'The Dark Knight Rises': Liam Neeson may reprise his 'Batman Begins' role
'The Dark Knight Rises' may feature an appearance by actor Liam Neeson, who played Henri Ducard/Ra’s al Ghul in the trilogy's first film
It’s long been presumed that the League of Shadows, as it was portrayed in Batman Begins, would be returning in some form in co-writer/director Christopher Nolan’s final installment in his Caped Crusader saga, The Dark Knight Rises.
Rumors about how the dangerous organization will fit into the plot of the film have long been circulating, as has more solid, but still unconfirmed word about younger stars such as Josh Pence and Joey King portraying youthful versions of characters such as LoS head Ra’s al Ghul and his daughter, Talia.
Today, we have some additional fuel to add to that particular fire, in the form of confirmation from a longtime rumored Dark Knight Rises player that they are involved with the film – in some form, at least.
Chances are good that those reading this article already have a pretty good idea of who we’re talking about. However, if you’re attempting to avoid knowing anything too concrete about The Dark Knight Rises in advance, STOP READING NOW.
Yes, as has long been unofficially reported to be the case, Liam Neeson is in fact involved with The Dark Knight Rises. However, judging by what he recently told ShowbizSpy, the elder version of Ra’s won’t be appearing too long in the actual film (if at all):
“I can tell you nothing about ‘Dark Knight Rises’, seriously. I was on set for maybe an hour-and-a-half and the director didn’t tell me anything of what it’s about. So, I’m being very honest when I say I have no idea what’s going to happen.”
Obviously, it would be strange for Neeson to simply show up on the Dark Knight Rises set and NOT have actually filmed a short scene (or two) that flashes back to a time when the League of Shadows mastermind was still breathing, ie. either prior to and/or during the early portions of Batman Begins. So, all in all, it’s probably safe to say: Neeson’s deadly alter ego will actually pop up in the new film, at some point.
Now, the question is: how will the elder Ra’s fit into the mystery narrative of Dark Knight Rises? Could it be that he was responsible for either training and/or recruiting Bane (Tom Hardy) for a last-ditch effort to topple Gotham City – or will he merely show up during flashbacks to Bruce Wayne’s (Christian Bale) time training with the LoS?
All shall be revealed at last when The Dark Knight Rises hits U.S. theaters on July 20th, 2012.
Sandy Schaefer blogs at Screen Rant.