Much of the public’s focus on 2012′s The Dark Knight Rises has been directed towards the absurdly bulky villain Bane, but he’s only one of several to make an appearance in the movie, including the infamously morally ambiguous Catwoman.

Anne Hathaway, as you may recall, was cast to play Catwoman in the movie, and she said in a recent interview that she looked back in time – back to the source – for inspiration for her portrayal of the character in The Dark Knight Rises.

Bob Kane, the creator of the Batman comics, once said that the late actress Hedy Lamarr was the primary source of inspiration for the Catwoman character, and that’s exactly who Hathaway is drawing inspiration from herself. She says she’s taking into account Lemarr’s mannerisms, even down to her “extraordinary” breathing.

“I know this sounds odd, but her breathing is extraordinary,” Anne Hathaway said of the late actress Lamarr in an interview with the LA Times. “She takes these long, deep, languid breaths and exhales slowly. There’s a shot of her in [the 1933 film] Ecstasy exhaling a cigarette and I took probably five breaths during her one exhale. So I started working on my breathing a lot.”

Hathaway will be following in the footsteps of the likes of Halle Berry, Michelle Pfeiffer, Julie Newmar, but she says she’s not letting past portrayals of Catwoman affect her performance in The Dark Knight Rises.

“What’s come before doesn’t limit or even affect this new version,” Hathaway said. “It doesn’t affect me because each Catwoman – and this is true in the comics as well – she is defined by the context of the Gotham City created around her. Catwoman is so influenced by Gotham and whoever is creating Gotham at the time. Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman was informed by Tim Burton’s Gotham and Eartha Kitt was informed by Adam West’s Gotham. You have to live in whatever the reality of the world is and whatever Gotham is.”

Are you looking forward to seeing Hathaway’s portrayal of Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises?

Source: LA Times

Anne Hathaway talks inspiration for her Catwoman role in ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ is a post from: The Inquisitr

Warner Brothers officially released the full trailer to “The Dark Knight Rises” online today after much weekend anticipation.

The trailer was attached to “Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol” and “Sherlock Holmes 2: Game of Shadows” over the weekend, and pirated versions have been posted online constantly over the past few days by iPhone-wielding fan-boys only to be removed at the request of Warner Brothers mere hours later.

IMAX showings of “Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol” also boasted the added bonus of carrying the six-minute prologue to “The Dark Knight Rises” in lieu of the official trailer. The prologue treats those fortunate enough to live near an IMAX venue, or those bold enough to sit through a strained bootlegged copy on the internet, to an introduction to the film’s villain, Bane.

Bane, portrayed by Thomas Hardy (Bronson, Inception), is the villain most famous in the comic books for breaking Batman’s back.The character has been portrayed once before on film by wrestler Jeep Swenson, in the film-which-shall-not-be-named.

Though Christian Bale is fighting his own battles in the world today, his greatest battle of the coming year is against the little-known villain portrayed by the up-and-coming Hardy. Tom Hardy’s Bane has his work cut out for him. There is some concern online that he won’t be able to top Heath Ledger’s chilling and whimsical performance as The Joker in 2008′s “The Dark Knight”.

But Bane is a different kind of animal. Given the comic history of the character, he’s going to give Batman a run for his money mentally, as well as being the first truly dangerous physical threat Batman has faced in the Nolan-verse.

Which leads to the question that’s on everyone’s mind, but that everyone is too afraid to ask: Is Nolan going to do it? Is he going to kill Bruce Wayne? Leave us your thoughts in the comments below.

As promised, here is the official trailer for your viewing pleasure:

Dark Knight Rises Trailer Officially Released Online [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Jerry Robbinson, the comic book illustrator credited for creating Batman’s ultimate archvillain, The Joker, died Wednesday in his sleep in New York City. He was 89.

“Jerry Robinson illustrated some of the defining images of pop culture’s greatest icons. As an artist myself, it’s impossible not to feel humbled by his body of work. Everyone who loves comics owes Jerry a debt of gratitude for the rich legacy that he leaves behind,” Jim Lee, DC Entertainment co-publisher and fellow Batman artist, said in a statement.

Robinson was known not only for his work on the Batman comics, but also for being an advocate for the rights of artists. Most notably, Robinson led the charge in Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster’s battle to seek compensation for the creation of DC Comics’ Superman character, as well as campaigning for imprisoned political cartoonists overseas.

Stan Lee, legendary Marvel comic book creator and former president of the publication, also offered some kind words to the late Jerry Robinson in a statement to The Washington Post’s Comic Riffs. He said:

“Jerry Robinson was not only one of the finest artists ever to illustrate comic books, but he was also the head of an editorial syndicate which made cartoons available worldwide, as well as being an inspiration to young artists whom he always found time to help and advise.

“A genuine talent and a genuine gentleman, he was truly a credit to the arts.”

[Image credit: ComicConnect.com]

‘Batman’ artist Jerry Robinson, creator of The Joker, dies at 89 is a post from: The Inquisitr

Christian Bale is done dressing up as the Caped Crusade. Bale, who recently finished filming “The Dark Night Rises,” said that he is saying goodbye to the Batman franchise.

Bale told US Magazine:

“I wrapped a few days ago so that will be the last time I’m taking that [Batman hood] off.  I believe that the whole production wrapped yesterday, so it’s all done. Everything’s finished. (It’s) the end of that Batman era.”

Here’s a trailer for” The Dark Knight Rises.”

Bale first stepped into Batman’s suit in 2005 for Christopher Nolan’s “Batman Begins.” He played Bruce Wayne again in the highly acclaimed “The Dark Knight” and will now finish up the series with “The Dark Knight Rises.”

Bale is one of many actors who have portrayed Batman on the big screen.  Adam West, Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer and George Clooney have all had their moments in bat cave. Bale said that the hardest part about playing Batman was to define his own character. Something that Ann Hathaway will have to accomplish when she plays Catwoman in the latest movie.

Bale said:

“In many ways, [Hathaway] has the hardest job. There are a number of people who feel that the Catwoman role has been defined previously. So, I always saw Anne’s role as being the toughest job of any of us.”

Bale is done with the Batman, but “The Dark Knight Rises” won’t be the last Batman movie.

Who do you think would make a good Batman?

Christian Bale Done With Batman After ‘Dark Knight Rises’ is a post from: The Inquisitr

It kind of goes without saying that multiplatform titles will, for the most part, look considerably better on PC, especially this late in the generation. It’s no surprise, then, that Batman: Arkham City on PC looks positively gorgeous.

In a video released by NVIDIA earlier today, we get to see just what the differences between the two versions will be. For starters, the textures appear to look cleaner and higher-res and anti-aliasing is in full effect, but the most noticeable difference is with PhysX.

Specifically, you’ll be able to see added detail in certain areas, such as shards of ice, money littered across the floor, and increased number of particles in sparks, for example.

If you’d like to see what Batman: Arkham City looks like running on a beefed up PC, you can check out the video provided by NVIDIA below. Additionally, you can find a couple of comparison shots of DX11′s tessellation feature in action over at this link.

Batman: Arkham City is due out on PCs on November 15.

via Destructoid, NeoGAF

Here’s what Batman: Arkham City looks like on PC is a post from: The Inquisitr

I’m still trying to keep my stomach in one place after watching the video that shows the Flying Batman, otherwise known as Jeb Corliss, as he literally flies down a mountain in Switzerland.

As much as I would like to tack on a whole bunch of words describing how cool this is or how Jeb has to have balls made of titanium I will instead just let you view the video.

via Geekosystem

The Flying Batman Grinds the Crack and Proves that Jeb Corliss is One Crazy Dude [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Even though it is still being filmed the next, and final, installment of The Dark Knight Rises is creating a growing amount of buzz and excitement. The other day a couple of images of the Bat-Wing leaked on to the web via Twitter and now today we have gotten a whole slew of videos showing the filming of the movie.

The videos show several of the leading characters along with a variety of the vehicles being used in the movie. Thanks to my good friend Sean P. Aune we have them here for you to see for yourself.

Enjoy.

Large dump of videos from the filming of The Dark Knight Rises hits the web is a post from: The Inquisitr

Anne Hathaway and her Catwomen outfit for the upcoming The Dark Night Rises (Batman) movie were revealed this week by Warner Bros. The outfit was inspired by a Dwayne Cooke / Ed Brubaker digital age concept (tactical goggles) and also shows a bit of  inspired design from the 1960s Batman series outfit.

I for one am glad to see a design that doesn’t look so “cartoon based” as the last catwoman designs, plus it never hurts to see Hathaway wrapped in leather riding any type of machinery.

It’s still unclear why Catwoman is riding the Bat-Pod or why her outfit has finally arrived with the times while the Bat-Pod looks like a relic of the first Batman movies, in any situation it’s still neat to see official on-set photos provided by Warner Bros.

The movie is a dramatic departure for Hathaway whose many movies include family offerings (Princess Diaries, Ella Enchanted, Alice In Wonderland) although recently she has taken on more “adult oriented” roles including Love and Other Drugs where she starred next to Jake Gyllenhaal and Family Guy where she voiced “Hot Blonde” and “Mother Maggie” in three episodes.

What do you think of Anne Hathaway as Catwoman in the new Batman movie?

Anne Hathaway Wears Catwomen Outfit For ‘The Dark Night Rises’ Movie [Pic] is a post from: The Inquisitr

It seems that with every new Batman movie we get to also have a brand new Batmobile to drool over, and for the more hardy – a new DYI project.

Well, the final of Chris Nolan’s Batman movies is no different as the next version of the Batmobile, as designed by Gordon Murray, has been unveiled as part of the Batman Live World Arena Tour.

The designer drew on his experience with the McLaren F1 for his new concept car, which includes a healthy dose of imagineering: there’s a carbon-fiber body that “breathes,” as well as LED-lit “virtual wheels.” We’re not sure how carbon fiber breathes or what virtual wheels are, but as Murray explains in the video below, they’re based on Formula One materials as he imagines them 15-20 years from now. He also envisions a greener Dark Knight, whose ride runs on hydrogen fuel cells and lithium-ion batteries — no longer will the caped crusader suffer a guilty conscience due to his excessive carbon dioxide emissions.

via Engadget

The new Batmobile unveiled and it’s awesome looking [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Batman: Arkham City has a release date, and now it has a gameplay trailer. The video below shows Bats legging and swooping it around a broken Arkham City populated by Joker’s goons.

And how he swoops! It’s not a total revamp, but developer Rocksteady has refined and tightened the flight controls, thus managing what I thought was impossible: making Arkham City Batman move even more awesomely than Arkham Asylum Batman.

[Via IGN]

[VIDEO] First in-game Batman: Arkham City trailer is a beaut is a post from: The Inquisitr

Batman: Arkham City, possibly this year’s most awaited sequel outside of Gears of War 3 and Modern Warfare Whatever, just got a release date for all territories:

♦ North America: October 18th
♦ Australia: October 19th
♦ Europe, other global territories: Beginning October 21st

And, er, that’s about all the news fit to print for this, so please enjoy these new screens while I gratuitously pad out this post with links to other Batman posts:

♦ 13 Fantastic Visions of The Joker
♦ Caution, Batman
♦ Exit for The Batman
♦ 16 Awesome The Dark Knight Wallpapers

[Via press release]

THWACK! POW!: Batman: Arkham City gets October release date is a post from: The Inquisitr

I know that everyone uttered their oohs and awwsss when the Tumbler made it appearance in the latest Batman movie but little did we know that BAE System liked it so much that they are incorporating some of the Batman ride into designs for their next generation of  Future Protected Vehicle program.

Among the designs being lifted from the Tumbler is levitating armor and vehicles that sweat. Not only that but the company is admitting that they actually used the movie as a basis for the BAE Raider’s design.

‘We liked the look of that, so we designed something similar. You see, it turns like a motorbike and it has the same wheel configuration. We decided that we didn’t have a monopoly on inspiration, and if we saw something in a film that we thought might be a good idea, why not take a look at it and see if there’s something practical we can develop?’

via DVICE

Gee, talk about life imitating art.

Batman’s Tumbler seems to be good enough for defense company is a post from: The Inquisitr

When I was growing up van modding was a pretty big business, especially when it came to airbrushed paint jobs but as with all things the Japanese has shown us how van modding should be done.

Recently there was a rare gathering of modded van in Japan and the team at Speed Hunters managed to get a whole bunch of photographs of the event. I’ve picked my favorites to share with you here but definitely take a moment and head over to their site and take a look at thw whole gallery.

Oh Dude! Your van has nothing on these 7 insane van mods is a post from: The Inquisitr

No Catwoman in these new Batman: Arkham City screens, but goshdarn they look good all the same. If they don’t make you want to dress up in tights and sweatily roll around with other men, then I don’t know what will.

Game hits PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 in Fall 2011. LONGEST WAIT EVAR. :O(

See also: 13 fantastic visions of The Joker

[Via press release]

New Batman: Arkham City screens swoop in is a post from: The Inquisitr

[via]

Caution, Batman is a post from: The Inquisitr

While Batman might not be my most favorite comic hero, he is up there though, there is no doubt that the Batman characters is one of the most iconic of the comic superhero world. While I was putting together a Windows 7 themepack based around Arkham Asylum I kept running up against some great wallpapers for Batman and The Dark Knight so I figured I would hop over here and share some of my favorites with you.

Just as Batman is iconic so is his greatest nemesis The Joker so there are a few of him thrown in the mix as well.

Enjoy.

Joker’s Batman – joogz

Muchness of Me

Batman Wallpaper – coramay

Batman Arkham City Wallpaper – santi-yo

The Batman Wallpaper – TGillan

Dark Knight – al-xx

via Logo & Logo Wallpaper collection

The Tumbler in the Mist – brianhaddad

The Dark Knight – savethecake

The Joker – Wallpaper – whathe

via Movies-Photos.com

Batman Wallpaper – SpiderOmega

Joker – And here we go – mirilyon-designz

via The Blog Around the Corner

Batman – Arkham City Wallpaper – mininudoidu

16 Great Batman The Dark Knight desktop wallpapers is a post from: The Inquisitr

The long-expected sequel to last year’s Batman: Arkham Asylum has been revealed as Batman: Arkham City.

Batman: Arkham Asylum was possibly the best superhero game ever, and developer Rocksteady Studios will be aiming to repeat the trick with Arkham City, which is due to be released in Fall 2011 for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.

News of the sequel was broken by a teaser from games mag Game Informer, which also confirmed the presence of Catwoman in the game. A press release has since landed in my inbox, explaining the following:

“Batman: Arkham City builds upon the intense, atmospheric foundation of Batman: Arkham Asylum, sending players soaring into Arkham City, the new maximum security ‘home’ for all of Gotham City’s thugs, gangsters and insane criminal masterminds.

“Set inside the heavily fortified walls of a sprawling district in the heart of Gotham City, this highly anticipated sequel introduces a brand-new story that draws together a new all-star cast of classic characters and murderous villains from the Batman universe, as well as a vast range of new and enhanced gameplay features to deliver the ultimate experience as the Dark Knight.”

Also worth mentioning: the next issue of Game Informer will be offered with a couple of sweet alternative covers, one of which features Catwoman. Go here to see them in full hi-res:

See also: 13 fantastic visions of The Joker

[Via Game Informer and press release]

Batman: Arkham Asylum sequel revealed, Catwoman involved is a post from: The Inquisitr

I just finished watching this and all I can say is – Wow!

This has to be some of the best CGI work I have seen yet. Grab a coffee and set this to full screen and enjoy the next six minutes of DC goodness.

Nothing short of awesome – DC Universe Promo Trailer is a post from: The Inquisitr

Of all the villains that inhabit our world of fantasy and imagination none is more iconic than The Joker. From the comic books to the graphic novels and on our movie screens The Joker has become ingrained as a part of our culture.

These 13 visions of The Joker from artists around the world are a testament to his effect on our imaginations. Cartoonish to surreal, photo-realistic to black and white The Joker will always be a creative challenge.

13 Fantastic visions of The Joker is a post from: The Inquisitr

Batman: Arkham Asylum was the Caped Crusader’s first good game since 1989′s Batman on the NES, so after 20 years of churning out crap I can probably forgive Eidos for releasing a Game of the Year Edition.

This special version of Arkham Asylum hits U.S. stores this May, several weeks after the European launch date of March 26. Yes, that’s Europe getting something before the U.S. Do not adjust your monitor, this is happening.

It comes with a few nice extras, namely four new challenge maps and 3D gaming support that supposedly “puts a 3D wrapper around the game” – letting you play in 3D without a need for special monitors. THE FUTUR3 IS H3R3!!! The title will ship with two pairs of glasses.

If you’ve been holding off until now on Bats’s latest adventure, I advise taking the plunge with this new version. Even coming from a Batman non-fan such as myself, it’s really very good.

[Via BigDownload]

May release for Batman: Arkham Asylum GOTY Edition (now with 3D) is a post from: The Inquisitr