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October 25 , 2007

Jett and "Ryan 373" from Batman-On-Film have posted screencaps from one of the most recent South Park episodes. You can see that The Joker has joined the ranks of Jason and Freddy, and is front and center - like he should be!

For those that want to see the episode for themselves, head on over to Comedy Central for the current schedule. Heath's Joker appears as part of the two episoder called "Imaginationland"

THIS NEWS UPDATE CONTAINS SPOILERS.

October 23 , 2007

From Kino.de The Rise of The Joker

The German site Kino.de has a few interview highlights from Christopher Nolan and Chuck Roven. A few Joker-centric items to report:

* The IMAX preview with I Am Legend is the first five minutes of the film.

* "The whole thing is not 'Joker Begins', because we did not tell how the Joker became what he is," says Nolan. "During these five minutes it is shown how the the small crook becomes the most-dreaded gangster of the city - it is more like "The Rise of the Joker."

Thanks to Superhero Hype and Batman Movie News and Updates for their translations.

October 22 , 2007

From Batman-On-Film. Joker-centric Prologue to be shown in IMAX theaters?

Batman-On-Film reports that sources have indicated that a seven minute Joker-centric prologue will be shown only in IMAX theaters prior to I Am Legend:

Looking to get a good sneak peek of The Dark Knight? Looks like you'll get your chance in the form of a prologue short, only shown in IMAX theaters this December. (Now, 'See you in December' make a lot more sense.) While there are a handful of IMAX Theaters in the country, there are also reports that the prologue may eventually be made available on the internet as well.

Originally reported at Omelete.

October 11 , 2007

From superherohype.com. Dark Knight Explosion Rocks Londoners

The London Paper has a spoilerish report on a explosion that took place on Thursday night for The Dark Knight in London. If you don't want to know a thing, click back now, otherwise here's a clip:

These were the amazing scenes as Battersea Power Station appeared to explode in the dead of night last night.

The emergency services were flooded with calls from local residents who feared the defunct electricity generating plant had been targeted by terrorists.

But they were reassured the 200ft fireball, accompanied by columns of grey smoke, which could bee seen for miles across the capital, was a special effect for the latest Batman film.

The spectacular stunt scene, in which Batman actor Christian Bale narrowly cheats death, is believed to be the opening sequence of the fifth caped crusader movie The Dark Knight.

You can see photos of the explosion from The London News website here.

October 11 , 2007

From IGN Entertainment. Here Comes the Knight: Holy trailer and poster buzz!

The next trailer for The Dark Knight will reportedly debut around December, possibly attached to the release of another Warner Bros. picture, I Am Legend, which opens Dec. 14.

Batman-on-Film.com was "told that there's a chance that it could premiere online via TDK's viral marketing campaign as the teaser was released last summer (July at Comic Con)." The site also claims a one-sheet for the Christopher Nolan-directed sequel is expected soon and that it won't merely be the Bat-logo seen on the official film site.

October 11 , 2007

From film.com. Hopeful about Heath Ledger's Joker

Reviewer Dre Rivas discusses the recent news around Heath's roles as the Joker:

I was forwarded this article this past weekend and I have to say, I'm getting pumped for Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight. Of course, we already had that trailer that showed us absolutely nothing of the movie. And nothing gets me more excited about a movie than a teaser that shows absolutely nothing. But seriously, that trailer plays well: you feel the excitement build while the Batman logo takes shape. It's pretty fun.

I was also a little taken aback by the small bit we heard of Heath Ledger in the teaser. I don't know what I was expecting, but Ledger might have found the right balance of comic villainy and realism just as his co-star Christian Bale did with his Batman voice. Though something I read in this article may have gotten me even more excited about Ledger's Joker. In the article, Michael Caine is quoted as having said:

"I tell you the big surprise in the new Batman- Heath Ledger as the Joker ... he's fantastic. He's gone in a different direction than Jack (Nicholson) . Jack was like a really scary old, nasty old uncle with a funny face. Heath is like the most murderous psychopath you've ever seen on the screen."

This doesn't really surprise me, but it gets me amped all the same. I wouldn't go so far to say that I loved the casting of Ledger as The Joker. But I did think it was interesting. Below are the top three reasons I think Ledger is going to be laughing his way to the bank on this one.

1.) It wasn't an obvious casting choice.
I prefer non-obvious casting decisions. It shows the creators are thinking outside the box and it usually gets me excited to see what the actor's interpretation of the role is going to be. I'm very interested in what Nolan and Ledger have in mind for the role. They clearly didn't go for personality on this one. Nolan just wanted a really good actor and he got one.

2.) "He's gone in a different direction than Jack."
Thank God. There would have been nothing more embarrassing than watching Ledger just trying to imitate Nicholson's Joker performance. It seems Ledger is going the more method, legitimately scary route here and that's a good thing.

3.) The guy's got charm.
Come on, you have to admit Ledger's got likeability. You saw 10 Things I Hate About You. You saw how Julia Stiles wouldn't give any guy the time of day in that movie. No way, no how. But she gave into the Aussie charm. I, myself, have never experienced the Aussie charm, but I'm sure it's a veritable force not to be taken lightly. Heck, I'm swooning just writing this and I'm not easily swooned.

Maybe we'll all be swooning next summer when The Dark Knight is finally released. Or maybe we'll all just be really freaked out. Either way, I'm there.

October 7 , 2007

From WizardUniverse.com. Shedding light on The Dark Knight

Moments before Batman Begins ended, Jim Gordon (played by Gary Oldman) approached Christian Bale's Batman about a new thug in town, and in every theater across the land, the flashing of the joker playing card sent movie-goers into unbridled fits of hoots and hollers.

"We found a way of looking at the character and saw what role he could play in the film," explained Nolan. "The joker card at the end of the first film created the right kind of feeling. That was the hook that got us thinking about the next one."

Nolan's writing partner (and younger brother) Jonah pointed the director toward the Joker's first two comic book stories, both of which took place in 1940's Batman #1. "We've come around to something that's eerily close to those first two appearances," revealed the director.

"Once we established 'Batman Begins,' it was one take on Batman," explained screenwriter David S. Goyer. "We had to decide, 'How does the Joker fit in this world?'"

Part of that problem was solved when actor Heath Ledger (Brokeback Mountain) joined the cast in July 2006. One of the premier actors of his generation, Ledger dove into the role with an understanding of what he didn't want to convey in the film.

"I'm not going for the same thing [Jack Nicholson] went for," Ledger said in interviews. "That would be stupid. Tim Burton did a more fantastical kind of thing and Chris Nolan is doing nitty-gritty handheld realism. I love what [Nicholson] did, and that is part of why I want to do that role. But it would obviously be murder if I tried to imitate what he did."

"What Heath is doing," Oldman triumphantly stated in Chicago, searching for the right words to finish his thought, ".he's going to knock everyone out of the park."

Oldman's words came true moments later during the screened footage. Flashing between scenes of the Joker robbing a bank and taking a Batman-administered body-slam in a police station, the teaser hit its Joker crescendo when a tired, emotionless Joker steadily opened machine gun fire on Gotham. Empty, deranged and angry, this was the Joker the audience was waiting for, and their wall-shaking screams confirmed it.

In the issue, the Joker appears as a grinning mastermind who predicts his murderous crimes over the radio before meticulously carrying them out. Each cold-blooded, calculated killing ultimately ends with the victim's face frozen into a solid, monstrous grin. If the film version follows closely, as the writers have said it will, expect plenty of chilling death scenes.

Click here to read the full article.

October 2 , 2007

From MTV Movies Blog. One Of The Scariest Performances I've Ever Seen

From an interview with Michael Caine:

Ever since I barely had to ask Aaron Eckhart a question to get him to cough up that he was indeed going to appear as Two-Face in "The Dark Knight," I've felt my powers of Batman persuasion were unrivaled. Well, Michael Caine is a bit of a tougher nut to crack but I did get him to chat a little bit about the upcoming Bat flick this afternoon.

Transparent interviewer technique #1: butter up the subject. I began by telling Caine that clearly the star of the new film will be Alfred, judging from his voiceover in the teaser trailer. After a hearty chuckle, Caine said, "I'll tell you who it's about. It's about Heath Ledger as The Joker. He will be the talking point of the next Batman."

So will he be scarier than say Scarecrow or Two-Face? Yes, indeed Caine said, calling Ledger's turn, "one of the scariest performances I've ever seen." Caine added that while he saw the Joker, he never saw Two-Face. And don't look for any big action scenes involving the loyal butler. Presumably speaking about director Christopher Nolan, Caine said, "He kept me out of it this time."

Click the link to access an interview.

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