It's always nice to get some assurance that "The Dark Knight Rises" will eventually come out and that someday we will all see the finished movie. The latest issue of Total Film will have to sustain us for a little while at least. The magazine's cover story explores the complexities of Christopher Nolan's third Batman, like a Bruce Wayne "directed by pain," a new "brute" of a villain and avoiding the dreaded third film slump.

Overall, the feature gives a good sense that the key players involved in "The Dark Knight Rises" know exactly what they need to do, but they definitely don't want to tell anything you about it at all.

Plus, the issue includes a few brand new looks at Batman, Bane, and Catwoman, who's packing some heat.

Check out the full photo of Bane and some juicy details from the article after the jump!

The Man Behind the Batman

A very cheery Christian Bale spoke at length about where Bruce Wayne finds himself emotionally as the third film in the trilogy opens, and he's not in great shape. "He's always had this need, this drive, to take action because of the tragedy that befell him," Bale said. "He's not in the healthiest of places, in many ways." According to the actor, Wayne's pain is "constant throughout," so maybe we aren't getting that happy ending. "It's about making the decision to continue [being Batman] in order to maybe self-destruct, or whether he can find some kind of rebirth, to be himself. There's a certain amount of reflection."

The Curse of Threes

Since the third movie in a series tends to suck, Nolan has kept the arc of the series in mind when plotting out his finale. "We feel a tremendous challenge and responsibility to finish our story," he said. "We have to give the audiences something they haven't seen before, but also fulfill their expectations of what they enjoyed in the first two films. That's the tricky balance. With a sequel there is always the challenge of trying to meet or indeed exceed expectations."

The Mask of Bane

For as demonic-looking as Bane's mask is in "The Dark Knight Rises," Tom Hardy claimed it was nothing but comfortable during filming. "It's not as bad as you might think," he said. "You just put it on. Work out where your drool goes. That's it. Mask work is good fun. This one wasn't painful; there was the stunt mask and there was the up-close one for the sexy glam shots."

You can check out the full story in the new issue of Total Film, which is on newsstands now.

What do you think of the new Bane photo? Let us know in the comments below and on Twitter!