Warner Bros Worried About ‘The Bane Problem’

The six-minute prologue for Christopher Nolan’s eagerly awaited third Batman film, THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, debuted last week in four IMAX screens around the country. The trailer was uploaded last night. For most of us at THN and across the web, their reception was nothing short of fantastic. But one issue has been raised: that of Bane’s voice.

A source at Warner Bros is reported to be ‘scared to death [about] the Bane problem’ – referring to the fact that the film’s primary antagonist is pretty difficult to understand, what with his mask covering most of his face and all. Studio execs are eager for Nolan to change the sound levels, but the esteemed director claims to only want to change the sound slightly.

‘Chris wants the audience to catch up and participate rather than push everything at them. He doesn’t dumb things down,’ says an anonymous studio executive. ‘You’ve got to pedal faster to keep up.’

It took a few watches to grasp what Bane was saying in the new trailer, even though he only had one line – ‘when Gotham is ashes, you have my permission to die’ – and concerns are not unreasonable. With Christian Bale lending Bruce Wayne’s superhero alter-ego a ridiculously deep monotone voice that can often be difficult to follow itself, a conversation between Batman and Bane might not be something to look forward to.

Though judging by the trailer, it doesn’t look like Bane’s really one for talking anyway…