The Dark Knight Rises

The Dark Knight Rises is Warner Bros' 2012 sequel to The Dark Knight, both based on DC Comics' Batman. It is is the third and final film in The Dark Knight Trilogy.

The film finds Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) in retirement, some eight years after the events of the previous film. He's drawn back into battle as Bane (Tom Hardy) begins a war on Gotham, a war whose opening battle finds the weakened Batman catastrophically injured. Added to the mix is Catwoman (Anne Hathaway) and Bane's mysterious accomplice Miranda Tate (Marion Cotillard). Returning players include Michael Caine, Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman. Joseph Gordon-Levitt also appears as police officer John Blake, whose connection to the comic book story is hidden until the final scenes of the movie.

Christopher Nolan directed the movie from a script he co-wrote with brother Jonathan Nolan, from a story he developed with David S. Goyer.

The film was less well-received than the previous entries but was still reviewed positively by critics and did well at the box office. It marked the retirement from the franchise for Nolan and Bale. While no sequels were expected, it did seem to lay the groundwork for a continuation that would star Gordon-Levitt and the heir to the cowl. However, Batman would not return to live-action features until Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice.