Could There Be A DARK KNIGHT RISES Director’s Cut?

We here at The Nerd Signal loved The Dark Knight Rises, like pretty much everyone else. Though there were some pretty glaring holes in the film. If only there were some way to fill some of those holes, some other cut of the film perhaps.

According to film news site Nuke The Fridge, it’s possible that The Dark Knight Rises (already 2 hours, 45 minutes long) might be even longer when it hits Blu-ray. The site says their sources tell them the new cut will include previously excised scenes showing Bane’s origin and more screentime for Liam Neeson as Ra’s al Ghul. For a bit of description of what we could expect, the site quoted a GQ interview with TDKR costume designer Lindy Hemming.

“The thing that you should have seen during that sequence is [Bane] being injured in his youth. So one of the fundamental things about his costume is that he has this scar from the back injury. Even if he hasn’t got the bulletproof vest on, he still has to wear the waist belt and the braces. In that scene in the prison, where he’s learning to fight the same way Batman learned to fight, he’s wearing an early version of his waist belt. It’s showing support, but it’s not the finished one he eventually wears. He’s also wearing an early version of his gas mask, all glued together … If you look at the film, unless they’ve cut it – and I’m sure they haven’t – there’s a whole early section for Tom Hardy where he’s fighting and being taunted by people. He’s got chains on him, and he’s standing on a wooden thing while people are attacking him. And in that scene, he’s wearing a much more ragged, primitive version of the mask.”

While normally the idea of a Nolan director’s cut would be laughed off as ridiculous (the man’s never even done a commentary track), this time it seems a bit more plausible. What we saw in theatres might not have been the director’s true final vision for the film. See, Christopher Nolan was committed to screening the film in IMAX theatres and with that comes a very specific limitation on how long a film can be. And The Dark Knight Rises hits that 165 minute limit exactly.

How much did Nolan cut to fit that restriction? Nuke The Fridge says a half hour. At least watching this 3 hour, 15 minute beast at home you’ll be able to pause it and make a sandwich.

(art by Qluvic)

Hat-tip: Bad Ass Digest

Skott Stotland is a thousand monkeys in a people costume. They have been writing for the internet for over a decade.

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