The Dark Knight (film)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 This article or section contains information about one or more scheduled or expected films.
The content will change as the film's release approaches and more information becomes available.
The Dark Knight
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Produced by Christopher Nolan
Charles Roven
Emma Thomas
Written by Screenplay:
Christopher Nolan
Jonathan Nolan
Story:
David S. Goyer
Christopher Nolan
Characters:
Bob Kane
Bill Finger
Jerry Robinson
Starring Christian Bale
Michael Caine
Heath Ledger
Gary Oldman
Aaron Eckhart
Maggie Gyllenhaal
Morgan Freeman
Music by Hans Zimmer
James Newton Howard
Cinematography Wally Pfister
Editing by Lee Smith
Distributed by Warner Bros.
Release date(s) Australia:
July 17, 2008
North America:
July 18, 2008
United Kingdom:
July 25, 2008
Country United States
Language English
Budget US$180 million[1]
Preceded by Batman Begins
Official website
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

The Dark Knight is a 2008 American superhero film based on the DC Comics character Batman. The film is a sequel to 2005's Batman Begins, which rebooted the Batman film series after an eight-year hiatus. Christopher Nolan returns as the director, and Christian Bale reprises the lead role. Batman's primary conflicts in the film include his fight against the Joker (Heath Ledger) and his strained friendship with district attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart).

For his conception of the film, Nolan was inspired by the Joker's first two appearances in the comics and Batman: The Long Halloween. The Dark Knight was filmed primarily in Chicago (as was Batman Begins), as well as in several other locations in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Hong Kong. The director used an IMAX camera to film four major action sequences, including the Joker's first appearance in the film. The Batsuit was redesigned, with a cowl allowing Bale to move his head. The film also introduces a recreation of the Batcycle, known as the Batpod.

Warner Bros. created an aggressive viral marketing campaign for The Dark Knight, developing promotional websites and trailers highlighting screenshots of Heath Ledger as the Joker. After Ledger's untimely death in January 2008, however, the studio refocused its promotional campaign.[2][3] The film will be released on July 17, 2008 in Australia,[4] on July 18, 2008 in North America,[5] and on July 25, 2008 in the United Kingdom.[6]

Contents

[edit] Plot

The Dark Knight opens with Batman, Lieutenant James Gordon, and new district attorney Harvey Dent beginning to succeed in rounding up the criminals that plague Gotham City. They are unexpectedly challenged when a mysterious criminal mastermind known as the Joker, appears in Gotham. Batman's struggle against the Joker becomes deeply personal, forcing him to "confront everything he believes" and to improve his technology to stop the madman's campaign of destruction.[7] During the course of the film, a love triangle develops between Bruce Wayne, Dent and Rachel Dawes.[8]

[edit] Cast and characters

Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne / Batman: A billionaire who has dedicated himself to protecting Gotham City from the criminal underworld. Bale was confident in his choice to return in the role because of the positive response to his performance in Batman Begins.[citations needed][9] He trained in the Keysi Fighting Method,[10] and performed many of his own stunts.[9] He did not gain as much muscle this time, because of the storyline in which Batman builds a new suit that allows him to move with more agility.[8]

The actor described Batman's dilemma as whether "[his crusade is] something that has an end? Can he quit and have an ordinary life? The kind of manic intensity someone has to have to maintain the passion and the anger that they felt as a child, takes an effort after awhile, to keep doing that. At some point, you have to exorcise your demons."[11] He added, "Now you have not just a young man in pain attempting to find some kind of an answer, you have somebody who actually has power, who is burdened by that power, and is having to recognize the difference between attaining that power and holding on to it."[1] According to Dan Join, in Empire, Bale felt that because Batman's personality was strongly established in the first film, it was unlikely that his character would be overshadowed by the villains, stating: "I have no problem with competing with someone else. And that's going to make a better movie."[12]

Heath Ledger as The Joker: Heath Ledger described the Joker as a "psychopathic, mass murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy".[13] Nolan had wanted to work with Ledger on a number of projects in the past, but had been unable to do so.[14] When Ledger saw Batman Begins, he realized a way to make the character work in that film's tone,[15] and Nolan agreed with his anarchic interpretation.[14] To prepare for the role, Ledger lived alone in a hotel room for a month, formulating the character's posture, voice and psychology.[16][12] While he initially found it difficult, Ledger was eventually able to generate a voice that did not sound like Jack Nicholson's take on the character in Tim Burton's 1989 Batman film.[17] He started a diary, in which he wrote the Joker's thoughts and feelings to guide himself during his performance.[13] He was also given Batman: The Killing Joke and Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth to read, which he "really tried to read [...] and put it down".[15] Ledger also cited inspirations such as A Clockwork Orange and Sid Vicious, which were "a very early starting point for Christian [Bale] and I. But we kind of flew far away from that pretty quickly and into another world altogether.”[18][19] "There’s a bit of everything in him. There’s nothing that consistent," Ledger said, adding that "There are a few more surprises to him."[18]

Before Ledger was confirmed to play the Joker in July 2006,[20] Paul Bettany,[21] Lachy Hulme,[22] Adrien Brody,[23] Steve Carell,[24] and Robin Williams[25] publicly expressed interest in the role. On not being invited to reprise the part, Jack Nicholson said: "You can't believe the reasons things do or don't happen. Not asking me how to do the sequel is that kind of thing. ... Maybe it's not a mistake. Maybe it was the right thing, but to be candid, I'm furious."[26] After the first official trailer was released, director Guillermo del Toro and comic book writer Jeph Loeb praised Ledger's portrayal of the character, while Batman: The Animated Series co-creator Paul Dini said, "He seems more street than any other version of the Joker. ... His attitude is mordant and sardonic as opposed to manic. ... No goofy gags or puns for him. This Joker doesn't split sides: he splits skulls."[27] Mark Hamill, who voiced the part on Batman: The Animated Series, said "The balls-out debauched psycho approach seems like a great way of reinventing everyone’s favorite scary (and scar-y) clown."[28]

After filming had already ended, Ledger died, on January 22, 2008, leading to intense press attention and memorial tributes. In March 2008, four months prior to the film's scheduled release, Larry Carroll reported that "like Batman himself, Christian Bale, Maggie Gyllenhaal and director Christopher Nolan find themselves shifting gears between being secretive, superheroic and fighting back a deep sadness."[19] "It was tremendously emotional, right when he passed, having to go back in and look at him every day," Nolan recalled. "But the truth is, I feel very lucky to have something productive to do, to have a performance that he was very, very proud of, and that he had entrusted to me to finish."[19] Nolan has dedicated the film to Ledger's memory.[29]

Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent / Two-Face: The Gotham district attorney; Dent's battle with the Joker turns Dent into a murderous, disfigured vigilante called "Two-Face".[30][31] Producer Charles Roven described Dent as initially the "white knight of the city".[32] Wayne sees Dent as his heir, which comes back to the theme of him realizing that being Batman will be a lifelong mission, and the tragedy that follows when Dent is corrupted.[29] Whereas Two-Face is an evil villain in the comics, Nolan chose to portray him as a twisted vigilante to emphasize his role as Batman's counterpart, and Eckhart, who has played corrupt men in films such as The Black Dahlia, Thank You For Smoking and In the Company of Men, notes: "[He] is still true to himself. He's a crime fighter, he's not killing good people. He's not a bad guy, not purely," while admitting: "I'm interested in good guys gone wrong."[30][31] Nolan and David S. Goyer had originally considered using Dent in Batman Begins, but they replaced him with the new character Rachel Dawes when they realized they "couldn’t do him justice".[33][34] Before Eckhart was cast in February 2007, Liev Schreiber,[35] Josh Lucas,[36] and Ryan Phillippe[37] had expressed interest in the role.[38] Nolan chose Eckhart, whom he had considered for the lead role in Memento, citing his "extraordinary" ability as an actor, his embodiment of "that kind of chiselled, American hero quality" projected by Robert Redford, and his subtextual "edge".[39]

Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel Dawes: The Gotham assistant D.A. and childhood friend of Bruce Wayne, she is one of the few people who know that he is Batman. Gyllenhaal has acknowledged that her character is a damsel in distress to an extent, adding that Nolan had sought ways to empower her character so that "Rachel's really clear about what's important to her and unwilling to compromise her morals, which made a nice change" from the many conflicted characters whom she has previously portrayed.[40] In August 2005, before the casting of Gyllenhaal, producer Charles Roven had reported that actress Katie Holmes (who portrayed Rachel Dawes in Batman Begins) was going to reprise the role in The Dark Knight[41]; however, in January 2007, Holmes turned down the offer to reprise her role as Rachel Dawes due to scheduling conflicts,[42] and, by March 2007, Gyllenhaal was in "final talks" for the part.[43]

Supporting characters include:

Anthony Michael Hall has been cast as a reporter named Mike Engel.[54] Beatrice Rosen and Joshua Harto both have minor roles.[55] Edison Chen cameos as a villain.[56] Batman fan and United States Senator Patrick Leahy, who previously was an extra in the 1997 Batman & Robin and also was a guest voice actor on Batman: The Animated Series, will have a cameo in The Dark Knight, in a scene with Batman and the Joker.[57] Singaporean actor Ng Chin Han also reportedly has a "major and highly-confidential" role in the film.[58] Melinda McGraw and Nathan Gamble also appear as Gordon's wife and son.[59]

[edit] Production

[edit] Development

Before the release of Batman Begins, screenwriter David S. Goyer wrote a treatment for two sequels, which introduced the Joker and Harvey Dent, and whose original intention was that the Joker would scar Dent during his trial in the third film, turning him into Two-Face.[60] When asked about those roles, Nolan has explained that, in developing a film, he does not think "in terms of sequels .... I think in terms of making this film the best film it can be and the most complete film it can be."[14] Goyer, who wrote the first draft of the screenplay, cites the DC Comics 13-issue comic book limited series Batman: The Long Halloween as the major influence on his conception of the storyline.[33] While initially unsure of whether the Joker would return, Nolan did want to reinterpret the Joker on screen.[12] After much research, his brother and co-writer Jonathon suggested the Joker's first two appearances in Detective Comics as the crucial influence.[14] Jerry Robinson, one of the Joker's co-creators, was consulted about the character's portrayal.[61] Nolan decided to avoid having to tell an in-depth origin story for the character, portraying his rise to power instead.[14] He explained, "To me, the Joker is an absolute. There are no shades of gray to him [...] He bursts in just as he did in the comics."[50]

"As we looked through the comics, there was this fascinating idea that Batman's presence in Gotham actually attracts criminals to Gotham, [it] attracts lunacy. When you're dealing with questionable notions like people taking the law into their own hands, you have to really ask, where does that lead? That's what makes the character so dark, because he expresses a vengeful desire."
—Nolan on the theme of escalation[1]

On July 31, 2006, Warner Bros. Pictures officially announced the initiation of production for the sequel, titled The Dark Knight.[20] This makes it the first live-action Batman film without the word "Batman" in its title, which Bale noted as signaling that "this take on Batman of mine and Chris' is very different from any of the others."[62] Nolan described the sequel's theme as escalation, continuing how Batman Begins ended, with "things having to get worse before they get better".[63] The director indicated that the film will continue the themes of Batman Begins, including justice vs. revenge and Bruce Wayne's issues with his father,[64] but it would also show more of Batman as a detective, an element which they did not have time to convey in Batman Begins.[8] He described the friendly rivalry between Bruce Wayne and Harvey Dent as the "backbone" of the film.[50] Nolan has cited Heat, the 1995 film directed by Michael Mann starring Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, as well as some other films, as "sort of an inspiration" in the film's attempt "to tell a very large, city story or the story of a city".[14]

[edit] Filming

While scouting for shooting locations in October 2006, location manager Robin Higgs visited Liverpool, concentrating mainly along the city's waterfront. Other candidates included Yorkshire, Glasgow, and parts of London.[65] In August 2006, one of the film's producers, Charles Roven, stated that its principal photography would begin in March 2007,[66] but filming was pushed back to April.[citations needed][67] For its release in IMAX theaters, Nolan shot four major action sequences in that format, including the Joker's introduction, and said that he wished that it were possible to shoot the entire film in IMAX: "if you could take an IMAX camera to Mount Everest or outer space, you could use it in a feature movie."[68] For fifteen years Nolan had wanted to shoot in the IMAX format, and he used it also for "quiet scenes which pictorially we thought would be interesting."[50]

Director Christopher Nolan (far left) and actor Heath Ledger (in make-up) filming a scene in The Dark Knight with an IMAX camera
Director Christopher Nolan (far left) and actor Heath Ledger (in make-up) filming a scene in The Dark Knight with an IMAX camera

Warner Bros. chose to film in Chicago for 13 weeks, because Nolan had had a "truly remarkable experience" filming part of Batman Begins there.[citations needed][69][70] While filming in Chicago, the film was given the false title "Rory's First Kiss" to lower the visibility of production, but the local media eventually uncovered the ruse.[71] As The Guardian observes, Richard Roeper of the The Chicago Sun-Times commented on the absurdity of the technique, "Is there a Bat-fan in the world that doesn't know 'Rory's First Kiss' is actually 'The Dark Knight', which has been filming in Chicago for weeks?"[72] Production of The Dark Knight in Chicago generated $45 million in the city's economy and created thousands of jobs.[73] For the film's prologue involving the Joker, the crew shot in Chicago from April 18 to April 24, 2007.[74][75] They returned to shoot from June 9, 2007 to early September.[73]

According to Michael Caine, the film would also shoot in London, Los Angeles, and Baltimore.[76] While planning a stunt with the Batmobile in a special effects facility near Chertsey, England in September 2007, a technician was killed when his car crashed. None of the actors were on set.[77] The following month in London at the defunct Battersea Power Station, a rigged 200-foot fireball was filmed, reportedly for an opening sequence, prompting calls from local residents who feared a terrorist attack on the station.[78]

Filming took place in Hong Kong from November 6 to November 11, 2007, at the Central-Mid-Levels escalators, Queen's Road, The Center, and International Finance Centre.[79][80][81] The city's walled city of Kowloon influenced the Narrows in Batman Begins.[82] The shoot hired helicopters and C-130 aircraft.[79] Officials expressed concern over possible noise pollution and traffic.[80] In response, letters sent to the city's residents promised that the sound level would approximate noise decibels made by buses.[79] Environmentalists also criticized the filmmakers' request to tenants of the waterfront skyscrapers to keep their lights on all night in order to enhance the cinematography, describing it as a waste of energy.[80]

[edit] Design

Heath Ledger as The Joker.
Heath Ledger as The Joker.

Costume designer Lindy Hemming described the Joker's look as reflecting his personality — that "he doesn't care about himself at all"; she avoided designing him as a vagrant but still made him appear to be "scruffier, grungier", so that "when you see him move, he's slightly twitchier or edgy."[12][16] Nolan noted, "We gave a Francis Bacon spin to [his face]. This corruption, this decay in the texture of the look itself. It's grubby. You can almost imagine what he smells like."[83] In creating the "anarchical" look of the Joker, Hemming drew inspiration from such countercultural pop culture artists as Pete Doherty, Iggy Pop, and Johnny Rotten.[8][84] During the course of the film, the Joker never removes his make-up, causing it to become more unkempt and resemble an infection as it worsens.[12] Ledger described his "clown" mask, made up of three pieces of stamped silicone, as a "new technology", much quicker to apply than regular prosthetics, and he felt that he was barely wearing any make-up at all.[17] It took only an hour for the make-up artists to apply to Ledger's face.[12]

Designers improved on the design of the Batsuit from Batman Begins, adding wide elastic banding to help bind the costume to Bale, and suggest more sophisticated technology. It was constructed from 200 individual pieces of rubber, fiberglass, metallic mesh, and nylon. The new cowl was modeled after a motorcycle helmet and separated from the neck piece, allowing Bale to turn his head left and right and nod up and down.[85] The cowl is equipped to show white lenses over the eyes when the character turns on his sonar detection.[86] The gauntlets have retractable razors which are able to be fired.[85] The gloves also possess hydraulics for Batman to crush objects. The original suit will also be worn during part of the film. Though the new costume is eight pounds heavier, Bale found it more comfortable and less hot to wear.[8]

The film introduces the Batpod, which is a recreation of the Batcycle. Crowley, who designed the Tumbler for Batman Begins, designed six models (built by Chris Corbould) for use in the film's production, because of necessary crash scenes and possible accidents.[87] Crowley built a prototype in Nolan's garage, before six months of safety tests were conducted.[8] The Batpod is steered by shoulder instead of hand, and the rider's arms are protected by sleeve-like shields. The bike has 508 millimeter (20-inch) front and rear tires, and is made to appear as if it is armed with grappling hooks, cannons, and machine guns. The engines are located in the hubs of the wheels, which are set 3 1/2 feet (1067 mm) apart on either side of the tank. The rider lies belly down on the tank, which can move up and down in order to dodge any incoming gunfire that Batman may encounter. Stuntman Jean-Pierre Goy doubled for Christian Bale during the riding sequences in The Dark Knight.[87]

For Two-Face's make-up, Eckhart warned, "When you look at [him], you should get sick to your stomach. Being the guy under all that, well, that was a lot of fun for me. It's like you would feel if you met someone whose face had pretty much been ripped off or burned off with acid [...] There are fans on the Internet who have done artist's versions of what they think it will look like, and I can tell you this: They're thinking small; Chris is going way farther than people think."[30]

The depiction of Gotham City is less gritty than in Batman Begins. "I've tried to unclutter the Gotham we created on the last film," said production designer Nathan Crowley. "Gotham is in chaos. We keep blowing up stuff. So we can keep our images clean."[1]

[edit] Music

Main article: The Dark Knight (soundtrack)

Batman Begins composers Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard returned to score the sequel. Zimmer originally said the main Batman theme was purposely introduced at the end of Batman Begins, and would be fleshed out in the sequel as the character develops.[88]

Zimmer and Howard both realized that creating a heroic theme that a viewer could hum would ignore the complexity and darkness of the character.[89] That the heroic theme is audible only twice, early on in the film, creates what Zimmer described as a "red herring", a kind of musical foreshadowing.[89]

Their eight-minute suite for the Joker is based around two notes.[89] Zimmer compared its style to the band Kraftwerk, who come from his native Germany, as well as his work with other industrial music bands like The Damned.[89] Howard composed Dent's "elegant and beautiful" themes, which would work as a contrast.[89]

[edit] Marketing

In May 2007, 42 Entertainment began a viral marketing campaign utilizing the film's "Why So Serious?" tagline with the launch of a website featuring the fictional political campaign of Harvey Dent, with the caption, "I Believe in Harvey Dent."[90] The site aimed to interest fans by having them try to earn what they wanted to see and, on behalf of Warner Bros., 42 Entertainment also established a "vandalized" version of I Believe in Harvey Dent, called "I believe in Harvey Dent too," where e-mails sent by fans slowly removed pixels, revealing the first official image of the Joker; it was ultimately replaced with many "Haha"s and a hidden message that said "see you in December."[91]

WhySoSerious.com directed fans to letters composing the Joker's message "The only sensible way to live in this world is without rules," to send in photographs of these letters, and then featured their photos in a collage.
WhySoSerious.com directed fans to letters composing the Joker's message "The only sensible way to live in this world is without rules," to send in photographs of these letters, and then featured their photos in a collage.

During the 2007 Comic-Con International, 42 Entertainment launched WhySoSerious.com, sending fans on a scavenger hunt to unlock a teaser trailer and a new photo of the Joker.[92] During that month, WhySoSerious.com featured an animated jack-o'-lantern whose mouth was shaped like a bat-logo. The candle in the jack-o'-lantern melted as time progressed, while half of the pumpkin's face simultaneously deteriorated.[93]

On October 31, 2007, the film's website morphed into another scavenger hunt with hidden messages, instructing fans to uncover clues at certain locations in major cities throughout the United States, and to take photographs of their discoveries. The clues combined to reveal a new photograph of the Joker from the film, accompanied by an audio MP3 clip of Ledger's recorded voice saying, "And tonight, you're gonna break your one rule." Completing the scavenger hunt also led to another website called Rory's Death Kiss,[93] where fans could submit photographs of themselves costumed as the Joker set in various landscapes. Those who sent photos were mailed a copy of a fictional newspaper called The Gotham Times, whose electronic version led to the discovery of numerous other websites.[94][95]

The Dark Knight's opening sequence, (showing a bank raid by the Joker with his ill-fated hired minions) and closing montage of other scenes from the film, was screened with selected IMAX screenings of I Am Legend, which was released on December 14, 2007.[50] A theatrical teaser was also released with non-IMAX showings of I Am Legend, and also on the official website.[96] The sequence will be released on the Blu-ray Disc edition of Batman Begins on July 8, 2008.[97]

After the death of Heath Ledger, on January 22, 2008, Warner Bros. adjusted its promotional focus on the Joker.[2] It revised some of its websites dedicated to promoting the film, posting a memorial tribute to Ledger on the film's official website[98] and overlaying a black memorial ribbon on the photo collage in WhySoSerious.com.[99] On February 29, 2008, I Believe in Harvey Dent was updated to enable fans to send their e-mail addresses and phone numbers.[100] In March 2008, Harvey Dent's fictional campaign informed fans that actual campaign buses nicknamed "Dentmobiles" would tour various cities to promote Dent's candidacy for district attorney.[101]

In 2008, Six Flags Great America and Six Flags Great Adventure theme parks will open The Dark Knight roller coaster; costing $7.5 million to develop, the ride simulates the feeling of being stalked by the Joker.[102] Mattel is producing toys and games for The Dark Knight, action figures, role play costumes, board games, puzzles, and a special-edition UNO card game for commercial distribution in June 2008.[103] Leading up to the film's opening, the studio will release Batman: Gotham Knight, a direct-to-DVD animated film, set between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight and featuring six original stories, directed by Bruce Timm, co-creator and producer of Batman: The Animated Series. Each of these segments, written by Josh Olson, David S. Goyer, Brian Azzarello, Greg Rucka, Jordan Goldberg, and Alan Burnett, presents its own distinctive artistic style, paralleling numerous artists collaborating in the same DC Universe.[104]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b c d David Halbfinger. "A Director Confronts Darkness and Death", The New York Times, nytimes.com, 2008-03-09. Retrieved on 2008-03-08. 
  2. ^ a b Marshall Crook and Peter Sanders. "Advertising: Will Marketing Change After Star's Death?", The Wall Street Journal, online.wsj.com, 2008-01-24, pp. B1. Retrieved on 2008-06-04. 
  3. ^ "Ledger's Death Puts Last Films in a Bind", SHOWBIZZ: Movies, CNN.com, 2008-01-24. Retrieved on 2008-01-28. 
  4. ^ The Dark Knight. Theiapolis Cinema (Beta). theiapolis.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-17. “Sources: Warner Bros. Pictures, Legendary Pictures, DC Comics and Syncopy.”
  5. ^ "Warner Locks In '08 Films", Sci Fi Wire, scifiwire.com, 2007-12-28. Retrieved on 2007-12-29. 
  6. ^ "Film Distributors Association", Launching Films, launchingfilms.com. Retrieved on 2007-04-15. 
  7. ^ "New Dark Knight Synopsis", IGN Movies, ign.com, 2007-12-13. Retrieved on 2007-12-13. 
  8. ^ a b c d e f g "Joker's Wild", Wizard, wizarduniverse.com, 2008-02-11. Retrieved on 2008-02-11. 
  9. ^ a b "WWC — 'The Dark Knight' Panel", Wizard, wizarduniverse.com, 2007-08-11. Retrieved on 2007-08-12. 
  10. ^ Dark Knight. KeysiFM.com. Retrieved on 2007-10-18.
  11. ^ Lewis Beale. "Fast Chat: Christian Bale", Newsday, web.archive.org, 2007-07-15. Retrieved on 2008-04-19. 
  12. ^ a b c d e f Dan Jolin. "Fear Has a Face", Empire, empireonline.com, January 2008, pp. 87-88.  (Empire, issue no. 223 (January 2008), in Empire Covers Archive).
  13. ^ a b Sarah Lyall. "In Stetson or Wig, He’s Hard to Pin Down", The New York Times, nytimes.com, 2007-11-04. Retrieved on 2007-11-05. 
  14. ^ a b c d e f g Stax. "IGN interviews Christopher Nolan", IGN Movies, ign.com, 2007-12-06. Retrieved on 2008-06-03. 
  15. ^ a b Silas Lesnick. "IESB Exclusive: Heath Ledger Talks the Joker!", The Movie Reporter, IESB.net, 2007-11-10. Retrieved on 2007-11-12. 
  16. ^ a b "The Joker Speaks", Empire, 2007-11-28. Retrieved on 2008-03-30. "This is not your Jack Nicholson or Cesar Romero Joker. The new incarnation of the character is cruel and psycho to the core. And getting into that mindset meant Ledger marina[t]ing himself in nothing but Joker before shooting." 
  17. ^ a b "Joker in the Pack", SFX magazine, Christmas 2007, pp. 18. 
  18. ^ a b Josh Horowitz. "Heath Ledger Says His Joker Has 'Zero Empathy' ", MTV Movies Blog, MTV.com, 2007-11-10. Retrieved on 2007-11-12. 
  19. ^ a b c Larry Carroll. "'Dark Knight' Stars, Director Want Film To 'Celebrate' Heath Ledger's Work", MTV Movies Blog, MTV.com, 2008-03-18. Retrieved on 2008-06-05. "Christian Bale says Ledger's Joker will be 'incredibly memorable for years to come'." 
  20. ^ a b Warner Bros. Pictures. "Batman Sequel Title & Casting Confirmed!", Movie News, ComingSoon.net, 2006-07-31. Retrieved on 2006-07-31. 
  21. ^ Kellvin Chavez. "Bettany Talks Batman Begins Sequel!", Latino Review, latinoreview.com, 2006-01-28. Retrieved on 2006-07-31. 
  22. ^ Mark Beall. "Lachy Hulme Talks Joker", Cinematical, cinematical.com, 2006-05-30. Retrieved on 2006-07-31. 
  23. ^ Stax. "That Joker Adrien Brody", IGN comics, ign.com, 2006-01-09. Retrieved on 2006-07-31. 
  24. ^ Daniel Saney. "Steve Carell to play The Joker?", Digital Spy, digitalspy.co.uk, 2005-09-21. Retrieved on 2007-12-09. 
  25. ^ Jeff Otto. "Robin Williams, Joker?", IGN Filmforce, ign.com, 2006-06-26. Retrieved on 2006-07-31. 
  26. ^ Josh Horowitz. "Jack Nicholson 'Furious' Over Heath Ledger Playing The Joker In 'Dark Knight'", MTV Movie News, MTV.com, 2007-11-07. Retrieved on 2008-01-08. 
  27. ^ Shawn Adler. "'Dark Knight' Trailer's Joker Shots Have Guillermo Del Toro, Others Smiling", MTV Movies News, MTV.com, 2007-12-19. Retrieved on 2008-01-13. 
  28. ^ Shawn Adler. "Mark Hamill 'Can't Wait' to See Heath Ledger as Joker", MTV Movies Blog, MTV.com, 2008-01-02. Retrieved on 2008-01-13. 
  29. ^ a b Dan Jolin. "The Dark Knight", Empire, July 2008, pp. 92-100. Retrieved on 2008-06-05. 
  30. ^ a b c Geoff Boucher. "Aaron Eckhart: Not Just Another Pretty Face in 'The Dark Knight' ", The Los Angeles Times, latimes.com, 2008-05-03. Retrieved on 2008-05-03. 
  31. ^ a b Rickey Purdin. "(Dark Knight Exclusive): Aaron Eckhart Q&A", Wizard, wizarduniverse.com, 2008-03-04. Retrieved on 2008-06-01. 
  32. ^ "The 25 Most Exciting Movies of 2008", Empire. Retrieved on 2008-02-09. 
  33. ^ a b Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer (2007). "Introduction", Absolute Batman: The Long Halloween. ISBN 9781401212827. 
  34. ^ Alan Rapp. "Absolute Batman - The Long Halloween [Book review]", RazorFine Review: Media Under the Knife (blog), razorfine.com, 2007-10-31. Retrieved on 2008-06-03. 
  35. ^ Kellvin Chavez. "Video Interview: Schreiber & Stiles on The Omen!", Latino Review, latinoreview.com, 2005-05-31. Retrieved on 2006-08-15. 
  36. ^ Larry Carroll. "Movie File: Brad Pitt, Chevy Chase, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Josh Lucas & More", MTV, 2006-04-21. Retrieved on 2006-07-31. 
  37. ^ Stax. "Phillippe Talks Two-Face", IGN Movies, ign.com, 2007-02-02. Retrieved on 2007-02-02. 
  38. ^ Dave McNary. "Eckhart Set As Two-Face", Variety, variety.com, 2007-02-15. Retrieved on 2007-02-15. 
  39. ^ Dan Jolin. "The Dark Knight", Empire, July 2008, pp. 92-100. Retrieved on 2008-06-05. 
  40. ^ Andrew Williams. "Gyllenhaal Talks Sexy Underwear", Metro, metro.co.uk, 2008-01-06. Retrieved on 2008-01-08. 
  41. ^ "Batman Begins Sequel Is Moving Along", Cinescape, cinescape.com, 2005-08-10. Retrieved on 2006-08-04. 
  42. ^ Kate Kelly. "Recasting Mrs. Cruise", The Wall Street Journal, 2007-01-26. Retrieved on 2007-01-26. 
  43. ^ Pamela McClintock. "Gyllenhaal Joining Batman Sequel", Variety, variety.com, 2007-03-08. Retrieved on 2007-03-08. 
  44. ^ a b Warner Bros.. "City at War", The Gotham Times, thegothamtimes.com, 2007-11-22. Retrieved on 2007-11-23. 
  45. ^ Michael Kane. "Heroic Save: 20-Year Old Career Skid Ends with Super Roles", The New York Post, nypost.com, 2007-05-14. Retrieved on 2007-05-14. 
  46. ^ Larry Carroll. "'Spawn' Star Takes a Gamble On 'Dark Knight' Role", Movies Blog, mtv.com, 2007-07-03. Retrieved on 2007-07-03. 
  47. ^ Stacy Dodd. "Eric Roberts and Nestor Carbonell", Variety, variety.com, 2007-05-16. Retrieved on 2007-05-17. 
  48. ^ Warner Bros.. "Arrest or Embrace?", The Gotham Times, thegothamtimes.com, 2007-11-22. Retrieved on 2007-11-23. 
  49. ^ Geoff Boucher. "Dark Knight sneak lights up IMAX screen", The Los Angeles Times, lattimes.com, 2007-12-07. Retrieved on 2007-12-07. 
  50. ^ a b c d e Josh Horowitz. "'Dark Knight' Opening Scenes Reveal 'Radical' New Joker", Movies News, MTV.com, 2007-12-03. Retrieved on 2007-12-04. 
  51. ^ Ton Lanham. "Dwight Yoakam Pays Tribute to Buck Owens", The Examiner, examiner.com, 2007-10-17. Retrieved on 2007-10-17. 
  52. ^ "Winston Ellis Interview", CKFM-FM. Retrieved on 2008-02-09. 
  53. ^ http://www.darktale.tv/info/index.html
  54. ^ Gotham Cable News
  55. ^ Stacy Dodd. "Beatrice Rosen, Joshua Harto", Variety, variety.com, 2007-09-23. Retrieved on 2007-09-24. 
  56. ^ "Edison in The Dark Knight", Star-eCentral, star-ecentral.com, 2007-11-21. Retrieved on 2007-11-22. 
  57. ^ Alexander Mooney and Lauren Kornreich. "Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Gotham)", Political Ticker (Blog), CNN.com, 2007-08-14. Retrieved on 2007-08-14. 
  58. ^ "Singapore’s Ng Chin Han Lands a Major Role in the Next Batman Movie", Channel News Asia, channelnewsasia.com (Entertainment), 2007-06-26. Retrieved on 2008-03-17. 
  59. ^ "Melinda McGraw", Variety, variety.com, 2007-06-27. Retrieved on 2007-06-28. 
  60. ^ "Premiere Features Batman Begins", Superhero Hype!, superherohype.com, 2005-05-09. Retrieved on 2006-11-02. 
  61. ^ "Updates on The Dark Knight Plus Our Own Exclusive on the Involvement of Joker Creator Jerry Robinson in the Batman Sequel!", Insomnia Mania, InsomniacMania.com (blog), 2006-08-24. Retrieved on 2006-08-28. 
  62. ^ Stax. "Dark Knight Talks Dark Knight", IGN Filmforce, ign.com, 2006-08-04. Retrieved on 2006-10-03. 
  63. ^ Josh Horowitz. "Exclusive! Dirt on The Dark Knight!", Better Than Fudge, 2006-08-23. Retrieved on 2006-08-23. 
  64. ^ Stax. "Exclusive: Nolan's Dark Knight Revelations", IGN Movies, ign.com, 2006-10-03. Retrieved on 2006-10-23. 
  65. ^ Catherine Jones. "Batman Film May Swoop Into Liverpool", icLiverpool, 2006-10-13. Retrieved on 2006-10-13. 
  66. ^ Heather Newgen. "Producer Chuck Roven on The Dark Knight", Superhero Hype!, superherohype.com, 2006-08-12. Retrieved on 2006-08-23. 
  67. ^ Rob Lowman. "Tricks of the Trade (Part 2)", Los Angeles Daily News, dailynews.com, 2007-02-19. Retrieved on 2007-02-20. 
  68. ^ Scott Bowles. "First Look: Enter the Joker — In the IMAX Format", USA Today, 2007-05-28. Retrieved on 2007-05-29. 
  69. ^ Terry Armour. "Quiet on the Set? Not in This Town", The Chicago Tribune, 2007-01-28. Retrieved on 2007-01-30. 
  70. ^ Cindy Pearlman. "Caped Crusader May Alight Here Next Year", The Chicago Sun-Times, suntimes.com, 2006-10-25. Retrieved on 2006-10-25. 
  71. ^ "Film: Chicago Journalists Smell a Bat in 'Rory's First Kiss'", The Guardian, guardian.co.uk, 2007-07-19. Retrieved on 2008-06-03. 
  72. ^ Richard Roeper. "Potter Leaks Won't Ruin Book's Magic ...: To the Rory-Cave!", findarticles.com (BNET), 2007-07-18. Retrieved on 2008-06-03. "It's almost quaint, this practice of code-naming movies. 'Batman Begins' was titled 'Intimidation Game' in the early filming stages, while 'Red Sun' was the cover title for 'Superman Returns.' I guess it's a way of throwing off the paparazzi and the Internet gossips (see previous item) who want to be first with telephoto grabs of Batman's new costume –– but how long does the ruse work? A day, maybe? ... Obviously they're not even trying any more. When you identify the studio, director and stars, even the most casual movie fan is an imdb.com click away from determining the movie's real title. ... By the way, if you keyword 'Rory's First Kiss' on YouTube, you're not going to find a bootlegged scene from 'The Dark Knight,' but you will get a snippet from 'The Gilmore Girls,' with Alexis Bleidel's [sic] Rory experiencing what appears to be her first kiss. ... Not that the phony title for the movie has anything to do with the TV show. Director Christopher Nolan's young son is named Rory." 
  73. ^ a b Lorene Yue. "Batman Movie Filming to Start Saturday", Crain's Chicago Business, chicagobusiness.com, 2007-06-08. Retrieved on 2007-06-08. 
  74. ^ "Batman's Back In Chicago", NBC 5 Chicago, nbc5.com, 2007-04-18. Retrieved on 2007-04-19. 
  75. ^ Carolyn Giardina. "'Dark Knight' Heeds Imax Signal", The Hollywood Reporter, hollywoodreporter.com, 2007-05-29. Retrieved on 2007-05-29. 
  76. ^ Army Archerd. "Don't Call It a Remake", armyarcherd.com, Variety (blog), 2007-01-04. Retrieved on 2007-01-10. 
  77. ^ Andrew Hough. "'Batman' Film Technician Dies in Accident", Reuters, Reuters.com, 2007-09-25. Retrieved on 2007-09-25. 
  78. ^ "Battersea Power Station Explosion", The London Paper, thelondonpaper.com, 2007-10-12. Retrieved on 2007-10-12. 
  79. ^ a b c "New Batman Flick to Be Filmed in HK", NineMSN, 2007-11-03. Retrieved on 2007-11-03. 
  80. ^ a b c "New Batman Movie Completes High Profile Shooting in Hong Kong", International Herald Tribune, iht.com, 2007-11-12. Retrieved on 2007-11-12. 
  81. ^ Scarlett Chiang. "Holy Chaos, Batman!", The Standard, thestandard.com, 2007-09-21. Retrieved on 2007-09-21. 
  82. ^ Jeff Otto. "Interview: Christopher Nolan", IGN Movies, ign.com, 2005-06-05. Retrieved on 2007-01-10. 
  83. ^ David James. "Indy, Batman, Narnia All Return in 2008", MSNBC, 2008-01-14. Retrieved on 2008-01-16. 
  84. ^ IGN Staff. "Dressing the Joker", IGN Movies, ign.com, 2008-02-25. Retrieved on 2008-02-26. 
  85. ^ a b Jeff Jensen. "Batman's New Suit", Entertainment Weekly, 2007-06-15. Retrieved on 2007-06-18. 
  86. ^ "Batman flattert nach Hongkong", Kino.de, 2007-10-15. Retrieved on 2007-10-25. (German) 
  87. ^ a b Susan Carpenter. "Wholly High-Tech, Batman", Los Angeles Times, 2007-06-18. Retrieved on 2007-11-24. 
  88. ^ Dan Goldwasser. "Breaking the Rules with Hans Zimmer, Part 3", SoundtrackNet, 2006-11-02. Retrieved on 2006-11-03. 
  89. ^ a b c d e Todd Martens. "Zimmer Brings 'punk attitude' to Batman with 'The Dark Knight'", Los Angeles Times, latimes.com, 2008-06-02. Retrieved on 2008-06-04. 
  90. ^ Warner Bros.. "Harvey Dent for Gotham District Attorney: Harvey Dent: Latest News", I Believe in Harvey Dent, ibelieveinharveydent.com. Retrieved on 2008-06-01.  [This is an updated version of that website.]
  91. ^ "Now You See Him...", Empire, 2007-06-28, pp. 26. Retrieved on 2007-06-28. 
  92. ^ Marc Graser and Anne Thompson. "Jokes Join Joker at Comic-Con", Variety, 2007-07-29. Retrieved on 2007-07-30. 
  93. ^ a b "The Joker's Halloween Treat", IGN Movies, ign.com, 2007-10-31. Retrieved on 2007-11-01. 
  94. ^ The Gotham Times. Warner Bros.. Retrieved on 2008-03-17.
  95. ^ "Update #12: The Dark Knight Viral Campaign", Superhero Hype!, superherohype.com, 2007-11-30. Retrieved on 2008-03-17.  (Source: The Fans.)
  96. ^ Shawn Adler. "'Dark Knight' Trailer Shows A Joker Hellbent On Chaos", Movies News, MTV.com, 2007-12-14. Retrieved on 2007-12-16. 
  97. ^ David McCutcheon. "Batman Begins Anew", IGN DVD, ign.com, 2008-03-17. Retrieved on 2008-03-17. 
  98. ^ Heath Memorial. Warner Bros. (2008-01-23). Retrieved on 2008-03-17.
  99. ^ Warner Bros.. Why So Serious?. whysoserious.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-17.
  100. ^ IGN Staff. "Harvey Dent Wants You", IGN Movies, ign.com, 2008-02-29. Retrieved on 2008-02-29. 
  101. ^ "'Dentmobiles' Promote Dark Knight", Sci Fi Wire, scifi.com, 2008-03-13. Retrieved on 2008-03-14. 
  102. ^ Lee Filas. "Great America Getting New 'Dark Knight' Coaster Next Year", The Daily Herald, dailyherald.com, 2007-09-27. Retrieved on 2007-09-29. 
  103. ^ "Mattel on Board for Speed Racer & The Dark Knight", Superhero Hype!, superherohype.com, 2007-06-19. Retrieved on 2008-03-18.  (Source: Warner Bros. Consumer Products.)
  104. ^ "'Batman: Gotham Knight' Set for July 8 Release", Wizard, wizarduniverse.com, 2008-02-25. Retrieved on 2008-03-17. 

[edit] References

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Films directed by Christopher Nolan
Following (1998) • Memento (2000) • Insomnia (2002) • Batman Begins (2005) • The Prestige (2006) • The Dark Knight (2008)
v • d • e
Batman in popular media
Actors
Live-action television
Batman film series
Animation
Related animated TV series
v • d • e
DC Comics films
The Serials
Batman (1943) • Hop Harrigan (1946) • The Vigilante (1947) • Superman (1948) • Congo Bill (1948) • Batman and Robin (1949) • Atom Man Vs. Superman (1950)
Single films
Superman and the Mole Men (1951) • Batman (1966) • Supergirl (1984) • Steel (1997) • Road to Perdition (2002) • Catwoman (2004) • A History of Violence (2005) • Constantine (2005) • V for Vendetta (2006) • The Spirit (2008) • Watchmen (2009)
Franchises