Screenwriting Blog
The Dark Knight Rises beat sheet speculation
The Dark Knight Rises has yet to open, and since I’ve been analyzing Christopher Nolan’s films for a larger project, especially the first two chapters in his Batman trilogy, Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, I can’t help but speculate about The Dark Knight Rises beat sheet.
I’ve seen a lot of predictions and theories online as to the story, but not any that attempted to break down the entire film or incorporated Nolan’s signature style of complex story structure, using templates like The Dark Knight and Inception. Below, you can download my Full Story Map for The Dark Knight Rises, before I’ve seen the movie.
I’m using a five-act structure which most closely resembles The Dark Knight, as that seems the obvious parallel, plus there’s so much content advanced in the trailers that a four-acter (my normal Story Maps structure) just won’t cut it.
MY TAKE ON THE “BIG QUESTIONS”
Talia Al Ghul? Yes, Miranda Tate (Marion Cotillard) is actually Talia Al Ghul, daughter of Ducard (Liam Neeson), who was not the only Ra’s Al Ghul. Ra’s is more of a title that is given to the current leader of the League of Shadows. An extended flashback will show the history of Ducard, his daughter Talia, and their troubled history with Bane.
Bane breaks Batman’s back? Maybe, maybe not — what’s important to me is that he badly wounds Bruce and keeps him imprisoned in the pit that we see in the trailer. Bruce climbing out of the pit is a crucial “Assumption of Power” moment, and we will be cheering and pumping our fists as he climbs, as if he were Rocky running up those steps.(Although I’m theorizing that he will have help, as it’s crucial to his arc in this film to accept help from others.)
Bane’s first big strike? Will be when he liberates prisoners from either Arkham or another prison (or both). How this ties into Selina Kyle in jail, I don’t know. Maybe Bruce had her arrested after the party invasion and she’s using the distraction in jail to make her own escape.
Bane tearing off Batman’s mask? This will come at or around the 90-minute mark, after the stadium attack and subsequent chase with The Bat (the flying batwing vehicle) and Bane’s armored convoy. Bane will tune up Bruce, tear off his mask, then throw him in the pit. (This would normally be an End of Act Two “hitting bottom” moment, but with a 5-act structure it’s technically the end of Act Three.)
The Lazarus Pit? It’s not supernatural — it doesn’t reincarnate people. Nolan hasn’t had any real supernatural elements thus far, so I don’t think he’ll add any now. It’s just a big, deep hole, and Bruce Wayne is going to take a tour of it.
The final Batman-Bane fight: Batman’s “method of defeat” will be to tear off Bane’s mask, but in the process he will expose himself to the “venom” gas. Bane suffocates to death and Bruce…dies? See The Dark Knight Rises Story Map PDF at the link below.
As for my big-picture take…
THE DARK KNIGHT RISES STORY ENGINES
ACT 1
Bruce struggles to retire from both Wayne Enterprises and Batman as unrest builds in Gotham City.
We’re catching up with Bruce Wayne eight years later because Gotham City has become relatively peaceful and his job as Batman seems to be ending. Retirement is definitely on his mind, and he must make the decision on how to leave Wayne Enterprises. I think the obvious choice is that he will turn Wayne Enterprises into a philanthropic/charity organization, dedicated to directly helping the people of Gotham City, who are now reeling from the effects of economic recession more than the iron fist of organized crime. Of course, that will not go according to plan.
ACT 2
Bruce puts his trust in Miranda Tate and investigates an anarchist group until a larger threat emerges: the terrorist known as Bane.
The attackers at the party are not Bane’s crew, they are members of an anarchy group that I will call The Resistance. Selina Kyle’s warning to Bruce in the trailer is the heralding of this attack. Bane will not attack in Gotham for a while; I’d say at least 45 minutes into the film.
ACT 3
Bane unleashes a large-scale attack, leading to a fight in the sewers where Bane defeats and imprisons Bruce.
Bane must defeat Batman at some point, and I’m saying that this will happen about 90 minutes into the film (or 90 pages in a screenplay), and Bruce will be imprisoned. But Bane will not reveal Bruce’s identity as Batman — this must be Bruce’s decision — to finally reveal himself to the people of Gotham City.
ACT 4
As Bane keeps Gotham under siege and chaos reigns, an underground movement starts to spring up, invoking the symbol of The Batman.
This is the “bridge” act where Bruce is out of commission and Catwoman, John Blake and the people of Gotham begin to form a new resistance movement, with the bat symbol as their rallying cry.
ACT 5
Bruce and his allies take on Bane for the final fight. Bane kills Miranda and Batman reveals his identity to Gotham City before taking his final action.
Yes, I’m saying that Miranda is Talia Al Ghul and Bruce will decide to reveal his identity as Batman to the world in the climax:
Bruce will rip off Bane’s mask, exposing himself to the poison and kill Bane in the process.
A shocking Epilogue will put the trilogy to bed. Will Bruce live or die?
DOWNLOAD THE DARK KNIGHT RISES STORY MAP AND FIND OUT!
Let me know what YOU think in the COMMENTS below — the point here is to get a righteous fanboy discussion going. Feel free to disagree and spray fear toxin in my face. For a bit more about my process in making this Story Map, go here.
Good Luck and Happy Writing,
Dan Calvisi
The Dark Knight Rises Pre-Cog Story Map or “How I would write the Dark Knight Rises screenplay”
In anticipation of The Dark Knight Rises opening in theaters on July 20, I’ve been analyzing Christopher Nolan’s films, especially the first two chapters in his Batman trilogy, Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. I’ve found myself buried so deep into Nolan’s complex story structures that it’s been impossible for me to watch the trailers and not start mapping the story in my head. It’s been keeping me up at night. Even before this latest one, The Dark Knight Rises – Official Trailer #3 [HD], I started to write a Full Story Map for The Dark Knight Rises, sight unseen, based solely on the limited clips and information available on the web.
There’s a lot of speculation online as to the story, but no one has attempted to break down the entire film.
Until now.
Hey, go ahead and think of it as the “Everest of Story Analysis.”
Or, just a movie nerd wasting his time.
It’s totally up to you. I’ll wait, if you’d like.
Okay, okay, I’ll admit, maybe there’s a bit of wish-fulfillment here. I wouldn’t hate to answer my phone and hear a dapper British voice on the other end, asking me if I “might fancy a jolly good writing assignment?” Close out the biggest movie franchise in the world, giving my take on an iconic character I’ve been obsessed with since I was a kid, under the direction of a film genius? Not a half-bad gig for a screenwriter.
In essence, I’m writing the The Dark Knight Rises screenplay as I would write it, or, perhaps more accurately, I’m predicting how Christopher Nolan will write it, which is no small feat, considering that all of his films utilize complex story structures. I may even go so far as to say that the only unifying thread in all of his films is his complete unwillingness to use a linear narrative structure. Like perhaps no other filmmaker, save Quentin Tarantino, Nolan builds stories using a fractured narrative.
Nolan may be well-known as a master visual stylist, but it’s his storytelling craft (along with frequent collaborators Jonathan Nolan and David S. Goyer) that really sets him apart, and that begins in the outline that forms the basis of a tightly-crafted screenplay.
I don’t know the guy, but I’m pretty sure that Nolan doesn’t write “on the fly.” You don’t write an Inception or The Prestige without an outline — they are absolute beasts of structure (trust me, we’ve been wrestling with those maps for months). So, instead of reverse-engineering the Story Map after a film has been released, like I’ve done with so many Story Maps for produced films, then why not break it down before we see the movie?
How close can I get? How much of a “pre-cog” vision can I accomplish? How long before you skip this lengthy introduction and just scroll down to download the frakkin’ Story Map? (A true fanboy would stick it out.)
I’ve given myself rules. My source material consists of:
- The three existing trailers for The Dark Knight Rises – the teaser, the full trailer and trailer #3.
- The 6-minute prologue footage shown in iMax theaters (the CIA plane sequence).
- Interviews with Christopher Nolan and other key players.
- Batman comic books, including but not limited to the Bane saga covered in Knightfall. Nolan has borrowed from Batman books in the past, like The Long Halloween, Year One, The Dark Knight Returns and The Killing Joke. Will Knightfall or Son of the Demon be used for inspiration? There’s only 70+ years of comic book lore to consider… no problem!
- Previous Christopher Nolan films, primarily his Batman films but also his other films, to reference his signature storytelling devices.
- The imdb listing for The Dark Knight Rises, most notably the cast list.
The Cardinal Rule: If the screenplay or a bootleg copy of the film get leaked online, I will not look at either one. I want to see the film on opening day like everyone else… having discussed, analyzed and made so many predictions and theories that it becomes the most hyped film event since Phantom Menace, thus can’t possibly live up to my expectations.
If the film ruins my life and Nolan rapes my adulthood, I want it to be on my terms, dammit!
Besides, according to my sources, the screenplay is literally under lock and key. I’ve been told that only a single hard copy exists and only a short list of VIPs are allowed to read it in a locked room, alone, with a time limit. Even Christian Bale was subjected to this same secrecy, as reported in the L.A. Times…
“I remember when I first read the script, of course it was all top secret,” Bale said during a break in the shoot. “I went round by Chris’ house, was shut in the room with the script — not allowed to leave with it — and it hit me that this was the last one. What Chris couldn’t believe was how slow I read because I go back and re-read until I have it all in my mind. I was in there six or seven hours. It was dark when I came out. And I was smiling.”
On to the story. Here’s some major elements we know:
- The film takes place eight years after the events of The Dark Knight.
- The film opens with Bane being transferred by CIA Agents and rescued by his commandos, taking Dr. Leonid Pavel as a prisoner.
- New characters include Selina Kyle, also known as Catwoman, John Blake, a Gotham Police Officer, and Miranda Tate, a mysterious character that some postulate may turn out to be Talia Al Ghul, the daughter of Ra’s Al Ghul.
- Returning characters include Alfred Pennyworth, Lucius Fox, James Gordon and Ducard/Ra’s Al Ghul (who was alleged to have died in the climax of Batman Begins, but we never actually saw a body, probably because it would have been incinerated in the massive explosion. But we know Liam Neeson is in the cast list, so did Ducard live or does he appear in flashback?).
- The Nolan-verse: Nolan grounds his Batman films in the “real world,” albeit a heightened, comic book real world. Thus far, there is no magic, creatures or uber-fantastic science fiction elements such as time travel, even when these supernatural elements often appear in the comic books. For example, in the comics, Ra’s Al Ghul is known to have been reanimated from death using a Lazarus Pit. The Joker had impossibly white skin and a massive, clown-like mouth, but Nolan chose to interpret The Joker as a normal man with scars at the corners of his mouth, thus giving the appearance of a clown when painted. Dr. Jonathan Crane was not “The Scarecrow” in Batman Begins—he just happened to use a scarecrow mask to terrorize his patients in his twisted experiments.
- Ra’s Al Ghul: Thus far, we can’t convincingly say that Ra’s Al Ghul is one man. He may be more of a title, possibly given to multiple individuals, through the generations. Thus, perhaps neither Ducard (Liam Neeson) or “Ra’s Al Ghul” (Ken Watanabe) were the only Ra’s Al Ghul, but one (or both?) assumed the mantle of Ra’s at some point in time. I believe that this mantle will be assumed by a new character in The Dark Knight Rises.
With that said, my basic assumption is that Nolan will not begin using supernatural elements this late in his saga. But, as with any of this, I could be wrong.
Questions abound:
- Is Bane an agent of The League of Shadows or a lone terrorist a la The Joker?
- What exactly does Bane want with Dr. Pavel?
- Why does Bane wear the mask? (In the comics, he needs the gas known as “venom” to live.)
- Will Bruce Wayne be exposed to the public as Batman?
- Will Bruce Wayne sacrifice his life to save Gotham City?
- Will any other characters die? Gordon…Lucius Fox…Alfred?
- What has happened in eight years? Heck, why set the film eight years later?
- The upscale party set piece featured in the trailers – is this Bruce’s party or one he attends? Why is he the only one not wearing a mask? (other than the dramatic irony of Batman not wearing a mask?) Did he rebuild Wayne Manor?
- Is the mysterious Miranda actually Talia Al Ghul, a member of the League of Shadows?
- Does she get pregnant with Bruce’s child? (a la Son of the Demon graphic novel)
- Does Batman need to kill Bane to defeat him? (breaking his vow to never kill)
- Will Catwoman and John Blake take up the mantle of Gotham’s protectors after Batman dies/retires?
There’s tons more questions raised by the trailers, but it’s time to get into the map.
A caveat: If, come opening day, my predictions below turn out to be utter rubbish, feel free to hurl me into a Lazarus Pit of your own creation, be it real or metaphorical. Or, if I am revealed to be a Pre-Cog Story Genius (the more likely scenario), then feel free to praise my skills all over The Internets.
Good Luck and Happy Writing,
Dan Calvisi
Mad Men Images | Mad Men 501-502 “A Little Kiss”
Anyone who knows me knows I’m a huge, huge, huge fan of Mad Men. After each episode, I comb the web for any and all Mad Men-related material, and since there’s many other nutjobs out there who are also mad for Mad Men, the blogosphere never disappoints.
But most high-profile sites only feature one still photo from each episode, and since I’m on the AMC press list and have access to various publicity materials, I decided I’d work harder to bring you guys more images for your scrapbooks, including ones you might not see anywhere else yet (like the pic above). read more
The Hunger Games story could only be written by a woman?
I’m almost done reading The Hunger Games trilogy of books on my trusty Kindle and I’m seeing the movie in a few hours (as it unleashes a Quarter Quell on the box-office in its opening weekend), so until I can offer an analysis of the screenplay or movie, I thought I’d share one of my first impressions of the story when I read the book. read more
Andrew Stanton on Story
I came across this TED talk by writer/director Andrew Stanton, whose credits include Toy Story 1-3, Finding Nemo, Wall-E and the upcoming John Carter. He’s got some really interesting things to say about the emotional connection between screenwriter (storyteller) and audience (listener), touching on WHY we love a great story, what we expect and how the storyteller should meet these expectations. read more
Fox Searchlight proves that audiences want original stories
A few months back, I was preparing a proposal that listed the box-office performance of several films, including The King’s Speech. I knew that the film did quite well, but I was shocked to learn that it grossed a whopping $440 million worldwide! To put that into perspective, this quiet, character-driven period drama with stuffy British accents outgrossed Tron: Legacy, Star Trek (2009) and The Adventures of TinTin! read more
Seven screenplay analysis and free download offer
What’s in the box?!
Seven, written by Andrew Kevin Walker and directed by David Fincher, is one of the great thrillers of the 1990s, a decade with several exceptional thrillers. Walker’s screenplay for Seven shot him to the Script Doctor A-list, establishing him as a hot writer of dark material on spec, like 1999’s 8mm, as well as garnering him uncredited rewrites on films such as Fight Club, The Game (also Fincher-directed films) and Stir of Echoes (directed by Walker’s mentor, David Koepp). read more
The Black List 2011 highlights the best spec screenplays of the year
The 2011 Black List is here! Congratulations to all of the writers who made the list.
For those who don’t know, the Black List compiles the “most liked” unproduced (as of voting time) screenplays of the year, as voted on by studio, agency and production company executives in Hollywood. What began as an underground project has become a major announcement for the development community that is reported on by sources such as The Hollywood Reporter.
Past winners like Juno and The Social Network have proven the list as a prescient judge of quality film storytelling. read more
Download free Oscar screenplays
The major studios are once again posting their “For Consideration” screenplays online for Academy Award season. Some of these titles may become Oscar nominated screenplays, for Best Original Screenplay or Best Adapted Screenplay. So far, we’ve got free pdf script downloads from Universal, Fox Searchlight, Focus and Lionsgate. read more
The Future of 3D with Peter Jackson, The Hobbit, Martin Scorsese and Hugo
This behind-the-scenes video on the set of The Hobbit in New Zealand is a must-see for 3D lovers and haters, alike. If you’re doubting the need for 3D (like Roger Ebert) or if you’re a Tolkien purist who thinks the two-part Hobbit saga is a calculated cash grab, I ask you to watch this video because it really shows how much the dedicated filmmakers behind films like this are melding artistry and brilliant technology to create a truly unique cinematic experience.
If Roger Ebert thought his letter from Walter Murch (see the link above) closed the case against 3D, I’d say this video tears the letter and the envelope it came in to shreds. read more
Spec Script Market is booming!
"What's an iPhone?"
It seems like I can’t turn around lately without seeing an article about how the spec screenplay market in Hollywood is at its highest level in 5 years!
October 2011 saw 18 sales, [correction: 20 sales!] the biggest month for sales in years, including three from relative newcomers. read more
Gladiator screenplay
Gladiator (screenplay by David Franzoni and John Logan and William Nicholson; story by David Franzoni) is a true Hollywood epic that breathed new life into the swords-and-sandals genre, made Russel Crowe a star and gave director Ridley Scott another opportunity to make a brilliant, large scale Hollywood masterpiece.
The film runs at just under 2.5 hours but the story never slows, due to a rock-solid structure that’s focused on a hard-charging throughline and an ever-present controlling theme. read more
Story Maps book review on Slingwords.com
Story Maps: How to Write a Screenplay has received another glowing review, from best-selling author Joan Reeves on her site, Slingwords.com. Here’s some excerpts from the review…
“In truth, I found this book to be brilliant.”
-Joan Reeves
Keep reading, and, by the end of the book, it’s as if you absorbed the structure. There’s a harmonic resonance between the story map structure and your writer’s consciousness.
read more
Actor Elijah Wood tells Dan Calvisi what he looks for in a script
I’m more interested in being a part of an entire piece that I think is brilliant, even if it’s a small part to play.
Dexter Season 6
Dexter season six premieres on Sunday, October 2 on Showtime. Once again, we will get the opportunity to watch some strong dramatic writing at work. Dexter has always been a good example of the use of a dynamic character and the technique of dramatic inevitability. Both devices contribute to dramatic character and plot arcs over the course of a season. read more
script screenplay
Are you writing a “script” or a “screenplay?” Is there a difference between the terms script and screenplay?
Screenplay vs. script. Which is it?
Exhibit A: "Script"
Exhibit B:"Screenplay"
The Shawshank Redemption Screenplay
The Shawshank Redemption screenplay by Frank Darabont, based on the novella by Stephen King, is a powerful character-driven drama that covers many years in the lives of multiple characters, all tied together around the theme of “preserving hope in the most hopeless of situations.”
A script consultant is like a recording studio
One afternoon in April 1990, Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic and drummer Chad Channing arrived at producer Butch Vig’s Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin… “They rolled up in a van,” says Vig, “and they probably hadn’t taken a bath or shower in three or four days.” The songs Nirvana began recording that day would eventually become Nevermind.
Source: Rolling Stone.
On January 3, 1991, five young musicians who called themselves “LunchHead” entered the same studio, used the same equipment as Nirvana, and paid Butch Vig the same fee. read more
Story Maps book review in Script Magazine
Story Maps: How to Write a Screenplay has received high marks from Script Magazine’s book reviewer, Heather Hale. Here’s some excerpts from the review…
Calvisi uses both contemporary commercial blockbusters and critical successes as well as the old stalwart classics the average reader is sure to be familiar with as examples. This grounds and contemporizes the readers’ communal frame of reference. read more