The Dark Knight

Started by MacGuffin, September 28, 2005, 01:34:06 PM

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MacGuffin

Guy Pearce Vs. Heath Ledger?
Source: Moviehole

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 Liv 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 shit. Thank God Heath got the gig, 'cause now the press can all fuck 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".

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Ledger on The Joker -- Again!
Source: Batman-On-Film

After being silent for about a month since word broke that he'd been cast as The Joker in THE DARK KNIGHT, Heath Ledger has talked quite a bit about nabbing the part here of late. Here's the latest from MSN.COM:

It's Ledger's next role as Batman's nemesis The Joker in Chris Nolan's "The Dark Knight" that has fanboys' tongues wagging. Ledger says he hasn't paid attention to the scuttlebutt on the Web about his casting and wasn't that surprised to get the offer from Nolan.

"When he explained to me the angle he wanted to take, I was like, 'Yeah, I could do that,'" Ledger says. "[Nolan's] going to make it a lot more sinister, and we've got a little plan for him, but it's exciting. Any opportunity to don a mask is always exciting to me."

[BATMAN (1989)] was dominated by Jack Nicholson's acclaimed performance as the psychotic villain, but Ledger isn't intimidated by his predecessor's turn.

"I love, love, love what Nicholson did," Ledger says. "[But] his performance was catering to the style of directing the movie was made under. It was a Tim Burton film. It wasn't Chris Nolan."
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


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Pozer

:doh: why isn't guy pearce playing the joker?

MacGuffin

Nolans Talk Dark Knight
Siblings on scripting the Bat-sequel.

Filmmaker Christopher Nolan says the reason was "more circumstances than anything else" for why his writer brother Jonathan "Jonah" Nolan was tapped to write the screenplay for The Dark Knight, the sequel to Batman Begins. Jonah served in a consulting capacity on the 2005 film.

"When [Batman Begins co-screenwriter] David Goyer and I sat down about a year ago to hammer out the story treatment for another Batman, he was going off to direct a film [The Invisible] and I was going off to direct a film [The Prestige]," Chris Nolan recalls in the Sept./Oct. issue of Creative Screenwriting magazine.

He continued, "Jonah seemed the most obvious choice for someone to crack on the script and see if our story held any water. You sit there with your cue cards [note cards], but till you have to write a screenplay you never actually know what you've got. So we pulled the pin and tossed the grenade."

Jonah credits Chris with turning him onto Batman in the first place after buying him Frank Miller's graphic novel The Dark Knight Returns for his 14th birthday. "I have loved and cherished that character from that point, but through the lens of Frank Miller: Batman: Dark Knight Returns and Batman: Year One."

Jonah also draws comparisons between Batman and the magician protagonists in The Prestige. "What's cool about Bruce Wayne and these magicians is that they are a stand-in for the filmmaker. They recognize that it's a normal world, and so they build a more interesting one."

In related news, Michael Caine says on his official site "that in March I reprise my Butler roll [as Alfred] in the second Batman again directed by Christopher Noland starring Christian Bale. This one is 'The Joker' and the Joker is Heath Ledger. Great casting."
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


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polkablues

Quote from: MacGuffin on September 25, 2006, 05:05:36 PM
In related news, Michael Caine says on his official site "that in March I reprise my Butler roll [as Alfred] in the second Batman again directed by Christopher Noland starring Christian Bale. This one is 'The Joker' and the Joker is Heath Ledger. Great casting."

Someone should really send Michael Caine a memo about commas.
My house, my rules, my coffee

Pubrick

Quote from: polkablues on September 25, 2006, 07:06:15 PM
Someone should really send Michael Caine a memo about commas.
and about spelling..

Quote from: MacGuffin on September 25, 2006, 05:05:36 PM
roll
Noland

stupid assistant.
under the paving stones.

polkablues

And titles, I guess, since he seems to think the movie is called "The Joker".
My house, my rules, my coffee

Redlum

Michael Caine has website? It's a great thing to be able to read about his love of gardening and watching football and wimbledon on his new HDTV...
\"I wanted to make a film for kids, something that would present them with a kind of elementary morality. Because nowadays nobody bothers to tell those kids, \'Hey, this is right and this is wrong\'.\"
  -  George Lucas

MacGuffin

Exclusive: Nolan's Dark Knight Revelations
Helmer also talks The Prisoner.

IGN attended "An Evening With Christopher Nolan" on Oct. 2 at the historic Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, where Nolan's first feature, Following, was screened along with the trailer for the filmmaker's next release, The Prestige.

Nolan and his wife-producer Emma Thomas were in attendance for a Q&A session after the film. The director's brother Jonah Nolan, who is scripting The Dark Knight, was also there but he did not take questions from the audience.

IGN got the chance to ask Chris Nolan if The Dark Knight would delve further into the themes established in Batman Begins, specifically the idea of justice vs. revenge and the exploration of Bruce Wayne's father issues.

"I haven't finished the script yet. I'm supposed to be doing it right now," Nolan admitted, sparking laughter from the crowd. "It does, absolutely. It's a pretty direct continuation of where the last film left off, and the last scene of Batman Begins suggests a strong direction we wanted to take the story in. It absolutely carries on with a lot of the thematic concerns and hopefully takes it someplace new."

When we asked if District Attorney Harvey Dent – a.k.a. Batman's future nemesis Two-Face – would indeed be in the film, Nolan replied, "I don't want to go into too many specifics. Yes, he is."

IGN caught up with Nolan as he was exiting the event and asked if Dent had been cast. "Not yet." Would that actor be an American, an Aussie or a Brit? "You'll see," Nolan promised.

Nolan was also asked during the event about his plans to direct the big-screen version of the TV classic, The Prisoner.

"I could but I'd really be pulling it out of my arse right now. [laughs] The Prisoner is something I've been interested in for quite a long time, and I think I've figured out the take on how we'd approach it," Nolan explained. "The relevance of it today. David and Janet Peoples are terrific, who you know wrote Blade Runner and Twelve Monkeys, all kinds of great movies. They're working on the script right now. I wouldn't want to speak for them. I'm very excited to see what they've come up with."

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Batman on Film posted a transcript in their forums part of an interview with Heath Ledger that talks about Batman: Dark Knight.

In the transcript, aside from its lack of punctuation, Ledger makes some really bold statements that just build a LOT of anticipation for this movie. His take on Joker sounds like it will be fresh and new, but still true to the character, even holding a lot to the look of the Joker (pale skin, green hair) and he even addresses the people who doubt him as the pick for the Joker and he does it with class.

On his getting the coveted role of the Joker...

"You have to remember I watched those films as a boy and me and my mates used to play batman in the streets, so ive kinda had a knowledge of the charactors and the mythos, Ive wanted to do somthing that could cement me and after viewing Batman Begins I was interested in working with Nolan. When i was contacted i was not super keen on the idea but after learning about the things they wanted to do I became very interested in the Joker. Its an actors dream to play an icon role and the joker is so far removed from anything ive done yet that i am looking forward to it and to the ideas that were presented to me....

On what kind of Joker charactor angle can we expect to see...

"well this is just in the infant stages right now but i recieve charactor data from the writers on almost a weekly basis, my fax is loaded with profiles on the joker to give me an idea of what they are gonna do, ive also been given some of the comic book material to look over and I just become more interested as it developes, to play a villian one must throw it all out the window, and i have not yet really explored that kind of dark side, which makes me enthusiastic to play him, this role i am told will be like watching a car wreck that wont stop, and from the script peices ive been sent on my charactors angles, its just gets deeper and deeeper. This guy is a shark, a fearless shark and i know i can bring that alive....

On what the joker will look like...

That is my question as well, i suppose he will look like me, but ive been told that they are still in prelimanary stages and ive seen no ideas yet, ive been told it will be the joker and that the iconic look will be true, i hope it is....

On working with Bale...

Christain is actually in this film i am doing now on Bob Dylan so ive met him a few times, he is excited as well and that has galvanised me to do it too, he had alot to do with them contacting me, right now we are focused on this film but once we get to warner it will be all Dark Knight....

On the fans who dont like him...

This kind of things affects me zero, it would not matter who is chosen to play the charactor in any film, there is always someone who does not like you and I am secure in my chioces and my record, and if i must say anything directly to them it is that I am going to do the best possible work i can do as an actor, but i know at the end of the day you are never going to please anyone 100 percent, as an entertainer i chose what i want to do based on where i want to go, i am an actor and its my job to do this, but its a dream. I am greatful for getting the role and I have to say i will do whatever it takes to make it the best possible product i can..

On the jack nicholson joker...

That was a film i watched with my mates coming up, to say it was not a great film would be an understatement..i loved and was scared of the joker in that film so its very inspiring that ill be in those shoes, but at the same time what we are gonna have to do is somthing never done before, that was one of my requirements, i refused to carbon copy a perfeormance, that would not be a challenge and it would be mocking mr nicholson whom i have much respect for....

On what it will feel like to be an action figure...

Ive always thought that would be the point where i really made it, i mean i am an action packed guy so making a toy fo me is ok with me mates...
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


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MacGuffin

The "Challenge" of The Joker
Nolan talks Dark Knight casting.

Director Christopher Nolan has been talking to the press a lot lately as his new film, The Prestige, approaches its Oct. 20 release date. But the filmmaker seems to be answering as many questions about his next project, The Dark Knight, as he is about his forthcoming release.

Nolan was recently asked about the offbeat casting of Oscar nominee Heath Ledger as the Bat-sequel's villain, The Joker. "He's just exactly the kind of energy I needed for the character," Nolan told SciFi.com.

He continued, "Everything about the risks that that performer is willing to take are the things I need for somebody to take on that iconic figure. It's going to be a huge challenge for us to create it, and he's exactly the guy you want to be in the trenches with."

In related news, Batman Begins co-composer Hans Zimmer has confirmed that he'll reprise scoring duties for the sequel. In an interview with Soundtrack.net, Zimmer revealed, "Well, once I've done the next Batman movie, which will finish in early 2008, I thought I'd take a year off from writing film scores and just go and do some concerts."
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


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MacGuffin

Dark Knight Casting Buzz
The latest rumored Harvey Dent contender.

Another day, another Dark Knight rumor. Now that The Joker has been cast, the rumor mill has been buzzing about who will portray D.A. Harvey Dent (a.k.a. the man who will be Two-Face) in The Dark Knight, the sequel to Batman Begins.

Just weeks after Ryan Phillippe dismissed talk that he was up for the role, Batman-on-Film.com claims that a new, heretofore unreported actor may be a contender to portray Dent.

According to a longtime "friend" of Batman-on-Film.com, Ethan Hawke (Assault on Precinct 13, Training Day) is up for the role of "a lawyer" in the Warner Bros. project. At 36, Hawke is about the right age for the young, doomed D.A.

Hawke's credits include Lord of War, Before Sunrise, Gattaca, Dead Poets Society, Reality Bites and Hamlet. He will next be seen in Richard Linklater's Fast Food Nation.

The Dark Knight is slated to begin filming early next year for a 2008 release.
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


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MacGuffin

HEATH LEDGER TALKS JOKER
by Daniel Robert Epstein

I recently got the chance to talk with Heath Ledger at a press roundtable for the movie Candy. While on the hot seat I got the chance to grill Ledger about his upcoming role of The Joker in The Dark Knight.

Daniel Robert Epstein: Have you started to think about how you will play The Joker?

Heath Ledger: Yeah. I've been trying to delay my commitment to the preparation process on that because I'm trying to extend my holiday time. I definitely have an image in my head. I definitely have something up my sleeve. I want to be very sinister. It's so early that I'm trying to be open at this point. I don't want to be glued down to anyone.

DRE: Have you read many Batman comics?

HL: No and I think that's kind of helping me a little bit. I was never really a fan of comic books or comic book movies. I never despised them but I was never one to read them. I never sought out the films but I would sit down and enjoy them. So because of that I really feel that I'm not carrying much pressure.

DRE: Have they given or asked you to read certain comics?

HL: The Killing Joke was the one that was handed to me. I think it's going to be the beginning of The Joker. I guess that book explains a little bit of where he's from but not too much. From what I've gathered, there isn't a lot of information about The Joker and it's left that way.

DRE: Is doing the role of The Joker scary after Jack Nicholson did it so well?

HL: I'm not going for the same thing he went for. That would be stupid. It is also two very different directors with different styles. Tim Burton did a more fantastical kind of thing and Chris Nolan is doing nitty gritty handheld realism. I love what [Jack] did and that is part of why I want to do that role. I remember seeing it and thinking how much fun it would be to put on that mask and attempt to do something along those lines. But it would obviously be murder if I tried to imitate what he did.

DRE: They're talking about bringing in the co-creator of The Joker, Jerry Robinson, as a consultant on The Dark Knight. I don't know if it would be more of an honorary title.

HL: It probably is [laughs].

DRE: Have you ever wanted to do superhero movies before?

HL: Not really. With the tights and undies and the boots, I would just feel stupid and silly. I couldn't pull it off and there are other people who can perfectly. But I just couldn't take myself seriously. I feel like this is an opportunity to be in one and not do that. I just gravitated towards the villain role because I felt I had something to give to it. I instantly had an idea.

DRE: Have you done screen tests with The Joker makeup yet?

HL: No, but I did do 3-D image scanning. I don't know what they're doing with it. This Bat truck turned up at my place in L.A.. It had these gadgets and cameras that zoom around you and up and down you. It instantly projects a three dimensional image of you. I've never used anything that high tech before in a film. I felt like I was in the truck from Knight Rider.
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


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MacGuffin

Exclusive: Casting News On The Dark Knight
Source: Latino Review

After much speculation on the web, I got some news concerning casting on THE DARK KNIGHT, the sequel to BATMAN BEGINS!

We gave the world the first look at the script review for BATMAN BEGINS 3 years ago so it goes without saying that my information is solid concerning this project.  I don't get my information from any publicists, like other people do, those folks get spoon fed and believe me you expect other sites to start calling their peeps at WB to find out if this is true....Like they will ever tell you the truth.

So that being said...

It's official (no surprise), HARVEY DENT is in THE DARK KNIGHT.  Matt Damon passed on the role.  The filmmakers met Josh Lucas and there is an interest in Jamie Foxx and Ed Norton.  I'm pretty sure there are other actors that I'm not aware of up for the Harvey Dent role.

Now the big news is that the character of RACHEL DAWES is back in THE DARK KNIGHT but Katie Holmes won't be playing her!

No surprise there.

She is being replaced and the filmmakers are looking for that actress now.  Let the speculation begin...

Some other minor roles...

Eastern European Heavy - tough bad guy mobster, 40s-50s
Female Cop - Latin, 30s.  Elizabeth Pena type.
Asian Accountant - male, 40s
Sounds like a lot of diversity in the sequel!

Also according to Production Weekly, the film has been in pre-production as of January 11th.

Lastly there is no Oswald Cobblepot AKA The Penguin in THE DARK KNIGHT.
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


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polkablues

Quote from: MacGuffin on January 26, 2007, 01:18:39 AM
Female Cop - Latin, 30s.  Elizabeth Pena type.

I love how they put "Elizabeth Pena type", as though Elizabeth Pena herself is out of their league.
My house, my rules, my coffee

grand theft sparrow


MacGuffin

Batman wears Prada?
Source: Moviehole

Rising newcomer Emily Blunt ("The Devil Wears Prada") is rumoured [this week, anyway] to be in line to replace Katie Holmes for the forthcoming "The Dark Knight", reports Cinema Blend.

The site heard from a "reliable" scooper who let slip that the folks behind the upcoming second "Batman" jaunt are in big fat gushy love with the actress, and want her to take over the role that Holmes (who quit the part recently) originated in "Batman Begins".

The site says that "Our same anonymous source insists that Katie didn't leave the project, but was dropped. Anything you've heard otherwise is just PR spin to save face. Of course, anyone with half a brain could have figured that out. You don't intentionally ditch a recurring role in Batman to star in a crappy romantic comedy with Queen Latifah. Nobody, not even Katie Holmes, is that stupid.

"For now though, just pencil this in as a wild rumor. My source is one that's been right before, yet even if this is true it only means that Emily Blunt is being considered for the part of Rachel Dawes. It doesn't mean she has it. Sit back and wait for Nolan to make up his mind."
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


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