"The Dark Knight Rises"

"The Dark Knight Rises" is the conclusion to Christopher Nolan's trilogy of Batman films, and takes place eight years after the events of 2008's "The Dark Knight." As seen in Nolan's previous films, the world of Gotham City confronts terrorism and political anarchy in an epic that is anything but comic book in its emotional depth.

By CBSNews.com senior editor David Morgan

Credit: Warner Brothers

Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman in "The Dark Knight Rises."

CHRISTIAN BALE as Bruce Wayne in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ action thriller “THE DARK KNIGHT RISES,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. TM & © DC Comics.

In "The Dark Knight"...

After Warner Brothers revived the Batman franchise with Tim Burton's 1989 "Batman," a stream of superhero films featuring Michael Keaton, George Clooney and Val Kilmer grew progressively cartoonish. With the 2005 "Batman Begins," Christopher Nolan revisited the origins of Bruce Wayne and his creation of the winged vigilante as part of a darker, more realistic world.

Nolan followed with "The Dark Knight" (2008), featuring Heath Ledger's bravura performance as The Joker, an anarchist who tries to bring Gotham City to its knees. Ledger won a posthumous Best Supporting Actor Oscar.

Director Christopher Nolan on the set of "The Dark Knight Rises."

Director CHRISTOPHER NOLAN on the set of Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ action thriller “THE DARK KNIGHT RISES,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. TM & © DC Comics.

Bane (Tom Hardy) and his mercenaries invade Gotham City's stock exchange in "The Dark Knight Rises."

Christian Bale remarked on Christopher Nolan's ability to make his films topical, even when dealing with archetypal, mythic characters:

"Occupy Wall Street was actually happening a couple of blocks away from where we were filming in New York, which he had no way of knowing it was going to happen when he wrote the script and when we started.

"Bob Kane created this character in 1939 - which being from England that's the beginning of World War II - and it was an answer to the uselessness that individuals felt against this humongous tragedy, and what could you do? So [Batman] was topical in its inception. And I think Chris has returned it to that."

Credit: Warner Brothers

Tom Hardy as the villain Bane in "The Dark Knight Rises."

TOM HARDY as Bane in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ action thriller “THE DARK KNIGHT RISES,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. TM & © DC Comics.

Christian Bale as Batman in a scene from "The Dark Knight Rises."

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CHRISTIAN BALE as Batman in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ action thriller “THE DARK KNIGHT RISES,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. TM and © DC Comics
Photo by Ron Phillips

CHRISTIAN BALE as Bruce Wayne and ANNE HATHAWAY as Selina Kyle

L-r: CHRISTIAN BALE as Bruce Wayne and ANNE HATHAWAY as Selina Kyle in Warner Bros. Pictures’ action thriller “THE DARK KNIGHT RISES,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. TM & © DC Comics.

Anne Hathaway as Catwoman in "The Dark Knight Rises."

A Best Actress Oscar nominee for "Rachel Getting Married," Hathaway has also appeared in "The Princess Diaries" movies, "The Other Side of Heaven," "Nicholas Nickleby," "Ella Enchanted," "Brokeback Mountain," "The Devil Wears Prada," "Becoming Jane," "Get Smart," "Rachel Getting Married," "Valentine's Day," "Alice in Wonderland," "Love and Other Drugs," "One Day" and "Les Miserables."

Credit: Warner Brothers

GARY OLDMAN as Commissioner Gordon

GARY OLDMAN as Commissioner Gordon in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ action thriller “THE DARK KNIGHT RISES,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. TM & © DC Comics

Tom Hardy as Bane and Christian Bale as Batman in "The Dark Knight Rises."

L-r: TOM HARDY as Bane and CHRISTIAN BALE as Batman in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ action thriller ‘THE DARK KNIGHT RISES,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. TM & © DC Comics.

Tom Hardy as Bane in "The Dark Knight Rises."

TOM HARDY as Bane in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ action thriller “THE DARK KNIGHT RISES,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. TM & © DC Comics.

Marion Cotillard

MARION COTILLARD as Miranda Tate in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ action thriller “THE DARK KNIGHT RISES,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. TM & © DC Comics.

An ariel shot from the "The Dark Knight Rises"

A view from a helicopter, filming “Dark Knight Rises” stunt work in the skies over Inverness, Scotland, as four stuntmen cling to the fuselage of a plane.

Credit: Warner Brothers

Joseph Gordon-Levitt in a scene from "The Dark Knight Rises"

JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT as John Blake in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ action thriller THE DARK KNIGHT RISES,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. TM & © DC Comics

Director Christopher Nolan with Morgan Freeman and Christan Bale on the set of "The Dark Knight Rises."

L-r: Director CHRISTOPHER NOLAN, MORGAN FREEMAN and CHRISTIAN BALE discuss a scene for Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ action thriller “THE DARK KNIGHT RISES,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release.

Anne Hathaway as Catwoman in "The Dark Knight Rises."

ANNE HATHAWAY as Selina Kyle in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ action thriller “THE DARK KNIGHT RISES,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. TM & © DC Comics.

Batman (Christian Bale) takes aim in "The Dark Knight Rises."

CHRISTIAN BALE as Batman in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ action thriller “THE DARK KNIGHT RISES,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. TM & © DC Comics.

Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman and Michael Caine as Alfred in "The Dark Knight Rises."

Caine says of his character, "In terms of the audience, Alfred represents us in this incredible world. He is our spokesman. He's not tough like the others; he reacts like an ordinary human being in this situation."

Credit: Warner Brothers

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The full-size version of the flying vehicle, dubbed The Bat, was 30 feet long and 17 feet wide, with a two-person cockpit and dual-anchored machine guns.

Credit: Warner Brothers

The Bat in "The Dark Knight Rises."

Nolan said of Imax, "It's the best possible quality image when you film with their cameras, and you project that film in the theatres with those huge screens. There's really no other way to do that with any other imaging technology.

"What I love about [Imax] as opposed to 3D is, it creates a much larger-than-life image. When you watch a 3D film, the parallax makes it more intimate, it shrinks the imagery that you're looking at. I actually, really for these characters in these movies, I like to see Batman larger-than-life, [and] the clarity draws me in."

Credit: Warner Brothers

Tom Hardy as Bane in "The Dark Knight Rises."

Tom Hardy as Bane in "The Dark Knight Rises."

In her wardrobe for Bane, costume designer Lindy Hemming told GQ magazine that her concept was a cross between a dictator and a revolutionary, and so her design of his coat combined elements of a Swedish army jacket and a French Revolution frock coat.

And his mask? Bane breathes a life-sustaining gas, and while it recalls Dennis Hopper's creepy villain in David Lynch's "Blue Velvet," Hemming said its intent was to bring an animalistic, "snarling" element to the character.

Credit: Warner Brothers

Tom Hardy as Bane and Christian Bale as Batman in a confrontation from "The Dark Knight Rises."

(L-r) TOM HARDY as Bane and CHRISTIAN BALE as Batman in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ action thriller “THE DARK KNIGHT RISES,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. TM and © DC Comics

Teaser poster for "The Dark Knight Rises."

The film premieres July 20, 2012.

Credit: Warner Brothers