THE DARK KNIGHT

The Dark Knight is a 2008 superhero film directed and co-written by Christopher Nolan. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, the film is part of Nolan's Batman film series and a sequel to 2005's Batman Begins. Christian Bale reprises the lead role. The film follows Bruce Wayne/Batman (Bale), District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), Assistant D.A. Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal), and Police Commissioner James Gordon (Gary Oldman) and their struggles and journey in combating the new threat of the Joker (Heath Ledger). The Joker's identity is left a mystery in the film, while Dent's transformation from heroic district attorney to disfigured killer Two-Face is presented entirely. Nolan's inspiration for the film was the Joker's comic book debut in 1940, and the 1996 series The Long Halloween, which retold Two-Face's origin. The Dark Knight was filmed primarily in Chicago, as well as in several other locations in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Hong Kong. Nolan used an IMAX camera to film some sequences, including the Joker's first appearance in the film.

On January 22, 2008, after he had completed filming The Dark Knight, Heath Ledger died from a toxic combination of prescription drugs, leading to intense attention from the press and moviegoing public. Warner Bros. had initially created a viral marketing campaign for The Dark Knight, developing promotional websites and trailers highlighting screen shots of Ledger as the Joker, but after Ledger's death, the studio refocused its promotional campaign. The film was released on July 16, 2008 in Australia, on July 18, 2008 in North America, and on July 24, 2008 in the United Kingdom. Before its box office debut in North America, record numbers of advanced tickets were sold for The Dark Knight. It was greeted with positive reviews upon release, and became only the second film to earn more than $500 million at the North American box office, setting numerous other records in the process. It is also the fourth highest grossing film worldwide, and only the fourth film to earn more than $1 billion. Following its critical and commercial success, The Dark Knight has gone to garner multiple awards ranging from Best Picture to Best Special Effects. (via Wikipedia)

From The Blogsphere

Footloose Remake to be Directed by… Hustle & Flow’s Craig Brewer?

via slashfilm.com ( 23 Days ago )
Early this week, This Is It director Kenny Ortega bailed on Paramount’s remake of Footloose. Seems like a great idea, even if the Michael Jackson movie doesn’t become the Dark Knight-sized hit that some have predicted. And yeah, Footloose? A remake? Who needs it? Well, Paramount still seems to, and their shortlist of directors is evidently topped by an unlikely name: [...]

Orson Welles' Original War of the Worlds Broadcast Returns

via firstshowing.net ( 24 Days ago )
With our society's extensive use of the internet, viral marketing has become an invaluable tool for movie marketing. In recent years I think it's safe to say The Dark Knight is the reigning champion for best viral marketing campaign which inspired activity from people all over the world. However, the greatest publicity stunt ever achieved goes all the way back to 1938, when Orson [...]

Marc Ecko Unleashes Dark Designs in Time for Trick or Treat

via wired.com ( 31 Days ago )
The new Black Rhino collection of themed hoodies and T-shirts from designer Marc Ecko might be a little expensive to grab as a Halloween costume — but they’re nerd-cool enough to wrap around your pop culture-loving self all year long. Featuring designs from Friday the 13th (Jason, right), The Dark Knight, Saw and the rock band Kiss, the new Ecko line follows up on the [...]

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In 'The Dark Knight Kills Christmas,' Batman Wants Justice... And A Side Of Spaghetti

via mtv.com ( 39 Days ago )
"The Dark Knight" is one of the most beloved comic book movies of all time, thanks in large part to the Oscar-winning performance of Heath Ledger as Joker—a performance that's inspired plenty of parodies lately. Recently, we highlighted The Joker Blogs, a series of videos that feature one of the greatest impressions of Ledger's Joker to hit the online circuit. But what's the point [...]

Batman, The Musical

via neatorama.com ( 42 Days ago )
How can you make the Dark Knight just that much more awesome? Simply add a little Neil Patrick Harris – that’s right, in the new TV cartoon, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, NPH plays the Music Meister, who can control people by singing. The result is a whimsical Batman musical, titled Mayhem of the Music Meister (series producer James Tucker described that the "plot [...]

Update: The Flash Speeding Forward As Planned

via screenrant.com ( 46 Days ago )
Yesterday, IGN ran a story about an interview with Charles Roven, a producer on The Dark Knight who was removed from working on the live-action film adaptation of The Flash. It seemed from the report that the future of speedy DC Comics superhero was a little uncertain. Now comes a follow-up story featuring clarification from Dan Mazeau, who’s writing the screenplay for The [...]

Screenwriter Says The Flash Movie is Still Moving Forward!

via firstshowing.net ( 46 Days ago )
Yesterday a report hit the web with quotes from The Dark Knight producer Charles Roven who had said that his rights to an adaptation of The Flash had been reeled in by the newly created DC Entertainment. They are pulling every comic book adaptation back in that isn't ready to go so that they can control the franchises a lot more closely. Roven had said that his version of The Flash [...]

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'The Joker Blogs' Offer Peek Inside Dark Knight Nemesis' Therapy

via mtv.com ( 48 Days ago )
There was no shortage of posthumous awards for Heath Ledger's portrayal of The Joker in "The Dark Knight," and fans have only added to the fame of the late actor's unique take on the character by donning convention costumes inspired by the character and creating animated skits and mash-ups. And then there's The Joker Blogs. The video series, which currently includes 17 episodes posted [...]

Batman Motorcycle Suit Offers You The Chance To Become 'The Dark Knight'

via mtv.com ( 51 Days ago )
Admit it, people—you want to be Batman. Heck, we all want to be Batman, because we can be... if we had billions of dollars, ninja training and a major traumatic incident that gave us a single-minded obsession with fighting crime, that is. As a consolation prize to us normal folks who can't quite become the super-normal Caped Crusader, Universal Designs Replicas is offering the [...]

Where the Wilds Things Ought To Be

via neatorama.com ( 60 Days ago )
Lots of artists are entering the contest “Where the Wild Things Ought To Be”, placing characters from the Maurice Sendak classic into other worlds, real and fictional. The entries include Max and his buddies in The Dark Knight, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Where’s Waldo, and even on Fox News! This entry has Vincent van Gogh illustrating the book Where the Wild Things [...]