The Dark Knight (film)

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The Dark Knight
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Produced by Emma Thomas
Charles Roven
Christopher Nolan
Written by Screenplay:
Jonathan Nolan
Story:
David S. Goyer
Christopher Nolan
Comic Book:
Bill Finger
Bob Kane
Jerry Robinson
Starring Christian Bale
Michael Caine
Heath Ledger
Gary Oldman
Morgan Freeman
Music by Hans Zimmer
James Newton Howard
Cinematography Wally Pfister
Distributed by Warner Bros.
Release date(s) July 18, 2008
Language English
Budget $200 million (expected)[1]
Preceded by Batman Begins
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

The Dark Knight is a 2008 superhero film based on the fictional DC Comics character Batman. The film is the sequel to the 2005 Batman Begins, which rebooted the Batman franchise after an eight-year hiatus. Christopher Nolan, director of Batman Begins, continues as the director of the sequel, which stars Christian Bale again as Batman and Heath Ledger opposite Bale as the Joker. The Dark Knight has a tentative release date of July 18, 2008.[2]

Contents

[edit] Premise

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

In a June 2005 interview with Premiere magazine, Batman Begins screenwriter David S. Goyer said The Dark Knight "would have Batman (Christian Bale) enlisting the aid of Gordon (Gary Oldman) and Dent in bringing down the Joker (Heath Ledger)... but not killing him. In the third movie, the Joker would go on trial, scarring Dent in the process".[3]

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Cast and characters

In July 2006, Warner Bros. Pictures announced that Christian Bale would reprise his role as Batman with Heath Ledger opposite Bale as the Joker.[5] Before Ledger was confirmed as the Joker, actors Paul Bettany,[6] Lachy Hulme,[7] Adrien Brody,[8] and Robin Williams[9] had publicly expressed interest in the role. Nolan also revealed that Harvey Dent would make an appearance in The Dark Knight, the character had yet to be cast.[10] Actors Liev Schreiber[11] and Josh Lucas[12] have expressed interest in portraying Dent.

Cillian Murphy, who portrayed the Scarecrow in Batman Begins, said in an August 2005 interview that he was interested in returning, but he did not know if he will reprise his role, as he is contracted for possible sequels.[13] That same August, producer Charles Roven said that Katie Holmes, who portrayed Rachel Dawes in the film, was signed on for the sequel.[14] In an October 2006 interview, Nolan said that he hoped that Katie Holmes would come back, and the director indicated that he would contact other Batman Begins characters to return for The Dark Knight after he finished the script.[15]

Nolan explained that he was not including Robin in the franchise because Christian Bale was still portraying a "young Batman", which meant Robin was "still in a crib somewhere".[16] In addition, Nolan considered the Penguin difficult to portray on film, explaining, "There are certain characters that are easier to mesh with the more real take on Batman we're doing."[17]

[edit] Influences

The Dark Knight's interpretation of the Joker will be based on the Joker from Alan Moore's one-shot comic book Batman: The Killing Joke, as well as the Joker's first two appearances in the Batman comics.[18] The Killing Joke was the material provided to Heath Ledger for his role,[19] and Jerry Robinson, one of the co-creators of the basic concept for the Joker in the comics, is involved with the film to consult on how to portray the film's Joker.[20] Heath Ledger described his role as the Joker as "more nuanced and dark and more along the lines of a Clockwork Orange kind of feel. Which is... what the comic book was after: less about his laugh and more about his eyes".[21] The comic Batman #1, referenced in part by Nolan, details the Joker as having "burning, hate-filled eyes", tying into Ledger's description.[22]

[edit] Production

On July 31, 2006, Warner Bros. Pictures officially announced the initiation of production for the sequel, titled The Dark Knight.[5] The title makes The Dark Knight the first live-action Batman film without the word Batman in its title. Christian Bale noted, "I like, very much, that it doesn't have Batman written in the title. This take on Batman of mine and Chris' is very different from any of the others and everything else always had Batman in the title."[23]

Christopher Nolan's brother Jonathan Nolan wrote the screenplay, which was based on a story co-written by Christopher Nolan and screenwriter David S. Goyer.[24] In September, Christopher Nolan was revising his brother's script,[25] and in October, Jonathan Nolan was revising the returned draft.[26] Christian Bale, who had yet to read the script by October, said of Nolan, "I've got total trust in him, and I have no problem reading the script a week before we start."[27] Nolan provided Heath Ledger with a look at the secretive script, but did not allow the actor to leave his home with a copy.[28]

Christopher Nolan described the sequel's theme as escalation, continuing how Batman Begins ended, with "things having to get worse before they get better".[18] Nolan indicated that The Dark Knight would also continue the themes that Batman Begins had, such as justice vs. revenge and Bruce Wayne's father issues.[29] However, Nolan hoped to "attempt to do something very different in the sequel" from Batman Begins since Batman's origin story was now re-established.[30] Nolan said, "[Bruce Wayne achieved] a certain sense of purpose or a certain resignation, in terms of how his life is going to wind up being dedicated to this — which is something that we begin with." The director added, "...the world itself responds to our actions in ways we don’t anticipate."[31]

According to producer Charles Roven, a preshoot will take place in January 2007, and preliminary filming begins in March 2007.[32] In October 2006, film location manager Robin Higgs visited Liverpool to scout locations, mainly along the city's waterfront, for filming The Dark Knight. Other locations being scouted include Yorkshire, Glasgow, and parts of London.[33] The Nolan brothers also expressed interest in returning to shoot in Chicago, since the director had a "truly remarkable experience" filming part of Batman Begins there.[26]

[edit] Film score

In an October 2006 interview, Hans Zimmer, who composed the Batman Begins score with James Newton Howard, said that he would be scoring The Dark Knight.[34] Zimmer said that he would have Howard return to pair up for The Dark Knight as they did for Batman Begins. Zimmer also said that the main Batman theme was purposely introduced at the end of Batman Begins and would flesh out in the sequel as the character develops.[35]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Peter Mitchell. "Ledger keeps Batman secrets", Herald Sun, 2006-10-17. Retrieved on 2006-10-26.
  2. ^ "The Dark Knight Release Date", SuperHeroHype.com, 2006-11-16. Retrieved on 2006-11-16.
  3. ^ "Premiere Features Batman Begins", SuperHeroHype.com, 2005-05-09. Retrieved on 2006-11-02.
  4. ^ Ian Spelling. "Nolan: Ledger is Perfect for Joker", Sci Fi Wire, 2006-10-10. Retrieved on 2006-10-10.
  5. ^ a b Warner Bros. Pictures. "Batman Sequel Title & Casting Confirmed!", ComingSoon.net, 2006-07-31. Retrieved on 2006-07-31.
  6. ^ Kellvin Chavez. "Bettany Talks Batman Begins Sequel!", Latino Review, 2006-01-28. Retrieved on 2006-07-31.
  7. ^ Mark Beall. "Lachy Hulme Talks Joker", Cinematical, 2006-05-30. Retrieved on 2006-07-31.
  8. ^ Stax. "That Joker Adrien Brody", IGN, 2006-01-09. Retrieved on 2006-07-31.
  9. ^ Jeff Otto. "Robin Williams, Joker?", IGN, 2006-06-26. Retrieved on 2006-07-31.
  10. ^ Stax. "Exclusive: Nolan's Dark Knight Revelations", IGN, 2006-10-03. Retrieved on 2006-10-03.
  11. ^ Kellvin Chavez. "Video Interview: Schreiber & Stiles On The Omen!", Latino Review, 2005-05-31. Retrieved on 2006-08-15.
  12. ^ Larry Carroll. "Movie File: Brad Pitt, Chevy Chase, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Josh Lucas & More", MTV, 2006-04-21. Retrieved on 2006-07-31.
  13. ^ Jeff Otto. "Scarecrow in Batman 2?", IGN, 2005-08-06. Retrieved on 2006-07-31.
  14. ^ "Batman Begins sequel is moving along", Cinescape, 2005-08-10. Retrieved on 2006-08-04.
  15. ^ Bob Strauss. "The chemistry behind making of "The Prestige"", Pasadena Star-News, 2006-10-21. Retrieved on 2006-10-25.
  16. ^ "Nolan on Robin in Batman Sequels", SuperHeroHype.com, 2005-06-23. Retrieved on 2006-07-31.
  17. ^ Matthew Belloni. "Q+A: Christopher Nolan", Esquire, November 2006. Retrieved on 2006-10-13.
  18. ^ a b Josh Horowitz. "Exclusive! Dirt on The Dark Knight!", Better Than Fudge, 2006-08-23. Retrieved on 2006-08-23.
  19. ^ Daniel Robert Epstein. "Heath Ledger Talks Joker", Newsarama, 2006-11-07. Retrieved on 2006-11-08.
  20. ^ "Updates On The Dark Knight Plus Our Own Exclusive On The Involvement Of Joker Creator Jerry Robinson In The Batman Sequel!", InsomniacMania.com, 2006-08-24. Retrieved on 2006-08-28.
  21. ^ Peter Howell. "Ledger finds balance at own pace", Toronto Star, 2006-09-08. Retrieved on 2006-10-03.
  22. ^ Stax. "Dark Knight Detective Work", IGN, 2006-09-29. Retrieved on 2006-10-05.
  23. ^ Stax. "Dark Knight Talks Dark Knight", IGN, 2006-08-04. Retrieved on 2006-10-03.
  24. ^ Stax. "Nolans Talk Dark Knight", IGN, 2006-09-25. Retrieved on 2006-10-03.
  25. ^ Jonah Weiland. "1-on-1: David Goyer Talks "Blade" The TV Series", Comic Book Resources, 2006-09-06. Retrieved on 2006-09-10.
  26. ^ a b Cindy Pearlman. "Caped Crusader may alight here next year", Chicago Sun-Times, 2006-10-25. Retrieved on 2006-10-25.
  27. ^ Heather Newgen, Edward Douglas. "Bale Doesn't Talk About The Dark Knight", SuperHeroHype.com, 2006-10-15. Retrieved on 2006-10-15.
  28. ^ "Heath Ledger Knows Little About 'Batman Begins' Sequel", Starpulse, 2006-11-09. Retrieved on 2006-11-09.
  29. ^ Stax. "Exclusive: Nolan's Dark Knight Revelations", IGN, 2006-10-03. Retrieved on 2006-10-23.
  30. ^ Robert Sanchez. "Chris Nolan on The Dark Knight Casting Rumors", IESB.net, 2006-08-29. Retrieved on 2006-10-13.
  31. ^ Mike Russell. "That Old Bat Magic", In Focus, October 2006. Retrieved on 2006-10-15.
  32. ^ Heather Newgen. "Producer Chuck Roven on The Dark Knight", SuperHeroHype.com, 2006-08-12. Retrieved on 2006-08-23.
  33. ^ Catherine Jones. "Batman film may swoop into Liverpool", icLiverpool, 2006-10-13. Retrieved on 2006-10-13.
  34. ^ Dan Goldwasser. "Breaking the Rules with Hans Zimmer, Part 2", SoundtrackNet, 2006-10-07. Retrieved on 2006-10-07.
  35. ^ Dan Goldwasser. "Breaking the Rules with Hans Zimmer, Part 3", SoundtrackNet, 2006-11-02. Retrieved on 2006-11-03.

[edit] External links


The films of Christopher Nolan
Following (1998) • Memento (2000) • Insomnia (2002) • Batman Begins (2005) • The Prestige (2006) • The Dark Knight (2008)
Batman in popular media
Actors: Lewis Wilson • Robert Lowery • Adam West • Olan Soule • Michael Keaton • Kevin Conroy • Val Kilmer • George Clooney • Rino Romano • Christian Bale • Casts
Live-action television: Batman • Legends of the Superheroes • Birds of Prey • Return to the Batcave
Film: 1940s serials • Batman (1966) • Batman (1989) • Batman Returns • Batman Forever • Batman & Robin • Batman Begins • The Dark Knight
Animation: Batman/Superman Hour • New Adventures of Batman • Batman: The Animated Series/New Batman Adventures • Mask of the Phantasm • SubZero • Batman Beyond • Return of the Joker • Mystery of the Batwoman • The Batman • The Batman vs. Dracula
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