The Dark Knight – Batman 2008

Posted in Films and Movies on Jun 4th, 2008 | 0 comments
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Release Date: July 18, 2008 (conventional theaters and IMAX)
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
Director: Christopher Nolan
Screenwriter: Jonathan Nolan, Christopher Nolan
Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman
Genre: Action, Crime
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for intense sequences of violence and some menace)

The Dark Knight is an upcoming 2008 American superhero film based on the fictional 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 come from his fight against the Joker (Heath Ledger) and his strained friendship with district attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), who later becomes a villain known as Two-Face.

For his conception of the film, Nolan was inspired by the Joker’s first two appearances in the comics, and, as for the first film, Batman: The Long Halloween was a major influence on the story. 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. A recreation of the Batcycle, known as the Batpod, will be introduced.

 

Warner Bros. created an aggressive viral marketing campaign for The Dark Knight, developing several dozen websites revealing details of the film, such as screenshots, as a reward for collaboration among Batman fans.

 

This led to some press attention concerning how its campaign might be altered by Ledger’s death on January 22, 2008, since the Joker had been a chief promotional focus. Other marketing ventures include a new toy line as well as an animated direct-to-DVD anthology titled Batman: Gotham Knight that is set between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. The film will be released on July 17, 2008 in Australia on July 18, 2008 in North America, and on July 25, 2008 in the United Kingdom.

The Dark Knight Trailer:


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 until the mysterious criminal mastermind known only as the Joker appears in Gotham, creating a new wave of chaos. Batman’s struggle against the Joker becomes deeply personal, forcing him to “confront everything he believes” and to improve his technology to stop the Joker. During the course of the film, a love triangle develops between Bruce Wayne, Dent and Rachel Dawes.

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. They both realized that creating a heroic theme that a viewer could hum would ignore the complexity and darkness of the character. The heroic theme is only heard twice early on in the film, which Zimmer described as a red herring.

An eight-minute suite was composed for the Joker, which is based around two notes. 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. Howard composed Dent’s “elegant and beautiful” themes, which would work as a contrast.

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.” 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.”

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. 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.

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, 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.

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.

A theatrical teaser was also released with non-IMAX showings of I Am Legend, and also on the official website. The sequence will be released on the Blu-ray Disc edition of Batman Begins on July 8, 2008.

After the death of Heath Ledger, on January 22, 2008, Warner Bros. adjusted its promotional focus on the Joker, following press speculation. It revised some of its websites dedicated to promoting the film, posting a memorial tribute to Ledger on the film’s official website and overlaying a black memorial ribbon on the photo collage in WhySoSerious.com.

On February 29, 2008, I Believe in Harvey Dent was updated to enable fans to send their e-mail addresses and phone numbers. 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.

In 2008, Six Flags Great Adventure theme park will open The Dark Knight roller coaster; costing $7.5 million to develop, the ride simulates the feeling of being stalked by the Joker. 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. Leading up to the film’s opening, WB 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.

Cast and characters:

Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne / Batman: A billionaire who has dedicated himself to protecting Gotham City from the criminal underworld as the “Dark Knight”, he is the film’s continuing hero. Bale was confident in his choice to return in the role because of the positive response to his performance in Batman Begins. He trained in the Keysi Fighting Method, and performed many of his own stunts. 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.

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.” 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.” Reportedly, Bale felt that because Batman’s personality was strongly established in the first film, it was unlikely that the character would be overshadowed by the villains: “I have no problem with competing with someone else. And that’s going to make a better movie.”

Heath Ledger as The Joker: Heath Ledger described the Joker as a “psychopathic, mass murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy”. Director Christopher Nolan had wanted to work with Ledger on a number of projects in the past, but had been unable to do so. When Ledger saw Batman Begins, he realized a way to make the character work in that film’s tone, and Nolan agreed with his anarchic interpretation.

To prepare for the role, Ledger lived alone in a hotel room for a month, formulating the character’s posture, voice and psychology. 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. He started a diary, in which he wrote the Joker’s thoughts and feelings to guide himself during his performance.

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”. 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.” “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.”

Bringing the Joker back to the big screen invited a wave of speculation over his depiction. Before Ledger was confirmed in July 2006, Paul Bettany, Lachy Hulme, Adrien Brody, Steve Carell, and Robin Williams publicly expressed interest in the role. Jack Nicholson jokingly expressed anger at not being invited to reprise the part: “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,” he said. “Maybe it’s not a mistake. Maybe it was the right thing, but to be candid, I’m furious.”

After the trailer was released, director Guillermo del Toro and comic book writer Jeph Loeb lavished praise upon Ledger, 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.” Mark Hamill, who voiced the part on 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.” After filming had already ended, Ledger died, on January 22, 2008.

“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.” The film will be dedicated to him.

Aaron Eckhart as district attorney Harvey Dent / Two-Face: Dent’s battle with the Joker turns Harvey Dent into a murderous disfigured vigilante called “Two-Face”. Producer Charles Roven described Dent as initially the “white knight of the city”. 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.

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.”

Christopher 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”. Before Eckhart was cast in February 2007, Liev Schreiber, Josh Lucas, and Ryan Phillippe had expressed interest in the role. Nolan went with Eckhart, whom he considered for the lead role in Memento, citing his resemblance to Robert Redford and embodying a “chiselled American hero”.

Maggie Gyllenhaal as assistant D.A. Rachel Dawes: A 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.

In August 2005, before the casting of Gyllenhaal, producer Charles Roven had reported that actress Katie Holmes (who portrays Rachel Dawes in Batman Begins) was going to play the role of Rachel Dawes in The Dark Knight.

However, in January 2007, Holmes turned down the offer to reprise her role as Rachel Dawes due to scheduling conflicts, and, by March 2007, Gyllenhaal was in “final talks” for the part.

Additional characters include:

  • Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth: Bruce Wayne’s trusted butler and father figure who tends to Wayne Manor.
  • Gary Oldman as Lieutenant James Gordon: One of the few uncorrupt members of the Gotham City Police Department.
  • Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox: The recently-promoted CEO of Wayne Enterprises who supplies Bruce Wayne with the gear necessary to carry out Batman’s mission.
    Eric Roberts as Sal Maroni: The gangster who now leads Carmine Falcone’s mob family. Bob Hoskins and James Gandolfini were reported to have also auditioned for the part.
  • Michael Jai White as Gambol: A gang leader at war with Maroni. David Banner also auditioned for the role.
  • Nestor Carbonell as Mayor Anthony Garcia.
  • Cillian Murphy as Dr. Jonathan Crane / Scarecrow: The former director of Arkham Asylum, who poisoned the Gotham water supply with fear hallucinogen in Batman Begins.
  • William Fichtner as Gotham National Bank Manager: A bank manager working for the mafia, confronted by the Joker in the film’s opening. Fichtner’s casting was “a bit of a nod” to Fichtner’s role in Michael Mann’s 1995 film Heat. Musician Dwight Yoakam was approached for the role, or to play a corrupt cop, but he chose to focus on his album Dwight Sings Buck.
  • Winston Ellis as Gator: A villain who serves as Gambol’s bodyguard along with actor Chucky Venice. He is confronted by the Joker in the first full-length trailer.
    Monique Curnen as Detective Ramirez: A member of the GCPD.

Anthony Michael Hall has been cast as a reporter. Keith Szarabajka has been cast as a detective named “Stephens” (according to his website), and Beatrice Rosen and Joshua Harto also have minor roles. Edison Chen cameos as a villain. 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. Singaporean actor Ng Chin Han also reportedly has a “major and highly-confidential” role in the film. Melinda McGraw and Nathan Gamble also appear as Gordon’s wife and son.

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