Following a rejected Batman origin story reboot Joss Whedon pitched in December 2002,[74][75] Warner Bros. hired Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer to script Batman Begins.[76] The duo aimed for a darker and more realistic tone, with humanity and realism being the basis of the film.[77] The film was primarily shot in the United Kingdom and Chicago,[78][79] and relied on traditional stunts and scale models with minimal use of computer-generated imagery. Christian Bale starred as Batman, Liam Neeson starred as Ra's al Ghul, and Cillian Murphy as The Scarecrow. Katie Holmes also starred in the movie as Bruce's love interest, Rachel Dawes, a role created for the film. Alfred, the ex-British Army SAS member was played by Michael Caine and Jim Gordon was portrayed by Gary Oldman. A new Batmobile (called the Tumbler) and a more mobile Batsuit were both created specifically for the film.[80][81] The film begins with the death of Bruce's parents and then explores his decision to leave Gotham and his training under the League of Assassins with Ra's al Ghul, before he rebels against the League and adopts the guise of Batman, recognising that he cannot condone their use of lethal force. The League attempt to attack Gotham using Jonathan Crane's weaponised fear toxin, but Batman is able to defeat their plan, with Ra's being apparently killed when a train he is in crashes during a fight with Batman.
Batman Begins was both critically and commercially successful. The film opened on June 15, 2005, in the United States and Canada in 3,858 theaters. It grossed $48 million in its opening weekend, eventually grossing over $372 million worldwide. The film received an 85% overall approval rating from Rotten Tomatoes. Critics noted that fear was a common motif throughout the film, and remarked that it had a darker tone compared with previous Batman films. The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography and for three BAFTA awards.[82] It was also listed at No. 81 on Empire's "500 Greatest Movies of All Time"[83] and has maintained a standing on IMDb.com's "Top 250".[84]
Christopher Nolan reprised his duties as director, and brought his brother, Jonathan, to co-write the script for the second installment. The Dark Knight featured Christian Bale reprising his role as Batman/Bruce Wayne, Heath Ledger as The Joker, and Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent / Two-Face. Principal photography began in April 2007 in Chicago and concluded in November. Other locations included Pinewood Studios, Ministry of Sound in London and Hong Kong. On January 22, 2008, after he had completed filming The Dark Knight, Ledger died from a bad combination of prescription medication. Warner Bros. had created a viral marketing campaign for The Dark Knight, developing promotional websites and trailers highlighting screen shots of Ledger as the Joker, but after Ledger's death, the studio refocused its promotional campaign.[85][86] The film depicts Gotham attempting to rebuild after Batman's actions have caused so much damage to its organised crime families, aided by the prosecution of charismatic District Attorney Harvey Dent, but the involvement of the anarchic Joker threatens everything, as his actions lead to the death of Rachel Dawes and Harvey being scarred and transformed into Two-Face. Although Batman is able to stop the Joker from forcing two ferries- one loaded with civilians and the other with prisoners- to destroy each other, he is forced to take the blame for the murders committed by Dent to ensure that the city retains its hope for the future.
The film received broad critical acclaim,[87][88][89] and set numerous records during its theatrical run.[90] With just over $1 billion in revenue worldwide, it is the 30th-highest-grossing film of all time, unadjusted for inflation.[91] The film received eight Academy Award nominations; it won the award for Best Sound Editing and Ledger was posthumously awarded Best Supporting Actor.
Nolan wanted the story for the third and final installment to keep him emotionally invested. "On a more superficial level, I have to ask the question," he reasoned, "how many good third movies in a franchise can people name?"[92] He returned out of finding a necessary way to continue the story, but feared midway through filming he would find a sequel redundant.[93] The Dark Knight Rises is intended to complete Nolan's Batman trilogy.[94] By December 2008, Nolan completed a rough story outline, before he committed himself to Inception.[95] In February 2010, work on the screenplay was commencing with David S. Goyer and Jonathan Nolan.[96] When Goyer left to work on the Superman reboot, Jonathan was writing the script based on the story by his brother and Goyer.[97] Tom Hardy was cast as Bane and Anne Hathaway plays Selina Kyle.[98] Joseph Gordon-Levitt was cast as John Blake,[99][100] and Marion Cotillard was cast as Miranda Tate. Filming began in May 2011 and concluded in November.[101] Nolan chose not to film in 3-D but, by focusing on improving image quality and scale using the IMAX format, hoped to push technological boundaries while nevertheless making the style of the film consistent with the previous two.[102] Nolan had several meetings with IMAX Vice-President David Keighley to work on the logistics of projecting films in digital IMAX venues.[103] The Dark Knight Rises featured more scenes shot in IMAX than The Dark Knight.[103] Cinematographer Wally Pfister expressed interest in shooting the film entirely in IMAX.[104][105] During the film, set eight years after Dark Knight, the arrival of new foe Bane forces Bruce to return to his old role as Batman, only to find himself overpowered and captured by Bane as Gotham is cut off from the rest of the world with a stolen Wayne Enterprises fusion generator prototype set to go off in a few months. With the aid of thief Selina Kyle, Bruce is able to return to Gotham and defeat Bane while redeeming his image as Batman. The film concludes with Bruce having 'retired' as Batman after faking his death to live with Selina Kyle, evidence suggesting that he has passed on the Batcave to new ally Detective John Blake (real first name Robin) while Gotham rebuilds in memory of the Dark Knight's heroism.
Upon release, The Dark Knight Rises received a positive critical response and was successful at the box office, going on to outgross its predecessor and become the 18th-highest-grossing film of all time grossing over $1.08 billion. However, unlike its predecessors, the film was not nominated for any Oscars during its year of eligibility at the 85th Academy Awards, much to the surprise of film industry insiders.[106]
