As is usually the case with Christopher Nolan productions (let’s not forget, almost nothing was known about “Inception” until a week or two before release), a deep veil of secrecy hangs over the production of “The Dark Knight Rises” — we know who most of the actors are playing, but little beyond that, and even then it’s generally thought that both Marion Cotillard and Joseph Gordon-Levitt‘s characters have more to them than the official descriptions. Unfortunately for Nolan, he’s been shooting a huge battle scene in public in Pittsburgh this week, and spoilery set photos have been all over the Bat-fan-sites in recent days.
Perhaps as an attempt to shut the stable door after the horse has already bolted, or more likely as an attempt to control the message, the studio released overnight the first image of one of the major characters whom, as yet, we haven’t had much of a glimpse of: Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle, who, traditionally, becomes Batman’s adversary and occasional ally, Catwoman. From the looks of the image, she certainly seems to be getting in on the action: she’s in a sleek black costume, some kind of hi-tech goggles, and rides what seems to be a modified version of the Batpod from “The Dark Knight,” laying credence to reports that she teams with Bruce Wayne to fight the evil attacking Gotham City.
We’re sure the fanboys will find plenty to complain about here, because, you know, that’s what they do, but we’ve not got much to nitpick about: Pretty Lady + Motorbike = Good Enough For Us. Now, all we need is an official photo of Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Egghead and the pieces will start to fit together. “The Dark Knight Rises” will, of course, hit theaters on July 20th, 2012, and you can click here for a bigger version of the image. (AICN)
