In the dimly lit studio, two strong men were fighting desperately in front of the camera, occasionally letting out angry shouts. Besides their voices, the huge studio—converted from an airplane hangar—was silent. Whenever the two actors completed a sequence, Duke's voice would call "cut," and then Jimmy Carter and his stunt coordination team would quickly approach the camera to instruct Dwayne Johnson and Christian Bale on the key points for the next set of actions.
Filming had already entered its final stage. After returning from New York to Los Angeles, Duke wrapped up all exterior shots and returned to the Hughes Aircraft Factory, where the last two sets had been completed.
This was Bane's underground lair in Gotham City. The crew had built a sixty-foot-high cylindrical steel structure with four floors. The first and second floors were reserved for the main characters, while the upper two floors served as living quarters for Bane and the extras involved in the Batman confrontation scenes.
Additionally, the entire set appeared dark and damp, as the water from Gotham's sewers was incorporated into this scene.
The key focus of filming in this scene was undoubtedly the brutal hand-to-hand combat between Batman and Bane. Duke's idea was to portray them as gladiators in an ancient Roman arena.
However, the action between Batman and Bane had even more highlights.
The style of the film determined that they could not use martial arts techniques in combat; the fights had to rely on strength-based moves. But Duke and Jimmy Carter had also discussed thoroughly: while maintaining power and ferocity, they would appropriately add flexibility so that the fight would not appear too clumsy.
The fight in front of the camera ended with Batman finally being knocked to the ground.
For the scenes already filmed, Duke made some adjustments to Bruce Wayne's subsequent storyline.
As everyone knows, in the original Batman trilogy, Batman Begins focused on fear, The Dark Knight on chaos, and The Dark Knight Rises on faith.
To emphasize the role of faith, the previous director had set Bruce Wayne's post-injury recovery in an implausible way: a man with a fractured spine, after being suspended and beaten by a mysterious doctor, miraculously recovered in a short period of time due to faith alone…
Such plot points were almost impossible to critique without feeling exasperated.
How could it be more convincing? Turn the underground prison doctor into a mysterious ancient Indian physician or an all-powerful legendary Chinese medicine doctor? That would only invite more ridicule.
So Duke simply had Bane break Batman's legs.
Theoretically, with proper treatment, fractured legs can recover within a few months. This approach made the plot more credible and avoided making the world seem overly fantastical.
Moreover, Batman's ability to rise from defeat and crawl out of the underground prison also highlighted the power of faith.
As filming entered its final stage, Warner Bros. released more promotional materials, including the first look at Catwoman's costume.
Once this poster appeared, her design, completely different from previous cinematic portrayals, drew a lot of criticism.
However, Gal Gadot's impressive equipment also sparked curiosity. Many media outlets and websites provided detailed analyses.
"From this still, Gal Gadot's look completely overturns our memory of the classic 'Catwoman'—tight leather suit with goggles. Very cool, but no cat ears. The seductive charm is greatly reduced, leaving only a striking red lip. This aligns with a December leak from an insider about Catwoman's costume—Gal's outfit is clever and practical, more like the comic book version than previous Batman films. She wears goggles. It may not be as sexy as Halle Berry or Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman, but more like a thief."
"Looking at the details, the blue light on both sides of Catwoman's mask gives the outfit a sci-fi feel, perfectly fitting the high-tech thief image, which aligns more with Catwoman's original comic identity—as a burglar."
"And the bigger plot mystery left by this still is that Catwoman is riding the Batmobile! What does this mean? Did she steal it from Batman, or has she allied with him?"
After Gal Gadot's latest look was revealed, although fans were unsure if this was her only costume throughout the film, or even if she truly was the Catwoman everyone talked about, these uncertainties did not stop the media from scrutinizing her outfit.
Addressing such questions in an MTV interview, Gal Gadot said, "If you don't like the photo, it's only because you've seen a tenth of what the outfit can achieve. But if you like it, that proves your taste is fantastic."
Even so, this could not silence the dissenters.
But this was a good thing—controversy brings attention.
Warner Bros. continuously released information. Later, media reported that Tom Brady and the Los Angeles Raiders would also appear in the film, attracting attention from many football fans in this high-performing season.
Subsequently, several Batman actors appeared at a major Armani promotional event.
Armani was also one of the sponsors of The Dark Knight Rises.
Although a superhero film based on DC Comics, the Batman series' deep collaboration with Armani has never lacked fashion sense. Every outfit worn by the wealthy and handsome Bruce Wayne was designed by Armani. Even the pinstriped suit was a specially handmade custom by the brand. Despite the low-profile appearances of the butler Alfred, most of his cardigans and shirts were also pricey Armani recommendations.
Not to mention Gary Oldman's Commissioner Gordon or James Franco's young policeman, whose entire wardrobes were brand-name outfits…
Superhero films never promote fashion and brands as directly as Gossip Girl or City, but the heroes' style is impeccable. Batman wears Armani, Iron Man has a Jaeger-LeCoultre watch, Superman wears stylish nerdy glasses, Black Widow's full-body suit and sandals are sharp and sleek. Even Loki's occasional three-piece human outfits from other planets have significance. Speaking of the villain Bane, people may only notice his bulky muscles and whisk-like mask, but his leather jacket is British luxury, and the fur coat he wears during a speech is a Swedish special custom.
And don't laugh at the Hulk's pants—good elasticity is truly good…
In these films, heroes and villains not only need to save or destroy the Earth, create or eliminate chaos, but also make stylish, unique entrances, show off, impress, and project presence; wardrobe and styling are indispensable.
As filming neared completion, various rumors circulated. Later, media reported that Margot Robbie's character Selina Kyle's roommate might have another identity, possibly becoming the next generation of Batgirl or Harley Quinn.
There were even fan-made Joker/Harley Quinn posters circulating online.
Although Duke was still in the studio filming the remaining scenes, Christian Bale had finished his work and, arranged by Warner Bros., gave a dedicated interview.
An era had thus come to an end.
In a late January interview, Christian Bale said, "A few days ago, I finished all my scenes for The Dark Knight Rises. That was the last time I wore Batman's suit. I heard the entire film will be completed in two days. Everything is done. For both me and director Duke, the era of Batman is over."
He then specifically mentioned Catwoman, "When Duke watched the rough cut, he said Gal Gadot really did very well. In many ways, her scenes were the hardest. Many people think Catwoman has been portrayed excellently before, so I feel Gal's role was the most difficult among us."
Seemingly in coordination with Christian Bale's interview, Warner Bros. released a poster of Selina Kyle following the publication of his interview.
Some newspapers even issued exaggerated reports—heaven has eyes! Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises now has ears!
Fans could see from the latest poster that when Selina Kyle pushes her night-vision goggles up onto her head—as some people put sunglasses on top of their heads—the goggles effectively resemble a pair of ears, creating Catwoman's signature pointed-ear symbol. Additionally, she wore a mask under the goggles, fitting her thief persona.
Shortly afterward, Warner's media published a feature interview with Gal Gadot.
When asked about her thoughts on Catwoman's costume and the images released online, she said it was "powerful"; asked about previous Catwoman actresses, Gadot said she felt honored to be among them but didn't want to imitate their portrayals because each had her own approach.
The reporter asked whether she thought the film was important for her career. Gadot said it was Duke's film, and she hadn't thought much about it. She had already forgotten the martial arts she trained for, only remembering lots of kicking, all while wearing metallic-heeled high heels!
In late January, after over three months of shooting, Duke completed all filming for The Dark Knight Rises in the Hughes Aircraft Factory studio. Yet he could not relax; an even more intense post-production awaited him and his post-production team.
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