Watch the Dark Knight Rises New Trailer

Warner Bros. has released the newest trailer for Christopher Nolan’s epic conclusion to his Batman trilogy. Check it out at Gizmodo here.

To say it has me agonized in anticipation is an understatement. We get more of Bane (he sounds more intelligible now and less muffled) and Selena Kyle aka Catwoman. Bane does an impressive airplane escape, and we see Selena in action. While her true intentions are not explained, it’s clear her relationship to Bruce mirrors that of the comics, where she’s an on again off again ally and possible lover. We also see massive explosions of Gotham’s destruction and epic battles.

What’s most interesting and perhaps distressing for major Bat-fans is the possible foreshadowing of Bruce Wayne’s demise. Both “Hope Is Lost” and “Faith is Broken” flash across the screen. Alfred claims he won’t bury Bruce if he were to die, and Batman asks Bane “why didn’t you just kill me?” To which Bane replies “Your punishment must be more severe”. And when Selena tells Batman that he doesn’t owe the citizens of Gotham any more than he has always sacrified, he says “Not everything. Not yet”.

And you have several clips of actor Joseph Gordon Levitt, whose purpose in the film has yet to be determined. Some have intimated he’ll be Robin, but I believe that ridiculous given Nolan’s ultra dark take on this character. Will he don the cape and cowl if Bruce perishes? It certainly could be perceived that way.

So does Nolan have the cojones to do something this severe? Perhaps. This is his last Batman film. After this he’s slated to be in the producer role once Batman gets a different slant in a few years with a new cast and as yet undetermined take on the character. Personally I hope Bruce lives to walk away in the film, given my love of the Batman mythos. Either way, this film is not to be missed.

Oh, we also get a sneak peek at the new Bat-wing (or whatever they decide to call it in the film).

Does this have you excited as much as it does me? Will this movie break the 3rd film curse that has plagued many a trilogy?

This summer looks to be one of the best in recent memory for great genre filming. Between ‘The Avengers’, ‘Prometheus’ and ‘Dark Knight Rises’ I’ll be spending several hours in the darkened chill of the IMAX theater safely out-of-the-way of the brutal summer heat.

‘Dark Knight Rises’ will hit theaters July 20th.