Dark Knight Rises DVD to feature director's cut?

Rumours abound that the Blu-ray release of 'The Dark Knight Rises' will feature a director's cut from Christopher Nolan.

The original version of the film ran at two hours, 45 minutes, but it's said that the new version could add an extra half an hour on the already substantial runtime.

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The additional footage is thought to take on the origin of Bane and feature more of Liam Neeson's Ra's Al Ghul.

News emerged in August about possible footage of Tom Hardy's Bane left on the cutting room floor, which might hint at where the extra minutes may be coming from.

Costume designer Lindy Hemming told of flashback fight scenes and early incarnations of Bane's breathing apparatus, and also details of why he has to wear it.

The limitations of IMAX, the huge format that Nolan shot the film in, might support the rumours of a director's cut too, with 165 minutes being roughly the maximum amount that the 70mm print can take.

It's hoped the DVD release will come sometime in December.