Bruce Wayne has his hands full in "The Dark Knight Rises." Bane and Catwoman are two of the foes on a collision course with the Caped Crusader, but there are other people in his life that'll become sources of drama: Wayne Enterprises' very own Lucius Fox, Gotham City's finest police commissioner Jim Gordon, and even Bruce's trusty butler Alfred Pennyworth.
For Christopher Nolan, it's Batman's relationship with Alfred that stands out as one of the most enjoyable dynamics on display in "Rises."
"In this film, we really get to look at that relationship again," the filmmaker told SFX Magazine (via Flicks And Bits). "Watching Christian and Michael play the relationship between these two characters has been one of the great joys of working on these films."
"The great thing about Alfred and what Michael brings to it, in emotional terms, is that there is a heart there," he continued. "Alfred has known Bruce since he was a baby. He's very much the father figure, but he's also the confidante and, to a certain extent, the conscience of Bruce Wayne."
Diving deeper into Bruce's conscience, Nolan said that the key to nailing "Rises" was to never forget about the hero's humanity, a trait that distinguishes him from his other superhero colleagues.
"Batman has always been the most grounded of superheroes because he is just a man whose only identifiable superpower is extraordinary wealth, really," said Nolan. "He has resources through Morgan Freeman's character, Lucius Fox, and his control of Wayne Enterprises, to have all kinds of technology at his disposal. In this film, we explore some interesting new gadgets – some quite startling things, I think. But, at the same time, we tried to never lose of sight of the balance between the technology he uses and his basic humanity – the drive and commitment to justice that comes from him as a man."
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