Literally.

Director Christopher Nolan, who made "Inception" and is now at work on "The Dark Knight Rises," is not a big fan of branching out when it comes to casting.

Don't believe us? Scroll down.

Marion Cotillard played Leonardo Dicaprio's wife in "Inception." She'll be playing Miranda Tate in "The Dark Knight Rises."

Joseph Gordon-Levitt starred in "Inception" as Arthur, and he'll be playing John Blake in "The Dark Knight Rises."

Tom Hardy has starring roles in both "Inception" and "The Dark Knight Rises," as Eames and Bane, respectively.

Cillian Murphy appeared toward the end of "Inception" as Robert Fischer, and he'll be in "The Dark Knight" as Dr. Jonathan Crane and Scarecrow.

Michael Caine played Miles in "Inception," and in "The Dark Knight Rises" he'll be playing Alfred.

And now there's a rumor that Ellen Page, who played Adriane in "Inception" will join "The Dark Knight Rises" (the gossip was sparked by the trailer pic below).

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Warner Bros. announced last night that certain IMAX showings of Tom Cruise's "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol" will include a preview of "The Dark Knight Rises" before the film.

Click here for the full theater list, from the story on Deadline.

The studio called the sneak peek a "prologue" of the movie -- but that doesn't mean it's necessarily the beginning.

In praising the IMAX 70 mm film format he wants to show off with the prologue, director Christopher Nolan said the preview will be "giving the fans an early look at an IMAX sequence."

We may be pulling a fanboy move and reading into it too much, but the use of the word "sequence" and Nolan's desire to show off the format leads us to believe you'll get an action-packed clip.

Click here to learn all about the next "Mission Impossible" >>

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This post originally appeared on TheWrap.

Hollywood was on red alert after CAA fired agent Dan Aloni and his top client, Christopher Nolan, left the agency as a result on Wednesday.

The veteran agent's other clients include Jim Carrey and directors Michel Gondry and Jay Roach, all of whom so far remain with the agency.

Aloni brought Nolan, the writer-director of “The Dark Knight” and “The Dark Knight Rises,” to CAA from rival agency UTA in 2005. Nolan’s loyalty to his agent provides Aloni with considerable bargaining power if he is looking for another job.

News of Aloni’s firing sent shockwaves through Hollywood.

"Usually it’s the agent who leaves and surprises the agency,” a longtime former agent told TheWrap. “Now everybody in town is going to be going after Jim Carrey. It will go to a full scramble.”

Several observers said that the agent didn’t seem to fit with the culture of CAA, which is known to require a team approach to representing clients.

“No one is above the culture,” a former client told TheWrap, adding that Aloni could be “impossible to work with.”

“When he is focused on you, it’s unbelievable,” the former client said. But he added that Aloni “thinks he’s a bigger star than the clients.”

Another former colleague said that Aloni had a "bullying" style that won him enemies among fellow agents, even if it was effective for his clients. 

A former agent told TheWrap that CAA’s decision – and the way Aloni was publicly fired – was indicative of how seriously the company takes its culture. The agent was called out of a morning staff meeting and ultimately escorted from the building.

Now, the spotlight is on CAA and the next move by Aloni, his clients and Nolan in particular.

But Nolan is not the only high-value client who may be up for grabs. Others include directors David Dobkin, Luke Greenfield, Jay Roach, Michel Gondry, Robert Zemeckis, Tommy Schlamme, Morgan Spurlock and Tom Shadyac. 

Aloni also worked on the teams of many prominent actors including: Brad Cooper, Robert De Niro, Will Ferrell, Demetri Martin and Jim Carrey. 

Several individuals speculated that Aloni may land at WME – and said that he has already had conversations with that company’s chief Ari Emanuel.

WME had no comment Wednesday.

With a client like Nolan in tow, Aloni could write his own ticket and land at any agency, with the possible exception of UTA where he may have burned some bridges.

He also could set up shop on his own or move to a boutique agency such as Verve, where he would have little to no bureaucratic interference.

The upheaval at CAA comes two weeks after ICM opted not to renew the contracts of three agents in its literary department, Aaron Hart, Ava Jamshidi and Nick Harris. They will stay at the company through their contract periods. 

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For the last few weeks, viral marketing for movie blockbusters has been on the rise.

As we countdown to Friday, "The Hunger Games" viral marketing took the Internet by storm, we've seen a new trailer for "The Avengers"—along with some new stills from the film yesterday—and "The Amazing Spider-Man" launched a new website.

With two of the three big summer blockbusters kicking into marketing overdrive, the caped crusader's been lying pretty low—until now.

"The Dark Knight Rises" launched a design contest Monday inviting fans to create an original T-shirt for what may be the summer's most anticipated film. 

Graphic shirt distributor Design By Humans (DBH) is running the contest that will award ten finalists with cash and prizes amounting to $13,000.   

First through fifth place will receive cash prizes and 12 T-shirts while the rest of the winners will get the option to sell their artwork to DBH at an undisclosed price (still sounds like a pretty sweet deal).  

First place: $3,500
Second place: $3,500
Third Place: $2,500
Fourth Place: $2,000
Fifth Place: $1,500

There's more: the final three winners will be hand selected by Nolan himself! 

The rules are pretty strict, but the rewards sound pretty awesome. If you want to use a Bat logo, there's a specific one to use and designs with Two-Face, The Joker or Scarecrow will face instant rejection. (Come on, they're not even in this film.)  

Here are the contest guidelines:

1. If the logo is to be used, artist must use the official Bat emblem from The Dark Knight Rises as provided in this link.
2. Interpretations of "The Dark Knight Rises" versions of Batman, Catwoman, Bane and other Batman elements are allowed.
3. Two-Face, The Joker or Scarecrow are not allowed and will be rejected. 
4. All submissions are reviewed by Design By Humans and Warner Bros.
5. Read the DBH submission Terms of Service.

If you're interested in signing up, or want to see more details, read more here.

"Dark Knight" fans have until April 11 to come up with their wittiest design. 

News of the contest comes on the heels of director Christopher Nolan showing the first final cut of the film to Warner Bros. execs this past weekend. 

The film comes out in theaters July 20. We'll leave you with the latest trailer for inspiration.

Also, check out Scarlett Johansson in these Avengers posters>

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Apparently John Travolta may be more forward and creepy than we imagined. 

Two unnamed male masseurs have filed sexual assault lawsuits against the "Grease" actor alleging that he tried to have sex with them during a massage session. 

The first masseur says the actor touched the plaintiff and himself inappropriately while the second claims Travolta asked his butt to be massaged then attempted to get plaintiff number two to touch his scrotum. 

Travolta's reps claim that the first masseur's claims are completely fabricated but has not yet been reached about the second claim which just arose earlier today. Plaintiff one says he has proof and is asking for $2 million in punitive damages. 

Check out some other crazy legal battles brought upon celebrities, theaters, production companies and more. Some of them might actually have some merit (check out the guy who filed a lawsuit against rising movie snack prices) but most are just completely ridiculous.

Apparently "Drive" should have been more like "Fast and the Furious"

Michigan native Sarah Deming decided to sue the FilmDistrict, the distributors of the movie "Drive," because the movie trailer misled her into buying a ticket. She believed the resulting movie was nothing like she had expected from watching the trailer. Seriously. 

Here were her points of argument: 

1. The trailer promoted the Ryan Gosling film as more of a "Fast and the Furious"-type action flick which it definitely is not. 
2. "'Drive' bore very little similarity to a chase, or race action film … having very little driving in the motion picture."
3. "'Drive' was a motion picture that substantially contained extreme gratuitous defamatory dehumanizing racism directed against members of the Jewish faith, and thereby promoted criminal violence against members of the Jewish faith."

But Deming didn't ask for much in the suit, just the cost of her ticket and to halt production of misleading trailers from that point on. Here's the trailer that caused all this mess:

Lindsay Lohan sues a "milkaholic" baby

In the height of her ridiculousness, Lindsay Lohan decided to sue E*Trade for a commercial parody they did about a "milkaholic baby" named Lindsay that she believed was based on her wild days of partying and drinking.

She's not wrong.

Lohan sued the company for $100 million and demanded the commercial be pulled off the air. 

Here's the reason LiLo's lawsuit is stupid: When the E*Trade commercial aired, everyone knew about the actress' crazy ways and E*Trade later slammed Lohan by saying that she had already damaged her own reputation way more than the commercial ever could have done. The matter was settled out of court. 

Check out the LiLo-inspired commercial: 

Nicolas Cage does not steal dogs!

In her 2008 memoir "Body Heat," actress Kathleen Turner accused Nicolas Cage of getting arrested for DUI twice and for stealing a dog while working together on the 1986 film "Peggy Sue Got Married." 

Cage, not being one to take accusation of him being crazy lying down, filed a libel suit in the United Kingdom against the actress, her book publisher and The Daily Mail, who ran the excerpt about the DUIs and dog-napping. 

Even better, Cage actually won his suit. the British publishing company was ordered to print a correction on subsequent copies of Turner's book, Turner was told to apologize and The Daily Mail agreed to publish an apology and remove their article about the allegations. 

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Summer movie season is officially here!

And we're starting off Hollywood's box-office blockbusters with a real doozy: "The Avengers." 

But not every big-budget entry will be of great quality (cough, "Battleship") but they'll definitely all be entertaining enough to hold your short summer attention spans.

And they all have some common themes: all are sequels, reboots, or based on another story, film or game (we're looking at you again, "Battleship.")

But just because Hollywood doesn't have any more unique ideas, it doesn't mean the end projects aren't fun to watch. 

So grab a bucket of popcorn or king-sized box of Junior Mints at the concession stands and check out the 10 biggest films coming up from May through August. 

"The Avengers"

"Battleship"

"Men in Black III"

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• In a case of life imitating art, Katie Holmes' next project, which she starts filming next week in New York City, is a film titled "Molly," which she co-wrote and is co-producing, about the life of a single mother.

• Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick welcomed a baby girl on Sunday—and named her Penelope Scotland Disick.

• Ernest Borgnine, acclaimed character actor who appeared in more than 115 films, died of renal failure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on Sunday at age 95.

• In a tragic turn of events over fourth of July weekend, Usher's 11-year-old stepson (son of his estranged wife Tameka Foster) has been declared brain dead Friday after being hit with a jet ski while tubing on Lake Lanier in Atlanta, GA.

• From "Bridesmaid" to bride—"Office" star Ellie Kemper tied the knot with writer Michael Koman in an intimate New York wedding ceremony that included co-star guests Kristen Wiig and Mindy Kaling.

• Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds spent the holiday weekend canoeing and stealing kisses in the woods while spending time with the actress' family.

• Christopher Nolan received the rare honor for a filmmaker of of having his hand and footprints cemented into the famed forecourt of the legendary Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood. At age 41, Nolan is one of the youngest filmmakers and only the 8th director to receive the honor.

SEE ALSO: Sunday's "True Blood" recap >

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In order to avoid any spoilers, we've been trying to stay far away from any new "Batman" trailers and TV spots. 

Last week, Warner Brothers posted 49 pages of production notes for the film on thedarkknightrises.com and, over the weekend, a 13-minute behind-the-scenes featurette appeared on the Web.

Now, Comcast's Xfinity TV has posted a fifth trailer for "The Dark Knight Rises."

We're with you when we say we're tired of trailers—we feel we've seen most of the film—however, this extended trailer left us feeling genuinely pumped for the epic conclusion to Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy.

Why? 

It's the first trailer to acknowledge—and include imagery—from the first two films, showcasing how Batman's arrived at this current point.  

Between Michael Caine's authoritative opening narration as Alfred Pennyworth, the heartbreakingly eerie music that descends over a chaotic Gotham, and more action shots in silence, this (hopefully) last trailer links together the three films in a way that makes it easy to see how an early screening received a standing ovation.

If you don't want to see any more spoilers before the film's release July 20th, turn a blind eye to this trailer.

However, if you're looking for one more snippet to hold you over until next week, check it out. 

XFinity doesn't have an embed code, so you'll have to WATCH IT HERE for now.

Here's a version of the trailer for those without the Silverlight update below:

SEE ALSO: 13 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage from "The Dark Knight Rises" >

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Despite Christopher Nolan's Scarecrow, Joker, Two-Face and now Bane, the Dark Knight has faced some pretty useless villains over the years (The Sewer King). 

With impending summer blockbuster "The Dark Knight Rises" in theaters next week, we've been re-reading over the "Knightfall" comic series, from which the third and final Nolan film appears to draw some inspiration.

Take me to the villains > 

While reading, we came across Film Freak (aka Burt Weston*), a fairly harmless villain with no real abilities at all. Rather, Weston,* an aspiring actor, commits textbook crimes according to movie plots. 

This had us thinking, when Nolan's trilogy comes to an end this summer, not only will we need a new Bruce Wayne to take over the Bat's mantle; however, we'll also need a few new villains. 

Outside Bane, the Joker, Riddler, Penguin, and Ra's Al Ghul are among the go-to bad guys used to incite fear into the Gotham streets.

What members of the Caped Crusader's Rogue's gallery could we see in a Batman remake? Before we begin speculating about that, we've taken a look at ten more lesser known bad guys, who, we're pretty sure its safe to say, won't make the final cut of any future flick. 

*Weston's name is a nod to actors Adam West and Burt Ward who respectively played Batman and Robin in the '60s series, "Batman."

Mr. ZZZ

Mr. ZZZ is a mobster who, as you've probably gathered, always appears to be asleep. ZZZ suffers from a rare case of narcolepsy which always has him half awake. 

Where was he during the mob fights in "The Dark Knight?" Probably out cold. 

Crazy Quilt

Paul Dekker, (aka Crazy Quilt) is an ex-painter who leaves behind clues to his crimes in paintings.

What's with the name: Quilt was blinded by a gunshot wound. In order to restore his vision he underwent an experimental surgery which left him seeing a crazy array of bright colors. The name Crazy Quilt stuck.

Unlike some of the other villains on this list, Quilt has enhanced sight, can control minds and has photokinesis giving him the power to control light (with the aid of his helmet). Cool?

Fun fact: He was briefly mentioned in Batman: Arkham City as a joke suspect to have taken out Two-Face. 

There is also more than one version of the villain, with the latest incarnation being female. 

Mirror-Man

Floyd Ventris (aka Mirror-Man), a scientist, uses, you got it, mirrors in his crimes to blind and confuse others. His 15 minutes of fame came when he used an X-ray electronic mirror to discover Batman's identity as Bruce Wayne.

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Christopher Nolan says Anne Hathaway is so good in The Dark Knight Rises that she should get her own spin-off movie.

The British film-maker, whose final Batman instalment arrives on 20 July on both sides of the Atlantic, said Hathaway had got under the skin of the character in a manner that left him genuinely impressed.

"Anne is incredibly precise and articulate about the psychology of the character. She's really built it from the ground up, it's just a delight to watch her perform," he told Access Hollywood. "The thing she does in those heels is not to be taken lightly. She's an incredible character and we're very excited to see her and hopefully we'll leave people wanting more."

Asked if that meant he would be interested in taking charge of a future Catwoman movie, Nolan said: "For me, Gotham and these characters, I'm done. I've told our story and I'm moving on [but] I certainly think she deserves it – she's incredible."

Catwoman was at the centre of a reviled standalone 2004 film starring Halle Berry, though the character was radically revised from the one introduced by comic book legend Bob Kane in the first solo Batman comic in 1940. Hathaway, like Michelle Pfeiffer before her in 1992's Batman Returns, plays Selina Kyle; the Berry iteration was named Patience Phillips and had a different backstory.

The Dark Knight Rises completes the trilogy Nolan began in 2005 with origins story Batman Begins and continued in 2008 with The Dark Knight. The third film once again stars Christian Bale as Batman/Bruce Wayne, with Michael Caine, Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman in supporting roles. New arrivals include Hathaway as Catwoman, Tom Hardy as Bane, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Gotham cop John Blake. The film's events take place eight years after those of The Dark Knight, with Batman emerging from retirement to face a new threat to his beloved city.

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Anne Hathaway, Marion Cotillard, Christian Bale, Gary Oldman and the rest of "The Dark Knight Rises" cast attended Monday night's New York City premiere at AMC's Lincoln Square Theater.

While the film's stars dressed up for the event, a few random celebrities decided to attend in their most casual of clothing.

And while certain "Gossip Girl" cast members could have stepped it up a notch, Zoe Kravitz dared to bare in a Pucci gown as Donald and Melania Trump played it safe.

See who else dazzled, and who didn't, on "The Dark Knight Rises" black carpet.

Dior spokeswoman Marion Cotillard, who plays Miranda Tate in the film, wore a Christian Dior dress paired with Christian Louboutin "Lady Max" heels.

Anne Hathaway traded in her black leather Catwoman suit for a white Prabal Gurung peplum waist dress with a plunging neckline and draped back.

Batman himself Christian Bale looked dapper in his suit as he walked the carpet with wife, Sibi Blazic.

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In the words of Anne Hathaway's Catwoman, "There's a storm coming."

That "storm" involves anyone writing a scathing review of "The Dark Knight Rises," the coveted final film to Christopher Nolan's Batman triology.

Just this occurred when site Rotten Tomatoes, the review-aggregator site that brings film critics and anonymous Internet commenters together, featured the first unfavorable review to the much-anticipated film. 

For those unfamiliar, the popular website takes every review for a given movie, labels it "fresh" or "rotten" and gives it a "Tomatometer" score (fresh reviews divided by total reviews). 

"The Dark Knight," the previous entry in Nolan's acclaimed Batman trilogy had a score of 94%. This time around, fans were anticipating an elusive 100%, a score that's nearly impossible for a modern day blockbuster to achieve when between 200 and 300 reviews are tallied. Even "Toy Story 3" missed the mark. 

When that inevitable first negative review came in, retaliation from commenters was expected. However, the response wasn't expected to be so massive. Or vicious. 

Marshall Fine has been a critic for nearly 50 years, chairman of the New York Film Critics Circle, and written for over a dozen respected publications including the Los Angeles Times and Entertainment Weekly. But in the pop culture zeitgeist, he'll be remembered as the guy that gave the first bad review for "The Dark Knight Rises."  

Fine is no Armond White, a contrarian that consistently bashes Pixar films, but praised "Jack and Jill." (For which White claimed Rotten Tomatoes kicked him off the website).  In fact, Fine agrees with the "Tomatometer" 75% of the time. Commenters on Rotten Tomatoes were not concerned with his credentials or history of objective criticism. They just wanted another gold star for the film they haven't even seen yet. Fine didn't give them that star.

To make matters worse, the quote used on the Rotten Tomatoes to sum up his review compared "Rises" to the critically-reviled "Transformers" franchise. "At times, the action is so massive and thunderously clunky that I might as well have been watching one of the Transformers movies."

The result? His website's server, "Hollywood and Fine" crashed from all the traffic. Fine requested the review be temporarily removed to restore the website (for those concerned, the review still counted on the "Tomatometer"). Among the savage, profane comments directed towards Fine on Rotten Tomatoes and his website, there were even death threats. 

This lead to the suspension of "Dark Knight Rises" review comments on Rotten Tomatoes. Editor-in-chief Matt Atchity defends the decision in a letter he posted to the website titled "This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things." In the letter, Atchity discusses future plans for the website as a result:

- We'll ban you for threats and hate speech -- we're trying to have fun here, so (to quote Wil Wheaton) don't be a d---. And don't try and argue about your right to free speech -- this is a business, and we have the right to refuse service to anyone we feel like.

- We're probably going to move to a Facebook-based commenting system that doesn't allow for anonymity. You'll have to stand by your comments, just like a critic does. So you'll still be able to argue about a movie you haven't seen, but people will know it was you. (I know that won't make a difference for some people, but at least there may be some measure of responsibility).

The letter then discusses another negative "Rises" review, a posted by Eric D. Snider of Film.com. The difference? Snider's review linked back to his personal website, and he hadn't even seen "Rises" yet. The quote he used for his review said, "Rises" was the worst Batman film ever. He ended with, "I include 'Batman & Robin' in that statement," just to ensure he got a rise out of fanboys.

The move was a ploy to drive traffic to his website. And, of course it, worked. Readers were treated to a lecture on why Snider thinks he is better than Rotten Tomatoes and their readers (he has since removed it, but see a screenshot in Atchity's letter). Snider did the same thing for "The Dark Knight," and according to Atchity's letter, his reviews will no longer be accepted on the website. 

The "storm" is far from over with websites now devoting articles to reviewing Fine's review. 

Fine's review is now back on Rotten Tomatoes, and he has company, as nearly a dozen other critics submitted their unfavorable reviews on the movie. Currently, "Rises" is holding steady in the mid-80s. Perhaps once everyone gets too see the movie, the dust will begin to settle and we can all begin our post-Batman lives. 

"The Dark Knight Rises" opens Friday, July 20. Check out the trailer below. 

SEE ALSO: Initial Reviews For 'Dark Knight Rises' Overwhelmingly Positive >

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"The Dark Knight Rises" director Christopher Nolan, has issued the following statement regarding the shooting in Colorado early Friday morning: 

"Speaking on behalf of the cast and crew of 'The Dark Knight Rises,' I would like to express our profound sorrow at the senseless tragedy that has befallen the entire Aurora community.

I would not presume to  know anything about the victims of the shooting but that they were there last night to watch a movie.

I believe movies are one of the great American art forms and the shared experience of watching a story unfold on screen is an important and joyful pastime. The movie theatre is my home, and the idea that someone would violate that innocent and hopeful place in such an unbearably savage way is devastating to me. Nothing any of us can say could ever adequately express our feelings for the innocent victims of this appalling crime, but our thoughts are with them and their families."

SEE ALSO: The latest on the shooting in Colorado >

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After the horrific Aurora shooting last week during a midnight screening of "Dark Knight Rises," the film's stars are finally speaking out.

Anne Hathaway, who plays Catwoman, issued a statement saying:

My heart aches and breaks for the lives taken and altered by this unfathomably senseless act. I am at a loss for words how to express my sorrow. My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families.

Christian Bale stated his sentiments, as well.

Words cannot express the horror that I feel. I cannot begin to truly understand the pain and grief of the victims and their loved ones, but my heart goes out to them.

On Friday, "Dark Knight Rises" director Christopher Nolan called the attack "unbearably savage," while the film's studio Warner Brothers said they were "deeply saddened to learn about this shocking incident. We extend our sincere sympathies to the families and loved ones of the victims at this tragic time."

To hear what celebrities from Ryan Seacrest to Snooki had to say about the tragedy, CLICK HERE.

SEE ALSO: "Dark Knight" director Christopher Nolan speaks out on Colorado tragedy >

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"Dark Knight Rises" fans coping with the end of Christopher Nolan's "Batman" trilogy found some solace before the caped crusader ever appeared on screen, as the film had one of two "Man of Steel" teaser trailers attached. Nolan co-created the story and is producing the superhero's return to the big screen.

The images and score (courtesy of "Lord of the Rings") are identical in both, but the voice-overs feature one of the Superman's (Henry Cavill) two fathers, adoptive pop Jonathan Kent (Kevin Costner) or biological dad Jor-El (Russell Crowe).

Poppa Kent's earthbound view speaks of the hero's choice to be good or bad, hinting that director Zack Snyder's version of the DC character hasn't yet embraced his heroic potential. "You have decide what kind of man you want to grow up to be. … Whoever that man is, good character or bad, is gonna change the world.”

Jor-El on the other hand seems to know what his son's decision will be (as we all do, really). “You will give the people an ideal to strive towards. They’ll race behind you, they will stumble. They will fall. … But in time, they will join you in the sun. In time, you will help them accomplish wonders.”

Both distinct voices add poignancy to a surprisingly emotional, poetically-shot teaser that never gives the viewer that close-up shot of Superman they desperately want by the end. 

So which narration makes for a better teaser? Check out both below.

"Man of Steel" is due in theaters June 14, 2013.

Jonathan Kent (Kevin Costner): 

Jor-El (Russell Crowe):

SEE ALSO: The good and bad of "The Dark Knight Rises" >

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Though Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy has now come to a close, the director of "The Dark Knight" franchise has given fans one last hurrah with a farewell letter to his fans, fellow actors in the film, and, naturally, The Batman himself.

SuperHeroHype shared Nolan's note in the foreword in the book to "The Art and Making of The Dark Knight Trilogy,"after a member posted the entirety on its site.

The book was released July 20, the same day as the film came to theaters.

Read Nolan's heartfelt foreword below:

Alfred. Gordon. Lucius. Bruce . . . Wayne. Names that have come to mean so much to me. Today, I’m three weeks from saying a final good-bye to these characters and their world. It’s my son’s ninth birthday. He was born as the Tumbler was being glued together in my garage from random parts of model kits. Much time, many changes. A shift from sets where some gunplay or a helicopter were extraordinary events to working days where crowds of extras, building demolitions, or mayhem thousands of feet in the air have become familiar.

People ask if we’d always planned a trilogy. This is like being asked whether you had planned on growing up, getting married, having kids. The answer is complicated. When David and I first started cracking open Bruce’s story, we flirted with what might come after, then backed away, not wanting to look too deep into the future. I didn’t want to know everything that Bruce couldn’t; I wanted to live it with him. I told David and Jonah to put everything they knew into each film as we made it. The entire cast and crew put all they had into the first film. Nothing held back. Nothing saved for next time. They built an entire city. Then Christian and Michael and Gary and Morgan and Liam and Cillian started living in it. Christian bit off a big chunk of Bruce Wayne’s life and made it utterly compelling. He took us into a pop icon’s mind and never let us notice for an instant the fanciful nature of Bruce’s methods.

I never thought we’d do a second—how many good sequels are there? Why roll those dice? But once I knew where it would take Bruce, and when I started to see glimpses of the antagonist, it became essential. We re-assembled the team and went back to Gotham. It had changed in three years. Bigger. More real. More modern. And a new force of chaos was coming to the fore. The ultimate scary clown, as brought to terrifying life by Heath. We’d held nothing back, but there were things we hadn’t been able to do the first time out—a Batsuit with a flexible neck, shooting on Imax. And things we’d chickened out on—destroying the Batmobile, burning up the villain’s blood money to show a complete disregard for conventional motivation. We took the supposed security of a sequel as license to throw caution to the wind and headed for the darkest corners of Gotham.

I never thought we’d do a third—are there any great second sequels? But I kept wondering about the end of Bruce’s journey, and once David and I discovered it, I had to see it for myself. We had come back to what we had barely dared whisper about in those first days in my garage. We had been making a trilogy. I called everyone back together for another tour of Gotham. Four years later, it was still there. It even seemed a little cleaner, a little more polished. Wayne Manor had been rebuilt. Familiar faces were back—a little older, a little wiser . . . but not all was as it seemed.

Gotham was rotting away at its foundations. A new evil bubbling up from beneath. Bruce had thought Batman was not needed anymore, but Bruce was wrong, just as I had been wrong. The Batman had to come back. I suppose he always will.

Michael, Morgan, Gary, Cillian, Liam, Heath, Christian . . . Bale. Names that have come to mean so much to me. My time in Gotham, looking after one of the greatest and most enduring figures in pop culture, has been the most challenging and rewarding experience a filmmaker could hope for. I will miss the Batman. I like to think that he’ll miss me, but he’s never been particularly sentimental.

SEE ALSO: Christian Bale visits victims of "The Dark Knight Rises" shooting >

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Nobody expected any new information about the Joker in "The Dark Knight Rises."

Director Christopher Nolan stood his ground on the issue for years, respecting late actor Heath Ledger too much to return to the Clown Prince of Crime.

Nolan recently went into more detail on the subject for Empire Magazine: 

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 was thought to be the final word on the topic, allowing fans to come up with whatever story they felt like for the "Dark Knight" villain. Many likely assumed he spend the rest of his days unceremoniously locked away in Arkham Asylum. 

According to the official "Dark Knight Rises" novelization, they may be right. 

Nuke The Fridge discovered the following quote from the novelization on the IMDB message boards: 

Now that the Dent Act had made it all but impossible for the city’s criminals to cop an insanity plea, it (Blackgate Prison) had replaced Arkham Asylum as a preferred location for imprisoning both convicted and suspected felons. The worst of the worst were sent here, except for the Joker, who, rumor had it, was locked away as Arkham’s sole remaining inmate. Or perhaps he had escaped. Nobody was really sure. Not even Selina.

Also, check out a fan-created storyboard spotted by Movie Moron that's currently making waves on Reddit:

Not as official, but still pretty cool.

SEE ALSO: Christopher Nolan's farewell to the 'Dark Knight' trilogy >

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We told you movie tickets were more expensive than ever!

$400 million and counting at the domestic box office may seem fantastic for "The Dark Knight Rises," but there's still 91 films that sold more tickets—including some unexpected movies like 1946's "Duel in the Sun," 1953's "The Robe," and 1965's "Doctor Zhivago."

A little time on Box Office Mojo shows that the finale to Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy is on pace to not only finish behind "The Dark Knight," but well behind Tim Burton's 1989 film as well, Movies.com noticed. 

Nolan's finale sold 12 million tickets less than Burton's original, which in turn sold 12 million less than "Dark Knight." To be fair, "Rises" will likely bring that figure down to 10 million by the time it finishes its run, but take a look at the three movies' ticket sales:

1. "The Dark Knight" (2008) — 74,282,100 (average ticket price: $7.18)

2. "Batman" (1989) — 62,954,600 (atp: $3.97)

3. "The Dark Knight Rises" (2012) — 50,635,700 (tap: $8.02)

How does that translate into box office? Check out their total domestic grosses (Note: "Rises" is still in theaters):

1. "The Dark Knight" — $533,345,358

2. "The Dark Knight Rises" — $412,665,020

3. "Batman" — $251,188,924

But when adjusted for ticket inflation, those numbers shift, moving "Batman" ahead of "Rises" and "Dark Knight" close to the final gross of this year's biggest hit, "The Avengers," ($618 million) which benefitted from 3D surcharges:

1. "The Dark Knight" — $595,742,300

2. "Batman" — $504,896,000

3. "The Dark Knight Rises" — $407,582,900

The record holder is 1939's "Gone with the Wind" with over 200 million tickets sold. That's a far more impressive looking number than its $198 million domestic gross, and puts it miles past "Titanic" (135 million), "Avatar" (97 million), and this year's biggest hit, "The Avengers" (76 million).

Don't feel too bad for Nolan's latest, though. Overseas, "Rises" has already surpassed "Dark Knight's" overseas grosses and is still going strong.  

Just know that while ticket prices continue to rise, box office records will continue to break, even though less people will have seen the movies. Ticket sales is a gauge that will withstand time and inflation, and it's unlikely any film will ever break the "Gone with the Wind's" record.  

SEE ALSO: Movie ticket prices at an all-time high >

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For the last week, we've been going through the special features on "The Dark Knight Rises" Blu-ray combo pack.

Turns out Bane almost wasn't the villain in the third film. 

When story co-writer David S. Goyer shared the idea with Nolan he had to convince the director Bane was the right character from Batman's rogue gallery for the final film.

"I first brought up Bane, I think Chris was initially horrified. And I said, 'Hold on, hold on, hold on. This will be the Nolan version of Bane,'" said Goyer. "He's a creepy, very physical character. Somebody who's been physically distorted. I think Chris liked that."

Instead, Goyer has previously said Warner Bros. considered Leonardo DiCaprio – another "Inception" alumn – as the Riddler.

So, what did Nolan initially have against Bane?

The director wasn't impressed by his comic book rendition. 

"His appearance in the comics is very fanciful and wouldn't work, in my opinion, in our world at all," said Nolan. 

Instead, Nolan modelled his final version of Bane around a mercenary since as it was important to him that the villain be both a physical force and a militaristic one. 

Check out more items from "The Dark Knight Rises" special features:

Early concept art for what Bane could have looked like >

How Tom Hardy perfected Bane's voice >

All the special features on TDKR Blu-ray disc >

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When "Man of Steel" flies into theaters later this month, keep your eyes peeled Batfans.

Director Zack Snyder has found a way to incorporate the Dark Knight into the Superman reboot. 

During interviews for "Man of Steel" Snyder told blog Omelete villain Zod (Michael Shannon) will destroy a satellite with the Wayne Enterprises logo on it. 

Wayne Enterprises is the company run by Bruce Wayne a.k.a. Batman. 

Since we're sure it will be a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment, the logo should look something like this.  

So, while Zod's (presumably) flying to Earth, keep your eyes open. 

What does this mean? 

For those hoping for a Superman / Batman film down the line it means the two DC superheroes exist in the same timeline and universe.  

When asked about a pairing, Snyder didn't exactly say no to Omelete. 

“I don’t know. Everything is interesting at this point. And don’t forget that Lex is out there, doing who knows what …” 

That "Lex" he's referring to is, of course, Superman's nemesis Lex Luther. 

As for Batman, it helps to have the men who worked on "The Dark Knight" trilogy around behind-the-scenes of the "Man of Steel" films (David S. Goyer and Christopher Nolan).

Naturally, this news has also stirred the pot for "Justice League"filmrumors, a movie Warner Brothers has to be at the least thinking about considering the giant payoff of Disney and Marvel's "The Avengers" last year.

"Man of Steel" hits theaters June 14.

SEE ALSO: The latest trailer for "Man of Steel">

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