THE DARK KNIGHT RISES - Studio Wants Nolan to Change Bane's Voice
There seem to be a lot of audience members complaining about the sound of Bane's voice in The Dark Knight Rises. Many people are complaining that they couldn't really understand what he was saying in the awesomley epic 6-minute prologue that is showing in front of Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol. I was one of those people that couldn't really understand a lot of what Bane was saying in the trailer, but I didn't really complain. It wasn't until I watched a bootleg version of the prologue that I was able to make out what Bane was saying. That is my one gripe about the trailer. That's not a good sign, and apparently Warner Bros. agrees.
The studio would like director Christopher Nolan to change the sound mix so that people can understand what the hell Bane is saying. Nolan on the other hand has a master plan and did it on purpose. He won't completely redo the sound mix, but he has agreed to alter it slightly. Here's what THR reports:
Sources close to the movie say Warner Bros. is very aware of the sound issue. One source working on the film says he is “scared to death” about “the Bane problem.” And with good reason. The last Batman film, 2008’s The Dark Knight, grossed more than $1 billion worldwide, and the studio doesn’t want anything to tamper with Rise’s chances for success.
Sources also say some at Warners would like Nolan to change the sound mix, but the filmmaker, whose autonomy is well-earned (his Inception earned the studio more than $800 million and two Oscar nominations), has informed executives that he plans only to alter the sound slightly, not to rework it completely.
“Chris wants the audience to catch up and participate rather than push everything at them. He doesn't dumb things down," says one high-level exec, declining to be named. “You've got to pedal faster to keep up.”
If this is the vision that Nolan had for Bane, then I don't mind letting him carry it out. If the muffled voice was all part of the plan, then I say let it roll. Nolan's never steered me in the wrong direction, and if this is the game he wants to play with his audience then you can count me in; I'll play it. What are your thoughts on the voice of Bane?