Posts with tag christopher nolan
'Dark Knight' Will Include Classy Dedication
Filed under: Awards », Newsstand », Obits », Comic/Superhero/Geek »
I'm sure everyone expected The Dark Knight to close with a Heath Ledger "in memoriam" after the fade to black. So it will. Warner Bros. has released the text of the dedication that will accompany the film, and it reads: "In memory of our friends Heath Ledger & Conway Wickliffe"
Wickliffe (the IMDb has him as "Comway" but other sources, as well as the dedication, say "Conway") is the Maori special-effects technician who was killed in a stunt car accident last September. He was on a camera truck following the Batmobile around a racetrack when the truck spun out of control and crashed into a tree.
It's very classy of Chris Nolan & Co., I think, to tribute Wickliffe in the same line as the far more famous and publicly-mourned Ledger. Their whole handling of Ledger's death has been on the money; they haven't shied away from showcasing his performance in the marketing, but nor have they given the slightest indication that they're attempting to exploit its profile. The result: going to see the movie doesn't feel the least bit skeevy or off, at least for me.
I am a bit concerned about the possible posthumous Oscar campaign though, especially after Peter Travers semi-officially got it off the ground last week. Since Ledger almost certainly wouldn't have had a shot at it for this role were he still alive, I'm afraid the notion of the "posthumous Oscar" would overwhelm his actual performance, which looks fantastic.
Two Face Has Entered the Building!
Filed under: Action », Fandom », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Remakes and Sequels », Trailers and Clips »
A brand new clip from The Dark Knight has landed over at WhySoSerious.com (see it above or over on that site), and in it we get to watch Two Face make what I imagine will be his first appearance in the film. Don't worry spoiler-nerds, they don't actually show you his face (like they'd ruin that one on a random Monday night in June) -- but we see him from a side angle and briefly hear his voice. I truly hope this isn't some sort of very very short tease over to the third film and that Two Face is an actual character in the movie for a little while. Then again, perhaps it'd be better if he wasn't in it; cut down on the number of villains and all that. However, Christopher Nolan has said that this is Harvey Dent's story and not the Joker's. The latter maniac just happens to be wreaking havoc on Gotham while the real plot develops around Dent (Aaron Eckhart).
Look, all I know is that I really want to see this sucker, like, yesterday. 32 days till July 18th. Sweet!
[Thanks Tom]
Two New Videos From 'The Dark Knight'
Filed under: Action », Warner Brothers », Movie Marketing », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Remakes and Sequels », Trailers and Clips »
With only a month to go until The Dark Knight, all the viral fun seems to have disappeared, taking anything newsworthy along with it. I'm actually very glad they haven't bombarded us (yet) with clips and television spots, as I want to see this film as unspoiled as possible. I know I'm not alone in that.
But the temptation is still there to see just a little bit more, and two new videos have satisfied that quite nicely. One is on the making of the clown masks sported by the Joker's gang. It is quite short, but it is a fun little insight into the character and his gang of creeps. The second is all about shooting for IMAX, much of which has been repeated from the featurette that has been up on IMAX's site for months. However, the much of the footage in between the techno-speak is new, awesome, and spoiler free. It's just enough Dark Knight to keep you going another month ...
But the temptation is still there to see just a little bit more, and two new videos have satisfied that quite nicely. One is on the making of the clown masks sported by the Joker's gang. It is quite short, but it is a fun little insight into the character and his gang of creeps. The second is all about shooting for IMAX, much of which has been repeated from the featurette that has been up on IMAX's site for months. However, the much of the footage in between the techno-speak is new, awesome, and spoiler free. It's just enough Dark Knight to keep you going another month ...
[via Empire]
'The Dark Knight' Trailer, Chock Full O'Forshadowing
Filed under: Action », Warner Brothers », Fandom », Newsstand », Movie Marketing », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Remakes and Sequels », Trailers and Clips »
Finally, the wait is over! The second full length trailer for The Dark Knight is up and it is all kinds of cool. Unlike the feeling left by the two Incredible Hulk trailers, I feel like there's plenty of scary Joker goodness waiting for me in the theatre.
Maybe it was the long wait, maybe it's just that there's a point of excitement one reaches, but this trailer seems kind of ... understated? I don't want to say flat, because it is anything but -- yet compared to the explosions and shrill laughter of the first, this one suddenly brought Batman back into the real world. When the bootleg was leaked, my e-mail box was flooded with people complaining that Ledger was too "gritty" and "realistic" in his performance. I don't share the complaints, but the Joker is definitely missing the eerie, superhuman element. I like it, but I can see why many might not.
Love the foreshadowing surrounding poor Harvey Dent. I'm already half in love with the handsome D.A.; I can't wait to see how Nolan handles his fall from grace. Watch it, and rave about it. Or complain. I think this might be the trailer that divides an audience -- I'm watching the comments to see! The Dark Knight hits theatres July 18th.
Maybe it was the long wait, maybe it's just that there's a point of excitement one reaches, but this trailer seems kind of ... understated? I don't want to say flat, because it is anything but -- yet compared to the explosions and shrill laughter of the first, this one suddenly brought Batman back into the real world. When the bootleg was leaked, my e-mail box was flooded with people complaining that Ledger was too "gritty" and "realistic" in his performance. I don't share the complaints, but the Joker is definitely missing the eerie, superhuman element. I like it, but I can see why many might not.
Love the foreshadowing surrounding poor Harvey Dent. I'm already half in love with the handsome D.A.; I can't wait to see how Nolan handles his fall from grace. Watch it, and rave about it. Or complain. I think this might be the trailer that divides an audience -- I'm watching the comments to see! The Dark Knight hits theatres July 18th.
Discuss: Are You Going to See 'The Dark Knight'?
Filed under: Movie Marketing », Trailers and Clips »
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Last night we took the crew to see Iron Man. You can read James's and Scott's reviews of the film, but I'll just add that this movie ROCKS, and in case you're a parent debating whether to bring your kids to see it, I felt that what violence is in the film is mostly cartoonish, Indiana Jones-level stuff, so if your kids can handle those films, they'll be fine. All of my kids were engaged in the film from start to finish, and there was nothing in it that scared them as much and that damn sea lion in Happy Feet.
But I digress. Before the film, of course, they had the usual array of trailers (Speed Racer, Indy 4, Prince Caspian), and one of them was for The Dark Knight. Now, I've generally been avoiding seeing or reading too much about The Dark Knight, so this was the first time I'd seen the trailer. And my reaction to it was ... I don't know if I want to see this film. Much as I love Christian Bale and Aaron Eckhart, I just found the scenes of Heath Ledger as the Joker oddly painful to watch.
New Dark Knight Posters Riff on Two-Face
Filed under: Action », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Remakes and Sequels », Images », Posters »
Are any of you super-fans? I'm talking about the type of fanatic who will buy every single thing associated with a beloved franchise or movie -- from toys to posters -- plus any video store or movie theater paraphernalia that can be scored. If you are, what do you do if you love Christopher Nolan's take on Batman? More specifically, what happens if you run out of wall space? Do you keep them on rotation?* More posters for The Dark Knight have popped up online, over at Omelet.com, and you can check out one of them above.
I'm really digging these obscured-face posters (although not so much the action shots). They're eerie and simple, yet they say so much -- especially with the inclusion of Harvey Dent. It alludes to this whole Two-Face scenario, as well as the way each man chooses to fight -- with games, with weapons, and with politics. I just wish we didn't have to wait so long to see it! Yes, when we've been anxiously awaiting the dark world of Batman, and Heath Ledger's last complete performance, July 18 is too far away.
*And what do you do when the next movie you love comes out? Do you ever have retro months where everything from one movie comes out of storage?
[via Empire]
New 'Dark Knight' Poster Unveiled on Viral Website
Filed under: Warner Brothers », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Posters »
This impressive-looking new (final?) poster for The Dark Knight recently appeared on the film's fun viral website, WhySoSerious.com. If nothing else, it has to be the most intimidating piece of advertising we've seen for a modern comic book movie. God bless Christopher Nolan for refusing to make anything about this franchise remotely cartoonish. How the hell Batman actually imprinted the flaming bat signal onto that skyscraper, I'm dying to know.
The website also contains a note reading "Four Days," which presumably means that one more trailer will appear on Monday, April 28th. (At least, that's what the folks at ComingSoon.net speculate, and I tend to agree.) If I didn't feel duty-bound to watch it, I probably wouldn't: this is one of the few summer flicks I'm dying to see unspoiled. Nolan makes movies, not frivolous money-making throwaways, and I think The Dark Knight will be no exception.
My favorite piece of Dark Knight artwork, by the way, remains this international poster (the first one, not the second), which was my desktop background for quite a while. It really seems to capture the essence of these new movies.
BREAKING: Christian Bale and Brandon Routh Sign for 'Justice League!!!'
Filed under: Action », Casting », Deals », Fandom », DIY/Filmmaking », Newsstand », Comic/Superhero/Geek »
Holy "Where the hell did this one come from" Batman! In a last ditch effort to win back fans, Warner Bros. has apparently convinced both Christian Bale and Brandon Routh to reprise the roles of Batman and Superman for their upcoming live-action Justice League of America film (currently titled Justice League Mortal). A press release just sent to Cinematical comes with this hilarious quote from a studio rep: "Brandon wasn't too hard to convince; he half-jokingly told us he's dreamt about this opportunity every night for the past several months."
Both men have signed a three-picture deal, which means Warners has plans to extend Justice League beyond the initial film, due out in 2009. Currently, there's no word on whether Armie Hammer (the actor supposed to play Batman) will still appear in some capacity, be it as a younger version of Batman or as a random extra in a background shot. On why he ultimately decided to take the role when there's a good chance it could confuse fans and screw up Nolan's franchise, Bale said, "I don't see me taking on this role getting in the way of anything, aside from someone else's paycheck. The script is awesome. Batman is awesome. Brendon and I look forward to taking this one to the next level."
Sounds like the studio is finally getting serious about this film, bringing on two actors with established fanbases -- guys they know will bolster the flick's box office. There are still a lot of unanswered questions, like what happens to Bryan Singer's The Man of Steel now and will Chris Nolan even go ahead with a third Batman film with Bale doing JLA? Well, one thing is for sure: This whole project just got a lot more interesting ...
For more, check out the entire press release over here.
Maggie Gyllenhaal On 'The Dark Knight'
Filed under: Action », Casting », Warner Brothers », Newsstand », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Remakes and Sequels »
Maggie Gyllenhaal made an unannounced appearance at ShoWest for The Dark Knight panel, and Superhero Hype managed to land an exclusive interview with her. I think this is the first time we've really heard from her regarding bat-stuff.As expected from such a talented actress, she won't be simply mimicking her predecessor, Katie Holmes. "I think she's a wonderful actress and I really admired the work that she did in the first Batman, but I don't think it would have worked if I tried to imitate her. I think the only way to do it is to do it like myself." And because Christopher Nolan is a classy director, there won't be any winks or nods to the fact that Rachel Dawes is a new face. "They just (expect you to) suspend your disbelief. I'm Rachel Dawes now. I mean, how many Batmen have there been? Lots of them!" (Good point, girl!)
Ms. Gyllenhaal was asked if her character would have more physical scenes in the new film, and whether or not she was nervous about those. Her career hasn't had much mayhem, after all. (The spanking scenes in Secretary probably don't count.) "Somewhat," she responded. "They took really good care of me. I thought I might get bruised up but in fact, I didn't. They really knew what they were doing. I was scared to do some of the action stuff I had to do, and I did it once, and I was like, 'Oh, this is a blast!'" I hope Rachel gets to be a bit more of a badass in this movie, and not just a damsel in distress. She used her taser pretty effectively last time -- and it looks like she gets to deliver one heck of a solid punch on the Joker in the trailer. Hopefully it's one of several. I don't want her to be a gun-toting heroine, but Gyllenhaal has such an inherent strength about her. It would be a shame if that didn't appear onscreen.
Pop on over to Superhero Hype to read the entire interview, and remember that it has to keep you until July 18th.
A Third Batman? Christian Bale Says 'Wait and See"
Filed under: Action », Thrillers », Warner Brothers », Fandom », Newsstand », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Remakes and Sequels », ShoWest »
Christian Bale was on hand at ShoWest to promote some footage from The Dark Knight, and gave a revealing interview to Entertainment Weekly. The magazine immediately pumped him for Batman information, and Bale was forthcoming -- but noncommittal.When asked if there would be a third installment, Bale wouldn't confirm or deny. "Um, look, let's wait and see." When the magazine "mistakenly" referred to it as a sixth installment, Bale was quick to correct them, and elaborate on the possibilities of a trilogy. "No, no, no, no, no. Part 3 is what I'd consider it, yeah, I don't say part 6. Batman Begins - that was the beginning there, with all due respect to the others. We are re-creating this. You know, obviously the decision is out of my hands. I would, knowing the Dark Knight story, I would like very much to complete a trilogy. And I think that knowing the story of The Dark Knight, it leaves you anticipating something that really can get very, very interesting for a third. Now, the question would be: Is Chris going to be doing it? Because to me I find it tricky to imagine working on it without it being a collaboration with Chris."
So, can we safely assume that Heath Ledger's premature death does not affect the trilogy's storyline? That has been the biggest question on everyone's mind. If you combine this interview with Aaron Eckhart's latest, I am still of the belief that Joker ends up in Arkham, and Two-Face could be the main villain in a third film. I can't imagine they didn't leave Joker's fate open ended, considering the villain's place in Batman's world, but no one from the film seems to feel the storyline cannot continue. Perhaps a bigger question is why Nolan isn't confirmed to continue the series.
