Quote:
Originally Posted by Indyjohn
I get to see The Dark Knight in IMAX on openning day. I am looking forward to it. Christopher Nolan has done a good job with this series of Batman so far. I was impressed with Batman Begins and the trailers for Dark Knight look good so far.
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Lucky!
I tried getting tickets last week but unfortunately they were sold out! It's all good though, I'm cool with seeing it in a conventional theater.
I am extremely excited for this movie. I have been a Batman fan forever basically (no pun intended). When Batman Begins first came out in 2005, I wasn't too sure about watching it because of the abomination that was Batman and Robin directed by Joel Schumacher. After I left the theater watching Batman Begins though I was completely blown away by how good it was. To be perfectly honest, that was the movie that turned me onto the comics again.
Batman Year One, The Long Halloween, Dark Victory, The Dark Knight Returns, Arkham Asylum, The Killing Joke, etc. I've read them all and so far the Nolan Brothers have been true to the series. You could literally read Batman Year One and watch Batman Begins and they will match up perfectly. In The Dark Knight, from what I understand (and what I've seen from the movies) they're combining some of the plot lines established from The Long Halloween and The Killing Joke. It's no wonder why this is one of the most highly anticipated films of the year.
For those of you who aren't familiar with the comics, here are some fun facts that should prepare you for the movie:
* The Killing Joke is the comic that deals with the origin story of Joker. According to his backstory, he was an engineer at a chemical company who aspired to become a stand up comedian. After a run in with gangsters, he fell into a vat of toxic waste giving him a permanent hideous grin, white face and green hair.
* Another origin story for the Joker is featured in a series of comics from the early 90s that deals with a man who goes criminally insane and begins a life of crime because he cannot deal with his current life situation. In this story he decides to dress like a clown to hide his face from the public. During a botched bank robbery, Batman tries to stop him with a batarang and it cuts him from ear to ear giving him a hideous grin.
* The Dark Knight actually doesn't focus on the Joker, but rather Harvey Dent who later becomes the villain Two Face.
* Harvey Dent, who later becomes Two Face has his origin story in the comic The Long Halloween in which a criminal by the name of Sal Maroni throws a glass of acid in his face causing his second personality to come out as well as scarring half of his body. At this point, it is uncertain whether Sal Maroni will materialize in the film, or if the Joker is the one who will scar Harvey Dent.
* Harvey Dent will in fact turn into Two Face, but at the tale end of the third act of The Dark Knight.
* Wayne Manor is still being rebuilt, therefore there is still no Batcave, but, Bruce is currently living in a penthouse in Downtown Gotham where Lucious Fox (Morgan Freeman) designed and built him a headquarters to store his batsuits and tumbler.
* For preparation for the Joker, Heath Ledger spent 1 month in a hotel room doing nothing but researching the Joker (eg: he read all of the comics featuring the Joker, watched all the cartoon episodes featuring the Joker, etc.). According to the Nolan Brothers and various sources on the set, this is the true portrayal of the Joker and 100 times more psychotic than the Jack Nicholson version.
* To get a true feel for the schizophrenia of Two Face, the Nolan Brothers filmed Aaron Eckhart's (Harvey Dent) scenes twice. The first time around was normally, just like Harvey Dent. The second time around, he was in full makeup and acted like Two Face. During the editing process, the Nolans spliced both performances into one, so we really are seeing two completely different performances.
Other fun facts:
* This is currently the second movie in a trilogy. If the films are successful, the Nolans want to direct at least 3 more and finally film a Batman Beyond movie to bring the series full circle.
* The Nolans acknowledge the existence of a Robin and Batgirl, but aren't playing on it just yet. According to Christopher Nolan, Dick Grayson (the first Robin) is only a baby during the events of The Dark Knight and Barbara Gordon (Batgirl) is around 2. When the time comes to cast a Robin, they desire to cast an unknown actor around 12 years old (a true boy wonder). As for Batgirl, they desire to cast an unknown teenager (around 15 or 16) for the role.
* Although Harvey Dent/Two Face is going to be the villain for the next film (the title is unknown at this point) there are numerous possibilities the Nolans are tossing around for the next 3 (if The Dark Knight and next movie are successful). Some of the possibilities include Jason Isaacs as Mr. Freeze, Adrian Brody as The Riddler, Bob Hoskins as The Penguin, Colin Ferrell as Killer Croc and Kristen Bell as Poison Ivy.