The Dark Knight Rises is modeled after one of the Rocky films

Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises was a fitting conclusion to one of the best superhero film series ever made. Nolan’s third film explores a menacing villain, the terrorist named Bane, who sets out to destroy Gotham City. Interestingly, the writer of the film, David S. Goyer, revealed a secret that may surprise the fans of the trilogy. The story of the film drew inspiration from a classic Sylvester Stallone film, Rocky III.

Tom Hardy and Christian Bale as Bane and Batman in The Dark Knight Rises
While the setting was inspired by the boxing film, Nolan and Goyer took inspiration for Bane from the Knightfall and No Man’s Land storylines in DC Comics. Christian Bale reprised his role as Batman alongside new additions Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Marion Cotillard, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt

The Dark Knight Rises Was Inspired By An Unlikely Sylvester Stallone Film

Rocky III served as one of the inspirations for The Dark Knight Rises
David S. Goyer conceived the story for all three films in The Dark Knight trilogy alongside Christopher Nolan. Goyer revealed some behind-the-scenes details about the films when he appeared on the Happy Sad Confused podcast hosted by Josh Horowitz. Among the amusing revelations, Goyer shared that the final film in the trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises, drew inspiration from the most unlikely source.

Calling it a “dirty little secret”, the Blade: Trinity director disclosed that the storyline of The Dark Knight Rises was modeled after Sylvester Stallone‘s Rocky III. Christian Bale‘s Caped Crusader suffering defeat at the hands of the hulking Bane, played by Tom Hardy, was similar to Rocky’s initial defeat in the match against the ruthless Clubber Lang. Subsequently, both films tell the tale of the rise of these fallen heroes.

Despite fan rumors at the time suggesting The Riddler as the villain, Nolan and Goyer went with Bane as the brute force villain in the film. Goyer initially thought that Bane was a cheesy villain. However, it eventually worked out as Bane became exactly what they envisioned. The Man of Steel writer shared with Josh Horowitz:

“But you know, the dirty little secret of The Dark Knight Rises is it’s kind of modeled after Rocky III. And, you know, you gotta get knocked down to get back up. And, you know, he’s just getting old. And you need someone who’s just a brute. And I just remember saying, ‘Well, it’s Bane. Ah, Bane… it’s so cheesy, I don’t know.’ But it’s a process. And it did seem in hindsight, it had to be Bane.”
The Dark Knight Rises received surprisingly positive reviews for a threequel. Critics deemed it a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy and praised the direction, story, and exceptional performances from Bale and Hardy. The film became the highest-grossing Batman movie, earning $1 billion at the box office.

Not Tom Hardy, WB Wanted An A-Lister To Play The Villain In The Dark Knight Rises

Tom Hardy as Bane
When Warner Bros. and Christopher Nolan were set to produce the third Batman film, they faced the challenge of finding a worthy villain. Heath Ledger’s Joker in The Dark Knight had established a benchmark not only for Batman films but for the entire superhero genre. Instead of waiting for a story from Nolan and Goyer, WB suggested they write in The Riddler and proposed Leonardo DiCaprio for the role.

However, Nolan prioritized story over stardom and did not concede to the studio’s demands. According to Goyer, their approach was to first identify the story and the theme, and then figure out the villain that best suited their story. While the idea of DiCaprio as The Riddler may have been enticing, Nolan’s final choice proved to be precisely what the trilogy required.

The Dark Knight Rises is now available for streaming on Max.