Batman: The Dark Knight

[mini*wheat]

I think he's probably pulling our leg.

“In the first movie we use Ra’s Al Ghul and The Scarecrow, who had not been in the movies before, and had not been in the sixties TV show before. And there are dozens if not hundreds of other characters that fit that bill. Everyone says its gotta be The Penguin or Catwoman… well I completely disagree.”

From hecklerspray.com. I've heard Nolan and the writers say over and over again no Penguin.

Also, this is way back in '06... which is probably where people are digging this rumor up.

"'I'd be more excited to have Philip Seymour Hoffman in the film than to have the Penguin. There are certain characters that are easier to mesh with the more real take on Batman we're doing. The Penguin would be tricky."

cinematical.com

Christoper Nolan himself. So I doubt we'll be seeing Penguin anytime soon. Probably not Catwoman, either... though that I would not oppose to.

[Masa]

The Dark Knight Heading Back to Theaters in January!

Warner Brothers has officially confirmed that The Dark Knight will be re-released in theaters again next January just in time for the Oscars. "It's just a matter of bringing it back as a reminder for people." The film will return specifically to IMAX theaters for now and they're uncertain if it'll return to conventional theaters as well. With The Dark Knight's current domestic box office total pushing $513 million, it's obvious that Warner Brothers wants to shoot for that $600 million mark in order to potentially beat Titanic. This re-release is also timed to tie in with the voting season for the Academy Awards, both to highlight the film during that time to remind voters and to capitalize on any buzz from nominations.

This should be great news for all those Dark Knight fans who can't wait to see it in glorious IMAX yet again, but here's where things get interesting. The film is actually due out on DVD in December, making this January re-release a much less valuable alternative. Will there be enough interest in January to earn the film another $90 million to push it past Titanic? And is The Dark Knight worthy of additional nominations (e.g. Christopher Nolan for Directing) on top of Heath Ledger? I've heard that Warner Brothers is also considering re-releasing the film every year as an event. Seeing it in IMAX is unlike anything I've ever been able to repeat, so I might actually take advantage of this re-release in January myself.

We all knew this was coming, so I'm glad to see that WB is not afraid of the hype that this film still has. I'm sure it'll get at least one additional Oscar nomination which might just be enough to help it earn $90 million more. Although in its current run, it only earned $55 million in IMAX total, and as of this moment, the January re-release is only being planned in IMAX theaters - which makes me believe that it'll be much harder to beat Titanic than originally thought.

http://www.firstshowing.net/2008/09/11/the-dark-knight-heading-back-to-theaters-in-january/

[Masa]

‘Dark Knight’ Update: Philip Seymour Hoffman Responds To Casting Rumor, ‘I Don’t Know If I’d Be A Good Penguin’

Yesterday, we reported that “Dark Knight” castmember Michael Caine claimed that as far as he knew, the villains for the next “Batman” film had been cast with Johnny Depp landing the role of The Riddler, and Philip Seymour Hoffman playing The Penguin. Today at the Toronto Film Festival, we went right to the source and asked Hoffman directly if he indeed had been cast as The Penguin.

“No one has talked to me about it ever — never,” replied Hoffman. “It happened, like, five years ago, too. It was a rumor back then and it’s still a rumor. [laughs] It’s just in the press. It’s funny.”

To further cement this issue, Hoffman added that he’d never met Nolan (”Maybe I did or met him in passing?”), and that his interest in comic book movies is purely on a fan level, and he intended to keep it that way.

“I’m such a fan of those movies,” related Hoffman. “Comic book movies in general I look forward to — I am a real cheerleader for them. I want them to do well because those are terrific stories. As a kid I was a big comic book collector. What [Nolan]’s doing is taking it in a whole other exciting great place. I’m more a fan, so the interest of being in it isn’t that great. It’s more the interest in wanting to see the next one. It’s probably better that way.”

When further pressed for his level of interest if Warner Bros. approached him about the role, Hoffman said, “I don’t know. I think I’m more interested in seeing someone else do it. I don’t know if I’d be a good Penguin to be quite honest. [laughs]”

http://splashpage.mtv.com/2008/09/09/dark-knight-update-philip-seymour-hoffman-responds-to-casting-rumor-i-dont-know-if-id-be-a-good-penguin/

[Masa]

'Dark Knight' UK Release Confirmed US Date Expected

Blu-ray.com has confirmed that The Dark Knight will be released on DVD and Blu-ray in the UK on December 8 including all the features listed at the bottom of this article. That leaves us now waiting for what is expected to be a December 9 release of The Dark Knight on Blu-ray and DVD here in the States. JoBlo posted artwork and other goodies about a month ago related to the release and while they were asked to remove the images Warner Home Video did confirm "a 2-disc DVD, a Blu-ray, a steelbook 2-disc DVD special edition, a Batpod collector's DVD and a Batman mask collector's DVD (basically the 2-disc DVD shrink-wrapped with a Batman mask)."

So, start saving your money now for whatever set you decide to buy.

The only question left is what aspect ratio will the film be presented in taking into account the IMAX footage? I have heard there is a chance the film will be bouncing back and forth between the IMAX aspect ratio and the 16:9 aspect ratio the film is presented in on Blu-ray. This information came from a Chris Nolan interview with iF Magazine when he said:

    The Blu-ray, in particular, will be able to actually use the shifted aspect ratios as it appears on the IMAX screen because the 16:9 aspect ratio is sufficiently different from the 2:4 that you'll actually see a shift on the Blu-ray. The resolution on the Blu-ray is clear enough that you can actually see difference in grain structure and sharpness. So I think it will be quite spectacular.

However, the aspect ratio of the IMAX filmed prologue on the Batman Begins Blu-ray was shown in 1.80:1 (not 2.20:1 IMAX) so I am not sure what we should expect. Stay tuned for more information and check out the current list of assumed features below.

    * "Gotham Discovered: The Creation of a Scene" - Christopher Nolan and his collaborators unveil details on the planning of the movie, including stunt double work, how was filming in IMAX done, and information about the new Bat-suit, Bat-pod, etc.

    * "Batman Technology: Gadgets and Tools" (in HD)

    * "Batman Unmasked: The Psychology of the Dark Knight" (in HD)

    * "The World of Batman Seen Through Real Life Psychotherapy" (in HD)

    * 6 clips from the Gotham Cable Premier's newscast: "Tonight in Gotham"

    * Galleries
          o The Joker's letters
          o Conceptual Art
          o Posters
          o Production Stills

    * Trailers and TV spots

http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/dark_knight_uk_release_confirmed_us_date_expected_20080924

[Masa]

Rumor: Christopher Nolan Signed and Starting in February on Batman 3?

This news today is more filler than anything - it's not fully confirmed and it will all eventually be true anyway. However, for the sake of discussion, we're throwing it out there. Apparently the latest issue of the industry magazine Production Weekly (via our friends at Film School Rejects) lists the third Batman movie (currently untitled) as being in "Active Development" with pre-production beginning in February of 2009. The guys over at IESB talked to a Warner Brothers exec recently who denied that production was going to start in February, but that doesn't necessarily mean things could be moving behind-the-scenes for a start on pre-production at that time. It's inevitable that it'll happen, it's just a matter of when.

Additionally, the update in the magazine lists Christopher Nolan (pictured above) as being involved, which may (or may not) confirm that he has signed on again. But was there any ever doubt that he wouldn't? We all know that there was some sort of "scare" with Jon Favreau and Iron Man 2, but considering The Dark Knight has made $985 million worldwide, they're not going to let him go, even if they've got to greenlight some of his other projects. As I said, it's just a matter of time until it all happens. I guess it's just mildly exciting to hear that the third installment may be starting development so soon. I know I'm anxious to find out every last morsel of info I can about it, from the villains to the cast.

We'll of course bring you the latest news on the third Batman movie as soon as there is any more. For now, I don't expect to hear much of anything until early next year when The Dark Knight will be re-released in theaters. And with a strong potential of Oscar buzz and a re-release that might push it over $1 billion in worldwide box office, that sounds like the perfect time to announce early details on the third movie. Hopefully we won't have to wait too much longer for official confirmation.

http://www.firstshowing.net/2008/10/05/rumor-christopher-nolan-signed-and-starting-in-febraury-on-batman-3/

[Masa]

http://www.firstshowing.net/2008/11/22/the-dark-knights-for-your-consideration-ads-in-variety/

[Tuffty]

The movie absolutely deserves awards of the highest acclaim. There were expectations and reservations around Heath Ledger's casting, but he delivered an iconic performance. Best Supporting Actor is right because he wasn't in the film for the majority of it. Not so sure about Best Picture, not that I think it doesn't deserve it, far from it it's actually my favourite movie for some time, but I just feel that because it's based off a comic book, it will just be looked down upon by the panel, when it should really be judged upon the quality of the film. Something TDK has in spades right from the get-go.

[cool_kickin_dude]

who's getting it tonite at midnight?

oh..i'm thinking of getting the special edition with the Batpod..think I should?

[mini*wheat]

My copy is totally already pre-ordered and sitting packaged in Blockbuster! I can't waiiiit!

[A1]

I was going to get the batpod but I changed my mind and decided to just stick to the deluxe edition at work.

[Tuffty]

Kate Beckinsale offers herself for Catwoman role

Kate Beckinsale has revealed that she would love to play Catwoman in the upcoming The Dark Knight sequel.

The Underworld actress told MTV that portraying the Batman villain "would be awesome" because she is still shocked when producers consider her for an action film role.

"I'd love to do that," she admitted. "One of the things I've done wrong with my career is not have a massive game plan for it. I enjoy being surprised.

"I was very surprised to ever find myself even considered for an action movie. I'm like the literary, academic geek who's not very good at sports, so it was amazingly shocking that anyone would ever do that. I like to be surprised."

Earlier in the month it was reported that The Mummy star Rachel Weisz was the frontrunner to nab the role.

Catwoman, who is often hailed as being Batman's one true love, was played by Michelle Pfeiffer in Batman Returns and by Halle Berry in 2004 spinoff movie Catwoman

Now this is one rumour I could get behind

[Masa]

Joker and Dent in Batman 3?

I've been tossing and turning (nah, not really - but that sounds better than "I briefly considered for a second posting an item on such-and-such) over whether to post what I've heard could be happening for the-too-far-away-so-I-don't-know-whether-I-should-even-be-mentioning-it "Batman 3" - but shit, since Chuck Roven suggested it (probably without realizing it - but by simply reminding people that the role is much bigger than the actor behind it; he's let the world know he's open to the idea of the character's comeback), I'll just come out with it - heard from someone at the WB that The Joker may be a part of the next Batman film - if even in a minor capacity. I believe "It's definitely possible; ya never know. Heard some things" were his exact words.

Now most will know I know a lot of the execs at the WB Burbank compound from my brief time there developing my flick "First Howl", so this isn't verbal spew from someone that drops the yellow lollies in the urinal's there. It's someone who, whilst not involved in the "Batman" franchise, is involved with some of Warner's other high-profile properties. So yeah, if he's heard something... it's not from the IMDB messageboards.

So what's that mean? Joker may come back? Guess so!.... Concrete? Fuck no!

"Nolan and his team will be throwing many ideas around at the moment", I was reminded in a later email by the same person.

Does it mean that there's a chance, if even a tiny one, that the character might be back? Yeah.

I know, I Know - I can't imagine anyone but Ledger as Nolan's Killer Clown either (and I can imagine Christopher Nolan feels the same) but from what I can gather it'd merely for storytelling reasons - they want to tie-up the character's storyline - not because they wanna keep selling the Joker T-Shirt (which, of course they do).

Now, The Joker featured in an early treatment for the third film.

David Goyer told me a couple of years ago that it was always the plan to have the character feature in both "The Dark Knight" and the sequel that followed it. But he also said, at the time, that the plan was for Harvey Dent not to become Two-Face until the third film, so it goes without saying that things change, and things did. Change, that is. And with Heath Ledger abruptly and rather tragically leaving the world shortly after completing his 'Joker' turn for "The Dark Knight", one would automatically assume that all plans for the character to return - if even in a cameo - for the third film would be scrapped.

'Well, Hello Beautiful' - seems it's still possible the bastard bank robber's still out there.

So, The Joker may be back for the new flick - whenever it happens - and, naturally, with a new actor behind the stringy hair and hard-to-imitate laugh. Now I'm sure it's not definite, and it's merely an idea that's on the table (and even if the character's return is part of a treatment that can easily be changed), but there is a strong possibility that Nolan may bring back the character (as hard as it may be for many of us to accept another actor in the role - in this particular incarnation of the Bat-series, anyway) for a final hurrah.

Oh, and what's this!?....

What's Aaron Eckhart saying? Well, he's hinting that Two-Face may be back for the next film, too.

At today's Globes, the actor cheekily suggested Dent may still be alive.

''Harvey — if he’s not dead — is in a serious coma,” stated Eckhart to MTV, “and I’m not sure he’s coming out. They might pull the plug on him.”

Now, as I said above, the plan was to have Dent (and The Joker) appear in two "Batman" films. Might that still be the case? Despite Ledger's passing (and Two-Faces!) might they still be working from the original "Batman 3" outline?

I doubt it- though it is possible they've written those characters into whatever treatment they're working on now. But I hope not. Personally, I feel both characters have met their ultimate conclusions - there's nothing more to say, especially when it comes to Dent - but I wouldn't be opposed to hearing The Joker's giggle coming from a ward in Arkham Asylum as Bruce Wayne drops off The Riddler (or even Selina Kyle?).

http://www.moviehole.net/200917274-joker-and-dent-in-batman-3

I participated in THE DARK KNIGHT BD Live Screening with director Chris Nolan last night. Gotta say that while it was cool, it didn’t blow my socks off or anything. But cool nonetheless. Anyway…

I didn’t ask any questions or anything since I got to ask Mr. Nolan my questions in person last Summer…hehehe! I knew the fans would ask questions about another film, and they didn’t disappoint. So did Chris let anything about BATMAN 3 slip? Sorta.

He did acknowledge that he and David Goyer have discussed/been working on a story for a third film and one that they are really interested in telling. Frankly, this is no surprise to me -- I told y’all that this film is further along than any of them let on publicly.

What was also interesting was his response to a “Who were the five people Two Face killed?” question. According to BOF‘er “Sam S.,” Nolan said something along the lines of “That’s a story for another time.” Did he forget and was simply blowing the question off, or will those killings somehow tie into BATMAN 3?

Oh yeah, Two Face is indeed dead.

UPDATE: I got an email from BOF'er "Sean A." who informed me that he asked Chris the "Who were the 5 Harvey killed?" Question. Here's his update:

"Big fan of the site. Just to give you some feedback on the event, I was actually the one who asked the ‘Two Face/5 Dead People question.’ The actual question I asked was ‘Towards the end of the film, Com. Gordon mentions covering up 5 deaths in relation to Harvey Dent. Who are these 5 people, including the 2 cops?’

Mr. Nolan's response was ‘I will answer this question. Just not today.’ Which I must admit was amusing and frustrating at the same time."

http://www.batman-on-film.com/batmovienews.html

[accnamex]

How does the movie that earned the most during 08 and second most in history, not even get a best movie of the year nom this is just crazy.

[jhluva]

^ While it earned a lot of money, it wasn't really "Best Picture" material... it still had a lot of problems, even if Heath Ledger (and Aaron Eckhart) were amazing in the film.

I hope they keep the Joker out of the next film, if they do it. It just wouldn't work if it's the same continuity as Batman Begins and TDK. Harvey Dent would be okay, I guess. But I'd rather see them do a villain they haven't used in any of the Batman live action films.

[mini*wheat]

You know who'd be sweet in the next movie?

Deathstroke. He's pretty realistic, too and I think he could actually fit... especially if they showed him out of costume all eye-patched up.

[jhluva]

My friend wants Poison Ivy in the next film.. I can't see her working unless they make her more realistic. Even the Scarecrow wasn't too "magical" in the first movie. Deathstroke would be cool though. ... haha I kind of want the Penguin but I can't see anyone but Danny Devito as him now.

[Masa]

The Dark Knight Officially Crosses $1 Billion Worldwide

Just days before the Oscars, The Dark Knight has finally crossed the $1 billion box office mark worldwide. To Warner Brothers, this may be even more exciting than winning any golden statues, because it is now only the fourth movie in history to ever make that much money. Titanic, Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest are the only other three movies to have achieved such a tremendous success. It took a combined 31 weeks, including a January re-release, for Christopher Nolan's comic book movie to make $533 million in the US and $567 million worldwide.

While we don't normally discuss box office stats, it's staggering to look at what The Dark Knight has accomplished. It's the largest 2-D digitally remastered IMAX release in the US with $49.6 million and also the second highest grossing movie of all-time specifically in the US only with $533 million, just $67 million short of Titanic. I've said all along that it may be impossible for anything to ever top Titanic (maybe The Avengers?), but I'm not sure anyone even predicted that TDK would do this well. I know there were those of us who hoped it would, but it took a lot more than crossing our fingers to make that happen.

http://www.firstshowing.net/2009/02/21/the-dark-knight-officially-crosses-1-billion-worldwide/

[StreakInTheSky]

I think they need to get Catwoman up in this shit!

There has to be a new love interest, and who else would be perfect for that?
But at least let's just hope they get someone who's fucking hot as well as a good actress to play the love interest role this time. >_>

As for other villians, maybe they could get Clayface and make him creepy as all hell too.

Deathstroke might be cool, but I don't know how he would work cause realistically Batman probably wouldn't be able to beat him. >_>

[Masa]

http://www.neweracap.com/landing.php?page=dc&groupName=MenDC

I totally want one!

There has to be a new love interest, and who else would be perfect for that?

Robin?

(no homo)

[mini*wheat]

I think they need to get Catwoman up in this shit!

There has to be a new love interest, and who else would be perfect for that?
But at least let's just hope they get someone who's fucking hot as well as a good actress to play the love interest role this time. >_>

As for other villians, maybe they could get Clayface and make him creepy as all hell too.

Deathstroke might be cool, but I don't know how he would work cause realistically Batman probably wouldn't be able to beat him. >_>

WHERE'S VICKI VALE.
Haha. Kidding. I would LOVE to see a little bit of Catwoman in this.

As far as Deathstroke, maybe Batman not being able to beat him would make for a good story? Not as good as the Riddler though, imho. Clayface would be interesting, but they'd have to work really hard for him to be able to pull a whole movie. He would be pretty badass in Nolan-verse, though.