that Goyer and Nolan’s version would’ve been far from the spandex-wearing Jim Carrey version we saw in Batman Forever 15 years prior.
Though Goyer was interested in the Riddler and the ways they could have shifted the character to fit the narrative of Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, he said that they ultimately moved away from the character because they believed he was too similar to the Joker. They didn’t want to verge on the same territory that had just been covered with Ledger’s Joker, fearing that any similarities would ultimately be seen as a pale imitation. This led to the decision to go in a completely different direction with the third film, pulling in new characters from Batman’s rogues gallery that could bring a very distinct flavor to The Dark Knight Rises.
Why Nolan Ultimately Chose Bane
The decision to make Bane and Talia al Ghul the central antagonists of The Dark Knight Rises was one that emerged from the desire to bring the third film in a very different direction tonally. Goyer and Nolan have spoken about how they wanted to really swing for the fences with the third film by completely deconstructing Batman, Gotham City and the entire system that held them in place. They wanted to make a crime film that balanced the classic Batman aesthetic with a white-collar crime story that ultimately resulted in the destruction of Gotham City.
They envisioned The Dark Knight Rises as a post-apocalyptic story of sorts. They clearly wanted Batman to be a broken character in the third film, with the story beginning after Christian Bale’s Batman disappeared, and Bruce Wayne turned into a recluse following the death of Rachel Dawes and Harvey Dent at the end of the second film. With a Batman like that, they envisioned a story where the hero fails to save his city and sinks to his lowest point before having to rise back up again. They decided that Bane, played by Tom Hardy, and Talia al Ghul, played by Marion Cotillard, were the perfect combination to support this kind of story.
Ultimately, this approach to The Dark Knight Rises proved to be the right way to go. Though some fans may be divided on the film, it is undeniable that Rises brings its own energy to Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy. It provides a conclusive final chapter that exists in its own space while still acknowledging and building on what came before.
Tying Talia al Ghul into the story interwove it nicely with the events of Batman Begins, while the tragic events of The Dark Knight were crucial to the foundation of the film’s story and characters. However, it is not a film that exists in the shadows of the two that come before it, as it clearly and proudly moves in a new direction.
