[Check More Evidence that TDKR will be based on 'Knightfall']

As with any of Chris Nolan's Batman movies, the rumors surrounding The Dark Knight Rises have already been so thick that we had to create a TDKR fact sheet to help separate the truths from the speculation.

Today brings one big whopping RUMOR our way - one that many fans have been speculating about ever since it was confirmed that Tom Hardy would be playing Bane in Batman 3. While this latest RUMOR - which concerns the outcome of Bane and Batman's rivalry in the film - should be taken with a huge (and we do mean HUGE ) grain of salt, you should still be warned that it could be a HUGE POTENTIAL DARK KNIGHT RISES SPOILER!!!

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The latest rumor (which comes to us exclusively by way of Comic Book Movie) is that The Dark Knight Rises will be following in the footsteps of the one of the most famous Batman storylines of all time, "Knightfall," which any real fan should recognize. For those unfamiliar:

"Knightfall" involves Bane coming to Gotham City on quest to beat Batman and take control of the city's crime syndicates. To accomplish this, Bane blows up Arkham Asylum, flooding Gotham's streets with all the lunatics that Batman has locked up. Batman tries to recover the fugitives, and in the process wears himself down both mentally and physically. When he's at his lowest ebb, Batman is confronted by Bane inside of Wayne Manor and an epic fight ensues, ending with Bane breaking Batman's back. The incident leaves Gotham without a protector, until Bruce Wayne recovers from his injuries and takes the city back (albeit from a new Batman, though no word on if TDKR will go that route).

According to this rumor, Bane and Batman will at least play out the epic "Knightfall" battle in their first encounter. Says Comic Book Movie's "reliable source":

Bruce Wayne/Batman & Bane will certainly clash hard in The Dark Knight Rises and I can tell you this much, during their first fight against one-another will , Bane WILL break Batman's back!

As stated, many fans have been speculating about and/or hoping for this "Knightfall" scenario ever since Bane was announced for TDKR. While it holds obvious appeal for fanboys hoping to see their beloved source material realized on the big screen, there is the obvious risk of having a Batman movie where Batman is out of commission for a significant portion of the film, until he inevitably "rises" to the challenge of overcoming his injuries and stopping Bane.

Bane "Break You" Knightfall Saga

Sure, having "Batman" off the board would allow star Christian Bale a fresh opportunity to do a deeper exploration of the character of Bruce Wayne, without the costume and cape getting in the way (which, admittedly, I could see being an approach that would appeal to Nolan). But again, would fans respond well to a superhero movie like that? And wouldn't watching Bruce Wayne climb his way back into the mantle of Batman be a little too reminiscent of Batman Begins?

There's also the possibility that all those secondary characters like Catwoman (Anne Hathaway), Miranda Tate (Marion Cotillard), or John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) were purposefully meant to "over crowd" the film, in order to give viewers more characters to follow while Bruce Wayne is injured. Catwoman's presence in this scenario is especially interesting, since the character has just as often been portrayed as an anti-hero as she has a villain. Could she step up to defend Gotham while Batman can't? ("Holy future spinoff, Batman!")

Then there are those Lazarus Pits rumors, which would take on new possibilities if Bruce Wayne needs a means to fix his broken body...

We could go on and on speculating, but let's not jump the gun. This is still a HUGE RUMOR that has not been confirmed, and likely won't be until Nolan wants us to know.

...But that doesn't stop us from discussing: Do you hope Nolan incorporates the events of "Knightfall" into his film? Would you be happy with a Batman movie that had Batman on bed-rest for a sizeable portion of its runtime?

The Dark Knight Rises will be in theaters on July 20, 2012 - though this "Knightfall" rumor may be revealed if we get a teaser trailer with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 next month. We'll see.

Source: Comic Book Movie