Yeah, if it picks up where Begins left off Scarecrow is still on the loose.

Buckeye, have you read Batman #1? And whatever the second Batman/Joker story was?

 

They mentioned that those two were going to heavily play in the sequel. Do you know what they were about or have any plot outlines you could give us?

Buckeye, have you read Batman #1? And whatever the second Batman/Joker story was?

 

They mentioned that those two were going to heavily play in the sequel. Do you know what they were about or have any plot outlines you could give us?

 

 

Actually, from everything I've read it's supposed to be based on the Killing Joke, written by Alan Moore (of V for Vendetta fame).

 

I'll get you some potential plotlines when I get home.

From an interview with Nolan via betterthanfudge.com:

 

"Will The Joker be different than past live-action interpretations? ?

 

"Yes. I would certainly point to The Killing Joke but I also would point very much to the first two appearances of The Joker in the comic. If you look at where The Joker comes from there?s a very clear direction that fits what we?re doing very well.?

 

Thats why I asked.

From an interview with Nolan via betterthanfudge.com:

 

"Will The Joker be different than past live-action interpretations? ?

 

"Yes. I would certainly point to The Killing Joke but I also would point very much to the first two appearances of The Joker in the comic. If you look at where The Joker comes from there?s a very clear direction that fits what we?re doing very well.?

 

Thats why I asked.

 

 

The first Joker story is the iconic one that has been retold in a hundred different ways; I'll outline the best.

 

The Joker poisons the Gotham bay so that all the fish have the Joker smile. He then goes to the copyright commission and says that since the fish bears his likeness he wants a piece of every Gotham fish sold in America. The copyright commissioner tells him this will be impossible, because you can't trademark/copyright a resource. The Joker gets furious and says that if his fish aren't copyrighted by midnight tonight, then the copyright commissioner will die.

 

The copyright commissioner gets full police protection, Batman watching over him, the works. Sure enough, come midnight that night he dies. Commissioner Gordon wants to know how the Joker did it. Batman deduces that the Joker must have gave him the poison in his office earlier that day. Then the Joker appears on the television screen and says that the new copyright commissioner will die at midnight tonight unless his fish are copyrighted.

 

Next day, Gordon and his men have the next guy in line to be copyright commissioner surrounded. Come midnight nothing happens. The police and potential victim share a sigh of relief. Then the copyright commissioner's cat comes in with a Jokerfish in it's mouth. The cat drops the fish to reveal it's own Joker smile, hisses and kills one of the cops. Commissioner Gordon asks how the Joker knew they'd dressed up the REAL copyright commissioner as a cop and replace him with Batman. Batman says something droll about the Joker, madness and genius. Joker comes on the radio and says in two days at midnight he'll get the next copyright commissioner.

 

They find a way to stop him, but I won't say how (I can't remember if it's a twist). But, the Joker's gimmick, in these comics, is usually to challenge Batman and the Commissioner and dare them to stop him as he goes on a killing spree.

Nolan said he was very surprised by Batman Begins' success, "for the simple reason that I felt we had really poured our hearts out in making a good film and that on our own terms we had succeeded. I never really expected to satisfy critics and Batman fans and regular audiences equally. I mean I thought maybe we'd get two points on the drawing board if you like, but the fact that all three seemed to respond well, that was a big surprise to me. I mean it felt like you were going to lose one aspect or someone… I think we were very fortunate in that regard, it's very gratifying."

 

Talking about the follow-up, in which Heath Ledger will play The Joker opposite Christian Bale, he mentioned that they're changing things up. "I think what people responded to well about 'Batman Begins' is how different it was from their expectations so I think we would be foolish to not recognize that and to [try to replicate that now predictable blueprint]. I think we'll be doing something very different for the sequel. I certainly wouldn't have any interest in trying to repeat experience or the formula we've made, because particularly being the origin story, it's a very unique thing, a very singular experience. My interest would sort of be to move on from that and to do something quite different."

Source

Q: Looking at Batman Begins now, were you surprised or was that the reaction you were expecting to get?

 

CN: I was very surprised for the simple reason that I felt that we really put our hearts into making a great film and I felt that on our own terms we had succeeded but I never never really expected to satisfy critics and fans, you know Batman fans, and regular audiences equally. I mean I thought maybe we'd get two points of the triangle but the fact that all three groups seem to respond well, that was a big surprise. It felt like you were going to lose one aspect of that somewhere along the line. But, I don't know, we were very fortunate in that regard.

 

Q: Because the formula works so well is that something that you were looking to do for The Dark Knight?

 

CN: I think, what people responded to most about Batman Begins is how different it was from their expectations. So I think we would be foolish to not recognize that and attempt to do something very different in the sequel. I certainly wouldn't have, you know, any interest in somewhat trying to repeat the experience that the film already made because I think, particularly being an origin story, it's a very unique thing very singular. My interest in the sequel is to move on from there and do something quite different.

 

Q: Since you did the origin story, it frees you up from doing the whole introduction, so are you expecting to do a whole lot more action the second time around?

 

CN: Um, I mean we certainly put a lot of action into Batman Begins through the film even though it didn't involve Batman until 50 minutes in or whatever. So certainly we are free to put Batman into action earlier on. But if you look at the, I mean the rhythm of action movies is very complicated because there is a limit actually to how much action is in the film, how you have to have a particular ebb and flow to what actually works and Batman Begins is pretty stuffed to be honest. But, it didn't all get to involve that character, Bruce Wayne was Batman because of the origin and that we don't have to do.

 

Q: Any truth to the rumors of Ryan Phillippe or Phillip Seymore Hoffman?

 

CN: (Laughing) As the penguin, no, not true.

 

Q: Sean Penn?

 

CN: No truth, no truth to any of those rumors. All interesting ideas though.

 

So there you have it folks, straight from the horses mouth. So who will be starring alongside Christian Bale and Heath Ledger? Well we will just have to wait and see!

Source

That sounds pretty snazzy. I can't wait to see what revolutionary turn this one takes.

Oh, dear God:

Its always been speculated that Guy Pearce might be involved with one of the new ?Batman? movies one day ? because of his association with ?Memento? director Christopher Nolan, who helms the ?Bat? blockies ? and now, according to Batman On Film, said speculation might be spot-on.

 

Pearce is said to be the new favourite ? Now that Live Schrieber is apparently no longer in the running ? to play Harvey Dent, Gotham D.A, in ?The Dark Knight?. Dent?s a good-guy that teams up with Batman to bring down The Joker (Heath Ledger) in the next pic. Later on though, Dent himself goes a little screwloose, involuntarily transformed into the disfigured menace, ?Two-Face?.

 

If Pearce signs for the film, he?ll be the second Aussie onboard the pic. Ledger, of course, hails from beachy Perth.

 

Another Aussie actor, Lachy Hulme, was rumoured to be up for the role of ?The Joker? there for a while. But Hulme tells Batman On Film that he never met on the film ? and as far as he?s concerned, it was something that fans had come up with.

 

?The first I heard of it, someone rang me to say that they?d heard on the radio that I actually had the part, and this was before Batman Begins had even come out, so this was early 2005. And on the radio, they were apparently quoting from your site, so there you have it. Of course, I had to explain to my family that I wasn?t playing the part, but from that moment on, the media have been chasing me around asking for a quote, which I couldn?t give. But every other weekend down here, there would be some blurb or column in the papers talking about how I was the ?front-runner? or some sh*t. Thank God Heath got the gig, ?cause now the press can all f*** off. But the Internet speculation has been extraordinary. Unbelievable!?.

 

Though Hulme says he never tested (but nobody did for the part) and didn?t meet with director Chris Nolan, he does have some ideas on how he might have played the part had the rumours been true.

 

?Obviously you come to work with your own ideas, with your own prep and your research done, and you try to impose some sort of personal vision onto the role you?re playing, whether that be through the costume or the accent or the ticking clock inside whomever you?re playing, or whatever. But even with a role like The Joker, which is open to so much interpretation, you ultimately have to acquiesce to the director, otherwise get out of the way. Acting is not like painting. You don?t get to sit in a corner and create your own special thing. You?re part of a team. You?re servicing a vision, particularly in feature films. That?s what you get paid for.

 

?I suppose the obvious thing would be to just go back to the original version of the character. That interests me. Everyone raves about what Alan Moore did with The Killing Joke, but ultimately, that version of the character demands you to feel sympathy for the guy, and I don?t believe we should feel anything but fear and disgust for him. For me, the most interesting version is what Bob Kane and Bill Finger did with the first incarnation of the character, which was basically a prototype for the modern-day serial killer, something like what The Zodiac Killer in San Francisco in the 60s and 70s was, a killer who announces his crimes and then commits them in a way that makes no sense, and then just disappears back into the shadows. An unstoppable force, a very dark, scary force. I found that very compelling, that first ever Joker story. At the end of the day, there should be nothing sympathetic about a character like The Joker, and certainly nothing funny about him. I know everybody hearing this or, sorry, reading this will hate me for saying that, but that would be my jumping-off point as an actor. Until the director told me to shut up and do it his way. (laughs) And by the way, I?m not trying to insult The Killing Joke or Alan Moore or anything like that. In fact, I can see why his take on The Joker has inspired such a passionate following, because it?s, y?know, such an intelligent and literate take on the character for the modern reader. But you can?t go past the Bob Kane/Bill Finger version, in my opinion. They nailed him right from the start?.

Source

 

I haven't been doing my usual movie news link rundown the past few days so I didn't see this until now. I would absolutely love Pearce to get this role. Dude needs to be in more roles.

I love Pearce. Time Machine

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have our Two-Face:

 

IGN.com-

 

Aaron Eckhart has been confirmed as being in "final negotiations" to play Harvey Dent in the upcoming The Dark Knight. District Attorney Harvey Dent begins as an ally of Batman and Gotham cop Jim Gordon, only to end up becoming the horrifically scarred, coin-flipping villain Two-Face.

 

Dent has previously been portrayed onscreen by Billy Dee Williams and Tommy Lee Jones, who starred opposite Eckhart in The Missing.

 

The Hollywood Reporter confirmed Eckhart's casting today. There's still no word on whether Maggie Gyllenhaal has indeed replaced Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes.

 

In addition to Eckhart, The Dark Knight also stars Christian Bale, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Gary Oldman. Heath Ledger will play The Joker.

 

Aaron Eckhart's credits include Thank You for Smoking, The Black Dahlia, The Core and Paycheck. He will next be seen opposite Catherine Zeta-Jones in No Reservations.

 

Link

I'm glad they gave the Batman franchise the fresh start it needed because, yeah...Schumacher really screwed it up. Damn Bat-Nipples.

What movie is that pic from?

I think that's an actual DK poster.

I would guess it's from Black Dahlia if I didn't know any better. Makes no sense to have a teaser poster of him just days after his involvement is announced. Also, the burns look very amateur and photoshopped.

That's a photoshop. Before Heath Ledger was announced as the Joker, there were a whole bunch of pictures of various actors with photoshopped-in Joker looks. I believe many of them are actually in this thread....

I think that's an actual DK poster.

 

The movie's in pre-production. We won't see any actual images or posters until the Summer or Fall.

It's a photoshop. You'll see I had posted some photoshops of Heath Ledger earlier in this thread.

 

I just posted it because I thought it looked cool.

 

Yes, I believe that picture is also from The Black Dahlia.

Eckhart's go the perfect look for Dent. I haven't really seen him play anything out there the way Two Face is, but but I'm sure he's up to the challenge.

 

Another weird rumor... Allegedly Frank Miller is getting "The Dark Knight Returns" ready for Hollywood. The Dark Knight Returns is about an old Batman and his last case, essentially. Miller wants to direct and supposedly the studio might okay it. I can't imagine two Batman franchises out at the same time. Because Miller's Dark Knight Returns is definitely a little more out there and hardcore.

 

Also, there is a justice league movie in the works for 2009 or therafter. At the New York Comic Con it was said that the movie WOULD feature Wonder Woman, Superman, Batman, Green Lantern and Aquaman. So, we'll see if this actually happens as well. I'm betting they'd use Justice League as a spring board into getting some other properties (like Green Lantern and Aquaman) the potential future go-ahead.

Your first look at Joker:

Your first look at Joker:

 

 

I saw this earlier today...meh. Looks like the crow with green hair dye. Does ledger have 6 fingers?? Sure looks like it.

ComingSoon.net is reporting that this photo is a photoshopped fake. Apparently the creator has admitted to it as well.

ComingSoon.net is reporting that this photo is a photoshopped fake. Apparently the creator has admitted to it as well.

 

 

Yeah, that's a fake alright.

Eckhart, eh? Not a bad choice.

Scarecrow/Cillian Murphy will be returning

 

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

Eckhart's go the perfect look for Dent. I haven't really seen him play anything out there the way Two Face is, but but I'm sure he's up to the challenge.

 

Another weird rumor... Allegedly Frank Miller is getting "The Dark Knight Returns" ready for Hollywood. The Dark Knight Returns is about an old Batman and his last case, essentially. Miller wants to direct and supposedly the studio might okay it. I can't imagine two Batman franchises out at the same time. Because Miller's Dark Knight Returns is definitely a little more out there and hardcore.

 

Also, there is a justice league movie in the works for 2009 or therafter. At the New York Comic Con it was said that the movie WOULD feature Wonder Woman, Superman, Batman, Green Lantern and Aquaman. So, we'll see if this actually happens as well. I'm betting they'd use Justice League as a spring board into getting some other properties (like Green Lantern and Aquaman) the potential future go-ahead.

 

 

I would kill to see the dark knight returns happen! That is the best comic short series ever written by far