Batman Trilogy Set— Out On December 4th

The Dark Knight Rises arrives this holiday season onto Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD and Digital Download on December 4th from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group. In the epic conclusion to filmmaker Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight trilogy, Gotham City is threatened by the masked terrorist Bane, forcing Batman to return from an eight-year absence and fight for his city one more time. Also available will be the free The Dark Knight Rises app for IOS 5.0 or higher compatible devices including iPhone and iPad, and Samsung Galaxy devices including S2, S3, Note, Nexus and Tab (operating system requirements vary by device). Building upon the already available "TDKR: Gotham City's Most Wanted" app, The Dark Knight Rises app will be updated in two phases. The first update, which will be available in late October, will include several interactive activities such as a photo application that will allow users to put themselves into a Tumbler, a video application that will allow users to insert a Tumbler into their personal videos, and more.

The second update, which will be available on December 4th, will integrate second screen functionality into the app. It will allow users to sync compatible mobile devices with the Blu-ray disc via BD-Live enabled Blu-ray players connected to the same Local Area Network to access exclusive bonus content. The bonus content will include film location information, Gotham City maps, film trivia, photo galleries and "making of" featurettes. In addition, the second screen app controls playback of the film on your TV via Blu-ray player. "The Dark Knight Rises" app will be available through the iTunes store and Google Play.

The Dark Knight Rises will be available on Blu-ray Combo Pack for $35.99 and on single disc DVD for $28.98. The Blu-ray Combo Pack features the film in hi-definition on Blu-ray and in standard definition on DVD. "The Dark Knight Rises" Blu-ray disc takes advantage of the marriage of IMAXÒ and 35mm formats by using the hybrid master to replicate the unique theatrical experience of integrated film formats. Both the Blu-ray Combo Pack and the single disc DVD include UltraViolet which allows consumers to download and instantly stream the standard definition version of the film to a wide range of devices including computers and compatible tablets, smartphones, game consoles, Internet-connected TVs and Blu-ray players.*

Also available December 4th, just in time for holiday gift-giving, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment will release The Dark Knight Trilogy Limited Edition Giftset, featuring Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises all in one collection. Available on Blu-ray or standard definition DVD, The Dark Knight Trilogy Limited Edition Giftset will also include a premium book exclusive to the collection, which takes fans deeper into the epic franchise, as well as existing special features. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment also plans to release The Dark Knight Trilogy Ultimate Collector's Edition in 2013.

Leading an all-star international cast, Oscar winner Christian Bale (The Fighter) again plays the dual role of Bruce Wayne/Batman. The Dark Knight Rises also stars Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle; Tom Hardy as Bane; Oscar winner Marion Cotillard (La Vie en Rose) as Miranda Tate; and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as John Blake. Returning to the main cast, Oscar winner Michael Caine (The Cider House Rules) plays Alfred; Gary Oldman is Commissioner Gordon; and Oscar winner Morgan Freeman ("Million Dollar Baby") reprises the role of Lucius Fox.

The screenplay is written by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan, story by Christopher Nolan & David S. Goyer. The film is produced by Emma Thomas , Christopher Nolan and Charles Roven, who previously teamed on Batman Begins and the record-breaking blockbuster The Dark Knight. The executive producers are Benjamin Melniker; Michael E. Uslan; Kevin De La Noy; Thomas Tull; with Jordan Goldberg serving as co-producer. The film is based upon characters created by Bob Kane and published by DC Comics.

Will We See The Justice League in 2013?

Well, just as we expected, we're hearing a plethora of stories and rumors everywhere that are stating conclusively— there will be a "Justice League" film onscreen in 2013. When we decided to conduct some of our own speculation, we took the time to send top secret messages and e-mails to a few people who were in a position to know whether or not the film was really going to happen, and we all caught abit of shut eye... comfortable that we were right in stating as of this very moment [which could change so we are hedging all bets] that there's PROBABLY not going to be a "Justice League" film in 2013. Not with Joss Whedon's "Avengers" kickin' it very soon [this summer].

So then... our daring comrades over at theThe LA Times published part two of a Jeff Robinov piece recently, and again, they state rather confidently... the film's going to happen in 2013.  They don't leave much room for doubt, either. Here's the thing… we still don't believe there's a "Justice League" film coming that close on the heels of the "Superman" reboot.  We just don't.  We do believe that 2013 will be an extremely productive year for the Warner Bros. superhero business, and we would not remotely be shocked to see "The Flash" come out that year as well.

My guess is that Warner Bros. is going to wait to see if our very own Super Hero Joss Whedon's "The Avengers" works at the box-office (and creatively) before they finally make the commitment to a giant-budget team movie like this, and there's no guarantee they'll even be able to use Superman in it. If Christopher Nolan is going to be in charge of what happens to Batman after his trilogy of films concludes, as the Times piece also asserts, what would make him suddenly decide after years of saying that he hates the idea of Batman running around with other superheroes?  Also, is it just us, or does it seem like a huge punch in the face to an audience to start talking about a reboot right before anyone's started production on the current film?  We are sure they'll create more Batman films once Nolan isn't directing them... which is actually absurd [they need to just pony up and pay Nolan whatever he asks]... but if there's any way you could sap our enthusiasm for what you're about to do, it's telling us that you're already moving on. Focus on one at a time, okay?  If the third film is just a speedbump on the road to a reboot for the studio, why should we treat it any differently?

So can you make a "Justice League" without Superman and Batman? Sure they could do that. And they don't even have to make origin movies for the heroes involved first.  What they do need to do is tell a compelling story which completely justifies putting that many iconic characters together... and that's not an easy task to pull off..  If they're in development on a script already, great.  That directly contradicts what I've heard, which is that they're focused on individual films only at the moment, and that a certain red-suited hero has the inside track on being the next one in front of a camera.  These aren't cheap films or easy films to crank out in a year, though.

So I repeat… 2013?  Not [as Spike trhe vampire would say] bloody likely.  No matter how many times the Times keeps repeating it.  And in two years, let's meet back here and see who was right.