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Batman (1989 film)
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Batman
Batman ver2.jpg
Theatrical release poster

Directed by
Tim Burton
Produced by
Peter Guber
Jon Peters
Benjamin Melniker
Michael Uslan

Screenplay by
Sam Hamm
Warren Skaaren

Story by
Sam Hamm
Based on
Characters appearing in magazines published 
 by DC Comics, Inc.
Starring
Jack Nicholson
Michael Keaton
Kim Basinger
Robert Wuhl
Pat Hingle
Billy Dee Williams
Michael Gough
Jack Palance

Music by
Danny Elfman
Cinematography
Roger Pratt
Edited by
Ray Lovejoy

Production
 company

PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
The Guber-Peters Company

Distributed by
Warner Bros.

Release dates

June 23, 1989 (United States)


Running time
 126 minutes
Country
United States
Language
English
Budget
$48 million
Box office
$411,348,924[1]
Batman is a 1989 American superhero film directed by Tim Burton and produced by Jon Peters, based on the DC Comics character of the same name. It is the first installment of Warner Bros.' initial Batman film series. The film stars Jack Nicholson, Michael Keaton in the title role, Kim Basinger, Robert Wuhl, Pat Hingle, Billy Dee Williams, Michael Gough, and Jack Palance. In the film, Batman deals with the rise of a costumed criminal known as "The Joker".
After Burton was hired as director in 1986, Steve Englehart and Julie Hickson wrote film treatments before Sam Hamm wrote the first screenplay. Batman was not greenlit until after the success of Burton's Beetlejuice (1988). Numerous A-list actors were considered for the role of Batman before Keaton was cast. Keaton's casting caused a controversy since, by 1988, he had become typecast as a comedic actor and many observers doubted he could portray a serious role.[2] Nicholson accepted the role of the Joker under strict conditions that dictated a high salary, a portion of the box office profits and his shooting schedule. The tone and themes of the film were influenced in part by Alan Moore's The Killing Joke and Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns. Filming took place at Pinewood Studios from October 1988 to January 1989. The budget escalated from $30 million to $48 million, while the 1988 Writers Guild of America strike forced Hamm to drop out. Uncredited rewrites were performed by Warren Skaaren, Charles McKeown and Jonathan Gems.
Batman was a critical and financial success, earning over $400 million in box office totals. It was the fifth-highest grossing film in history at the time of its release. The film received several Saturn Award nominations and a Golden Globe nomination, and won an Academy Award. It also inspired the equally successful Batman: The Animated Series, paving the way for the DC animated universe, and has influenced Hollywood's modern marketing and development techniques of the superhero film genre.


Contents  [hide]
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Themes
4 Production 4.1 Development
4.2 Casting
4.3 Filming
4.4 Design
4.5 Music
5 Marketing
6 Reception 6.1 Box office
6.2 Critical reaction
6.3 Legacy
6.4 Home video
7 References
8 Further reading
9 External links

Plot
The mayor of Gotham City orders District Attorney Harvey Dent (Billy Dee Williams) and Police Commissioner James Gordon (Pat Hingle) to increase police activity and combat crime in preparation for the city's bicentennial. Reporter Alexander Knox (Robert Wuhl) and photojournalist Vicki Vale (Kim Basinger) begin to investigate reports of a vigilante nicknamed "Batman", who is targeting the city's criminals.
Mob boss Carl Grissom (Jack Palance), who has already been targeted by Dent, discovers his mistress (Jerry Hall) is involved with his second-in-command, Jack Napier (Jack Nicholson). With the help of corrupt policeman Max Eckhardt (William Hootkins), Grissom sets up Napier to be murdered during a raid at the Axis Chemicals plant. During the ensuing shootout, Napier kills Eckhardt, after which Batman suddenly appears. The two struggle, and Napier is accidentally knocked into a vat of chemical waste. Batman flees, and Napier is thought to be dead.
Batman is, in actuality, Bruce Wayne (Michael Keaton), a billionaire industrialist who, as a child, witnessed his parents' murder at the hands of a young psychopathic mugger. Bruce meets and falls for Vicki at a fundraiser, and the two begin a relationship. Meanwhile, Napier survives the accident, but is horribly disfigured with chalk-white skin, emerald-green hair and a permanent ruby-red grin. Driven insane by his reflection, he reinvents himself as "the Joker", kills Grissom in revenge for his set-up, and usurps his criminal empire.
The Joker begins to spread terror in the city, first by lacing hygiene products with a deadly chemical known as "Smilex", which causes victims to laugh to death when used in certain combinations. The Joker then sets a trap at the Gotham Museum of Art for Vicki, and he and his henchmen vandalize the surrounding works of art. Batman arrives and rescues Vicki, and the pair escape in the Batmobile. Batman gives information about Smilex to Vicki so she can warn the city via Gotham newspapers about the poisoned products.
Bruce meets with Vicki at her apartment, prepared to tell her that he is Batman. They are interrupted by the Joker, who asks Bruce, "Have you ever danced with the devil by the pale moonlight?" before shooting him. Bruce, who was wearing body armor, escapes, and recollects that the young mugger who killed his parents said the same statement; he realizes that the mugger was none other than the Joker himself. Vicki suddenly appears in the Batcave, having been let in by Bruce's butler, Alfred Pennyworth (Michael Gough). After avouching himself to Vicki, Bruce—as Batman—leaves to destroy the Axis Chemical plant. Meanwhile, the Joker lures the townspeople to a nighttime parade with a promise to give away $20 million in cash. When the citizens arrive, however, he attacks them with Smilex gas spewing it from his giant parade balloons. Batman arrives on the scene and saves Gotham City from the attack using the Batwing, but the Joker kidnaps Vicki and takes her to the top of a cathedral.
Batman pursues the two, and at the top of the dusty edifice, he and the Joker confront each other in single combat. When the Joker attempts an escape via a helicopter, Batman grapples the Joker's leg to a heavy stone sculpture, causing him to fall to his death. Commissioner Gordon unveils the Bat-Signal along with a note from Batman read by Harvey Dent, promising to defend Gotham whenever crime strikes again.
Cast
Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne/Batman
Jack Nicholson as Jack Napier/The Joker
Kim Basinger as Vicki Vale
Robert Wuhl as Alexander Knox
Pat Hingle as Commissioner Gordon
Billy Dee Williams as Harvey Dent
Michael Gough as Alfred Pennyworth
Jack Palance as Carl Grissom
Jerry Hall as Alicia Hunt
Tracey Walter as Bob the Goon
Lee Wallace as Mayor Borg
William Hootkins as Lt. Max Eckhardt
Hugo E. Blick as Young Jack Napier
Charles Roskilly as Young Bruce Wayne
David Baxt as Thomas Wayne
Sharon Holm as Martha Wayne
Themes



 "The duel of the freaks"[2]
When discussing the central theme of Batman, director Tim Burton explained, "the whole film and mythology of the character is a complete duel of the freaks. It's a fight between two disturbed people", adding that "The Joker is such a great character because there's a complete freedom to him. Any character who operates on the outside of society and is deemed a freak and an outcast then has the freedom to do what they want... They are the darker sides of freedom. Insanity is in some scary way the most freedom you can have, because you're not bound by the laws of society".[2]
Burton saw Bruce Wayne as the bearer of a double identity, exposing one while hiding the reality from the world.[2] Burton biographer Ken Hanke wrote that Bruce Wayne, struggling with his alter-ego as Batman, is depicted as an antihero. Hanke felt that Batman has to push the boundaries of civil justice to deal with certain criminals, such as the Joker.[3] Kim Newman theorized that "Burton and the writers saw Batman and the Joker as a dramatic antithesis, and the film deals with their intertwined origins and fates to an even greater extent".[4]
A visual motif is present in the scene of Batman's first major act of vigilantism at Axis Chemicals, wherein he is carefully framed so that the single word AXIS, in gigantic red neon letters, looms over him, comparing his acts to those of the totalitarian governments of World War II and thus implying that the dangers of these actions include the transformation of Jack Napier into the Joker.[3] Batman also conveys trademarks found in 1930s pulp magazines, notably the design of Gotham City stylized with Art Deco design.[5] Richard Corliss, writing for Time, observed that Gotham's design was a reference to films such as Metropolis (1927) and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920). "Gotham City, despite being shot on a studio backlot", he continued, "is literally another character in the script. It has the demeaning presence of German Expressionism and fascist architecture, staring down at the citizens."[6] Hanke further addressed the notions of Batman being a period piece, in that "The citizens, cops, people and the black-and-white television looks like it takes place in 1939"; but later said: "Had the filmmakers made Vicki Vale a femme fatale rather than a damsel in distress, this could have made Batman as a homage and tribute to classic film noir."[7] Portions of the climax pay homage to Vertigo.[8]
Production
Development



"I was never a giant comic book fan, but I've always loved the image of Batman and the Joker. The reason I've never been a comic book fan — and I think it started when I was a child — is because I could never tell which box I was supposed to read. I don't know if it was dyslexia or whatever, but that's why I loved The Killing Joke, because for the first time I could tell which one to read. It's my favorite. It's the first comic I've ever loved. And the success of those graphic novels made our ideas more acceptable."
—Tim Burton[9]
In the late 1970s, Batman's popularity was waning.[10] CBS was interested in producing a Batman in Outer Space film. Producers Michael Uslan and Benjamin Melniker purchased the film rights of Batman from DC Comics on October 3, 1979. It was Uslan's wish "to make the definitive, dark, serious version of Batman, the way Bob Kane and Bill Finger had envisioned him in 1939. A creature of the night; stalking criminals in the shadows."[10] Richard Maibaum was approached to write a script with Guy Hamilton to direct, but the two turned down the offer. Uslan was unsuccessful with pitching Batman to various movie studios because they wanted the film to be similar to the campy 1960s TV series. Columbia Pictures and United Artists were among those to turn down the film.[11]
A disappointed Uslan then wrote a script titled Return of the Batman to give the film industry a better idea of his vision for the film. Uslan later compared its dark tone to that of The Dark Knight Returns, which his script pre-dated by six years.[10] In November 1979, producers Jon Peters and Peter Guber joined the project.[12] The four producers felt it was best to pattern the film's development after that of Superman (1978).[13] Uslan, Melniker and Guber pitched Batman to Universal Pictures, but the studio turned it down.[14] Though no movie studios were yet involved, the project was publicly announced with a budget of $15 million in July 1980 at the Comic Art Convention in New York. Warner Bros. decided to accept Batman.[15]
Tom Mankiewicz completed a script titled The Batman in June 1983, focusing on Batman and Dick Grayson's origins, with the Joker and Rupert Thorne as villains, and Silver St. Cloud as the romantic interest.[16] Mankiewicz took inspiration from the limited series Batman: Strange Apparitions (ISBN 1-56389-500-5), written by Steve Englehart.[17] Comic book artist Marshall Rogers, who worked with Englehart on Strange Apparitions, was hired for concept art.[14] The Batman was then announced in late 1983 for a mid-1985 release date on a budget of $20 million. Originally, Mankiewicz had wanted an unknown actor for Batman, William Holden for James Gordon, David Niven as Alfred Pennyworth and Peter O'Toole as the Penguin who Mankiewicz wanted to portray as a mobster with low body temperature.[15] Holden died in 1981 and Niven in 1983, so this would never come to pass. A number of filmmakers were attached to Mankiewicz' script, including Ivan Reitman and Joe Dante. Reitman wanted to cast Bill Murray as Batman and Eddie Murphy as Robin.[2] Nine rewrites were performed by nine separate writers. Most of them were based on Strange Apparitions. However it was Mankiewicz's script that was still being used to guide the project.[3]
After the financial success of Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985), Warner Bros. hired Tim Burton to direct Batman. Burton had then-girlfriend Julie Hickson write a new 30-page film treatment, feeling the previous script by Mankiewicz was campy. The success of The Dark Knight Returns and The Killing Joke rekindled Warner Bros.' interest in a film adaptation. Burton was initially not a comic book fan, but he was impressed by the dark and serious tone found in both The Dark Knight Returns and The Killing Joke.[2] Warner Bros. enlisted the aid of Steve Englehart to write a new treatment in March 1986.[18] It included the Joker and Rupert Thorne as the main villains, with a cameo appearance by the Penguin. Silver St. Cloud and Dick Grayson were key supporting roles. It followed the similar storyline from Englehart's own Strange Apparitions (ISBN 1-56389-500-5). Warner Bros. was impressed, but Englehart felt there were too many characters. He removed the Penguin and Dick Grayson in his second treatment, finishing in May 1986.[18]
Burton approached Sam Hamm, a comic book fan, to write the screenplay.[15] Hamm decided not to use an origin story, feeling that flashbacks would be more suitable and that "unlocking the mystery" would become part of the storyline.[17] He reasoned, "You totally destroy your credibility if you show the literal process by which Bruce Wayne becomes Batman."[19] Hamm replaced Silver St. Cloud with Vicki Vale and Rupert Thorne with his own creation, Carl Grissom. He completed his script in October 1986, which demoted Dick Grayson to a cameo rather than a supporting character.[20] One scene in Hamm's script had a young James Gordon on duty the night of the murder of Bruce Wayne's parents. When Hamm's script was rewritten, the scene was deleted but retaken to Batman Begins.[21]
Warner Bros. was less willing to move forward on development, despite their enthusiasm for Hamm's script, which Batman co-creator Bob Kane greeted with positive feedback.[2] Hamm's script was then bootlegged at various comic book stores in the United States.[17] Batman was finally given the greenlight to commence pre-production in April 1988, after the success of Burton's Beetlejuice (1988).[2] When comic book fans found out about Burton directing the film with Michael Keaton starring in the lead role, controversy arose over the tone and direction Batman was going in.[22] Hamm explained, "they hear Tim Burton's name and they think of Pee-wee's Big Adventure. They hear Keaton's name and they think of any number of Michael Keaton comedies. You think of the 1960s version of Batman, and it was the complete opposite of our film. We tried to market it with a typical dark and serious tone, but the fans didn't believe us."[17] To combat negative reports on the film's production, Kane was hired as creative consultant.[13]
Casting
Parallel to the Superman casting, a who's who of Hollywood top stars were considered for the role of Batman, with the likes of Mel Gibson, Kevin Costner, Charlie Sheen, Tom Selleck and Bill Murray being considered.[15][12] Pierce Brosnan was approached for the role, stating: "I went and met with Tim Burton for the role of Batman. But I just couldn't really take it seriously, any man who wears his underpants outside his pants just cannot be taken seriously."[23] Burton offered Ray Liotta, then an upcoming actor, a chance to audition after having completed Something Wild, but Liotta declined, a decision he regrets.[24] Burton was also pressured by the studio to cast an obvious action movie star.[2] Producer Jon Peters favored Keaton, arguing he had the right "edgy, tormented quality." Having directed Keaton in Beetlejuice, Burton agreed.[12]
Keaton's casting caused a controversy among comic book fans,[22] with 50,000 protest letters sent to Warner Bros. offices.[20] Bob Kane, Sam Hamm and Michael Uslan also heavily questioned the casting.[17] Burton acknowledged, "Obviously there was a negative response from the comic book people. I think they thought we were going to make it like the 1960s TV series, and make it campy, because they thought of Michael Keaton from Mr. Mom and Night Shift and stuff like that."[25] Keaton studied The Dark Knight Returns for inspiration.[26]
Tim Curry, Willem Dafoe, David Bowie, John Lithgow and James Woods were considered for the Joker.[19][27] Burton wanted to cast Brad Dourif, but the studio refused.[28] Robin Williams lobbied hard for the part.[20] Jack Nicholson had been producer Michael Uslan's and Bob Kane's choice since 1980. Peters approached Nicholson as far back as 1986, during filming of The Witches of Eastwick.[29] Nicholson had what was known as an "off-the-clock" agreement. His contract specified the number of hours he was entitled to have off each day, from the time he left the set to the time he reported back for filming,[15] as well as being off for Los Angeles Lakers home games.[30] Nicholson demanded to have all of his scenes shot in a three-week block, but the schedule lapsed into 106 days.[29] He received a $6 million salary, as well as a large percentage of the box office gross estimated at $60 million to $90 million.[31]
Sean Young was originally cast as Vicki Vale, but was injured in a horse-riding accident prior to commencement of filming.[32] Burton suggested replacing Young with Michelle Pfeiffer but Keaton, who was in a relationship with Pfeiffer, believed it would be too awkward. She went on to portray Catwoman in Batman Returns. Young's departure necessitated an urgent search for an actress who, besides being right for the part, could commit to the film at very short notice. Peters suggested Kim Basinger: she was able to join the production immediately and was cast.[12][32] As a fan of Michael Gough's work in various Hammer Film Productions, Burton cast Gough as Bruce Wayne's butler, Alfred Pennyworth.[33] Robert Wuhl was cast as reporter Alexander Knox. His character was originally supposed to die by the Joker's poison gas in the climax, but the filmmakers "liked [my] character so much," Wuhl said "that they decided to let me live."[21] Tim Burton chose Billy Dee Williams as Harvey Dent because he wanted to include the villain Two-Face in a future film using the concept of an African-American Two-Face for the black and white concept,[34] but Tommy Lee Jones was later cast in the role for Batman Forever, which disappointed Williams.[21] Nicholson convinced the filmmakers to cast Tracey Walter as the Joker's henchman, Bob; in real life, Nicholson and Walter are close friends.[35] Kiefer Sutherland was considered as Robin before the character was deleted from the shooting script.[36] The rest of the cast included Pat Hingle as Commissioner Gordon, Jerry Hall as Alicia Hunt, Lee Wallace as Mayor Borg, William Hootkins as Lt. Max Eckhardt, and Jack Palance as crime boss Carl Grissom.
Filming



Knebworth House served as the Wayne Manor.
The filmmakers considered filming Batman entirely on the Warner Bros. backlot in Burbank, California, but media interest in the film made them change the location. It was shot at Pinewood Studios in England from October 1988 to January 1989.[37] 18 sound stages were used, almost the entirety of Pinewood's 95-acre backlot.[13] Locations included Knebworth House and Hatfield House doubling for Wayne Manor, plus Acton Lane Power Station and Little Barford Power Station.[7][38] The original production budget escalated from $30 million to $48 million.[12] Filming was highly secretive. The unit publicist was offered and refused £10,000 for the first pictures of Jack Nicholson as the Joker. The police were later called in when two reels of footage (about 20 minutes' worth) were stolen.[29] With various problems during filming, Burton called it "torture. The worst period of my life!"[12]
Hamm was not allowed to perform rewrites during the 1988 Writers Guild of America strike.[15] Jonathan Gems, Warren Skaaren and Charles McKeown rewrote the script during filming.[39] Hamm criticized the rewrites, but blamed the changes on Warner Bros.[17] Burton explained, "I don't understand why that became such a problem. We started out with a script that everyone liked, although we recognized it needed a little work."[2] Dick Grayson appeared in the shooting script but was deleted, as the filmmakers felt he was irrelevant to the plot.[15] Bob Kane supported this decision.[33]
Keaton, who called himself a "logic freak", was concerned that Batman's secret identity would in reality be fairly easy to uncover, and discussed ideas with Burton to better disguise the character, including the use of contact lenses.[40] Ultimately, Keaton decided to perform Batman's voice at a lower register than when he was portraying Bruce Wayne, which became a hallmark of the film version of the character, with Christian Bale later using the same technique.[40]
Originally in the climax, the Joker was to kill Vicki Vale, sending Batman into a vengeful fury. Jon Peters reworked the climax without telling Burton and commissioned production designer Anton Furst to create a 38-foot (12 m) model of the cathedral.[41] This cost $100,000 when the film was already well over budget. Burton disliked the idea, having no clue how the scene would end: "Here were Jack Nicholson and Kim Basinger walking up this cathedral, and halfway up Jack turns around and says, 'Why am I walking up all these stairs? Where am I going?' 'We'll talk about it when you get to the top!' I had to tell him that I didn't know."[41]
Design



"I envisaged Gotham the way I see it now at Pinewood. They've got it, every building, every trash can, every brick."
—Batman co-creator Bob Kane when looking at the buildings at Pinewood Studios[29]
Burton was impressed with Anton Furst's designs in The Company of Wolves, and previously failed to hire Furst as production designer for Beetlejuice.[37] Furst had been too committed on High Spirits, a choice he later regretted.[15] Furst enjoyed working with Burton. "I don't think I've ever felt so naturally in tune with a director", he said; "Conceptually, spiritually, visually, or artistically. There was never any problem because we never fought over anything. Texture, attitude and feelings are what Burton is a master at."[13]



 The Batsuit, worn by Michael Keaton.
Furst and the art department deliberately mixed clashing architectural styles to "make Gotham City the ugliest and bleakest metropolis imaginable".[42] Furst continued, "we imagined what New York City might have become without a planning commission. A city run by crime, with a riot of architectural styles. An essay in ugliness. As if hell erupted through the pavement and kept on going".[43] The 1985 film Brazil by Terry Gilliam was also a notable influence upon the film's production design, as both Burton and Furst studied it as a reference.[13] Derek Meddings served as the visual effects supervisor, while Keith Short helped construct the newly created 1989 Batmobile,[44] adding two Browning machine guns.[45] On designing the Batmobile, Furst explained, "We looked at jet aircraft components, we looked at war machines, we looked at all sorts of things. In the end, we went into pure expressionism, taking the Salt Flat Racers of the 30s and the Sting Ray macho machines of the 50s".[29] The car was built upon a Chevrolet Impala when previous development with a Jaguar and Ford Mustang failed.[29]
Costume designer Bob Ringwood turned down the chance to work on Licence to Kill in favor of Batman. Ringwood found it difficult designing the Batsuit because "the image of Batman in the comics is this huge, big six-foot-four hunk with a dimpled chin. Michael Keaton is a guy with average build", he stated. "The problem was to make somebody who was average-sized and ordinary-looking into this bigger-than-life creature."[46] Burton commented, "Michael is a bit claustrophobic, which made it worse for him. The costume put him in a dark, Batman-like mood though, so he was able to use it to his advantage".[46] Burton's idea was to use an all-black suit, and was met with positive feedback by Bob Kane. Jon Peters wanted to use a Nike product placement with the Batsuit.[47] Ringwood studied over 200 comic book issues for inspiration. 28 sculpted latex designs were created; 25 different cape looks and 6 different heads were made, accumulating a total cost of $250,000.[48] Comic book fans initially expressed negative feedback against the Batsuit.[37] Burton opted not to use tights, spandex, or underpants as seen in the comic book, feeling it was not intimidating.[2] Prosthetic makeup designer Nick Dudman used acrylic-based makeup paint called PAX for Nicholson's chalk-white face. Part of Nicholson's contract was approval over the makeup designer.[49]
Music
See also: Batman (album) and Batman (score)
Burton hired Danny Elfman, his collaborator on Pee-wee's Big Adventure and Beetlejuice, to compose the music score. For inspiration, Elfman was given The Dark Knight Returns. Elfman was worried, as he had never worked on a production this large in budget and scale.[50] In addition, producer Jon Peters was skeptical of hiring Elfman, but was later convinced when he heard the opening number.[51] Peters and Peter Guber wanted Prince to write music for the Joker and Michael Jackson to do the romance songs. Elfman would then combine the style of Prince and Jackson's songs together for the entire film score.[2]
Burton protested the ideas, citing "my movies aren't commercial like Top Gun."[2] Elfman enlisted the help of Oingo Boingo lead guitarist Steve Bartek and Shirley Walker to arrange the compositions for the orchestra.[52] Elfman was later displeased with the audio mixing of his film score. "Batman was done in England by technicians who didn't care, and the non-caring showed," he stated. "I'm not putting down England because they've done gorgeous dubs there, but this particular crew elected not to."[53] Batman was one of the first films to spawn two soundtracks. One of them featured songs written by Prince while the other showcased Elfman's score. Both were successful,[54] and compilations of Elfman's opening credits were used in the title sequence theme for Batman: The Animated Series, also composed by Shirley Walker.[27]
Marketing
Production designer Anton Furst designed the poster, which he called "evocative but ubiquitous. Only featuring the Bat-Symbol. Not too much and not too little". Earlier designs "had the word 'Batman' spelled in RoboCop or Conan the Barbarian-type font".[12] Jon Peters unified all the film's tie-ins, even turning down $6 million from General Motors to build the Batmobile because the car company would not relinquish creative control.[12]
During production, Peters read in The Wall Street Journal that comic book fans were unsatisfied with the casting of Michael Keaton. In response, Peters rushed the first film trailer that played in thousands of theaters during Christmas. It was simply an assemblage of scenes without music, but happened to create enormous anticipation for the film.[12] DC Comics allowed screenwriter Sam Hamm to write his own comic book miniseries. Hamm's stories were collected in the graphic novel Batman: Blind Justice (ISBN 978-1563890475). Denys Cowan and Dick Giordano illustrated the artwork.[19] Blind Justice tells the story of Bruce Wayne trying to solve a series of murders connected to Wayne Enterprises. It also marks the first appearance of Henri Ducard, who was later used in the rebooted Batman Begins, albeit as an alias for the more notable Ra's al Ghul.[19]
In the months pre-dating Batman '​s release in June 1989, a popular culture phenomenon rose known as "Batmania".[37] Over $750 million worth of merchandise was sold.[27] Cult filmmaker and comic book writer Kevin Smith remembered: "That summer was huge. You couldn't turn around without seeing the Bat-Signal somewhere. People were cutting it into their fucking heads. It was just the summer of Batman and if you were a comic book fan it was pretty hot."[55] Hachette Book Group USA published a novelization, Batman written by Craig Shaw Gardner.[56] It remained on the New York Times Best Seller list throughout June 1989.[57] Burton admitted he was annoyed by the publicity. David Handelman of The New York Observer categorized Batman as a high concept film. He believed "it is less movie than a corporate behemoth".[8]
Reception
Box office
Batman opened on June 23, 1989, grossing $43.6 million in 2,194 theaters during its opening weekend. This broke the opening weekend record, set by Ghostbusters II one week earlier, with $29.4 million.[58] Batman would eventually gross $251.2 million in North America and $160.15 million internationally, totaling $411.35 million.[59] Batman was the first film to earn $100 million in its first ten days of release,[2] and was the highest grossing film based on a DC comic book until 2008's The Dark Knight.[60] The film's gross is the 66th highest ever in North American ranks.[61] Although Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade made the most money worldwide in 1989,[62] Batman was able to beat The Last Crusade in North America,[63] and made a further $150 million in home video sales.[64]
Critical reaction
Batman was criticized in some quarters for being too dark and too violent, but nonetheless received positive reviews.[2] Many observed that Burton was more interested in the Joker and the art and set production design than Batman or anything else in terms of characterization and screentime.[2] Comic book fans reacted negatively over the Joker murdering Thomas and Martha Wayne; in the comic book, Joe Chill is responsible. Writer Sam Hamm said it was Burton's idea to have the Joker murder Wayne's parents. "The Writer's Strike was going on," Hamm said, "and Tim had the other writers do that. I also hold innocent to Alfred letting Vicki Vale into the Batcave. Fans were ticked off with that, and I agree. That would have been Alfred's last day of employment at Wayne Manor."[51]
The songs written by Prince were criticized for being "too out of place".[15] While Burton has stated he had no problem with the Prince songs, he was less enthusiastic with their use in the film.[3] On the film, Burton remarked, "I liked parts of it, but the whole movie is mainly boring to me. It's OK, but it was more of a cultural phenomenon than a great movie."[64] Nonetheless, it received acclaim. Based on 67 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, 72% of reviewers reacted positively to Batman.[65] Metacritic gives an aggregated score of 66, based on 17 reviews, indicating "generally favorable".[66]
Comics fans reacted negatively to the casting of Keaton as Batman, though they were appeased upon watching the film and seeing his performance.[8][67] James Berardinelli called the film entertaining, with the highlight being the production design. However, he concluded, "the best thing that can be said about Batman is that it led to Batman Returns, which was a far superior effort."[68] Variety felt "Jack Nicholson stole every scene" but still greeted the film with positive feedback.[69] Roger Ebert was highly impressed with the production design, but claimed "Batman is a triumph of design over story, style over substance, a great-looking movie with a plot you can't care much about." He also called the film "a depressing experience".[70] His reviewing partner Gene Siskel disagreed, describing the film as having a 'refreshingly adult' approach with performances, direction and set design that 'draws you into a psychological world'. Jonathan Rosenbaum of the Chicago Reader called it "watchable enough".[71]
Legacy
Anton Furst and Peter Young won the Academy Award for Best Art Direction,[72] while Nicholson was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor (Musical or Comedy).[73] The British Academy of Film and Television Arts nominated Batman in six categories (Production Design, Visual Effects, Costume Design, Makeup, Sound and Actor in a Supporting Role for Nicholson), but it won none of the categories.[74] Nicholson, Basinger, the make-up department and costume designer Bob Ringwood all received nominations at the Saturn Awards. The film was also nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Fantasy Film[75] and the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation.[76]
The success of Batman prompted Warner Bros. Animation to create the acclaimed Batman: The Animated Series, as a result beginning the long-running DC animated universe[77] and helped establish the modern day superhero film genre. Series co-creator Bruce Timm stated the television show's Art Deco design was inspired from the film. Timm commented, "our show would never have gotten made if it hadn't been for that first Batman movie."[78] Burton joked, "ever since I did Batman, it was like the first dark comic book movie. Now everyone wants to do a dark and serious superhero movie. I guess I'm the one responsible for that trend."[79]
Batman initiated the original Batman film series and spawned three sequels: Batman Returns (1992), Batman Forever (1995) and Batman & Robin (1997); the latter two of which were directed by Joel Schumacher instead of Burton, and replaced Keaton as Batman with Val Kilmer and George Clooney, respectively.
Producers Michael Uslan and Benjamin Melniker filed a breach of contract lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court on March 26, 1992. Uslan and Melniker claimed to be "the victims of a sinister campaign of fraud and coercion that has cheated them out of continuing involvement in the production of Batman and its sequels. We were denied proper credits, and deprived of any financial rewards for our indispensable creative contribution to the success of Batman."[12] A superior court judge rejected the lawsuit. Total revenues of Batman have topped $2 billion, with Uslan claiming to have "not seen a penny more than that since our net profit participation has proved worthless."[12] Warner Bros. offered the pair an out-of-court pay-off, a sum described by Uslan and Melniker's attorney as "two popcorns and two Cokes".[80]
Reflecting on the twentieth anniversary of its release in a retrospective article on Salon.com, film commentator Scott Mendelson noted the continuing impact that Batman has had on the motion film industry, including the increasing importance of opening weekend box office receipts; the narrowing window between a film's debut and its video release that caused the demise of second-run movie theaters; the accelerated acquisition of pre-existing, pre-sold properties for film adaptations that can be readily leveraged for merchandizing tie-ins; the primacy of the MPAA PG-13 as the target rating for film producers; and more off-beat, non-traditional casting opportunities for genre films.[81]
The film also received recognition from the American Film Institute. Batman was anointed the 46th greatest movie hero on AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains.[82] The Joker was anointed the 45th greatest movie villain on the same list. In 2008, Batman was selected by Empire magazine as number 458 of The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time.[83]
American Film Institute listsAFI's 100 Years...100 Movies – Nominated[84]
AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills – Nominated[85]
AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains: The Joker – #45 Villain
Batman – #46 Hero
AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes: "Have you ever danced with the Devil in the pale moonlight?" – Nominated[86]
AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores – Nominated[87]
AFI's 10 Top 10 – Nominated Fantasy Film[88]
Home video
Many versions of the film have been released. Included are VHS, Laserdisc, single-disc DVD, special edition DVD and an anthology set. The Batman: The Motion Picture Anthology released in 2005 included 2-disc special edition DVDs of the Tim Burton/Joel Schumacher Batman films. This anthology set was re-released on Blu-ray on March 10, 2009.
On May 19, 2009 a 20th anniversary stand-alone edition was released. This stand-alone version contains exactly the same special features as its anthology set (both DVD and Blu-ray) counterparts. There are two differences: This version includes a 50-page booklet guide to the film, and a slight variation in packaging from normal Blu-ray cases (i.e. a Warner Bros. digibook). They both include a digital copy of the film.
The film was also included in The Tim Burton Collection DVD/Blu-ray set in 2012, alongside its sequel, Batman Returns, and several other Burton films.
References
1.Jump up ^ "Batman - BoxOfficeMojo". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
2.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Mark Salisbury; Tim Burton (2006). "Batman". Burton on Burton. London: Faber and Faber. pp. 70–83. ISBN 0-571-22926-3.
3.^ Jump up to: a b c d Ken Hanke (1999). "Going Batty in Britain". Tim Burton: An Unauthorized Biography of the Filmmaker. Renaissance Books. pp. 75–85. ISBN 1-58063-162-2.
4.Jump up ^ Kim Newman (September 1989). "Batman". Monthly Film Bulletin. pp. 61–64.
5.Jump up ^ Hal Hinson (1989-06-23). "Batman". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-10-24.
6.Jump up ^ Richard Corliss (1989-06-19). "Murk in The Myth". Time. Retrieved 2008-10-26.
7.^ Jump up to: a b Hanke, p.87-96
8.^ Jump up to: a b c Alison McMahan (2005). "Burton's Batman: Myth, Marketing, and Merchandising". The Films of Tim Burton: Animating Live Action in Contemporary Hollywood. Farmington Hills, Michigan: Gale. pp. 121–156. ISBN 0-8264-1566-0.
9.Jump up ^ Tim Burton, Burton on Burton: Revised Edition (London: Faber and Faber, 2006) 71.
10.^ Jump up to: a b c Bill "Jett" Ramey (November 8, 2005). "An Interview With Michael Uslan – Part 1". Batman-on-Film. Retrieved May 4, 2008.
11.Jump up ^ Bill "Jett" Ramey (November 11, 2005). "An Interview With Michael Uslan – Part 2". Batman-on-Film. Retrieved May 4, 2008.
12.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k Nancy Griffin; Kim Masters (1997). "Hit Men". Hit & Run: How Jon Peters and Peter Guber Took Sony For A Ride In Hollywood. Simon & Schuster. pp. 158–174. ISBN 0-684-80931-1.
13.^ Jump up to: a b c d e Alan Jones (November 1989). "Batman in Production". Cinefantastique. pp. 75–88. Retrieved May 13, 2008.
14.^ Jump up to: a b Michael Uslan, Benjamin Melniker, Peter Guber, Tom Mankiewicz, Sam Hamm, Shadows of the Bat: The Cinematic Saga of the Dark Knight—The Road to Gotham City, 2005, Warner Home Video
15.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i Alan Jones (November 1989). "Batman". Cinefantastique. pp. 55–67. Retrieved May 2, 2008.
16.Jump up ^ Stax (December 1, 2001). "The Stax Report Special Edition: Script Review of The Batman". IGN. Archived from the original on December 6, 2008. Retrieved October 24, 2008.
17.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Taylor L. White (July 1989). "Batman". Cinefantastique. pp. 33–40.
18.^ Jump up to: a b "Batman". Steve Englehart.com. Archived from the original on 14 December 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-25.
19.^ Jump up to: a b c d Stephen Rebello (November 1989). "Sam Hamm - Screenwriter". Cinefantastique. pp. 34–41.
20.^ Jump up to: a b c Tim Burton, Sam Hamm, Mark Canton, Michael Keaton, Shadows of the Bat: The Cinematic Saga of the Dark Knight—The Gathering Storm, 2005, Warner Home Video
21.^ Jump up to: a b c Robert Wuhl, Billy Dee Williams, Pat Hingle, Batman: The Heroes, 2005, Warner Home Video
22.^ Jump up to: a b Lowry, Brian (August 23, 2013). "Batman Backlash: Ben Affleck Has Nothing on Michael Keaton". Variety. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
23.Jump up ^ "Pierce Brosnan: I turned down Tim Burton's Batman". The Guardian. 21 August 2014. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
24.Jump up ^ Todd Gilchrist (2011-11-04). "Ray Liotta Says Tim Burton Wanted To Meet With Him For 'Batman'". Indiewire. Retrieved 2014-08-29.
25.Jump up ^ Hilary de Vries (1989-02-05). "Batman Battles for Big Money". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-10-26.
26.Jump up ^ Les Daniels (2000). Batman: The Complete History. Chronicle Books. p. 164. ISBN 0-8118-2470-5.
27.^ Jump up to: a b c David Hughes (2003). "Batman". Comic Book Movies. Virgin Books. pp. 33–46. ISBN 0-7535-0767-6.
28.Jump up ^ Acuna, Kirsten (October 14, 2013). "Tim Burton Originally Wanted 'Chucky' Voice Actor Brad Dourif To Play The Joker In 'Batman'". Business Insider. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
29.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Iain Johnstone (August 1989). "Dark Knight in the City of Dreams". Empire. pp. 46–54.
30.Jump up ^ "Top 10 Celebrity Lakers Fans". NBA.com. Retrieved September 6, 2007.
31.Jump up ^ Matt Carey (2013-11-08). "You don't know Jack (Nicholson)". CNN. Retrieved 2013-12-22.
32.^ Jump up to: a b Shadows of the Bat: The Cinematic Saga of the Dark Knight, "Part 2: The Gathering Storm", DVD documentary, 2005
33.^ Jump up to: a b Tim Burton, DVD audio commentary, 2005, Warner Home Video
34.Jump up ^ Batman Special Edition DVD/Blu-ray, Tim Burton Commentary
35.Jump up ^ Jack Nicholson, Tracey Walter, Batman: The Villains, 2005, Warner Home Video
36.Jump up ^ Sean Marland (2012-03-08). "Kiefer Sutherland Talks 24: The Movie, Turning Down Batman and His New Show ‘Touch’". OnTheBox.com. Retrieved 2012-08-07.
37.^ Jump up to: a b c d Joe Morgenstern (1989-04-09). "Tim Burton, Batman and The Joker". The New York Times.
38.Jump up ^ "Batman (1989) Filming Locations". Ukonscreen.com. Retrieved 2011-01-02.
39.Jump up ^ Salisbury, Burton, p.145
40.^ Jump up to: a b Wigler, Josh. "Michael Keaton Reveals The Secret Origin Of His Batman Voice". MTV. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
41.^ Jump up to: a b Tom Stone (2004-09-28). "How Hollywood had the last laugh". The Daily Telegraph.
42.Jump up ^ Anton Furst, Derek Meddings, Visualizing Gotham: The Production Design of Batman, 2005, Warner Home Video
43.Jump up ^ Richard Corliss; Elaine Dutka (1989-06-19). "The Caped Crusader Flies Again". Time. Retrieved 2008-10-26.
44.Jump up ^ "Batman". Keith Short.com. Retrieved 2008-05-12.
45.Jump up ^ Keith Short, Building the Batmobile, 2005, Warner Home Video
46.^ Jump up to: a b Jody Duncan Shannon (February 1990). "Building the Bat-suit". Cinefex. pp. 16–24.
47.Jump up ^ Bob Ringwood, Tim Burton, Designing the Batsuit, 2005, Warner Home Video
48.Jump up ^ "Reinventing the Batsuit for the Modern Era". American Movies Classic. Archived from the original on 6 October 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-17.
49.Jump up ^ Alan Jones (November 1989). "The Joker's Make-up". Cinefantastique. pp. 69–70.
50.Jump up ^ Danny Elfman, Tim Burton, Nocturnal Overtures: The Music of Batman, 2005, Warner Home Video
51.^ Jump up to: a b Tim Burton, Sam Hamm, Danny Elfman, Shadows of the Bat: The Cinematic Saga of the Dark Knight—The Legend Reborn, 2005, Warner Home Video
52.Jump up ^ Givens, Ron (1990-02-23). "The Elfman Cometh". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 7 January 2008. Retrieved 2007-12-18.
53.Jump up ^ Judy Sloane (August 1995). "Elfman on scoring". Film Review. p. 77.
54.Jump up ^ Stephen Holden (1989-07-19). "The Pop Life". The New York Times.
55.Jump up ^ Kevin Smith, An Evening with Kevin Smith, 2002, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
56.Jump up ^ "Batman: The Novelization (Mass Market Paperback)". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2008-08-16.
57.Jump up ^ "Paperback Best Sellers: June 18, 1989". The New York Times. 1989-06-18.
58.Jump up ^ Staff (1989-06-27). "Batman Sets Record And So Does Hollywood". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-10-26.
59.Jump up ^ "Batman (1989)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2008-05-03.
60.Jump up ^ "DC Comics Movies". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2008-05-03.
61.Jump up ^ "All Time Domestic Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2012-07-05.
62.Jump up ^ "1989 Worldwide Grosses". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2008-05-03.
63.Jump up ^ "1989 Domestic Grosses". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2008-05-03.
64.^ Jump up to: a b Jeffrey Resner (August 1992). "Three Go Mad in Gotham", Empire, pp. 44-52. Retrieved on 2008-08-14.
65.Jump up ^ "Batman". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2012-07-05.
66.Jump up ^ "Batman (1989): Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2008-05-04.
67.Jump up ^ Sauriol, Patrick (July 1998). "Dark Knight Triumphant". Wizard. p 208.
68.Jump up ^ James Berardinelli (2001-06-05). "Batman (1989)". ReelViews. Retrieved 2008-05-05.
69.Jump up ^ "Batman". Variety. 1989-01-01. Retrieved 2008-05-05.
70.Jump up ^ "Batman". Roger Ebert. Retrieved 2008-05-05.
71.Jump up ^ Jonathan Rosenbaum (1989-06-23). "Batman". Chicago Reader. Archived from the original on 6 May 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-05.
72.Jump up ^ "Batman". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 2008-10-04.
73.Jump up ^ "Batman". Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Retrieved 2008-05-06.
74.Jump up ^ "Batman". British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Retrieved 2008-10-04.
75.Jump up ^ "Past Saturn Awards". Saturn Awards.org. Archived from the original on 11 May 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-07.
76.Jump up ^ "1990 Hugo Awards". The Hugo Awards. Retrieved 2008-05-06.
77.Jump up ^ Paul Dini; Chip Kidd (1998). Batman Animated. Titan Books. p. 2. ISBN 1-84023-016-9.
78.Jump up ^ Bruce Timm; Erick Nolen-Weathington (2004). Modern Masters Volume 3: Bruce Timm. TwoMorrows Publishing. pp. 38–49. ISBN 1-893905-30-6.
79.Jump up ^ Geoff Boucher (2008-10-15). "Tim Burton talks about Johnny Depp, 'Alice in Wonderland' and 'The Dark Knight'". Los Angeles Times.
80.Jump up ^ Olly Richards (September 1992). "Trouble in Gotham", Empire, pp. 21-23. Retrieved on 2008-08-14.
81.Jump up ^ Scott Mendelson (June 24, 2009). "20 years later, how Batman changed the movie business...". Salon.com. Archived from the original on 27 June 2009. Retrieved 2009-07-04.
82.Jump up ^ http://connect.afi.com/site/DocServer/handv100.pdf?docID=246
83.Jump up ^ "Empire Features". Empireonline.com. Retrieved 2011-01-02.
84.Jump up ^ http://www.afi.com/Docs/100Years/movies400.pdf
85.Jump up ^ "AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills Nominees" (PDF). Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 2011-08-20.
86.Jump up ^ "AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes Nominees" (PDF). Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 2011-08-20.
87.Jump up ^ "HollywoodBowlBallot" (PDF). Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 2011-08-20.
88.Jump up ^ "AFI's 10 Top 10 Ballot" (PDF). Retrieved 2011-08-20.
Further reading
Janet K. Halfyard, (28 October 2004). Danny Elfman's Batman: A Film Score Guide (Paperback). A careful study of Elfman's scoring technique with a detailed analysis of the film itself. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 0-8108-5126-1.
Craig Shaw Gardner (1 June 1989). Batman (Mass Market Paperback). Novelization of the film. Hachette Book Group USA. ISBN 0-446-35487-2.
External links

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Batman (1989 film)
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Batman
Batman ver2.jpg
Theatrical release poster

Directed by
Tim Burton
Produced by
Peter Guber
Jon Peters
Benjamin Melniker
Michael Uslan

Screenplay by
Sam Hamm
Warren Skaaren

Story by
Sam Hamm
Based on
Characters appearing in magazines published 
 by DC Comics, Inc.
Starring
Jack Nicholson
Michael Keaton
Kim Basinger
Robert Wuhl
Pat Hingle
Billy Dee Williams
Michael Gough
Jack Palance

Music by
Danny Elfman
Cinematography
Roger Pratt
Edited by
Ray Lovejoy

Production
 company

PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
The Guber-Peters Company

Distributed by
Warner Bros.

Release dates

June 23, 1989 (United States)


Running time
 126 minutes
Country
United States
Language
English
Budget
$48 million
Box office
$411,348,924[1]
Batman is a 1989 American superhero film directed by Tim Burton and produced by Jon Peters, based on the DC Comics character of the same name. It is the first installment of Warner Bros.' initial Batman film series. The film stars Jack Nicholson, Michael Keaton in the title role, Kim Basinger, Robert Wuhl, Pat Hingle, Billy Dee Williams, Michael Gough, and Jack Palance. In the film, Batman deals with the rise of a costumed criminal known as "The Joker".
After Burton was hired as director in 1986, Steve Englehart and Julie Hickson wrote film treatments before Sam Hamm wrote the first screenplay. Batman was not greenlit until after the success of Burton's Beetlejuice (1988). Numerous A-list actors were considered for the role of Batman before Keaton was cast. Keaton's casting caused a controversy since, by 1988, he had become typecast as a comedic actor and many observers doubted he could portray a serious role.[2] Nicholson accepted the role of the Joker under strict conditions that dictated a high salary, a portion of the box office profits and his shooting schedule. The tone and themes of the film were influenced in part by Alan Moore's The Killing Joke and Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns. Filming took place at Pinewood Studios from October 1988 to January 1989. The budget escalated from $30 million to $48 million, while the 1988 Writers Guild of America strike forced Hamm to drop out. Uncredited rewrites were performed by Warren Skaaren, Charles McKeown and Jonathan Gems.
Batman was a critical and financial success, earning over $400 million in box office totals. It was the fifth-highest grossing film in history at the time of its release. The film received several Saturn Award nominations and a Golden Globe nomination, and won an Academy Award. It also inspired the equally successful Batman: The Animated Series, paving the way for the DC animated universe, and has influenced Hollywood's modern marketing and development techniques of the superhero film genre.


Contents  [hide]
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Themes
4 Production 4.1 Development
4.2 Casting
4.3 Filming
4.4 Design
4.5 Music
5 Marketing
6 Reception 6.1 Box office
6.2 Critical reaction
6.3 Legacy
6.4 Home video
7 References
8 Further reading
9 External links

Plot
The mayor of Gotham City orders District Attorney Harvey Dent (Billy Dee Williams) and Police Commissioner James Gordon (Pat Hingle) to increase police activity and combat crime in preparation for the city's bicentennial. Reporter Alexander Knox (Robert Wuhl) and photojournalist Vicki Vale (Kim Basinger) begin to investigate reports of a vigilante nicknamed "Batman", who is targeting the city's criminals.
Mob boss Carl Grissom (Jack Palance), who has already been targeted by Dent, discovers his mistress (Jerry Hall) is involved with his second-in-command, Jack Napier (Jack Nicholson). With the help of corrupt policeman Max Eckhardt (William Hootkins), Grissom sets up Napier to be murdered during a raid at the Axis Chemicals plant. During the ensuing shootout, Napier kills Eckhardt, after which Batman suddenly appears. The two struggle, and Napier is accidentally knocked into a vat of chemical waste. Batman flees, and Napier is thought to be dead.
Batman is, in actuality, Bruce Wayne (Michael Keaton), a billionaire industrialist who, as a child, witnessed his parents' murder at the hands of a young psychopathic mugger. Bruce meets and falls for Vicki at a fundraiser, and the two begin a relationship. Meanwhile, Napier survives the accident, but is horribly disfigured with chalk-white skin, emerald-green hair and a permanent ruby-red grin. Driven insane by his reflection, he reinvents himself as "the Joker", kills Grissom in revenge for his set-up, and usurps his criminal empire.
The Joker begins to spread terror in the city, first by lacing hygiene products with a deadly chemical known as "Smilex", which causes victims to laugh to death when used in certain combinations. The Joker then sets a trap at the Gotham Museum of Art for Vicki, and he and his henchmen vandalize the surrounding works of art. Batman arrives and rescues Vicki, and the pair escape in the Batmobile. Batman gives information about Smilex to Vicki so she can warn the city via Gotham newspapers about the poisoned products.
Bruce meets with Vicki at her apartment, prepared to tell her that he is Batman. They are interrupted by the Joker, who asks Bruce, "Have you ever danced with the devil by the pale moonlight?" before shooting him. Bruce, who was wearing body armor, escapes, and recollects that the young mugger who killed his parents said the same statement; he realizes that the mugger was none other than the Joker himself. Vicki suddenly appears in the Batcave, having been let in by Bruce's butler, Alfred Pennyworth (Michael Gough). After avouching himself to Vicki, Bruce—as Batman—leaves to destroy the Axis Chemical plant. Meanwhile, the Joker lures the townspeople to a nighttime parade with a promise to give away $20 million in cash. When the citizens arrive, however, he attacks them with Smilex gas spewing it from his giant parade balloons. Batman arrives on the scene and saves Gotham City from the attack using the Batwing, but the Joker kidnaps Vicki and takes her to the top of a cathedral.
Batman pursues the two, and at the top of the dusty edifice, he and the Joker confront each other in single combat. When the Joker attempts an escape via a helicopter, Batman grapples the Joker's leg to a heavy stone sculpture, causing him to fall to his death. Commissioner Gordon unveils the Bat-Signal along with a note from Batman read by Harvey Dent, promising to defend Gotham whenever crime strikes again.
Cast
Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne/Batman
Jack Nicholson as Jack Napier/The Joker
Kim Basinger as Vicki Vale
Robert Wuhl as Alexander Knox
Pat Hingle as Commissioner Gordon
Billy Dee Williams as Harvey Dent
Michael Gough as Alfred Pennyworth
Jack Palance as Carl Grissom
Jerry Hall as Alicia Hunt
Tracey Walter as Bob the Goon
Lee Wallace as Mayor Borg
William Hootkins as Lt. Max Eckhardt
Hugo E. Blick as Young Jack Napier
Charles Roskilly as Young Bruce Wayne
David Baxt as Thomas Wayne
Sharon Holm as Martha Wayne
Themes



 "The duel of the freaks"[2]
When discussing the central theme of Batman, director Tim Burton explained, "the whole film and mythology of the character is a complete duel of the freaks. It's a fight between two disturbed people", adding that "The Joker is such a great character because there's a complete freedom to him. Any character who operates on the outside of society and is deemed a freak and an outcast then has the freedom to do what they want... They are the darker sides of freedom. Insanity is in some scary way the most freedom you can have, because you're not bound by the laws of society".[2]
Burton saw Bruce Wayne as the bearer of a double identity, exposing one while hiding the reality from the world.[2] Burton biographer Ken Hanke wrote that Bruce Wayne, struggling with his alter-ego as Batman, is depicted as an antihero. Hanke felt that Batman has to push the boundaries of civil justice to deal with certain criminals, such as the Joker.[3] Kim Newman theorized that "Burton and the writers saw Batman and the Joker as a dramatic antithesis, and the film deals with their intertwined origins and fates to an even greater extent".[4]
A visual motif is present in the scene of Batman's first major act of vigilantism at Axis Chemicals, wherein he is carefully framed so that the single word AXIS, in gigantic red neon letters, looms over him, comparing his acts to those of the totalitarian governments of World War II and thus implying that the dangers of these actions include the transformation of Jack Napier into the Joker.[3] Batman also conveys trademarks found in 1930s pulp magazines, notably the design of Gotham City stylized with Art Deco design.[5] Richard Corliss, writing for Time, observed that Gotham's design was a reference to films such as Metropolis (1927) and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920). "Gotham City, despite being shot on a studio backlot", he continued, "is literally another character in the script. It has the demeaning presence of German Expressionism and fascist architecture, staring down at the citizens."[6] Hanke further addressed the notions of Batman being a period piece, in that "The citizens, cops, people and the black-and-white television looks like it takes place in 1939"; but later said: "Had the filmmakers made Vicki Vale a femme fatale rather than a damsel in distress, this could have made Batman as a homage and tribute to classic film noir."[7] Portions of the climax pay homage to Vertigo.[8]
Production
Development



"I was never a giant comic book fan, but I've always loved the image of Batman and the Joker. The reason I've never been a comic book fan — and I think it started when I was a child — is because I could never tell which box I was supposed to read. I don't know if it was dyslexia or whatever, but that's why I loved The Killing Joke, because for the first time I could tell which one to read. It's my favorite. It's the first comic I've ever loved. And the success of those graphic novels made our ideas more acceptable."
—Tim Burton[9]
In the late 1970s, Batman's popularity was waning.[10] CBS was interested in producing a Batman in Outer Space film. Producers Michael Uslan and Benjamin Melniker purchased the film rights of Batman from DC Comics on October 3, 1979. It was Uslan's wish "to make the definitive, dark, serious version of Batman, the way Bob Kane and Bill Finger had envisioned him in 1939. A creature of the night; stalking criminals in the shadows."[10] Richard Maibaum was approached to write a script with Guy Hamilton to direct, but the two turned down the offer. Uslan was unsuccessful with pitching Batman to various movie studios because they wanted the film to be similar to the campy 1960s TV series. Columbia Pictures and United Artists were among those to turn down the film.[11]
A disappointed Uslan then wrote a script titled Return of the Batman to give the film industry a better idea of his vision for the film. Uslan later compared its dark tone to that of The Dark Knight Returns, which his script pre-dated by six years.[10] In November 1979, producers Jon Peters and Peter Guber joined the project.[12] The four producers felt it was best to pattern the film's development after that of Superman (1978).[13] Uslan, Melniker and Guber pitched Batman to Universal Pictures, but the studio turned it down.[14] Though no movie studios were yet involved, the project was publicly announced with a budget of $15 million in July 1980 at the Comic Art Convention in New York. Warner Bros. decided to accept Batman.[15]
Tom Mankiewicz completed a script titled The Batman in June 1983, focusing on Batman and Dick Grayson's origins, with the Joker and Rupert Thorne as villains, and Silver St. Cloud as the romantic interest.[16] Mankiewicz took inspiration from the limited series Batman: Strange Apparitions (ISBN 1-56389-500-5), written by Steve Englehart.[17] Comic book artist Marshall Rogers, who worked with Englehart on Strange Apparitions, was hired for concept art.[14] The Batman was then announced in late 1983 for a mid-1985 release date on a budget of $20 million. Originally, Mankiewicz had wanted an unknown actor for Batman, William Holden for James Gordon, David Niven as Alfred Pennyworth and Peter O'Toole as the Penguin who Mankiewicz wanted to portray as a mobster with low body temperature.[15] Holden died in 1981 and Niven in 1983, so this would never come to pass. A number of filmmakers were attached to Mankiewicz' script, including Ivan Reitman and Joe Dante. Reitman wanted to cast Bill Murray as Batman and Eddie Murphy as Robin.[2] Nine rewrites were performed by nine separate writers. Most of them were based on Strange Apparitions. However it was Mankiewicz's script that was still being used to guide the project.[3]
After the financial success of Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985), Warner Bros. hired Tim Burton to direct Batman. Burton had then-girlfriend Julie Hickson write a new 30-page film treatment, feeling the previous script by Mankiewicz was campy. The success of The Dark Knight Returns and The Killing Joke rekindled Warner Bros.' interest in a film adaptation. Burton was initially not a comic book fan, but he was impressed by the dark and serious tone found in both The Dark Knight Returns and The Killing Joke.[2] Warner Bros. enlisted the aid of Steve Englehart to write a new treatment in March 1986.[18] It included the Joker and Rupert Thorne as the main villains, with a cameo appearance by the Penguin. Silver St. Cloud and Dick Grayson were key supporting roles. It followed the similar storyline from Englehart's own Strange Apparitions (ISBN 1-56389-500-5). Warner Bros. was impressed, but Englehart felt there were too many characters. He removed the Penguin and Dick Grayson in his second treatment, finishing in May 1986.[18]
Burton approached Sam Hamm, a comic book fan, to write the screenplay.[15] Hamm decided not to use an origin story, feeling that flashbacks would be more suitable and that "unlocking the mystery" would become part of the storyline.[17] He reasoned, "You totally destroy your credibility if you show the literal process by which Bruce Wayne becomes Batman."[19] Hamm replaced Silver St. Cloud with Vicki Vale and Rupert Thorne with his own creation, Carl Grissom. He completed his script in October 1986, which demoted Dick Grayson to a cameo rather than a supporting character.[20] One scene in Hamm's script had a young James Gordon on duty the night of the murder of Bruce Wayne's parents. When Hamm's script was rewritten, the scene was deleted but retaken to Batman Begins.[21]
Warner Bros. was less willing to move forward on development, despite their enthusiasm for Hamm's script, which Batman co-creator Bob Kane greeted with positive feedback.[2] Hamm's script was then bootlegged at various comic book stores in the United States.[17] Batman was finally given the greenlight to commence pre-production in April 1988, after the success of Burton's Beetlejuice (1988).[2] When comic book fans found out about Burton directing the film with Michael Keaton starring in the lead role, controversy arose over the tone and direction Batman was going in.[22] Hamm explained, "they hear Tim Burton's name and they think of Pee-wee's Big Adventure. They hear Keaton's name and they think of any number of Michael Keaton comedies. You think of the 1960s version of Batman, and it was the complete opposite of our film. We tried to market it with a typical dark and serious tone, but the fans didn't believe us."[17] To combat negative reports on the film's production, Kane was hired as creative consultant.[13]
Casting
Parallel to the Superman casting, a who's who of Hollywood top stars were considered for the role of Batman, with the likes of Mel Gibson, Kevin Costner, Charlie Sheen, Tom Selleck and Bill Murray being considered.[15][12] Pierce Brosnan was approached for the role, stating: "I went and met with Tim Burton for the role of Batman. But I just couldn't really take it seriously, any man who wears his underpants outside his pants just cannot be taken seriously."[23] Burton offered Ray Liotta, then an upcoming actor, a chance to audition after having completed Something Wild, but Liotta declined, a decision he regrets.[24] Burton was also pressured by the studio to cast an obvious action movie star.[2] Producer Jon Peters favored Keaton, arguing he had the right "edgy, tormented quality." Having directed Keaton in Beetlejuice, Burton agreed.[12]
Keaton's casting caused a controversy among comic book fans,[22] with 50,000 protest letters sent to Warner Bros. offices.[20] Bob Kane, Sam Hamm and Michael Uslan also heavily questioned the casting.[17] Burton acknowledged, "Obviously there was a negative response from the comic book people. I think they thought we were going to make it like the 1960s TV series, and make it campy, because they thought of Michael Keaton from Mr. Mom and Night Shift and stuff like that."[25] Keaton studied The Dark Knight Returns for inspiration.[26]
Tim Curry, Willem Dafoe, David Bowie, John Lithgow and James Woods were considered for the Joker.[19][27] Burton wanted to cast Brad Dourif, but the studio refused.[28] Robin Williams lobbied hard for the part.[20] Jack Nicholson had been producer Michael Uslan's and Bob Kane's choice since 1980. Peters approached Nicholson as far back as 1986, during filming of The Witches of Eastwick.[29] Nicholson had what was known as an "off-the-clock" agreement. His contract specified the number of hours he was entitled to have off each day, from the time he left the set to the time he reported back for filming,[15] as well as being off for Los Angeles Lakers home games.[30] Nicholson demanded to have all of his scenes shot in a three-week block, but the schedule lapsed into 106 days.[29] He received a $6 million salary, as well as a large percentage of the box office gross estimated at $60 million to $90 million.[31]
Sean Young was originally cast as Vicki Vale, but was injured in a horse-riding accident prior to commencement of filming.[32] Burton suggested replacing Young with Michelle Pfeiffer but Keaton, who was in a relationship with Pfeiffer, believed it would be too awkward. She went on to portray Catwoman in Batman Returns. Young's departure necessitated an urgent search for an actress who, besides being right for the part, could commit to the film at very short notice. Peters suggested Kim Basinger: she was able to join the production immediately and was cast.[12][32] As a fan of Michael Gough's work in various Hammer Film Productions, Burton cast Gough as Bruce Wayne's butler, Alfred Pennyworth.[33] Robert Wuhl was cast as reporter Alexander Knox. His character was originally supposed to die by the Joker's poison gas in the climax, but the filmmakers "liked [my] character so much," Wuhl said "that they decided to let me live."[21] Tim Burton chose Billy Dee Williams as Harvey Dent because he wanted to include the villain Two-Face in a future film using the concept of an African-American Two-Face for the black and white concept,[34] but Tommy Lee Jones was later cast in the role for Batman Forever, which disappointed Williams.[21] Nicholson convinced the filmmakers to cast Tracey Walter as the Joker's henchman, Bob; in real life, Nicholson and Walter are close friends.[35] Kiefer Sutherland was considered as Robin before the character was deleted from the shooting script.[36] The rest of the cast included Pat Hingle as Commissioner Gordon, Jerry Hall as Alicia Hunt, Lee Wallace as Mayor Borg, William Hootkins as Lt. Max Eckhardt, and Jack Palance as crime boss Carl Grissom.
Filming



Knebworth House served as the Wayne Manor.
The filmmakers considered filming Batman entirely on the Warner Bros. backlot in Burbank, California, but media interest in the film made them change the location. It was shot at Pinewood Studios in England from October 1988 to January 1989.[37] 18 sound stages were used, almost the entirety of Pinewood's 95-acre backlot.[13] Locations included Knebworth House and Hatfield House doubling for Wayne Manor, plus Acton Lane Power Station and Little Barford Power Station.[7][38] The original production budget escalated from $30 million to $48 million.[12] Filming was highly secretive. The unit publicist was offered and refused £10,000 for the first pictures of Jack Nicholson as the Joker. The police were later called in when two reels of footage (about 20 minutes' worth) were stolen.[29] With various problems during filming, Burton called it "torture. The worst period of my life!"[12]
Hamm was not allowed to perform rewrites during the 1988 Writers Guild of America strike.[15] Jonathan Gems, Warren Skaaren and Charles McKeown rewrote the script during filming.[39] Hamm criticized the rewrites, but blamed the changes on Warner Bros.[17] Burton explained, "I don't understand why that became such a problem. We started out with a script that everyone liked, although we recognized it needed a little work."[2] Dick Grayson appeared in the shooting script but was deleted, as the filmmakers felt he was irrelevant to the plot.[15] Bob Kane supported this decision.[33]
Keaton, who called himself a "logic freak", was concerned that Batman's secret identity would in reality be fairly easy to uncover, and discussed ideas with Burton to better disguise the character, including the use of contact lenses.[40] Ultimately, Keaton decided to perform Batman's voice at a lower register than when he was portraying Bruce Wayne, which became a hallmark of the film version of the character, with Christian Bale later using the same technique.[40]
Originally in the climax, the Joker was to kill Vicki Vale, sending Batman into a vengeful fury. Jon Peters reworked the climax without telling Burton and commissioned production designer Anton Furst to create a 38-foot (12 m) model of the cathedral.[41] This cost $100,000 when the film was already well over budget. Burton disliked the idea, having no clue how the scene would end: "Here were Jack Nicholson and Kim Basinger walking up this cathedral, and halfway up Jack turns around and says, 'Why am I walking up all these stairs? Where am I going?' 'We'll talk about it when you get to the top!' I had to tell him that I didn't know."[41]
Design



"I envisaged Gotham the way I see it now at Pinewood. They've got it, every building, every trash can, every brick."
—Batman co-creator Bob Kane when looking at the buildings at Pinewood Studios[29]
Burton was impressed with Anton Furst's designs in The Company of Wolves, and previously failed to hire Furst as production designer for Beetlejuice.[37] Furst had been too committed on High Spirits, a choice he later regretted.[15] Furst enjoyed working with Burton. "I don't think I've ever felt so naturally in tune with a director", he said; "Conceptually, spiritually, visually, or artistically. There was never any problem because we never fought over anything. Texture, attitude and feelings are what Burton is a master at."[13]



 The Batsuit, worn by Michael Keaton.
Furst and the art department deliberately mixed clashing architectural styles to "make Gotham City the ugliest and bleakest metropolis imaginable".[42] Furst continued, "we imagined what New York City might have become without a planning commission. A city run by crime, with a riot of architectural styles. An essay in ugliness. As if hell erupted through the pavement and kept on going".[43] The 1985 film Brazil by Terry Gilliam was also a notable influence upon the film's production design, as both Burton and Furst studied it as a reference.[13] Derek Meddings served as the visual effects supervisor, while Keith Short helped construct the newly created 1989 Batmobile,[44] adding two Browning machine guns.[45] On designing the Batmobile, Furst explained, "We looked at jet aircraft components, we looked at war machines, we looked at all sorts of things. In the end, we went into pure expressionism, taking the Salt Flat Racers of the 30s and the Sting Ray macho machines of the 50s".[29] The car was built upon a Chevrolet Impala when previous development with a Jaguar and Ford Mustang failed.[29]
Costume designer Bob Ringwood turned down the chance to work on Licence to Kill in favor of Batman. Ringwood found it difficult designing the Batsuit because "the image of Batman in the comics is this huge, big six-foot-four hunk with a dimpled chin. Michael Keaton is a guy with average build", he stated. "The problem was to make somebody who was average-sized and ordinary-looking into this bigger-than-life creature."[46] Burton commented, "Michael is a bit claustrophobic, which made it worse for him. The costume put him in a dark, Batman-like mood though, so he was able to use it to his advantage".[46] Burton's idea was to use an all-black suit, and was met with positive feedback by Bob Kane. Jon Peters wanted to use a Nike product placement with the Batsuit.[47] Ringwood studied over 200 comic book issues for inspiration. 28 sculpted latex designs were created; 25 different cape looks and 6 different heads were made, accumulating a total cost of $250,000.[48] Comic book fans initially expressed negative feedback against the Batsuit.[37] Burton opted not to use tights, spandex, or underpants as seen in the comic book, feeling it was not intimidating.[2] Prosthetic makeup designer Nick Dudman used acrylic-based makeup paint called PAX for Nicholson's chalk-white face. Part of Nicholson's contract was approval over the makeup designer.[49]
Music
See also: Batman (album) and Batman (score)
Burton hired Danny Elfman, his collaborator on Pee-wee's Big Adventure and Beetlejuice, to compose the music score. For inspiration, Elfman was given The Dark Knight Returns. Elfman was worried, as he had never worked on a production this large in budget and scale.[50] In addition, producer Jon Peters was skeptical of hiring Elfman, but was later convinced when he heard the opening number.[51] Peters and Peter Guber wanted Prince to write music for the Joker and Michael Jackson to do the romance songs. Elfman would then combine the style of Prince and Jackson's songs together for the entire film score.[2]
Burton protested the ideas, citing "my movies aren't commercial like Top Gun."[2] Elfman enlisted the help of Oingo Boingo lead guitarist Steve Bartek and Shirley Walker to arrange the compositions for the orchestra.[52] Elfman was later displeased with the audio mixing of his film score. "Batman was done in England by technicians who didn't care, and the non-caring showed," he stated. "I'm not putting down England because they've done gorgeous dubs there, but this particular crew elected not to."[53] Batman was one of the first films to spawn two soundtracks. One of them featured songs written by Prince while the other showcased Elfman's score. Both were successful,[54] and compilations of Elfman's opening credits were used in the title sequence theme for Batman: The Animated Series, also composed by Shirley Walker.[27]
Marketing
Production designer Anton Furst designed the poster, which he called "evocative but ubiquitous. Only featuring the Bat-Symbol. Not too much and not too little". Earlier designs "had the word 'Batman' spelled in RoboCop or Conan the Barbarian-type font".[12] Jon Peters unified all the film's tie-ins, even turning down $6 million from General Motors to build the Batmobile because the car company would not relinquish creative control.[12]
During production, Peters read in The Wall Street Journal that comic book fans were unsatisfied with the casting of Michael Keaton. In response, Peters rushed the first film trailer that played in thousands of theaters during Christmas. It was simply an assemblage of scenes without music, but happened to create enormous anticipation for the film.[12] DC Comics allowed screenwriter Sam Hamm to write his own comic book miniseries. Hamm's stories were collected in the graphic novel Batman: Blind Justice (ISBN 978-1563890475). Denys Cowan and Dick Giordano illustrated the artwork.[19] Blind Justice tells the story of Bruce Wayne trying to solve a series of murders connected to Wayne Enterprises. It also marks the first appearance of Henri Ducard, who was later used in the rebooted Batman Begins, albeit as an alias for the more notable Ra's al Ghul.[19]
In the months pre-dating Batman '​s release in June 1989, a popular culture phenomenon rose known as "Batmania".[37] Over $750 million worth of merchandise was sold.[27] Cult filmmaker and comic book writer Kevin Smith remembered: "That summer was huge. You couldn't turn around without seeing the Bat-Signal somewhere. People were cutting it into their fucking heads. It was just the summer of Batman and if you were a comic book fan it was pretty hot."[55] Hachette Book Group USA published a novelization, Batman written by Craig Shaw Gardner.[56] It remained on the New York Times Best Seller list throughout June 1989.[57] Burton admitted he was annoyed by the publicity. David Handelman of The New York Observer categorized Batman as a high concept film. He believed "it is less movie than a corporate behemoth".[8]
Reception
Box office
Batman opened on June 23, 1989, grossing $43.6 million in 2,194 theaters during its opening weekend. This broke the opening weekend record, set by Ghostbusters II one week earlier, with $29.4 million.[58] Batman would eventually gross $251.2 million in North America and $160.15 million internationally, totaling $411.35 million.[59] Batman was the first film to earn $100 million in its first ten days of release,[2] and was the highest grossing film based on a DC comic book until 2008's The Dark Knight.[60] The film's gross is the 66th highest ever in North American ranks.[61] Although Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade made the most money worldwide in 1989,[62] Batman was able to beat The Last Crusade in North America,[63] and made a further $150 million in home video sales.[64]
Critical reaction
Batman was criticized in some quarters for being too dark and too violent, but nonetheless received positive reviews.[2] Many observed that Burton was more interested in the Joker and the art and set production design than Batman or anything else in terms of characterization and screentime.[2] Comic book fans reacted negatively over the Joker murdering Thomas and Martha Wayne; in the comic book, Joe Chill is responsible. Writer Sam Hamm said it was Burton's idea to have the Joker murder Wayne's parents. "The Writer's Strike was going on," Hamm said, "and Tim had the other writers do that. I also hold innocent to Alfred letting Vicki Vale into the Batcave. Fans were ticked off with that, and I agree. That would have been Alfred's last day of employment at Wayne Manor."[51]
The songs written by Prince were criticized for being "too out of place".[15] While Burton has stated he had no problem with the Prince songs, he was less enthusiastic with their use in the film.[3] On the film, Burton remarked, "I liked parts of it, but the whole movie is mainly boring to me. It's OK, but it was more of a cultural phenomenon than a great movie."[64] Nonetheless, it received acclaim. Based on 67 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, 72% of reviewers reacted positively to Batman.[65] Metacritic gives an aggregated score of 66, based on 17 reviews, indicating "generally favorable".[66]
Comics fans reacted negatively to the casting of Keaton as Batman, though they were appeased upon watching the film and seeing his performance.[8][67] James Berardinelli called the film entertaining, with the highlight being the production design. However, he concluded, "the best thing that can be said about Batman is that it led to Batman Returns, which was a far superior effort."[68] Variety felt "Jack Nicholson stole every scene" but still greeted the film with positive feedback.[69] Roger Ebert was highly impressed with the production design, but claimed "Batman is a triumph of design over story, style over substance, a great-looking movie with a plot you can't care much about." He also called the film "a depressing experience".[70] His reviewing partner Gene Siskel disagreed, describing the film as having a 'refreshingly adult' approach with performances, direction and set design that 'draws you into a psychological world'. Jonathan Rosenbaum of the Chicago Reader called it "watchable enough".[71]
Legacy
Anton Furst and Peter Young won the Academy Award for Best Art Direction,[72] while Nicholson was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor (Musical or Comedy).[73] The British Academy of Film and Television Arts nominated Batman in six categories (Production Design, Visual Effects, Costume Design, Makeup, Sound and Actor in a Supporting Role for Nicholson), but it won none of the categories.[74] Nicholson, Basinger, the make-up department and costume designer Bob Ringwood all received nominations at the Saturn Awards. The film was also nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Fantasy Film[75] and the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation.[76]
The success of Batman prompted Warner Bros. Animation to create the acclaimed Batman: The Animated Series, as a result beginning the long-running DC animated universe[77] and helped establish the modern day superhero film genre. Series co-creator Bruce Timm stated the television show's Art Deco design was inspired from the film. Timm commented, "our show would never have gotten made if it hadn't been for that first Batman movie."[78] Burton joked, "ever since I did Batman, it was like the first dark comic book movie. Now everyone wants to do a dark and serious superhero movie. I guess I'm the one responsible for that trend."[79]
Batman initiated the original Batman film series and spawned three sequels: Batman Returns (1992), Batman Forever (1995) and Batman & Robin (1997); the latter two of which were directed by Joel Schumacher instead of Burton, and replaced Keaton as Batman with Val Kilmer and George Clooney, respectively.
Producers Michael Uslan and Benjamin Melniker filed a breach of contract lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court on March 26, 1992. Uslan and Melniker claimed to be "the victims of a sinister campaign of fraud and coercion that has cheated them out of continuing involvement in the production of Batman and its sequels. We were denied proper credits, and deprived of any financial rewards for our indispensable creative contribution to the success of Batman."[12] A superior court judge rejected the lawsuit. Total revenues of Batman have topped $2 billion, with Uslan claiming to have "not seen a penny more than that since our net profit participation has proved worthless."[12] Warner Bros. offered the pair an out-of-court pay-off, a sum described by Uslan and Melniker's attorney as "two popcorns and two Cokes".[80]
Reflecting on the twentieth anniversary of its release in a retrospective article on Salon.com, film commentator Scott Mendelson noted the continuing impact that Batman has had on the motion film industry, including the increasing importance of opening weekend box office receipts; the narrowing window between a film's debut and its video release that caused the demise of second-run movie theaters; the accelerated acquisition of pre-existing, pre-sold properties for film adaptations that can be readily leveraged for merchandizing tie-ins; the primacy of the MPAA PG-13 as the target rating for film producers; and more off-beat, non-traditional casting opportunities for genre films.[81]
The film also received recognition from the American Film Institute. Batman was anointed the 46th greatest movie hero on AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains.[82] The Joker was anointed the 45th greatest movie villain on the same list. In 2008, Batman was selected by Empire magazine as number 458 of The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time.[83]
American Film Institute listsAFI's 100 Years...100 Movies – Nominated[84]
AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills – Nominated[85]
AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains: The Joker – #45 Villain
Batman – #46 Hero
AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes: "Have you ever danced with the Devil in the pale moonlight?" – Nominated[86]
AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores – Nominated[87]
AFI's 10 Top 10 – Nominated Fantasy Film[88]
Home video
Many versions of the film have been released. Included are VHS, Laserdisc, single-disc DVD, special edition DVD and an anthology set. The Batman: The Motion Picture Anthology released in 2005 included 2-disc special edition DVDs of the Tim Burton/Joel Schumacher Batman films. This anthology set was re-released on Blu-ray on March 10, 2009.
On May 19, 2009 a 20th anniversary stand-alone edition was released. This stand-alone version contains exactly the same special features as its anthology set (both DVD and Blu-ray) counterparts. There are two differences: This version includes a 50-page booklet guide to the film, and a slight variation in packaging from normal Blu-ray cases (i.e. a Warner Bros. digibook). They both include a digital copy of the film.
The film was also included in The Tim Burton Collection DVD/Blu-ray set in 2012, alongside its sequel, Batman Returns, and several other Burton films.
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50.Jump up ^ Danny Elfman, Tim Burton, Nocturnal Overtures: The Music of Batman, 2005, Warner Home Video
51.^ Jump up to: a b Tim Burton, Sam Hamm, Danny Elfman, Shadows of the Bat: The Cinematic Saga of the Dark Knight—The Legend Reborn, 2005, Warner Home Video
52.Jump up ^ Givens, Ron (1990-02-23). "The Elfman Cometh". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 7 January 2008. Retrieved 2007-12-18.
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56.Jump up ^ "Batman: The Novelization (Mass Market Paperback)". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2008-08-16.
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58.Jump up ^ Staff (1989-06-27). "Batman Sets Record And So Does Hollywood". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-10-26.
59.Jump up ^ "Batman (1989)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2008-05-03.
60.Jump up ^ "DC Comics Movies". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2008-05-03.
61.Jump up ^ "All Time Domestic Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2012-07-05.
62.Jump up ^ "1989 Worldwide Grosses". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2008-05-03.
63.Jump up ^ "1989 Domestic Grosses". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2008-05-03.
64.^ Jump up to: a b Jeffrey Resner (August 1992). "Three Go Mad in Gotham", Empire, pp. 44-52. Retrieved on 2008-08-14.
65.Jump up ^ "Batman". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2012-07-05.
66.Jump up ^ "Batman (1989): Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2008-05-04.
67.Jump up ^ Sauriol, Patrick (July 1998). "Dark Knight Triumphant". Wizard. p 208.
68.Jump up ^ James Berardinelli (2001-06-05). "Batman (1989)". ReelViews. Retrieved 2008-05-05.
69.Jump up ^ "Batman". Variety. 1989-01-01. Retrieved 2008-05-05.
70.Jump up ^ "Batman". Roger Ebert. Retrieved 2008-05-05.
71.Jump up ^ Jonathan Rosenbaum (1989-06-23). "Batman". Chicago Reader. Archived from the original on 6 May 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-05.
72.Jump up ^ "Batman". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 2008-10-04.
73.Jump up ^ "Batman". Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Retrieved 2008-05-06.
74.Jump up ^ "Batman". British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Retrieved 2008-10-04.
75.Jump up ^ "Past Saturn Awards". Saturn Awards.org. Archived from the original on 11 May 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-07.
76.Jump up ^ "1990 Hugo Awards". The Hugo Awards. Retrieved 2008-05-06.
77.Jump up ^ Paul Dini; Chip Kidd (1998). Batman Animated. Titan Books. p. 2. ISBN 1-84023-016-9.
78.Jump up ^ Bruce Timm; Erick Nolen-Weathington (2004). Modern Masters Volume 3: Bruce Timm. TwoMorrows Publishing. pp. 38–49. ISBN 1-893905-30-6.
79.Jump up ^ Geoff Boucher (2008-10-15). "Tim Burton talks about Johnny Depp, 'Alice in Wonderland' and 'The Dark Knight'". Los Angeles Times.
80.Jump up ^ Olly Richards (September 1992). "Trouble in Gotham", Empire, pp. 21-23. Retrieved on 2008-08-14.
81.Jump up ^ Scott Mendelson (June 24, 2009). "20 years later, how Batman changed the movie business...". Salon.com. Archived from the original on 27 June 2009. Retrieved 2009-07-04.
82.Jump up ^ http://connect.afi.com/site/DocServer/handv100.pdf?docID=246
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88.Jump up ^ "AFI's 10 Top 10 Ballot" (PDF). Retrieved 2011-08-20.
Further reading
Janet K. Halfyard, (28 October 2004). Danny Elfman's Batman: A Film Score Guide (Paperback). A careful study of Elfman's scoring technique with a detailed analysis of the film itself. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 0-8108-5126-1.
Craig Shaw Gardner (1 June 1989). Batman (Mass Market Paperback). Novelization of the film. Hachette Book Group USA. ISBN 0-446-35487-2.
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Batman Returns
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For the video game based on the film, see Batman Returns (video game).

Batman Returns
Batman returns poster2.jpg
Theatrical release poster

Directed by
Tim Burton
Produced by
Tim Burton
Denise Di Novi

Screenplay by
Daniel Waters
Story by
Sam Hamm
Daniel Waters

Based on
Batman
 by Bob Kane
Starring
Michael Keaton
Danny DeVito
Michelle Pfeiffer
Christopher Walken
Michael Gough
Pat Hingle
Michael Murphy

Music by
Danny Elfman
Cinematography
Stefan Czapsky
Edited by
Chris Lebenzon
Bob Badami


Production
 company

PolyGram Filmed Entertainment

Distributed by
Warner Bros.

Release dates

June 19, 1992 (United States)


Running time
 126 minutes
Country
United States
Language
English
Budget
$80 million[1]
Box office
$266.8 million[2]
Batman Returns is a 1992 American superhero film, directed and produced by Tim Burton, based upon the Batman character appearing in comics published by DC Comics. It is the second installment of Warner Bros.' initial Batman film series, with Michael Keaton reprising the title role of Bruce Wayne/Batman. The film introduces the characters of Max Shreck (Christopher Walken), a business tycoon who teams up with the Penguin (Danny DeVito) to take over Gotham City, as well as the character of Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer).
Burton originally did not want to direct another Batman film because of his mixed emotions toward the previous film in 1989. Warner Bros. developed a script with writer Sam Hamm which had the Penguin and Catwoman going after hidden treasure. Burton agreed to return after he granted him more creative control and replaced Hamm with Daniel Waters. Wesley Strick did an uncredited rewrite, removing the characters of Harvey Dent and Robin and rewriting the climax. Annette Bening was originally cast as Catwoman but was replaced with Pfeiffer following her pregnancy. Filming for Batman Returns started in June 1991 at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California.
Batman Returns was released on June 19, 1992. The film was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects and Best Makeup, as well as two BAFTA awards. Batman Returns '​s budget was an estimated $80 million, grossing $266,822,354 worldwide but Warner Bros. was disappointed as it was still substantially less than the first film. Burton was asked to restrict himself to the role of producer for Batman Forever, which led to Keaton vacating the role of Batman.


Contents  [hide]
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Production 3.1 Development
3.2 Pre-production
3.3 Filming
3.4 Design and effects
3.5 Music
4 Release 4.1 Box office
4.2 Critical reception
4.3 Accolades
4.4 Legacy
5 References
6 External links 6.1 Film analysis


Plot[edit]
Tucker and Esther Cobblepot, an aristocratic couple, throw their deformed infant child in a river, feeling that Gotham City's high society would not approve after witnessing their son kill their pet cat. However, a flock of penguins living in an abandoned zoo's arctic exhibit connected to the sewers rescue and raise him. 33 years later, the child becomes The Penguin (Danny DeVito) and the leader of the Red Triangle Circus Gang, who appear in Gotham City during the annual Christmas tree-lighting ceremony and cause a riot. As the police and Batman (Michael Keaton) deal with the riot, one of the guests at the ceremony, a businessman named Max Shreck (Christopher Walken), is kidnapped and taken to Penguin, who desires to become a citizen of Gotham and blackmails Shreck into helping him by threatening to expose evidence of his corporate crimes.
Meanwhile, Shreck's secretary, Selina Kyle (Michelle Pfeiffer), has learnt of her employer's plan to build a power plant which will drain Gotham of its electricity. When Shreck confronts her after returning from his visit with Penguin, he pushes her out of a window to her death, and a flock of alley cats lick her corpse, reviving her. Selina returns home, suffers a mental breakdown, and designs a black vinyl catsuit to become the costumed vigilante Catwoman.
Penguin sends one of his costumed henchmen to kidnap the mayor's baby while he "saves" him, becoming a hero to the people of Gotham. However, Batman is suspicious of Penguin's true motives. After some time in the Hall of Records, Penguin discovers that his parents are dead and his name is Oswald Cobblepot, though he has secretly been taking notes on the first-born sons that live in Gotham City. Meanwhile, Batman's alter-ego, billionaire Bruce Wayne, is dealing with Shreck's persistence in having his new power plant built. As both Bruce and the current mayor will not approve of the power plant, Shreck decides to pull strings and make Penguin the new mayor. To do this, Penguin has the Red Triangle Gang create a riot, causing the citizens to lose all faith in the mayor. During the riot, Catwoman vandalizes Max's Department Store to gain revenge on him. When Batman and Penguin confront each other, she intervenes just as the store blows up and slips away. Penguin escapes as Catwoman fights Batman and gets pushed off a rooftop, but she is saved when she lands in a dump-truck filled with kitty litter.
Penguin and Catwoman meet and collaborate on a plan to kill Batman out of mutual hatred for the Caped Crusader, but Selina finds herself developing a romantic relationship with Bruce Wayne as the two of them start to spend time together. That night, the Ice Princess, an actress chosen to turn on the Gotham City Christmas tree lights, is kidnapped by Penguin and a Batarang (which one of his henchmen took from a prior fight) is found in her dressing room, framing Batman for the crime. After a fight with Catwoman, Batman finds the Ice Princess on a rooftop where the Penguin releases a swarm of flying bats and makes her fall to her death, further incriminating Batman. As he escapes to the Batmobile, Batman discovers that Penguin has control over it due to a device that his gang installed. The Penguin takes it on a devastating rampage, but Batman regains control over it and escapes death.
The next day, Penguin and Shreck are using Batman's rampage to push for an impeachment of the mayor. Batman, having recorded the Penguin's demeaning attitude of Gotham's people during the rampage, plays it during the speech, turning the people and Shreck against him. Enraged, Penguin takes his notes from the Hall of Records and orders the Red Triangle Gang to kidnap all the first-born sons of Gotham so that he can throw them to their deaths in the sewer like his own parents did to him, and he personally kidnaps Max Shreck as revenge for being manipulated. Batman saves all the children, forcing the Penguin to execute an alternate plan to destroy the entire city with his army of rocket-armed penguin commandos. However, Batman foils the plan by luring the penguins back to the Penguin's sewer base before confronting Penguin directly and knocking him into the sewer water from a great height.
Catwoman appears and again tries to kill Shreck, but Batman stops her and reveals himself as Bruce Wayne, and she does the same as Selina. This distracts her long enough for Shreck to draw a gun and shoot her four times. She survives all the shots and puts an electrical taser between their lips while grabbing an electrical cable, causing a tremendous explosion that kills Shreck but leaves no trace of Selina. As the dust settles, Penguin rises from the water and tries one more time to kill Batman, but fails and dies from his internal bleeding. The emperor penguins hold a funeral for their former master and drag his corpse into the sewer water, his resting place.
Afterwards, Alfred (Michael Gough) drives Bruce home, but Bruce spots a shadow in the alley and has the car stopped so he can check. All he finds is a black cat trying to keep warm, and so Bruce takes her with him as he exchanges Christmas wishes with Alfred. As they leave, the Batsignal lights up in the night sky as Catwoman watches from afar.
Cast[edit]
"Max Shreck" redirects here. It is not to be confused with Max Schreck.
##Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne / Batman
##Danny DeVito as Oswald Cobblepot / Penguin
##Michelle Pfeiffer as Selina Kyle / Catwoman
##Christopher Walken as Max Shreck
##Michael Murphy as Mayor of Gotham City
##Pat Hingle as Commissioner James Gordon
##Vincent Schiavelli as The Organ Grinder
##Michael Gough as Alfred Pennyworth
##Anna Katarina as The Poodle Lady
##Andrew Bryniarski as Chip Shreck
##Cristi Conaway as The Ice Princess
##Rick Zumwalt as The Tattooed Strongman
##Paul Reubens as Penguin's Father
Production[edit]
Development[edit]
After the success of Batman, Warner Bros. was hoping for a sequel to start filming in May 1990 at Pinewood Studios. They spent $250,000 storing the sets from the first film. Tim Burton had mixed emotions about directing another film in the franchise after his experiences with the previous film. "I will return if the sequel offers something new and exciting", he said in 1989. "Otherwise it's a most-dumbfounded idea."[3] Burton decided to direct Edward Scissorhands for 20th Century Fox. Meanwhile, Sam Hamm from the previous film delivered the first two drafts of the script, while Bob Kane was brought back as a creative consultant.[4] Hamm's script had Penguin and Catwoman going after hidden treasure.[5]
Burton was impressed with Daniel Waters' work on Heathers; Burton originally brought Waters aboard on a sequel to Beetlejuice. Warner Bros. then granted Burton a large amount of creative control, demoting producers Jon Peters and Peter Guber to executive producers. Dissatisfied with the Hamm script, Burton commissioned a rewrite from Waters.[4][6][7] Waters "came up with a social satire that had an evil mogul backing a bid for the Mayor's office by the Penguin", Waters reported. "I wanted to show that the true villains of our world don't necessarily wear costumes."[5] The subplot of Penguin running for Mayor came from the 1960s TV series episodes "Hizzoner the Penguin" and "Dizzoner the Penguin".[5] Waters wrote a total of five drafts.[7]
On the characterization of Catwoman, Waters explained "Sam Hamm went back to the way comic books in general treat women, like fetishy sexual fantasy. I wanted to start off just at the lowest point in society, a very beaten down secretary."[6] Harvey Dent appeared in early drafts of the script, but was deleted. His disfiguring appearance of Two-Face would have appeared in the climax when Catwoman kisses him with a taser to the face, which was replaced with Max Shreck. Waters quoted, "Sam Hamm definitely planned that. I flirted with it, having Harvey start to come back and have one scene of him where he flips a coin and it's the good side of the coin, deciding not to do anything, so you had to wait for the next movie."[6] In early scripts Max Shreck was the "golden boy" of the Cobblepot family, whereas Penguin was the deformed outsider. It turned out that Shreck would be the Penguin's long-lost brother.[8] Max Shreck was also a reference to actor Max Schreck, known for his role as Count Orlok in Nosferatu.[7]
Pre-production[edit]
Burton hired Wesley Strick to do an uncredited rewrite. Strick recalled, "When I was hired to write Batman Returns (Batman II at the time), the big problem of the script was Penguin's lack of a 'master plan'."[9] Warner Bros. presented Strick with warming, or freezing Gotham City, a plot point they would later use in Batman & Robin. Strick gained inspiration from a Moses parallel that had Penguin killing the firstborn sons of Gotham. A similar notion was used when the Penguin's parents threw him into a river as a baby.[9] Robin appeared in the script, but was deleted because Waters felt the film had too many characters. Waters called Robin "the most worthless character in the world, especially with [Batman as] the loner of loners." Robin started out as a juvenile gang leader, who becomes an ally to Batman. Robin was later changed to a black teenage garage mechanic.[6] Waters explained, "He's wearing this old-fashioned garage mechanic uniform and it has an 'R' on it. He drives the Batmobile, which I notice they used in the third film!"[6] Marlon Wayans was cast, and signed for a sequel. The actor had attended a wardrobe fitting, but it was decided to save the character for a third installment.[10]
Michael Keaton returned after a significant increase in his salary at $10 million. Annette Bening was cast as Catwoman after Burton saw her performance in The Grifters, but she dropped out due to pregnancy.[5][11] Raquel Welch, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Madonna, Ellen Barkin, Cher, Bridget Fonda and Susan Sarandon were then in competition for the role.[4][12] Sean Young, who was originally chosen for Vicki Vale in the previous film, believed the role should have gone to her. Young visited production offices dressed in a homemade Catwoman costume, demanding an audition.[13] Burton was unfamiliar with Michelle Pfeiffer's work, but was convinced to cast her after one meeting.[14] Pfeiffer received a $3 million salary, $2 million more than Bening, and a percentage of the box office.[5] The actress undertook kickboxing lessons for the role.[15] Kathy Long served as Pfeiffer's body double. On Danny DeVito's casting, Waters explained, "I kind of knew that DeVito was going to play The Penguin. We didn't really officially cast it, but for a short nasty little guy, it's a short list. I ended up writing the character for Danny DeVito."[6]
Filming[edit]



Gotham City Square set built inside Studio 16 on Warner Bros. Studios.
In early 1991, two of Hollywood's largest sound stages (Stage 16 at Warner Bros. and Stage 12 at Universal Studios) were being prepared for the filming of Batman Returns.[5] Filming started in June 1991.[14] Stage 16 held Gotham Plaza, based on Rockefeller Center. Universal's Stage 12 housed Penguin's underground lair. A half-a-million gallon tank filled with water was used.[5] Burton wanted to make sure that the penguins felt comfortable.[14] Eight other locations on the Warner Bros. lot were used, over 50% of their property was occupied by Gotham City sets.[5]
Animal rights groups started protesting the film after finding out that penguins would have rockets strapped on their backs. Richard Hill, the curator of the penguins, explained that Warner Bros. was very helpful in making sure the penguins were comfortable.[16] "On the flight over the plane was refrigerated down to 45 degrees", recalls Hill. "In Hollywood, they were given a refrigerated trailer, their own swimming pool, half-a-ton of ice each day, and they had fresh fish delivered daily straight from the docks. Even though it was 100 degrees outside, the entire set was refrigerated down to 35 degrees."[16]
Warner Bros. devoted a large amount of secrecy for Batman Returns. The art department was required to keep their office blinds pulled down. Cast and crew had to have photo ID badges with the movie's fake working title Dictel to go anywhere near the sets.[17] Kevin Costner was refused a chance to visit the set. An entertainment magazine leaked the first photos of Danny DeVito as the Penguin; in response Warner Bros. employed a private investigator to track down the accomplice.[5] $65 million was spent during the production of Batman Returns, while $15 million was used for marketing, coming to a total cost of $80 million.[1] The final shot of Catwoman looking at the Bat-Signal was completed during post-production and was not part of the shooting script. After Batman Returns was completed Warner Bros. felt it was best for Catwoman to survive, saving more characterizations in a future installment. Pfeiffer was unavailable and a body double was chosen.[4]
Design and effects[edit]
Bo Welch, Burton's collaborator on Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands, replaced Anton Furst as production designer, since Furst was unable to return for the sequel due to contractual obligations.[18] Welch blended "Fascist architecture with World's fair architecture" for Gotham City.[19] He also studied Russian architecture and German Expressionism. An iron maiden was used for Bruce Wayne's entry into the Batcave.[20] Stan Winston, who worked with Burton on Edward Scissorhands, designed Danny DeVito's prosthetic makeup, which took two hours to apply.[1] DeVito had to put a combination of mouthwash and red/green food coloring in his mouth "to create a grotesque texture of some weird ooze."[21]



 Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman
More than 60 Catsuits were designed in the six-month shoot at $1,000 each.[22] The Batsuit was updated, which was made out of a thinner, slightly more flexible foam rubber material than the suit from Batman. DeVito was uncomfortable with his costume, but this made it easy for him to get into character. J. P. Morgan's wardrobe was used for inspiration on Max Shreck's costume design.[23]
The bats were entirely composed of computer-generated imagery since it was decided directing real bats on set would be problematic.[5] The Penguin's "bird army" was a combination of CGI, robotic creatures, men in suits and even real penguins.[14] Robotic penguin puppets were commissioned by Stan Winston. In total 30 African penguins and 12 king penguins were used.[24] A miniature effect was used for the exteriors of the Cobblepot Mansion in the opening scene and for Wayne Manor. The same method was used for the Bat Ski-boat and the exterior shots of the Gotham Zoo.[25]
Music[edit]
Main article: Batman Returns (soundtrack)
Danny Elfman had great enthusiasm for returning because "I didn't have to prove myself from the first film. I remember Jon Peters was very skeptical at first to hire me."[26] Elfman's work schedule was 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. "When completing this movie I realized it was something of a film score and an opera. It was 95 minutes long, twice the amount of the average of film score."[26] Burton allowed Elfman to be more artistic with the sequel score, such as the "scraping" on violins for the cat themes. Under the pressure of finishing the score, however, the relationship between the two strained, which - along with further "creative differences" on The Nightmare Before Christmas[27] - led Burton to use Howard Shore to score his next film Ed Wood.[28] The musician co-orchestrated "Face to Face", which was written and performed by Siouxsie and the Banshees. The song can be heard in one scene during the film and during the end credits.[26]
Release[edit]
Box office[edit]
Batman Returns was released in America on June 19, 1992, earning $45.69 million in 2,644 theaters on its opening weekend.[29] This was the highest opening weekend in 1992 and the highest opening weekend of any film up to that point.[30] The film went on to gross $162.83 million in North America, and $104 million in foreign countries, coming to a worldwide total of $266.83 million.[29] Batman Returns was the third highest grossing film in America of 1992,[30] and sixth highest in worldwide totals.[31] The film was declared a financial success, but Warner Bros. felt the film should have been more successful.
Critical reception[edit]
Batman Returns has received a favourable critical reception. Based on 67 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, 80% of critics enjoyed the film, with an average rating of 6.7/10. Much of the critics gave praise toward Tim Burton's visual style, accompanied by production designer Bo Welch, as well as the casting of Danny DeVito and Christopher Walken in supporting roles to compliment Keaton's portrayal of Batman.[32]
Janet Maslin in The New York Times thought that "Mr. Burton creates a wicked world of misfits, all of them rendered with the mixture of horror, sympathy and playfulness that has become this director's hallmark." She described Michael Keaton as showing "appropriate earnestness", Danny DeVito as "conveying verve", Christopher Walken as "wonderfully debonair", Michelle Pfeiffer as "captivating... fierce, seductive", Bo Welch's production design as "dazzling", Stefan Czapsky's cinematography as "crisp", and Daniel Waters's screenplay as "sharp."[33]
Peter Travers in Rolling Stone wrote: "Burton uses the summer's most explosively entertaining movie to lead us back into the liberating darkness of dreams." He praised the performances: "Pfeiffer gives this feminist avenger a tough core of intelligence and wit; she's a classic dazzler... Michael Keaton's manic-depressive hero remains a remarkably rich creation. And Danny DeVito's mutant Penguin—a balloon-bellied Richard III with a kingdom of sewer freaks—is as hilariously warped as Jack Nicholson's Joker and even quicker with the quips."[34]
Desson Howe in The Washington Post wrote: "Director Burton not only re-creates his one-of-a-kind atmosphere, he one-ups it, even two-ups it. He's best at evoking the psycho-murky worlds in which his characters reside. The Penguin holds court in a penguin-crowded, Phantom of the Opera-like sewer home. Keaton hides in a castlelike mansion, which perfectly mirrors its owner's inner remoteness. Comic strip purists will probably never be happy with a Batman movie. But Returns comes closer than ever to Bob Kane's dark, original strip, which began in 1939." He described Walken as "engaging", DeVito as "exquisite" and Pfeiffer as "deliciously purry."[35]
Todd McCarthy in Variety wrote that "the real accomplishment of the film lies in the amazing physical realization of an imaginative universe. Where Burton's ideas end and those of his collaborators begin is impossible to know, but the result is a seamless, utterly consistent universe full of nasty notions about societal deterioration, greed and other base impulses." He praised the contributions of Stan Winston, Danny Elfman, Bo Welch and cinematographer Stefan Czapsky, and in terms of performances, opined that "the deck is stacked entirely in favor of the villains", calling DeVito "fascinating" and Pfeiffer "very tasty."[36]
Conversely, Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film two stars, writing: "I give the movie a negative review, and yet I don't think it's a bad movie; it's more misguided, made with great creativity, but denying us what we more or less deserve from a Batman story. No matter how hard you try, superheroes and film noir don't go together; the very essence of noir is that there are no more heroes." He compared the Penguin negatively with the Joker of the first film, writing that "the Penguin is a curiously meager and depressing creature; I pitied him, but did not fear him or find him funny. The genius of Danny DeVito is all but swallowed up in the paraphernalia of the role."[37] Jonathan Rosenbaum called DeVito "a pale substitute for Jack Nicholson from the first film" and felt that "there's no suspense in Batman Returns whatsoever".[38] Batman comic book writer/artist Matt Wagner was quoted as saying: "I hated how Batman Returns made Batman little more than just another costumed creep, little better than the villains he's pursuing. Additionally, Burton is so blatantly not an action director. That aspect of both his films just sucked."[39] Ty Burr in Entertainment Weekly gave the film a B-; he wrote that "Burton still hasn't figured out how to tell a coherent story: He's more interested in fashioning pretty beads than in putting them on a string.... Yet for all the wintry weirdness, there's more going on under the surface of this movie than in the original. No wonder some people felt burned by Batman Returns: Tim Burton just may have created the first blockbuster art film."[40]
A "parental backlash" criticized Batman Returns with violence and sexual references that were unsuitable for children. McDonald's shut down their Happy Meal promotion for the film.[41] Burton responded, "I like Batman Returns better than the first one. There was this big backlash that it was too dark, but I found this movie much less dark."[14]
Accolades[edit]

Awarding Body
Award
Nominee
Result
Academy Awards Best Visual Effects Michael L. Fink, Craig Barron, John Bruno, Dennis Skotak nomination
Best Makeup Ve Neill, Ronnie Specter, Stan Winston nomination
British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs) Best Makeup Artist Ve Neill, Stan Winston nomination
Best Special Effects Michael L. Fink, Craig Barron, John Bruno, Dennis Skotak nomination
BMI Film & TV Awards BMI Film Music Award Danny Elfman Won
Golden Raspberry Awards (Razzies) Worst Supporting Actor Danny DeVito nomination
Hugo Awards Best Dramatic Presentation  nomination
MTV Movie Awards Best Kiss Michael Keaton, Michelle Pfeiffer nomination
Best Villain Danny DeVito nomination
Most Desirable Female Michelle Pfeiffer nomination
Saturn Awards Best Fantasy Film  nomination
Best Director Tim Burton nomination
Best Supporting Actor Danny DeVito nomination
Best Make-Up Stan Winston, Ve Neill Won
Best Costumes Bob Ringwood, Mary E. Vogt, Vin Burnham nomination
American Film Institute recognition:
##AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains: ##Catwoman (Selina Kyle)—Nominated Villain[42]
##The Penguin (Oswald Cobblepot)—Nominated Villain[42]

Legacy[edit]



"After the traumas of the Batman Returns she has amnesia, and she doesn't really remember why she has all these bullet holes in her body, so she goes to relax in Oasisburg. What Gotham City is to New York, Oasisburg is to Las Vegas–Los Angeles–Palm Springs. [It's a] resort area in the middle of the desert. It's run by superheroes, and the movie has great fun at making fun at the whole male superhero mythos. Then they end up being not very good at all deep down, and she's got to go back to that whole Catwoman thing."
—Daniel Waters on his script for Catwoman[6]
Batman Returns was the last film in the Batman film series that featured Tim Burton and Michael Keaton as director and leading actor, respectively. With the following film, Batman Forever, Warner Bros. decided to go in a "lighter" direction to be more mainstream in the process of a family film. Burton was asked to restrict himself to the role of producer and approved of Joel Schumacher as director.[43] With Warner Bros. moving on development for Batman Forever in June 1993, a Catwoman spin-off was announced. Michelle Pfeiffer was to reprise her role, with the character not to appear in Forever because of "her own little movie".[44]
Burton became attached as director, while producer Denise Di Novi and writer Daniel Waters also returned to the Catwoman spin-off with Burton.[45] In January 1994, Burton was unsure of his plans to direct Catwoman or an adaptation of The Fall of the House of Usher.[46] On June 6, 1995, Waters turned in his Catwoman script to Warner Bros., the same day Batman Forever was released. Burton was still being courted to direct. Waters joked, "turning it in the day Batman Forever opened may not have been my best logistical move, in that it's the celebration of the fun-for-the-whole-family Batman. Catwoman is definitely not a fun-for-the-whole-family script."[6] The film labored in development hell for years, with Pfeiffer getting replaced by Ashley Judd. The film ended up becoming the critically panned Catwoman (2004) starring Halle Berry.[47][48]
References[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b c Brian D. Johnson (June 22, 1992). "Batman's Return", Maclean's. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
2.Jump up ^ "Batman Returns (1992)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
3.Jump up ^ Alan Jones (November 1989). "Batman in Production", Cinefantastique, pp. 75—88. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
4.^ Jump up to: a b c d Tim Burton, Sam Hamm, Denise Di Novi, Daniel Waters, Shadows of the Bat: The Cinematic Saga of the Dark Knight—The Dark Side of the Knight, 2005, Warner Home Video
5.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j Jeffrey Resner (August 1992). "Three Go Mad in Gotham", Empire, pp. 39—46. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
6.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h Judy Sloane (August 1995). "Daniel Waters on Writing", Film Review, pp. 67—69. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
7.^ Jump up to: a b c Ken Hanke (1999). "Batman on Burton's Terms". Tim Burton: An Unauthorized Biography of the Filmmaker. Renaissance Books. pp. 117–122. ISBN 1-58063-162-2.
8.Jump up ^ Daniel Waters, Alex Ross, Batman Returns: Villains, 2005, Warner Home Video
9.^ Jump up to: a b David Hughes (2003). "Batman". Comic Book Movies. Virgin Books. pp. 33–46. ISBN 0-7535-0767-6.
10.Jump up ^ Nathan Rabin (February 25, 1998). "Wayans world". The A.V. Club. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
11.Jump up ^ "'Batman 3'". Entertainment Weekly. October 1, 1993. Archived from the original on September 21, 2008. Retrieved August 16, 2008.
12.Jump up ^ Broeske, Pat H.; Thompson, Anne (August 9, 1991). "Big-Game Hunting". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
13.Jump up ^ Gerosa, Melina (January 30, 2007). "Odd Woman Out". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 17, 2012.
14.^ Jump up to: a b c d e Mark Salisbury; Tim Burton (2006). "Batman Returns". Burton on Burton. Faber and Faber. pp. 102–114. ISBN 0-571-22926-3.
15.Jump up ^ Broeske, Pat H. (June 12, 1992). "Flashes: Kicking, The Habit". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
16.^ Jump up to: a b Owain Yolland (August 1992). "Two minutes, Mr Penguin", Empire, pp. 89—90. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
17.Jump up ^ Steve Daly (June 19, 1992). "Sets Appeal: Designing Batman Returns". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
18.Jump up ^ "When hell burst through the pavement and grew: Anton Furst conjured up Batman's Gotham City. In England he was a creator of dreams. But in Hollywood his dreams ended. Simon Garfield reports". The Independent. Retrieved October 1, 2014.
19.Jump up ^ Judy Sloane (August 1995). "Bo Welch Interview", Film Review, pp. 66. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
20.Jump up ^ Bo Welch, Tim Burton, Gotham City Revisited: The Production Design of Batman Returns, 2005, Warner Home Video
21.Jump up ^ Danny DeVito, Stan Winston, Making-Up the Penguin, 2005, Warner Home Video
22.Jump up ^ Tim Fennell (August 1992). "The Catsuit", Empire, pp. 47—49. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
23.Jump up ^ Bob Ringwood, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sleek, Sexy and Sinister: The Costumes of Batman Returns, 2005, Warner Home Video
24.Jump up ^ Stan Winston, Assembling the Arctic Army, 2005, Warner Home Video
25.Jump up ^ Stan Winston, Mike Fink, Bats, Mattes and Dark Knights: The Visual Effects of Batman Returns, 2005, Warner Home Video
26.^ Jump up to: a b c Danny Elfman, Inside the Elfman Studios: The Music of Batman Returns, 2005, Warner Home Video
27.Jump up ^ Salisbury, Burton, pp.137-144
28.Jump up ^ "Danny Elfman presents his Tim Burton movie scores at Adelaide Festival". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
29.^ Jump up to: a b "Batman Returns (1992)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
30.^ Jump up to: a b "1992 Yearly Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
31.Jump up ^ "1992 Worldwide Grosses". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
32.Jump up ^ "Batman Returns". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
33.Jump up ^ Janet Maslin (June 19, 1992). "Movie Review—Batman Returns". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 11, 2008. Retrieved November 17, 2009.
34.Jump up ^ Peter Travers (February 7, 2001). "Batman Returns". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 4, 2007. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
35.Jump up ^ Desson Howe (June 19, 1992). "Batman Returns". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
36.Jump up ^ Todd McCarthy (June 15, 1992). "Batman Returns". Variety. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
37.Jump up ^ "Batman". Roger Ebert. Archived from the original on August 7, 2008. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
38.Jump up ^ Jonathan Rosenbaum (June 19, 1992). "Batman". Chicago Reader. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
39.Jump up ^ Bill "Jett" Ramey (September 30, 2006). "Interview: Matt Wagner". Batman-on-Film. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
40.Jump up ^ Burr, Ty (October 23, 1992). "Video Review: Batman Returns". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 17, 2012.
41.Jump up ^ Olly Richards (September 1992). "Trouble in Gotham", Empire, pp. 21—23. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
42.^ Jump up to: a b "Nomination list for AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains". AFI.com. Retrieved January 7, 2012.
43.Jump up ^ "'Batman 3'". Entertainment Weekly. October 1, 1993. Archived from the original on September 21, 2008. Retrieved August 16, 2008.
44.Jump up ^ Michael Fleming (June 17, 1993). "Dish". Variety. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
45.Jump up ^ Michael Fleming (July 22, 1993). "Another life at WB for Catwoman and Burton?". Variety. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
46.Jump up ^ Michael Fleming (January 13, 1994). "Seagal on the pulpit may be too much for WB". Variety. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
47.Jump up ^ Michael Fleming (April 2, 2001). "WB: Judd purr-fect as Cat". Variety. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
48.Jump up ^ "Catwoman". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on August 14, 2008. Retrieved August 15, 2008.
External links[edit]

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##Batman Returns
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##Batman Returns at Box Office Mojo
##Batman Returns at Rotten Tomatoes
Film analysis[edit]
##From Comic To Pfeiffer's Cat Batman-Online.com's in-depth analysis on Tim Burton's Catwoman's comic origins
##Possible Comic Influences On Batman Returns Batman-Online.com's in-depth analysis on possible comic book influences of Batman Returns' plotline


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Batman Returns
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For the video game based on the film, see Batman Returns (video game).

Batman Returns
Batman returns poster2.jpg
Theatrical release poster

Directed by
Tim Burton
Produced by
Tim Burton
Denise Di Novi

Screenplay by
Daniel Waters
Story by
Sam Hamm
Daniel Waters

Based on
Batman
 by Bob Kane
Starring
Michael Keaton
Danny DeVito
Michelle Pfeiffer
Christopher Walken
Michael Gough
Pat Hingle
Michael Murphy

Music by
Danny Elfman
Cinematography
Stefan Czapsky
Edited by
Chris Lebenzon
Bob Badami


Production
 company

PolyGram Filmed Entertainment

Distributed by
Warner Bros.

Release dates

June 19, 1992 (United States)


Running time
 126 minutes
Country
United States
Language
English
Budget
$80 million[1]
Box office
$266.8 million[2]
Batman Returns is a 1992 American superhero film, directed and produced by Tim Burton, based upon the Batman character appearing in comics published by DC Comics. It is the second installment of Warner Bros.' initial Batman film series, with Michael Keaton reprising the title role of Bruce Wayne/Batman. The film introduces the characters of Max Shreck (Christopher Walken), a business tycoon who teams up with the Penguin (Danny DeVito) to take over Gotham City, as well as the character of Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer).
Burton originally did not want to direct another Batman film because of his mixed emotions toward the previous film in 1989. Warner Bros. developed a script with writer Sam Hamm which had the Penguin and Catwoman going after hidden treasure. Burton agreed to return after he granted him more creative control and replaced Hamm with Daniel Waters. Wesley Strick did an uncredited rewrite, removing the characters of Harvey Dent and Robin and rewriting the climax. Annette Bening was originally cast as Catwoman but was replaced with Pfeiffer following her pregnancy. Filming for Batman Returns started in June 1991 at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California.
Batman Returns was released on June 19, 1992. The film was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects and Best Makeup, as well as two BAFTA awards. Batman Returns '​s budget was an estimated $80 million, grossing $266,822,354 worldwide but Warner Bros. was disappointed as it was still substantially less than the first film. Burton was asked to restrict himself to the role of producer for Batman Forever, which led to Keaton vacating the role of Batman.


Contents  [hide]
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Production 3.1 Development
3.2 Pre-production
3.3 Filming
3.4 Design and effects
3.5 Music
4 Release 4.1 Box office
4.2 Critical reception
4.3 Accolades
4.4 Legacy
5 References
6 External links 6.1 Film analysis


Plot[edit]
Tucker and Esther Cobblepot, an aristocratic couple, throw their deformed infant child in a river, feeling that Gotham City's high society would not approve after witnessing their son kill their pet cat. However, a flock of penguins living in an abandoned zoo's arctic exhibit connected to the sewers rescue and raise him. 33 years later, the child becomes The Penguin (Danny DeVito) and the leader of the Red Triangle Circus Gang, who appear in Gotham City during the annual Christmas tree-lighting ceremony and cause a riot. As the police and Batman (Michael Keaton) deal with the riot, one of the guests at the ceremony, a businessman named Max Shreck (Christopher Walken), is kidnapped and taken to Penguin, who desires to become a citizen of Gotham and blackmails Shreck into helping him by threatening to expose evidence of his corporate crimes.
Meanwhile, Shreck's secretary, Selina Kyle (Michelle Pfeiffer), has learnt of her employer's plan to build a power plant which will drain Gotham of its electricity. When Shreck confronts her after returning from his visit with Penguin, he pushes her out of a window to her death, and a flock of alley cats lick her corpse, reviving her. Selina returns home, suffers a mental breakdown, and designs a black vinyl catsuit to become the costumed vigilante Catwoman.
Penguin sends one of his costumed henchmen to kidnap the mayor's baby while he "saves" him, becoming a hero to the people of Gotham. However, Batman is suspicious of Penguin's true motives. After some time in the Hall of Records, Penguin discovers that his parents are dead and his name is Oswald Cobblepot, though he has secretly been taking notes on the first-born sons that live in Gotham City. Meanwhile, Batman's alter-ego, billionaire Bruce Wayne, is dealing with Shreck's persistence in having his new power plant built. As both Bruce and the current mayor will not approve of the power plant, Shreck decides to pull strings and make Penguin the new mayor. To do this, Penguin has the Red Triangle Gang create a riot, causing the citizens to lose all faith in the mayor. During the riot, Catwoman vandalizes Max's Department Store to gain revenge on him. When Batman and Penguin confront each other, she intervenes just as the store blows up and slips away. Penguin escapes as Catwoman fights Batman and gets pushed off a rooftop, but she is saved when she lands in a dump-truck filled with kitty litter.
Penguin and Catwoman meet and collaborate on a plan to kill Batman out of mutual hatred for the Caped Crusader, but Selina finds herself developing a romantic relationship with Bruce Wayne as the two of them start to spend time together. That night, the Ice Princess, an actress chosen to turn on the Gotham City Christmas tree lights, is kidnapped by Penguin and a Batarang (which one of his henchmen took from a prior fight) is found in her dressing room, framing Batman for the crime. After a fight with Catwoman, Batman finds the Ice Princess on a rooftop where the Penguin releases a swarm of flying bats and makes her fall to her death, further incriminating Batman. As he escapes to the Batmobile, Batman discovers that Penguin has control over it due to a device that his gang installed. The Penguin takes it on a devastating rampage, but Batman regains control over it and escapes death.
The next day, Penguin and Shreck are using Batman's rampage to push for an impeachment of the mayor. Batman, having recorded the Penguin's demeaning attitude of Gotham's people during the rampage, plays it during the speech, turning the people and Shreck against him. Enraged, Penguin takes his notes from the Hall of Records and orders the Red Triangle Gang to kidnap all the first-born sons of Gotham so that he can throw them to their deaths in the sewer like his own parents did to him, and he personally kidnaps Max Shreck as revenge for being manipulated. Batman saves all the children, forcing the Penguin to execute an alternate plan to destroy the entire city with his army of rocket-armed penguin commandos. However, Batman foils the plan by luring the penguins back to the Penguin's sewer base before confronting Penguin directly and knocking him into the sewer water from a great height.
Catwoman appears and again tries to kill Shreck, but Batman stops her and reveals himself as Bruce Wayne, and she does the same as Selina. This distracts her long enough for Shreck to draw a gun and shoot her four times. She survives all the shots and puts an electrical taser between their lips while grabbing an electrical cable, causing a tremendous explosion that kills Shreck but leaves no trace of Selina. As the dust settles, Penguin rises from the water and tries one more time to kill Batman, but fails and dies from his internal bleeding. The emperor penguins hold a funeral for their former master and drag his corpse into the sewer water, his resting place.
Afterwards, Alfred (Michael Gough) drives Bruce home, but Bruce spots a shadow in the alley and has the car stopped so he can check. All he finds is a black cat trying to keep warm, and so Bruce takes her with him as he exchanges Christmas wishes with Alfred. As they leave, the Batsignal lights up in the night sky as Catwoman watches from afar.
Cast[edit]
"Max Shreck" redirects here. It is not to be confused with Max Schreck.
##Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne / Batman
##Danny DeVito as Oswald Cobblepot / Penguin
##Michelle Pfeiffer as Selina Kyle / Catwoman
##Christopher Walken as Max Shreck
##Michael Murphy as Mayor of Gotham City
##Pat Hingle as Commissioner James Gordon
##Vincent Schiavelli as The Organ Grinder
##Michael Gough as Alfred Pennyworth
##Anna Katarina as The Poodle Lady
##Andrew Bryniarski as Chip Shreck
##Cristi Conaway as The Ice Princess
##Rick Zumwalt as The Tattooed Strongman
##Paul Reubens as Penguin's Father
Production[edit]
Development[edit]
After the success of Batman, Warner Bros. was hoping for a sequel to start filming in May 1990 at Pinewood Studios. They spent $250,000 storing the sets from the first film. Tim Burton had mixed emotions about directing another film in the franchise after his experiences with the previous film. "I will return if the sequel offers something new and exciting", he said in 1989. "Otherwise it's a most-dumbfounded idea."[3] Burton decided to direct Edward Scissorhands for 20th Century Fox. Meanwhile, Sam Hamm from the previous film delivered the first two drafts of the script, while Bob Kane was brought back as a creative consultant.[4] Hamm's script had Penguin and Catwoman going after hidden treasure.[5]
Burton was impressed with Daniel Waters' work on Heathers; Burton originally brought Waters aboard on a sequel to Beetlejuice. Warner Bros. then granted Burton a large amount of creative control, demoting producers Jon Peters and Peter Guber to executive producers. Dissatisfied with the Hamm script, Burton commissioned a rewrite from Waters.[4][6][7] Waters "came up with a social satire that had an evil mogul backing a bid for the Mayor's office by the Penguin", Waters reported. "I wanted to show that the true villains of our world don't necessarily wear costumes."[5] The subplot of Penguin running for Mayor came from the 1960s TV series episodes "Hizzoner the Penguin" and "Dizzoner the Penguin".[5] Waters wrote a total of five drafts.[7]
On the characterization of Catwoman, Waters explained "Sam Hamm went back to the way comic books in general treat women, like fetishy sexual fantasy. I wanted to start off just at the lowest point in society, a very beaten down secretary."[6] Harvey Dent appeared in early drafts of the script, but was deleted. His disfiguring appearance of Two-Face would have appeared in the climax when Catwoman kisses him with a taser to the face, which was replaced with Max Shreck. Waters quoted, "Sam Hamm definitely planned that. I flirted with it, having Harvey start to come back and have one scene of him where he flips a coin and it's the good side of the coin, deciding not to do anything, so you had to wait for the next movie."[6] In early scripts Max Shreck was the "golden boy" of the Cobblepot family, whereas Penguin was the deformed outsider. It turned out that Shreck would be the Penguin's long-lost brother.[8] Max Shreck was also a reference to actor Max Schreck, known for his role as Count Orlok in Nosferatu.[7]
Pre-production[edit]
Burton hired Wesley Strick to do an uncredited rewrite. Strick recalled, "When I was hired to write Batman Returns (Batman II at the time), the big problem of the script was Penguin's lack of a 'master plan'."[9] Warner Bros. presented Strick with warming, or freezing Gotham City, a plot point they would later use in Batman & Robin. Strick gained inspiration from a Moses parallel that had Penguin killing the firstborn sons of Gotham. A similar notion was used when the Penguin's parents threw him into a river as a baby.[9] Robin appeared in the script, but was deleted because Waters felt the film had too many characters. Waters called Robin "the most worthless character in the world, especially with [Batman as] the loner of loners." Robin started out as a juvenile gang leader, who becomes an ally to Batman. Robin was later changed to a black teenage garage mechanic.[6] Waters explained, "He's wearing this old-fashioned garage mechanic uniform and it has an 'R' on it. He drives the Batmobile, which I notice they used in the third film!"[6] Marlon Wayans was cast, and signed for a sequel. The actor had attended a wardrobe fitting, but it was decided to save the character for a third installment.[10]
Michael Keaton returned after a significant increase in his salary at $10 million. Annette Bening was cast as Catwoman after Burton saw her performance in The Grifters, but she dropped out due to pregnancy.[5][11] Raquel Welch, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Madonna, Ellen Barkin, Cher, Bridget Fonda and Susan Sarandon were then in competition for the role.[4][12] Sean Young, who was originally chosen for Vicki Vale in the previous film, believed the role should have gone to her. Young visited production offices dressed in a homemade Catwoman costume, demanding an audition.[13] Burton was unfamiliar with Michelle Pfeiffer's work, but was convinced to cast her after one meeting.[14] Pfeiffer received a $3 million salary, $2 million more than Bening, and a percentage of the box office.[5] The actress undertook kickboxing lessons for the role.[15] Kathy Long served as Pfeiffer's body double. On Danny DeVito's casting, Waters explained, "I kind of knew that DeVito was going to play The Penguin. We didn't really officially cast it, but for a short nasty little guy, it's a short list. I ended up writing the character for Danny DeVito."[6]
Filming[edit]



Gotham City Square set built inside Studio 16 on Warner Bros. Studios.
In early 1991, two of Hollywood's largest sound stages (Stage 16 at Warner Bros. and Stage 12 at Universal Studios) were being prepared for the filming of Batman Returns.[5] Filming started in June 1991.[14] Stage 16 held Gotham Plaza, based on Rockefeller Center. Universal's Stage 12 housed Penguin's underground lair. A half-a-million gallon tank filled with water was used.[5] Burton wanted to make sure that the penguins felt comfortable.[14] Eight other locations on the Warner Bros. lot were used, over 50% of their property was occupied by Gotham City sets.[5]
Animal rights groups started protesting the film after finding out that penguins would have rockets strapped on their backs. Richard Hill, the curator of the penguins, explained that Warner Bros. was very helpful in making sure the penguins were comfortable.[16] "On the flight over the plane was refrigerated down to 45 degrees", recalls Hill. "In Hollywood, they were given a refrigerated trailer, their own swimming pool, half-a-ton of ice each day, and they had fresh fish delivered daily straight from the docks. Even though it was 100 degrees outside, the entire set was refrigerated down to 35 degrees."[16]
Warner Bros. devoted a large amount of secrecy for Batman Returns. The art department was required to keep their office blinds pulled down. Cast and crew had to have photo ID badges with the movie's fake working title Dictel to go anywhere near the sets.[17] Kevin Costner was refused a chance to visit the set. An entertainment magazine leaked the first photos of Danny DeVito as the Penguin; in response Warner Bros. employed a private investigator to track down the accomplice.[5] $65 million was spent during the production of Batman Returns, while $15 million was used for marketing, coming to a total cost of $80 million.[1] The final shot of Catwoman looking at the Bat-Signal was completed during post-production and was not part of the shooting script. After Batman Returns was completed Warner Bros. felt it was best for Catwoman to survive, saving more characterizations in a future installment. Pfeiffer was unavailable and a body double was chosen.[4]
Design and effects[edit]
Bo Welch, Burton's collaborator on Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands, replaced Anton Furst as production designer, since Furst was unable to return for the sequel due to contractual obligations.[18] Welch blended "Fascist architecture with World's fair architecture" for Gotham City.[19] He also studied Russian architecture and German Expressionism. An iron maiden was used for Bruce Wayne's entry into the Batcave.[20] Stan Winston, who worked with Burton on Edward Scissorhands, designed Danny DeVito's prosthetic makeup, which took two hours to apply.[1] DeVito had to put a combination of mouthwash and red/green food coloring in his mouth "to create a grotesque texture of some weird ooze."[21]



 Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman
More than 60 Catsuits were designed in the six-month shoot at $1,000 each.[22] The Batsuit was updated, which was made out of a thinner, slightly more flexible foam rubber material than the suit from Batman. DeVito was uncomfortable with his costume, but this made it easy for him to get into character. J. P. Morgan's wardrobe was used for inspiration on Max Shreck's costume design.[23]
The bats were entirely composed of computer-generated imagery since it was decided directing real bats on set would be problematic.[5] The Penguin's "bird army" was a combination of CGI, robotic creatures, men in suits and even real penguins.[14] Robotic penguin puppets were commissioned by Stan Winston. In total 30 African penguins and 12 king penguins were used.[24] A miniature effect was used for the exteriors of the Cobblepot Mansion in the opening scene and for Wayne Manor. The same method was used for the Bat Ski-boat and the exterior shots of the Gotham Zoo.[25]
Music[edit]
Main article: Batman Returns (soundtrack)
Danny Elfman had great enthusiasm for returning because "I didn't have to prove myself from the first film. I remember Jon Peters was very skeptical at first to hire me."[26] Elfman's work schedule was 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. "When completing this movie I realized it was something of a film score and an opera. It was 95 minutes long, twice the amount of the average of film score."[26] Burton allowed Elfman to be more artistic with the sequel score, such as the "scraping" on violins for the cat themes. Under the pressure of finishing the score, however, the relationship between the two strained, which - along with further "creative differences" on The Nightmare Before Christmas[27] - led Burton to use Howard Shore to score his next film Ed Wood.[28] The musician co-orchestrated "Face to Face", which was written and performed by Siouxsie and the Banshees. The song can be heard in one scene during the film and during the end credits.[26]
Release[edit]
Box office[edit]
Batman Returns was released in America on June 19, 1992, earning $45.69 million in 2,644 theaters on its opening weekend.[29] This was the highest opening weekend in 1992 and the highest opening weekend of any film up to that point.[30] The film went on to gross $162.83 million in North America, and $104 million in foreign countries, coming to a worldwide total of $266.83 million.[29] Batman Returns was the third highest grossing film in America of 1992,[30] and sixth highest in worldwide totals.[31] The film was declared a financial success, but Warner Bros. felt the film should have been more successful.
Critical reception[edit]
Batman Returns has received a favourable critical reception. Based on 67 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, 80% of critics enjoyed the film, with an average rating of 6.7/10. Much of the critics gave praise toward Tim Burton's visual style, accompanied by production designer Bo Welch, as well as the casting of Danny DeVito and Christopher Walken in supporting roles to compliment Keaton's portrayal of Batman.[32]
Janet Maslin in The New York Times thought that "Mr. Burton creates a wicked world of misfits, all of them rendered with the mixture of horror, sympathy and playfulness that has become this director's hallmark." She described Michael Keaton as showing "appropriate earnestness", Danny DeVito as "conveying verve", Christopher Walken as "wonderfully debonair", Michelle Pfeiffer as "captivating... fierce, seductive", Bo Welch's production design as "dazzling", Stefan Czapsky's cinematography as "crisp", and Daniel Waters's screenplay as "sharp."[33]
Peter Travers in Rolling Stone wrote: "Burton uses the summer's most explosively entertaining movie to lead us back into the liberating darkness of dreams." He praised the performances: "Pfeiffer gives this feminist avenger a tough core of intelligence and wit; she's a classic dazzler... Michael Keaton's manic-depressive hero remains a remarkably rich creation. And Danny DeVito's mutant Penguin—a balloon-bellied Richard III with a kingdom of sewer freaks—is as hilariously warped as Jack Nicholson's Joker and even quicker with the quips."[34]
Desson Howe in The Washington Post wrote: "Director Burton not only re-creates his one-of-a-kind atmosphere, he one-ups it, even two-ups it. He's best at evoking the psycho-murky worlds in which his characters reside. The Penguin holds court in a penguin-crowded, Phantom of the Opera-like sewer home. Keaton hides in a castlelike mansion, which perfectly mirrors its owner's inner remoteness. Comic strip purists will probably never be happy with a Batman movie. But Returns comes closer than ever to Bob Kane's dark, original strip, which began in 1939." He described Walken as "engaging", DeVito as "exquisite" and Pfeiffer as "deliciously purry."[35]
Todd McCarthy in Variety wrote that "the real accomplishment of the film lies in the amazing physical realization of an imaginative universe. Where Burton's ideas end and those of his collaborators begin is impossible to know, but the result is a seamless, utterly consistent universe full of nasty notions about societal deterioration, greed and other base impulses." He praised the contributions of Stan Winston, Danny Elfman, Bo Welch and cinematographer Stefan Czapsky, and in terms of performances, opined that "the deck is stacked entirely in favor of the villains", calling DeVito "fascinating" and Pfeiffer "very tasty."[36]
Conversely, Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film two stars, writing: "I give the movie a negative review, and yet I don't think it's a bad movie; it's more misguided, made with great creativity, but denying us what we more or less deserve from a Batman story. No matter how hard you try, superheroes and film noir don't go together; the very essence of noir is that there are no more heroes." He compared the Penguin negatively with the Joker of the first film, writing that "the Penguin is a curiously meager and depressing creature; I pitied him, but did not fear him or find him funny. The genius of Danny DeVito is all but swallowed up in the paraphernalia of the role."[37] Jonathan Rosenbaum called DeVito "a pale substitute for Jack Nicholson from the first film" and felt that "there's no suspense in Batman Returns whatsoever".[38] Batman comic book writer/artist Matt Wagner was quoted as saying: "I hated how Batman Returns made Batman little more than just another costumed creep, little better than the villains he's pursuing. Additionally, Burton is so blatantly not an action director. That aspect of both his films just sucked."[39] Ty Burr in Entertainment Weekly gave the film a B-; he wrote that "Burton still hasn't figured out how to tell a coherent story: He's more interested in fashioning pretty beads than in putting them on a string.... Yet for all the wintry weirdness, there's more going on under the surface of this movie than in the original. No wonder some people felt burned by Batman Returns: Tim Burton just may have created the first blockbuster art film."[40]
A "parental backlash" criticized Batman Returns with violence and sexual references that were unsuitable for children. McDonald's shut down their Happy Meal promotion for the film.[41] Burton responded, "I like Batman Returns better than the first one. There was this big backlash that it was too dark, but I found this movie much less dark."[14]
Accolades[edit]

Awarding Body
Award
Nominee
Result
Academy Awards Best Visual Effects Michael L. Fink, Craig Barron, John Bruno, Dennis Skotak nomination
Best Makeup Ve Neill, Ronnie Specter, Stan Winston nomination
British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs) Best Makeup Artist Ve Neill, Stan Winston nomination
Best Special Effects Michael L. Fink, Craig Barron, John Bruno, Dennis Skotak nomination
BMI Film & TV Awards BMI Film Music Award Danny Elfman Won
Golden Raspberry Awards (Razzies) Worst Supporting Actor Danny DeVito nomination
Hugo Awards Best Dramatic Presentation  nomination
MTV Movie Awards Best Kiss Michael Keaton, Michelle Pfeiffer nomination
Best Villain Danny DeVito nomination
Most Desirable Female Michelle Pfeiffer nomination
Saturn Awards Best Fantasy Film  nomination
Best Director Tim Burton nomination
Best Supporting Actor Danny DeVito nomination
Best Make-Up Stan Winston, Ve Neill Won
Best Costumes Bob Ringwood, Mary E. Vogt, Vin Burnham nomination
American Film Institute recognition:
##AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains: ##Catwoman (Selina Kyle)—Nominated Villain[42]
##The Penguin (Oswald Cobblepot)—Nominated Villain[42]

Legacy[edit]



"After the traumas of the Batman Returns she has amnesia, and she doesn't really remember why she has all these bullet holes in her body, so she goes to relax in Oasisburg. What Gotham City is to New York, Oasisburg is to Las Vegas–Los Angeles–Palm Springs. [It's a] resort area in the middle of the desert. It's run by superheroes, and the movie has great fun at making fun at the whole male superhero mythos. Then they end up being not very good at all deep down, and she's got to go back to that whole Catwoman thing."
—Daniel Waters on his script for Catwoman[6]
Batman Returns was the last film in the Batman film series that featured Tim Burton and Michael Keaton as director and leading actor, respectively. With the following film, Batman Forever, Warner Bros. decided to go in a "lighter" direction to be more mainstream in the process of a family film. Burton was asked to restrict himself to the role of producer and approved of Joel Schumacher as director.[43] With Warner Bros. moving on development for Batman Forever in June 1993, a Catwoman spin-off was announced. Michelle Pfeiffer was to reprise her role, with the character not to appear in Forever because of "her own little movie".[44]
Burton became attached as director, while producer Denise Di Novi and writer Daniel Waters also returned to the Catwoman spin-off with Burton.[45] In January 1994, Burton was unsure of his plans to direct Catwoman or an adaptation of The Fall of the House of Usher.[46] On June 6, 1995, Waters turned in his Catwoman script to Warner Bros., the same day Batman Forever was released. Burton was still being courted to direct. Waters joked, "turning it in the day Batman Forever opened may not have been my best logistical move, in that it's the celebration of the fun-for-the-whole-family Batman. Catwoman is definitely not a fun-for-the-whole-family script."[6] The film labored in development hell for years, with Pfeiffer getting replaced by Ashley Judd. The film ended up becoming the critically panned Catwoman (2004) starring Halle Berry.[47][48]
References[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b c Brian D. Johnson (June 22, 1992). "Batman's Return", Maclean's. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
2.Jump up ^ "Batman Returns (1992)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
3.Jump up ^ Alan Jones (November 1989). "Batman in Production", Cinefantastique, pp. 75—88. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
4.^ Jump up to: a b c d Tim Burton, Sam Hamm, Denise Di Novi, Daniel Waters, Shadows of the Bat: The Cinematic Saga of the Dark Knight—The Dark Side of the Knight, 2005, Warner Home Video
5.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j Jeffrey Resner (August 1992). "Three Go Mad in Gotham", Empire, pp. 39—46. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
6.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h Judy Sloane (August 1995). "Daniel Waters on Writing", Film Review, pp. 67—69. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
7.^ Jump up to: a b c Ken Hanke (1999). "Batman on Burton's Terms". Tim Burton: An Unauthorized Biography of the Filmmaker. Renaissance Books. pp. 117–122. ISBN 1-58063-162-2.
8.Jump up ^ Daniel Waters, Alex Ross, Batman Returns: Villains, 2005, Warner Home Video
9.^ Jump up to: a b David Hughes (2003). "Batman". Comic Book Movies. Virgin Books. pp. 33–46. ISBN 0-7535-0767-6.
10.Jump up ^ Nathan Rabin (February 25, 1998). "Wayans world". The A.V. Club. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
11.Jump up ^ "'Batman 3'". Entertainment Weekly. October 1, 1993. Archived from the original on September 21, 2008. Retrieved August 16, 2008.
12.Jump up ^ Broeske, Pat H.; Thompson, Anne (August 9, 1991). "Big-Game Hunting". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
13.Jump up ^ Gerosa, Melina (January 30, 2007). "Odd Woman Out". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 17, 2012.
14.^ Jump up to: a b c d e Mark Salisbury; Tim Burton (2006). "Batman Returns". Burton on Burton. Faber and Faber. pp. 102–114. ISBN 0-571-22926-3.
15.Jump up ^ Broeske, Pat H. (June 12, 1992). "Flashes: Kicking, The Habit". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
16.^ Jump up to: a b Owain Yolland (August 1992). "Two minutes, Mr Penguin", Empire, pp. 89—90. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
17.Jump up ^ Steve Daly (June 19, 1992). "Sets Appeal: Designing Batman Returns". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
18.Jump up ^ "When hell burst through the pavement and grew: Anton Furst conjured up Batman's Gotham City. In England he was a creator of dreams. But in Hollywood his dreams ended. Simon Garfield reports". The Independent. Retrieved October 1, 2014.
19.Jump up ^ Judy Sloane (August 1995). "Bo Welch Interview", Film Review, pp. 66. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
20.Jump up ^ Bo Welch, Tim Burton, Gotham City Revisited: The Production Design of Batman Returns, 2005, Warner Home Video
21.Jump up ^ Danny DeVito, Stan Winston, Making-Up the Penguin, 2005, Warner Home Video
22.Jump up ^ Tim Fennell (August 1992). "The Catsuit", Empire, pp. 47—49. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
23.Jump up ^ Bob Ringwood, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sleek, Sexy and Sinister: The Costumes of Batman Returns, 2005, Warner Home Video
24.Jump up ^ Stan Winston, Assembling the Arctic Army, 2005, Warner Home Video
25.Jump up ^ Stan Winston, Mike Fink, Bats, Mattes and Dark Knights: The Visual Effects of Batman Returns, 2005, Warner Home Video
26.^ Jump up to: a b c Danny Elfman, Inside the Elfman Studios: The Music of Batman Returns, 2005, Warner Home Video
27.Jump up ^ Salisbury, Burton, pp.137-144
28.Jump up ^ "Danny Elfman presents his Tim Burton movie scores at Adelaide Festival". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
29.^ Jump up to: a b "Batman Returns (1992)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
30.^ Jump up to: a b "1992 Yearly Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
31.Jump up ^ "1992 Worldwide Grosses". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
32.Jump up ^ "Batman Returns". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
33.Jump up ^ Janet Maslin (June 19, 1992). "Movie Review—Batman Returns". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 11, 2008. Retrieved November 17, 2009.
34.Jump up ^ Peter Travers (February 7, 2001). "Batman Returns". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 4, 2007. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
35.Jump up ^ Desson Howe (June 19, 1992). "Batman Returns". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
36.Jump up ^ Todd McCarthy (June 15, 1992). "Batman Returns". Variety. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
37.Jump up ^ "Batman". Roger Ebert. Archived from the original on August 7, 2008. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
38.Jump up ^ Jonathan Rosenbaum (June 19, 1992). "Batman". Chicago Reader. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
39.Jump up ^ Bill "Jett" Ramey (September 30, 2006). "Interview: Matt Wagner". Batman-on-Film. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
40.Jump up ^ Burr, Ty (October 23, 1992). "Video Review: Batman Returns". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 17, 2012.
41.Jump up ^ Olly Richards (September 1992). "Trouble in Gotham", Empire, pp. 21—23. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
42.^ Jump up to: a b "Nomination list for AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains". AFI.com. Retrieved January 7, 2012.
43.Jump up ^ "'Batman 3'". Entertainment Weekly. October 1, 1993. Archived from the original on September 21, 2008. Retrieved August 16, 2008.
44.Jump up ^ Michael Fleming (June 17, 1993). "Dish". Variety. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
45.Jump up ^ Michael Fleming (July 22, 1993). "Another life at WB for Catwoman and Burton?". Variety. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
46.Jump up ^ Michael Fleming (January 13, 1994). "Seagal on the pulpit may be too much for WB". Variety. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
47.Jump up ^ Michael Fleming (April 2, 2001). "WB: Judd purr-fect as Cat". Variety. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
48.Jump up ^ "Catwoman". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on August 14, 2008. Retrieved August 15, 2008.
External links[edit]

Portal icon Film in the United States portal
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Portal icon 1990s portal
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 Wikiquote has quotations related to: Batman Returns
##Batman Returns
##Batman Returns at the Internet Movie Database
##Batman Returns at the TCM Movie Database
##Batman Returns at AllMovie
##Batman Returns at Box Office Mojo
##Batman Returns at Rotten Tomatoes
Film analysis[edit]
##From Comic To Pfeiffer's Cat Batman-Online.com's in-depth analysis on Tim Burton's Catwoman's comic origins
##Possible Comic Influences On Batman Returns Batman-Online.com's in-depth analysis on possible comic book influences of Batman Returns' plotline


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Batman Forever
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search

For other uses, see Batman Forever (disambiguation).

Batman Forever
Theatrical release poster featuring Batman and various characters from the film.
Theatrical release poster

Directed by
Joel Schumacher
Produced by
Tim Burton
 Peter MacGregor-Scott
Screenplay by
Lee Batchler
 Janet Scott-Batchler
Akiva Goldsman
Story by
Lee Batchler
 Janet Scott-Batchler
Based on
Batman
 by Bob Kane
Starring
Val Kilmer
Tommy Lee Jones
Jim Carrey
Nicole Kidman
Chris O'Donnell
Michael Gough
Pat Hingle

Music by
Elliot Goldenthal
Cinematography
Stephen Goldblatt
Edited by
Dennis Virkler
Mark Stevens

Production
 company

PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
 Tim Burton Productions

Distributed by
Warner Bros.

Release dates

June 16, 1995 (United States)


Running time
 122 minutes
Country
United States
Language
English
Budget
$100 million[1]
Box office
$336.5 million[1]
Batman Forever is a 1995 American superhero film directed by Joel Schumacher and produced by Tim Burton, based on the DC Comics character Batman. It is the third installment of the initial Batman film series, with Val Kilmer replacing Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne/Batman. The film stars Tommy Lee Jones, Jim Carrey, Nicole Kidman and Chris O'Donnell. The plot focuses on Batman trying to stop Two-Face (Jones) and the Riddler (Carrey) in their villainous scheme to extract confidential information from all the minds in Gotham City and use it to learn Batman's identity and bring the city under their control. He gains allegiance from a love interest—psychiatrist Dr. Chase Meridian (Kidman) and a young, orphaned circus acrobat named Dick Grayson (O'Donnell), who becomes his sidekick Robin.
Batman Forever's tone is significantly different from the previous installments, becoming more family-friendly since Warner Bros. considered that the previous film, Batman Returns (1992), failed to outgross its predecessor due to parent complaints about the film's violence and dark overtones. Schumacher eschewed the dark, dystopian atmosphere of Burton's films by drawing inspiration from the Batman comic book of the Dick Sprang era, as well as the 1960s television series. Keaton chose not to reprise the role due to Burton stepping down as director. William Baldwin and Ethan Hawke were initially considered for Keaton's replacement, before Kilmer joined the cast. The film was released on June 16, 1995, receiving mixed reviews, but was a financial success. Batman Forever grossed over $336 million worldwide and became the sixth-highest grossing film worldwide of 1995.


Contents  [hide]
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Production 3.1 Development
3.2 Filming
3.3 Design and effects
3.4 Music
4 Deleted scenes
5 Release 5.1 Box office
5.2 Critical reaction
5.3 Accolades
5.4 Merchandising
6 See also
7 References
8 External links

Plot[edit]
In Gotham City, Batman stops a hostage situation in a bank caused by Two-Face, the alter ego of the disfigured former district attorney, Harvey Dent. However, Two-Face escapes. Edward Nygma, a researcher at Wayne Enterprises, develops a device to beam television directly to a person's brain; Bruce Wayne - with whom Nygma is obsessed - rejects the invention, noting that it "raises too many questions", and Nygma angrily resigns from his position after killing his supervisor Fred Stickley, and forging his suicide note and footage. During a news report, it shows how Harvey Dent became Two-Face: While he was prosecuting Sal Maroni, Maroni threw acid in Harvey's face while Batman tried to stop him but failed. After meeting Batman-obsessed psychiatrist Dr. Chase Meridian, Bruce invites her to a charity circus event. There, Two-Face and his henchmen storm the event in an attempt to discover Batman's secret identity, and in the process murder The Flying Graysons, a family of acrobats who attempt to stop him. The youngest member, Dick, survives and throws Two-Face's bomb into the river to detonate safely underwater.
Bruce assumes responsibility for Dick and allows him to stay at Wayne Manor. Dick then declares his intention to kill Two-Face and avenge his family's murder, and when he discovers Bruce's secret identity as Batman, he insists on becoming his partner, "Robin". Meanwhile, Nygma becomes a criminal known as the "Riddler", the master of puzzles and quizzes and forms an alliance with Two-Face. The two work together to steal capital for the mass production and promotion of Nygma's television device. Using his device, Nygma can read and control people's minds, and steal their intelligence quotient. At a business party, Nygma discovers Bruce's secret identity. Two-Face then attacks the party and nearly kills Batman, but Robin arrives just in time to save his life. Meanwhile, Chase realizes her love for Bruce surpasses her obsession with Batman, but soon discovers that they are one and the same. However, Two-Face and the Riddler later converge into Wayne Manor. The Riddler enters the Batcave and destroys most of the equipment, and he and Two-Face kidnap Chase, while leaving Bruce another riddle.
After solving the last riddle, Batman and Robin locate Two-Face and the Riddler's lair, Claw Island, where both are separated upon reaching the island. Robin then encounters Two-Face and manages to beat him to the ground; realizing that he does not have it in him to commit murder, Robin helps the villain back up. Two-Face gets the upper hand and captures Robin. Meanwhile, Batman manages to make his way into the Riddler's lair, where Robin and Chase are revealed as hostages, bound, gagged with duct tape and held over a watery chasm, giving Batman a choice of saving just one hostage. Batman finds a way to save both hostages, and manages to destroy the brainwave-collecting device. The device's malfunction drives the Riddler into a mental breakdown in the process. During the battle, Two-Face falls to his death. The Riddler is sent to Arkham Asylum, and Chase is asked to consult on his case. Nygma offers to reveal the identity of Batman to her, but he believes that he himself is Batman, due to his damaged memories. Chase then meets Bruce Wayne outside and tells him his secret is safe. Batman and Robin then continue to protect Gotham City from crime.
Cast[edit]
Val Kilmer as Bruce Wayne/Batman
 After coming across the journal of his father, he starts questioning his act of vengeance. Bruce struggles with his dual identity as a crime fighter, becoming romantically involved with Dr. Chase Meridian.
Tommy Lee Jones as Harvey Dent/Two-Face
 Formerly the good district attorney of Gotham City, half of Harvey's face is scarred with acid during the conviction of a crime boss. Driven insane, he becomes the criminal Harvey Two-Face. He flips a coin to determine if he kills (tails) or not (heads).
Jim Carrey as Edward Nygma/The Riddler
 A former Wayne Enterprises employee, Edward resigns after his newest invention is personally rejected by Bruce Wayne, with whom he is obsessed. He becomes the villainous Riddler, leaving riddles and puzzles at crime scenes.
Nicole Kidman as Dr. Chase Meridian
 A psychologist and love interest of Bruce Wayne. Chase is fascinated by the dual nature of Batman. She is held as a damsel in distress in the climax.
Chris O'Donnell as Dick Grayson/Robin
 Once a circus acrobat, Dick is taken in by Bruce after Two-Face murders his parents and brother at a circus event. Bruce is reminded of when his parents were murdered when he sees the same vengeance in Dick, and decides to take him in as his ward. He eventually discovers the Batcave and learns Bruce's secret identity. In his wake, he becomes the crime fighting partner, Robin.
Michael Gough as Alfred Pennyworth
 The Wayne family's faithful butler and Bruce's confidant. Alfred also befriends the young Dick Grayson.
Pat Hingle as James Gordon
 The police commissioner of Gotham City.
Drew Barrymore as Sugar
 Two-Face's "good" assistant.
Debi Mazar as Spice
 Two-Face's "bad" assistant.
Elizabeth Sanders as Gossip Gerty
 Gotham's top gossip columnist.
René Auberjonois as Dr. Burton
 The head Doctor of Arkham Asylum.
Joe Grifasi as Hawkins, the Bank Guard
 Two-Face's hostage during the opening scene.
Ofer Samra as Two-Face's thug
Ed Begley, Jr. as Fred Stickley
 Edward Nygma's ill-tempered supervisor at Wayne Enterprises. After Stickley discovers the side effect of Edward's invention, Edward kills him and makes it look like suicide. Begley was uncredited for this role.
Production[edit]
Development[edit]
Even though Batman Returns was a financial success, Warner Bros. felt the film should have made more money and decided to make the film series more mainstream. Tim Burton, who had directed the two previous installments, was asked to restrict himself to the role of producer and signed Joel Schumacher as director.[2] After approving Schumacher as director, Burton met with Lee and Janet Scott-Batchler, who agreed with him that "the key element to Batman is his duality. And it's not just that Batman is Bruce Wayne".[3] Burton along with Schumacher hired the Batchlers to write the script which introduced a psychotic Riddler with a pet rat accompanying him. The story elements and much of the dialogue still remained in the finished film, though Schumacher felt it could be "lighte[ne]d down". Schumacher claims he originally had in mind an adaptation of Frank Miller's Batman: Year One. The studio rejected the idea as they wanted a sequel, not a prequel, though Schumacher was able to include very brief events in Bruce Wayne's past. He hired Akiva Goldsman - with whom he previously had worked with on The Client - to write the second draft of the script.[4]
Production went on fast track with Rene Russo cast as Dr. Chase Meridian but Michael Keaton decided not to reprise Batman because he did not like the new direction the film series was heading in.[5] Keaton also wanted to pursue "more interesting roles",[6] turning down $15 million to appear in Batman Forever.[7] Val Kilmer was cast days later, and the filmmakers decided that Russo was too old for Kilmer, replacing her with a different actress.[5] Schumacher became interested in Kilmer for Batman after seeing him in Tombstone, and the actor accepted the role without even reading the script or knowing who the new director was.[8] Before Val Kilmer was cast, Daniel Day-Lewis, Ralph Fiennes, William Baldwin and Johnny Depp were all under consideration to replace Michael Keaton.[9][10] Ethan Hawke turned down the role over fear of typecasting, but later regretted the decision.[11]
Robin Wright, Jeanne Tripplehorn and Linda Hamilton were in competition for Dr. Chase Meridian, with Wright appearing as the favorable choice. Nicole Kidman was eventually cast.[12] Billy Dee Williams took on the role of Harvey Dent in Batman on the possibility of portraying Two-Face in a sequel, but Schumacher cast Tommy Lee Jones in the role.[13] Jones was always Schumacher's first choice, after having worked with him on The Client. Jones claims he was sent the script and was very cautious to accept,[4] but did so after his son's insistence.[14] Robin Williams was in discussions to be the Riddler at one point.[15][16] In a 2003 interview, Schumacher stated Michael Jackson lobbied hard for the role, but was turned down before Jim Carrey was cast.[17] Robin appeared in the shooting script of Batman Returns but was deleted due to too many characters. Marlon Wayans had been cast in the role, and signed for Batman Forever. It was decided to replace Wayans with a white actor.[18] Leonardo DiCaprio was considered, but decided not to pursue the role after a meeting with Schumacher.[19] Chris O'Donnell was cast and Mitchell Gaylord served as his stunt double.[12]
Filming[edit]
Filming started in September 1994.[2] Schumacher hired Barbara Ling for production design, claiming that the film needed a "force" and felt Ling could "advance on it". Schumacher wanted a design that was not to be in any way connected to the previous films, and instead was to be inspired by the images from the Batman comic books seen in the 1940s/early 1950s and taken from that of New York City architecture in the 1930s, with a combination of modern Tokyo. He also wanted a "city with personality", with more statues, as well as various amounts of neon.
Schumacher had problems filming with Kilmer, whom he described as "childish and impossible", reporting that he fought with various crewmen, and refused to speak to Schumacher during two weeks after the director told him to stop behaving in a rude way.[5] Schumacher also mentioned Tommy Lee Jones as a source of trouble: "Jim Carrey was a gentleman, and Tommy Lee was threatened by him. I'm tired of defending overpaid, overprivileged actors. I pray I don't work with them again."[20] Carrey later acknowledged Jones was not friendly to him, telling him once off-set during the production, "I hate you. I really don't like you ... I cannot sanction your buffoonery." [21]
Design and effects[edit]
Rick Baker designed the prosthetic makeup. John Dykstra, Andrew Adamson and Jim Rygiel served as visual effects supervisors, with Pacific Data Images also contributing to visual effects work. PDI provided a computer-generated Batman for complicated stunts.[22] For the costume design, producer Peter MacGregor-Scott claimed that 146 workers were at one point working together. Batman's costume was redesigned along the lines of a more "MTV organic, and edgier feel" to the suit.[23] Sound editing and mixing was co-supervised by Bruce Stambler and John Levesque, which included trips to caves to record bat sounds.[24] A new Batmobile was designed for Batman Forever, with two cars being constructed, one for stunt purposes and one for close-ups with both showcasing a V8 engine.[25] Swiss surrealist painter H.R. Giger provided his version for the Batmobile but it was considered too sinister for the film.
Music[edit]
Further information: Batman Forever (score) and Batman Forever (soundtrack)
Elliot Goldenthal was hired by Schumacher to compose the film score before the screenplay was written, whereas most composers are hired during production. In discussions with Schumacher, the director wanted Goldenthal to avoid taking inspiration from Danny Elfman, and requested an original composition.[26] The film's promotional teaser trailer used the main title theme from Elfman's score of 1989's Batman.[27]
The soundtrack was commercially successful, selling almost as many copies as Prince's soundtrack to the 1989 Batman film. Only five of the songs on the soundtrack are actually featured in the movie'. Hit singles from the soundtrack include "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" by U2 and "Kiss from a Rose" by Seal, both of which were nominated for MTV Movie Awards. "Kiss from a Rose" (whose video was also directed by Joel Schumacher) reached No. 1 in the U.S. charts as well. The soundtrack itself, featuring additional songs by The Flaming Lips, Brandy (both songs also included in the film), Method Man, Nick Cave, Michael Hutchence (of INXS), PJ Harvey, and Massive Attack, was an attempt to (in producer Peter MacGregor-Scott's words) make the film more "pop".
Deleted scenes[edit]
Batman Forever went through a few major edits before its release. Originally darker than the final product, the movie's original length was closer to two hours and 40 minutes according to director Joel Schumacher. There was talk of an extended cut being released to DVD for the film's 10th anniversary in 2005. While all four previous Batman films were given special edition DVD releases on the same day as the Batman Begins DVD release, none of them were given extended cuts, although some of the following scenes were in a deleted scenes section in the special features.[28]
Many scenes were filmed but deleted from the film, others scenes had footage removed. These included:
The escape of Two-Face from Arkham Asylum. René Auberjonois had another scene filmed here in the role of Doctor Burton, but his role was reduced in the final film. He discovers Two-Face's escape, encountering his psychologist hanged in Two-Face's cell with "The Bat Must Die" written in blood on the wall. This was supposed to be the film's opening scene, but producers decided this was far too dark for a family audience.
When Two-Face addresses the crowd from the helicopter in the opening action scene, the speech was truncated and several lines that appeared in the Theatrical Trailer were removed, including the line "If the Bat wants to play, we'll play!".
There was a sequence that contained an extended fight scene between Two-Face and Batman, where they both struggle for control of the helicopter. In this scene, Two-Face accuses Batman of being "a killer too", a direct continuity reference to the first two Batman films in which Batman killed the Joker, the Penguin and several of their respective goons. Two-face then manages to escape by the parachute, after Batman realizes he has locked the steering wheel into position. This sequence is included in rough form on the special edition DVD.
A scene right before Edward Nygma arrived at Wayne Manor. It featured Bruce Wayne watching a local Gotham talk show with Chase Meridian as a guest, talking about Batman.
One scene right before Riddler and Two-face team up featured a little conversation with Dick and Bruce in the gym of the manor. This would explain why Dick suddenly has martial art training. This scene appears in a rough edit on the Special Edition DVD.
The scene where the Riddler fails to punch a security guard out. The guard is then brutally beaten, presumably to death.
One sequence came directly after the casino robbery, where Batman follows a robbery signal on a tracking device in the Batmobile. He shows up at the crime scene and finds he is at the wrong place (a beauty salon), in which a room full of girls laugh at him. The Riddler had been throwing Batman off the track by messing with the Batmobile's tracking device. This would explain why in the theatrical version Batman seems to give Riddler and Two-Face moments of free rein over the city. This scene appears in a rough edit on the Special Edition DVD.
The construction of NygmaTech was after Batman solves the third riddle and was more in-depth. There were scenes shot that appear in publicity stills of Edward Nygma with a hard hat helping with the construction of his headquarters on Claw Island.
Sugar and Spice, played by Drew Barrymore and Debi Mazar, try out the Riddler's device during the montage when it goes on sale. They are seated with the Riddler and Two-Face on the couch where Chase is handcuffed later in the film. This scene appears in the comic adaptation but not in the final film.
There was originally a scene after the montage of Alfred and Bruce examining the NygmaTech "Box".
An extended scene established Bruce in the Batcave shortly after having discussed with Dick then that this would have saved his life after the battle with Two-Face in the subway system under construction. In this scene he is appreciated as the GNN news (Bruce watching in the Batcomputer) attacking Batman and Two-Face after the battle in the Subway and after that Bruce talking to Alfred turns into the dilemma of continuing to be Batman and try a normal life with Chase. Like the deleted Helicopter fight sequence, this scene also makes reference to Batman himself being "a killer", and in the original production screenplay, this scene was to contain footage from Batman Returns, specifically taken from the rooftop fight scene with Catwoman. This would explain why in the theatrical version Bruce turns off all the systems and else in the Batcave telling Dick he's gives up being Batman. This scene appears in a rough form on the Special Edition DVD.
Another scene in the Wayne Manor raid sequence was longer, featuring Bruce and Chase fighting Two-Face and his thugs.
The scene involving Chase Meridian on the couch originally included a longer ending where the Riddler injects her with a green sleeping agent so he can easily place her in the small tube with the trap door.
The most well-known deleted scene involved further backstory to the film. It involved Bruce waking up after being shot in the head by Two-Face, temporarily wiping a part of his memory; he has forgotten his origin and life as the Dark Knight. Alfred takes him to the Batcave, which has been destroyed by the Riddler. They stand on the platform where the Batmobile was, and Alfred says, "Funny they did not know about the cave beneath the cave." The platform then rotates downward to another level where the sonar-modification equipment is kept, from the special Batsuit to the hi-tech weaponry. Bruce then discovers the cavern where he first saw the image that inspired him to become Batman – a giant bat. Inside he finds his father's Red Diary. It reminds him of the injustices committed against his family, and of how, in his small way, he felt responsible and helpless. The giant bat then appears and Bruce raises his arms and the shot shows that they are one. Bruce now remembers who he is and goes with Alfred to solve the riddles left throughout the film. Screenwriter Akiva Goldsman admitted the scene was very theatrical on the special edition DVD and felt it would have made a difference to the final cut. The bat was designed and created by Rick Baker, who was in charge of the make-up of Two-Face. This scene appears in a rough form on the special edition DVD and is briefly mentioned in the comic adaptation.
The fight scene between Two-Face and Robin on Claw Island was originally longer.
The original ending was similar in style to the previous Batman films, which had involved a scene with Alfred in the limousine, the camera tracking upward through the Gotham cityscape, followed by a rooftop shot involving a silhouetted hero (Batman in the original, Catwoman in Batman Returns) facing the Bat Signal. When Alfred drives Doctor Chase Meridian back to Gotham she asks him "Does it ever end, Alfred?. "Alfred replies, "No, Doctor Meridian, not in this lifetime..." The Bat-Signal shines on the night sky and Batman is standing on a pillar looking ahead. Robin then comes into shot and joins his new partner. They both leap off the pillar, towards the camera. A rough edit of the first half of the scene appears on the special edition DVD, but not in its entirety. The sequence with Batman and Robin at the end of this scene is not to be confused with a commercial for the video game, whose appears in a teaser trailer for the video game, which is on the VHS release of this film, released in the UK on December 3, 1995.
Release[edit]
Box office[edit]
Batman Forever opened in 2,842 theaters in the United States on June 16, 1995, making $52.78 million in its opening weekend.[1] This was the highest opening weekend of all time up to that point.[29] The film went on to gross $184.03 million in North America, and $152.5 million in international countries, totaling $336.53 million. Batman Forever was declared a huge financial success.[1] The film earned more money than its predecessor Batman Returns,[30] and was the second-highest (behind Toy Story) grossing film of 1995, in the U.S.[29]
Critical reaction [edit]
Based on 58 reviews collected by the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 41% of reviewers giving the film a positive review and the consensus: "Loud, excessively busy, and often boring, Batman Forever nonetheless has the charisma of Jim Carrey and Tommy Lee Jones to offer mild relief."[31] Metacritic collected an average score of 51, based on 23 reviews.[32]
Peter Travers said "Batman Forever still gets in its licks. There's no fun machine this summer that packs more surprises." However, he criticized the film's excessive commercialism and felt that "the script misses the pain Tim Burton caught in a man tormented by the long-ago murder of his parents."[33] Brian Lowry of Variety believed "One does have to question the logic behind adding nipples to the hard-rubber batsuit. Whose idea was that supposed to be anyway, Alfred's? Some of the computer-generated Gotham cityscapes appear too obviously fake. Elliot Goldenthal's score, while serviceable, also isn't as stirring as Danny Elfman's work in the first two films."[34]
James Berardinelli enjoyed the film. "It's lighter, brighter, funnier, faster-paced, and a whole lot more colorful than before."[35] Scott Beatty felt "Tommy Lee Jones played Harvey Dent as a Joker knock-off rather than a multi-layered rogue."[36] Lee Bermejo called Batman Forever "unbearable".[37] Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert both gave the film mixed reviews, but with the former giving it a thumbs up and the latter a thumbs down.[dead link][38] In his written review, Ebert wrote: "Is the movie better entertainment? Well, it's great bubblegum for the eyes. Younger children will be able to process it more easily; some kids were led bawling from Batman Returns where the PG-13 rating was a joke."[39] Mick LaSalle had a mixed reaction, concluding "a shot of Kilmer's rubber buns at one point is guaranteed to bring squeals from the audience."[40]
UK video game magazine Amiga Power sabotaged an in-house advert for sister magazine SFX by inserting an assertion that Batman Forever was "the worst" (Batman movie) in response to the advert's own suggestive question, pithily pre-empting that magazine's own coverage.[citation needed]
Accolades[edit]
At the 68th Academy Awards, Batman Forever was nominated for Cinematography (lost to Braveheart), Sound (Donald O. Mitchell, Frank A. Montaño, Michael Herbick and Petur Hliddal; lost to Apollo 13) and Sound Editing (John Leveque and Bruce Stambler) (also lost to Braveheart).[41] "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" by U2 was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song (lost to "Colors of the Wind" from Pocahontas), but was also nominated for the Worst Original Song Golden Raspberry Award (lost to "Walk Into the Wind" from Showgirls). At the Saturn Awards, the film was nominated for Best Fantasy Film (lost to Babe), Make-up (lost to Seven), Special Effects (lost to Jumanji) and Costume Design (lost to 12 Monkeys). Composer Elliot Goldenthal was given a Grammy Award nomination. Batman Forever received six nominations at the 1996 MTV Movie Awards, four of which were divided between two categories (Carrey and Lee Jones for Best Villain; and Seal's "Kiss from a Rose" and U2's "Hold Me" in Best Song from a Movie). However, it won in just one category — Best Song from a Movie for Seal's "Kiss from a Rose".
Merchandising[edit]
In addition to a large line of toys and action figures from Kenner, the McDonald's food chain released several collectibles and mugs to coincide with the release of the film. Peter David and Alan Grant wrote separate novelizations of the film.[42][43] Dennis O'Neil authored a comic book adaptation, with art by Michal Dutkiewicz.[44]
Six Flags Great Adventure theme park re-themed their "Axis Chemical" arena, home of the Batman stunt show, to resemble "Batman Forever", and the new show featured props from the film. Because of the mostly negative critical reaction however, the stunt arena was changed back to its original version after the season. Six Flags Over Texas featured a one-time firework show to promote the movie, and replica busts of Batman, Robin, Two-Face, and the Riddler can still be found in the Justice League store in the Looney Tunes U.S.A. section.
See also[edit]

Portal icon United States portal
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Portal icon Film portal
Portal icon Superhero fiction portal
Batman Forever (video game)
Batman Forever: The Arcade Game
Batman Forever (soundtrack)



References[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b c d "Batman Forever". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2008-08-16.
2.^ Jump up to: a b "Batman 3". Entertainment Weekly. October 1, 1993. Archived from the original on September 21, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-16.
3.Jump up ^ "Interview with Batman Forever's Janet Scott Batchler". Retrieved 2013-02-11.
4.^ Jump up to: a b Shadows of the Bat: The Cinematic Saga of the Dark Knight-Reinventing a Hero (DVD). Warner Bros. 2005.
5.^ Jump up to: a b c Jeff Gordinier (July 15, 1994). "Next at Batman". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on September 21, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-16.
6.Jump up ^ Army Archerd (December 1, 1994). "Culkin kids ink with WMA". Variety. Archived from the original on September 21, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-16.
7.Jump up ^ Staff (October 12, 2014). "Michael Keaton takes wing in "Birdman"". CBS News. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
8.Jump up ^ Nathan, Ian (August 1995). "Hold me, thrill me, kiss me, Kilmer". Empire. pp. 108–117.
9.Jump up ^ Jett (December 16, 2009). "William Baldwin Talks Batman And "JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRISIS ON TWO EARTHS"". Batman-on-Film.
10.Jump up ^ "Johnny Depp Was Almost Batman In Batman Forever". ComicBookMovie. December 10, 2009.
11.Jump up ^ Wiener, Jonah (October 2011). "Q&A: Ethan Hawke". Details. Retrieved 2012-08-07.
12.^ Jump up to: a b Judy Brennan (1994-06-03). "Batman Battles New Bat Villains". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on August 28, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-16.
13.Jump up ^ Batman Heroes Profile: Harvey Dent (DVD). Batman Special Edition: Warner Bros. Home Video. 2005.
14.Jump up ^ Cindy Pearlman (July 22, 1994). "The Good Son". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2009-07-19.
15.Jump up ^ "Christopher Nolan: The Movies. The Memories.". Empire. July 2010. Retrieved 2014-08-11.
16.Jump up ^ Cindy Pearlman (December 17, 1993). "Flashes: No Joker". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on September 21, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-16.
17.Jump up ^ Mike Thomas (2003-03-31). "Hey, what about that man in the glass booth?". Chicago Sun-Times.
18.Jump up ^ Nathan Rabin (1998-02-25). "Wayans World". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on 2009-02-26. Retrieved 2014-08-17.
19.Jump up ^ "DiCaprio Interview". Shortlist. 2010-07-15. Retrieved 2014-09-17.
20.Jump up ^ Benjamin Svetkey (July 12, 1996). "Holy Happy Set!". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on September 7, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-16.
21.Jump up ^ "Tommy Lee Jones Once Told Jim Carrey I Hate You, I Really Don't Like You". US Weekly. October 29, 2014. Retrieved 2014-10-29.
22.Jump up ^ Menache, Alberto (1999). Understanding motion capture for computer animation and video games. Morgan Kaufmann. p. 49. ISBN 0-12-490630-3.
23.Jump up ^ The Many Faces of Gotham City (DVD). Warner Bros. 2005.
24.Jump up ^ Kenny, Tom (October 1, 2000). Sound for picture: film sound through the 1990s. Hal Leonard Corporation. pp. 85–87. ISBN 978-0-87288-724-4. Retrieved February 28, 2011.
25.Jump up ^ Out of the Shadows: The Production Design of Batman Forever (DVD). Batman Forever: Special Edition: Warner Bros. 2005.
26.Jump up ^ Scoring Forever: The Music of Batman Forever (DVD publisher =Warner Bros.). 2005.
27.Jump up ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_KllgySsPo Retrieved January 27th, 2014
28.Jump up ^ "Batman Forever – What Could Be: A Guide to the Batman Forever Cutting Room Floor". Batman-On-Film.com. Retrieved 2008-12-18.
29.^ Jump up to: a b "1995 Domestic Grosses". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2008-08-16.
30.Jump up ^ "Batman Battle". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2008-08-16.
31.Jump up ^ "Batman Forever". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved 2012-07-05.
32.Jump up ^ "Batman Forever (1995): Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2008-08-16.
33.Jump up ^ Peter Travers (December 8, 2000). "Batman Forever". Rolling Stone.
34.Jump up ^ Brian Lowry (June 14, 1995). "Batman Forever". Variety. Archived from the original on August 21, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-16.
35.Jump up ^ James Berardinelli (June 16, 1995). "Batman Forever". ReelViews. Retrieved 2008-08-17.
36.Jump up ^ Bill "Jett" Ramey (November 28, 2005). "BOF Interview: Scott Beatty". Batman-on-Film. Retrieved 2008-08-16.
37.Jump up ^ Bill "Jett" Ramey (October 13, 2005). "Interview: Lee Bermejo". Batman-on-Film. Archived from the original on September 15, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-16.
38.Jump up ^ At the Movies.[dead link]
39.Jump up ^ Roger Ebert. "Batman Forever". rogerebert.com. Archived from the original on July 22, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-17.
40.Jump up ^ Mick LaSalle (June 16, 1995). "Batman Forever Goes On and On". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on September 21, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-17.
41.Jump up ^ "The 68th Academy Awards (1996) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org.
42.Jump up ^ "Batman Forever (Paperback)". Amazon. Retrieved 2008-08-17.
43.Jump up ^ "Batman Forever: The Novelization". Amazon. Retrieved 2008-08-17.
44.Jump up ^ "Batman Forever: The Official Comic Adaptation of Motion Picture". Amazon. Retrieved 2008-08-17.
External links[edit]
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Batman Forever
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search

For other uses, see Batman Forever (disambiguation).

Batman Forever
Theatrical release poster featuring Batman and various characters from the film.
Theatrical release poster

Directed by
Joel Schumacher
Produced by
Tim Burton
 Peter MacGregor-Scott
Screenplay by
Lee Batchler
 Janet Scott-Batchler
Akiva Goldsman
Story by
Lee Batchler
 Janet Scott-Batchler
Based on
Batman
 by Bob Kane
Starring
Val Kilmer
Tommy Lee Jones
Jim Carrey
Nicole Kidman
Chris O'Donnell
Michael Gough
Pat Hingle

Music by
Elliot Goldenthal
Cinematography
Stephen Goldblatt
Edited by
Dennis Virkler
Mark Stevens

Production
 company

PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
 Tim Burton Productions

Distributed by
Warner Bros.

Release dates

June 16, 1995 (United States)


Running time
 122 minutes
Country
United States
Language
English
Budget
$100 million[1]
Box office
$336.5 million[1]
Batman Forever is a 1995 American superhero film directed by Joel Schumacher and produced by Tim Burton, based on the DC Comics character Batman. It is the third installment of the initial Batman film series, with Val Kilmer replacing Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne/Batman. The film stars Tommy Lee Jones, Jim Carrey, Nicole Kidman and Chris O'Donnell. The plot focuses on Batman trying to stop Two-Face (Jones) and the Riddler (Carrey) in their villainous scheme to extract confidential information from all the minds in Gotham City and use it to learn Batman's identity and bring the city under their control. He gains allegiance from a love interest—psychiatrist Dr. Chase Meridian (Kidman) and a young, orphaned circus acrobat named Dick Grayson (O'Donnell), who becomes his sidekick Robin.
Batman Forever's tone is significantly different from the previous installments, becoming more family-friendly since Warner Bros. considered that the previous film, Batman Returns (1992), failed to outgross its predecessor due to parent complaints about the film's violence and dark overtones. Schumacher eschewed the dark, dystopian atmosphere of Burton's films by drawing inspiration from the Batman comic book of the Dick Sprang era, as well as the 1960s television series. Keaton chose not to reprise the role due to Burton stepping down as director. William Baldwin and Ethan Hawke were initially considered for Keaton's replacement, before Kilmer joined the cast. The film was released on June 16, 1995, receiving mixed reviews, but was a financial success. Batman Forever grossed over $336 million worldwide and became the sixth-highest grossing film worldwide of 1995.


Contents  [hide]
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Production 3.1 Development
3.2 Filming
3.3 Design and effects
3.4 Music
4 Deleted scenes
5 Release 5.1 Box office
5.2 Critical reaction
5.3 Accolades
5.4 Merchandising
6 See also
7 References
8 External links

Plot[edit]
In Gotham City, Batman stops a hostage situation in a bank caused by Two-Face, the alter ego of the disfigured former district attorney, Harvey Dent. However, Two-Face escapes. Edward Nygma, a researcher at Wayne Enterprises, develops a device to beam television directly to a person's brain; Bruce Wayne - with whom Nygma is obsessed - rejects the invention, noting that it "raises too many questions", and Nygma angrily resigns from his position after killing his supervisor Fred Stickley, and forging his suicide note and footage. During a news report, it shows how Harvey Dent became Two-Face: While he was prosecuting Sal Maroni, Maroni threw acid in Harvey's face while Batman tried to stop him but failed. After meeting Batman-obsessed psychiatrist Dr. Chase Meridian, Bruce invites her to a charity circus event. There, Two-Face and his henchmen storm the event in an attempt to discover Batman's secret identity, and in the process murder The Flying Graysons, a family of acrobats who attempt to stop him. The youngest member, Dick, survives and throws Two-Face's bomb into the river to detonate safely underwater.
Bruce assumes responsibility for Dick and allows him to stay at Wayne Manor. Dick then declares his intention to kill Two-Face and avenge his family's murder, and when he discovers Bruce's secret identity as Batman, he insists on becoming his partner, "Robin". Meanwhile, Nygma becomes a criminal known as the "Riddler", the master of puzzles and quizzes and forms an alliance with Two-Face. The two work together to steal capital for the mass production and promotion of Nygma's television device. Using his device, Nygma can read and control people's minds, and steal their intelligence quotient. At a business party, Nygma discovers Bruce's secret identity. Two-Face then attacks the party and nearly kills Batman, but Robin arrives just in time to save his life. Meanwhile, Chase realizes her love for Bruce surpasses her obsession with Batman, but soon discovers that they are one and the same. However, Two-Face and the Riddler later converge into Wayne Manor. The Riddler enters the Batcave and destroys most of the equipment, and he and Two-Face kidnap Chase, while leaving Bruce another riddle.
After solving the last riddle, Batman and Robin locate Two-Face and the Riddler's lair, Claw Island, where both are separated upon reaching the island. Robin then encounters Two-Face and manages to beat him to the ground; realizing that he does not have it in him to commit murder, Robin helps the villain back up. Two-Face gets the upper hand and captures Robin. Meanwhile, Batman manages to make his way into the Riddler's lair, where Robin and Chase are revealed as hostages, bound, gagged with duct tape and held over a watery chasm, giving Batman a choice of saving just one hostage. Batman finds a way to save both hostages, and manages to destroy the brainwave-collecting device. The device's malfunction drives the Riddler into a mental breakdown in the process. During the battle, Two-Face falls to his death. The Riddler is sent to Arkham Asylum, and Chase is asked to consult on his case. Nygma offers to reveal the identity of Batman to her, but he believes that he himself is Batman, due to his damaged memories. Chase then meets Bruce Wayne outside and tells him his secret is safe. Batman and Robin then continue to protect Gotham City from crime.
Cast[edit]
Val Kilmer as Bruce Wayne/Batman
 After coming across the journal of his father, he starts questioning his act of vengeance. Bruce struggles with his dual identity as a crime fighter, becoming romantically involved with Dr. Chase Meridian.
Tommy Lee Jones as Harvey Dent/Two-Face
 Formerly the good district attorney of Gotham City, half of Harvey's face is scarred with acid during the conviction of a crime boss. Driven insane, he becomes the criminal Harvey Two-Face. He flips a coin to determine if he kills (tails) or not (heads).
Jim Carrey as Edward Nygma/The Riddler
 A former Wayne Enterprises employee, Edward resigns after his newest invention is personally rejected by Bruce Wayne, with whom he is obsessed. He becomes the villainous Riddler, leaving riddles and puzzles at crime scenes.
Nicole Kidman as Dr. Chase Meridian
 A psychologist and love interest of Bruce Wayne. Chase is fascinated by the dual nature of Batman. She is held as a damsel in distress in the climax.
Chris O'Donnell as Dick Grayson/Robin
 Once a circus acrobat, Dick is taken in by Bruce after Two-Face murders his parents and brother at a circus event. Bruce is reminded of when his parents were murdered when he sees the same vengeance in Dick, and decides to take him in as his ward. He eventually discovers the Batcave and learns Bruce's secret identity. In his wake, he becomes the crime fighting partner, Robin.
Michael Gough as Alfred Pennyworth
 The Wayne family's faithful butler and Bruce's confidant. Alfred also befriends the young Dick Grayson.
Pat Hingle as James Gordon
 The police commissioner of Gotham City.
Drew Barrymore as Sugar
 Two-Face's "good" assistant.
Debi Mazar as Spice
 Two-Face's "bad" assistant.
Elizabeth Sanders as Gossip Gerty
 Gotham's top gossip columnist.
René Auberjonois as Dr. Burton
 The head Doctor of Arkham Asylum.
Joe Grifasi as Hawkins, the Bank Guard
 Two-Face's hostage during the opening scene.
Ofer Samra as Two-Face's thug
Ed Begley, Jr. as Fred Stickley
 Edward Nygma's ill-tempered supervisor at Wayne Enterprises. After Stickley discovers the side effect of Edward's invention, Edward kills him and makes it look like suicide. Begley was uncredited for this role.
Production[edit]
Development[edit]
Even though Batman Returns was a financial success, Warner Bros. felt the film should have made more money and decided to make the film series more mainstream. Tim Burton, who had directed the two previous installments, was asked to restrict himself to the role of producer and signed Joel Schumacher as director.[2] After approving Schumacher as director, Burton met with Lee and Janet Scott-Batchler, who agreed with him that "the key element to Batman is his duality. And it's not just that Batman is Bruce Wayne".[3] Burton along with Schumacher hired the Batchlers to write the script which introduced a psychotic Riddler with a pet rat accompanying him. The story elements and much of the dialogue still remained in the finished film, though Schumacher felt it could be "lighte[ne]d down". Schumacher claims he originally had in mind an adaptation of Frank Miller's Batman: Year One. The studio rejected the idea as they wanted a sequel, not a prequel, though Schumacher was able to include very brief events in Bruce Wayne's past. He hired Akiva Goldsman - with whom he previously had worked with on The Client - to write the second draft of the script.[4]
Production went on fast track with Rene Russo cast as Dr. Chase Meridian but Michael Keaton decided not to reprise Batman because he did not like the new direction the film series was heading in.[5] Keaton also wanted to pursue "more interesting roles",[6] turning down $15 million to appear in Batman Forever.[7] Val Kilmer was cast days later, and the filmmakers decided that Russo was too old for Kilmer, replacing her with a different actress.[5] Schumacher became interested in Kilmer for Batman after seeing him in Tombstone, and the actor accepted the role without even reading the script or knowing who the new director was.[8] Before Val Kilmer was cast, Daniel Day-Lewis, Ralph Fiennes, William Baldwin and Johnny Depp were all under consideration to replace Michael Keaton.[9][10] Ethan Hawke turned down the role over fear of typecasting, but later regretted the decision.[11]
Robin Wright, Jeanne Tripplehorn and Linda Hamilton were in competition for Dr. Chase Meridian, with Wright appearing as the favorable choice. Nicole Kidman was eventually cast.[12] Billy Dee Williams took on the role of Harvey Dent in Batman on the possibility of portraying Two-Face in a sequel, but Schumacher cast Tommy Lee Jones in the role.[13] Jones was always Schumacher's first choice, after having worked with him on The Client. Jones claims he was sent the script and was very cautious to accept,[4] but did so after his son's insistence.[14] Robin Williams was in discussions to be the Riddler at one point.[15][16] In a 2003 interview, Schumacher stated Michael Jackson lobbied hard for the role, but was turned down before Jim Carrey was cast.[17] Robin appeared in the shooting script of Batman Returns but was deleted due to too many characters. Marlon Wayans had been cast in the role, and signed for Batman Forever. It was decided to replace Wayans with a white actor.[18] Leonardo DiCaprio was considered, but decided not to pursue the role after a meeting with Schumacher.[19] Chris O'Donnell was cast and Mitchell Gaylord served as his stunt double.[12]
Filming[edit]
Filming started in September 1994.[2] Schumacher hired Barbara Ling for production design, claiming that the film needed a "force" and felt Ling could "advance on it". Schumacher wanted a design that was not to be in any way connected to the previous films, and instead was to be inspired by the images from the Batman comic books seen in the 1940s/early 1950s and taken from that of New York City architecture in the 1930s, with a combination of modern Tokyo. He also wanted a "city with personality", with more statues, as well as various amounts of neon.
Schumacher had problems filming with Kilmer, whom he described as "childish and impossible", reporting that he fought with various crewmen, and refused to speak to Schumacher during two weeks after the director told him to stop behaving in a rude way.[5] Schumacher also mentioned Tommy Lee Jones as a source of trouble: "Jim Carrey was a gentleman, and Tommy Lee was threatened by him. I'm tired of defending overpaid, overprivileged actors. I pray I don't work with them again."[20] Carrey later acknowledged Jones was not friendly to him, telling him once off-set during the production, "I hate you. I really don't like you ... I cannot sanction your buffoonery." [21]
Design and effects[edit]
Rick Baker designed the prosthetic makeup. John Dykstra, Andrew Adamson and Jim Rygiel served as visual effects supervisors, with Pacific Data Images also contributing to visual effects work. PDI provided a computer-generated Batman for complicated stunts.[22] For the costume design, producer Peter MacGregor-Scott claimed that 146 workers were at one point working together. Batman's costume was redesigned along the lines of a more "MTV organic, and edgier feel" to the suit.[23] Sound editing and mixing was co-supervised by Bruce Stambler and John Levesque, which included trips to caves to record bat sounds.[24] A new Batmobile was designed for Batman Forever, with two cars being constructed, one for stunt purposes and one for close-ups with both showcasing a V8 engine.[25] Swiss surrealist painter H.R. Giger provided his version for the Batmobile but it was considered too sinister for the film.
Music[edit]
Further information: Batman Forever (score) and Batman Forever (soundtrack)
Elliot Goldenthal was hired by Schumacher to compose the film score before the screenplay was written, whereas most composers are hired during production. In discussions with Schumacher, the director wanted Goldenthal to avoid taking inspiration from Danny Elfman, and requested an original composition.[26] The film's promotional teaser trailer used the main title theme from Elfman's score of 1989's Batman.[27]
The soundtrack was commercially successful, selling almost as many copies as Prince's soundtrack to the 1989 Batman film. Only five of the songs on the soundtrack are actually featured in the movie'. Hit singles from the soundtrack include "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" by U2 and "Kiss from a Rose" by Seal, both of which were nominated for MTV Movie Awards. "Kiss from a Rose" (whose video was also directed by Joel Schumacher) reached No. 1 in the U.S. charts as well. The soundtrack itself, featuring additional songs by The Flaming Lips, Brandy (both songs also included in the film), Method Man, Nick Cave, Michael Hutchence (of INXS), PJ Harvey, and Massive Attack, was an attempt to (in producer Peter MacGregor-Scott's words) make the film more "pop".
Deleted scenes[edit]
Batman Forever went through a few major edits before its release. Originally darker than the final product, the movie's original length was closer to two hours and 40 minutes according to director Joel Schumacher. There was talk of an extended cut being released to DVD for the film's 10th anniversary in 2005. While all four previous Batman films were given special edition DVD releases on the same day as the Batman Begins DVD release, none of them were given extended cuts, although some of the following scenes were in a deleted scenes section in the special features.[28]
Many scenes were filmed but deleted from the film, others scenes had footage removed. These included:
The escape of Two-Face from Arkham Asylum. René Auberjonois had another scene filmed here in the role of Doctor Burton, but his role was reduced in the final film. He discovers Two-Face's escape, encountering his psychologist hanged in Two-Face's cell with "The Bat Must Die" written in blood on the wall. This was supposed to be the film's opening scene, but producers decided this was far too dark for a family audience.
When Two-Face addresses the crowd from the helicopter in the opening action scene, the speech was truncated and several lines that appeared in the Theatrical Trailer were removed, including the line "If the Bat wants to play, we'll play!".
There was a sequence that contained an extended fight scene between Two-Face and Batman, where they both struggle for control of the helicopter. In this scene, Two-Face accuses Batman of being "a killer too", a direct continuity reference to the first two Batman films in which Batman killed the Joker, the Penguin and several of their respective goons. Two-face then manages to escape by the parachute, after Batman realizes he has locked the steering wheel into position. This sequence is included in rough form on the special edition DVD.
A scene right before Edward Nygma arrived at Wayne Manor. It featured Bruce Wayne watching a local Gotham talk show with Chase Meridian as a guest, talking about Batman.
One scene right before Riddler and Two-face team up featured a little conversation with Dick and Bruce in the gym of the manor. This would explain why Dick suddenly has martial art training. This scene appears in a rough edit on the Special Edition DVD.
The scene where the Riddler fails to punch a security guard out. The guard is then brutally beaten, presumably to death.
One sequence came directly after the casino robbery, where Batman follows a robbery signal on a tracking device in the Batmobile. He shows up at the crime scene and finds he is at the wrong place (a beauty salon), in which a room full of girls laugh at him. The Riddler had been throwing Batman off the track by messing with the Batmobile's tracking device. This would explain why in the theatrical version Batman seems to give Riddler and Two-Face moments of free rein over the city. This scene appears in a rough edit on the Special Edition DVD.
The construction of NygmaTech was after Batman solves the third riddle and was more in-depth. There were scenes shot that appear in publicity stills of Edward Nygma with a hard hat helping with the construction of his headquarters on Claw Island.
Sugar and Spice, played by Drew Barrymore and Debi Mazar, try out the Riddler's device during the montage when it goes on sale. They are seated with the Riddler and Two-Face on the couch where Chase is handcuffed later in the film. This scene appears in the comic adaptation but not in the final film.
There was originally a scene after the montage of Alfred and Bruce examining the NygmaTech "Box".
An extended scene established Bruce in the Batcave shortly after having discussed with Dick then that this would have saved his life after the battle with Two-Face in the subway system under construction. In this scene he is appreciated as the GNN news (Bruce watching in the Batcomputer) attacking Batman and Two-Face after the battle in the Subway and after that Bruce talking to Alfred turns into the dilemma of continuing to be Batman and try a normal life with Chase. Like the deleted Helicopter fight sequence, this scene also makes reference to Batman himself being "a killer", and in the original production screenplay, this scene was to contain footage from Batman Returns, specifically taken from the rooftop fight scene with Catwoman. This would explain why in the theatrical version Bruce turns off all the systems and else in the Batcave telling Dick he's gives up being Batman. This scene appears in a rough form on the Special Edition DVD.
Another scene in the Wayne Manor raid sequence was longer, featuring Bruce and Chase fighting Two-Face and his thugs.
The scene involving Chase Meridian on the couch originally included a longer ending where the Riddler injects her with a green sleeping agent so he can easily place her in the small tube with the trap door.
The most well-known deleted scene involved further backstory to the film. It involved Bruce waking up after being shot in the head by Two-Face, temporarily wiping a part of his memory; he has forgotten his origin and life as the Dark Knight. Alfred takes him to the Batcave, which has been destroyed by the Riddler. They stand on the platform where the Batmobile was, and Alfred says, "Funny they did not know about the cave beneath the cave." The platform then rotates downward to another level where the sonar-modification equipment is kept, from the special Batsuit to the hi-tech weaponry. Bruce then discovers the cavern where he first saw the image that inspired him to become Batman – a giant bat. Inside he finds his father's Red Diary. It reminds him of the injustices committed against his family, and of how, in his small way, he felt responsible and helpless. The giant bat then appears and Bruce raises his arms and the shot shows that they are one. Bruce now remembers who he is and goes with Alfred to solve the riddles left throughout the film. Screenwriter Akiva Goldsman admitted the scene was very theatrical on the special edition DVD and felt it would have made a difference to the final cut. The bat was designed and created by Rick Baker, who was in charge of the make-up of Two-Face. This scene appears in a rough form on the special edition DVD and is briefly mentioned in the comic adaptation.
The fight scene between Two-Face and Robin on Claw Island was originally longer.
The original ending was similar in style to the previous Batman films, which had involved a scene with Alfred in the limousine, the camera tracking upward through the Gotham cityscape, followed by a rooftop shot involving a silhouetted hero (Batman in the original, Catwoman in Batman Returns) facing the Bat Signal. When Alfred drives Doctor Chase Meridian back to Gotham she asks him "Does it ever end, Alfred?. "Alfred replies, "No, Doctor Meridian, not in this lifetime..." The Bat-Signal shines on the night sky and Batman is standing on a pillar looking ahead. Robin then comes into shot and joins his new partner. They both leap off the pillar, towards the camera. A rough edit of the first half of the scene appears on the special edition DVD, but not in its entirety. The sequence with Batman and Robin at the end of this scene is not to be confused with a commercial for the video game, whose appears in a teaser trailer for the video game, which is on the VHS release of this film, released in the UK on December 3, 1995.
Release[edit]
Box office[edit]
Batman Forever opened in 2,842 theaters in the United States on June 16, 1995, making $52.78 million in its opening weekend.[1] This was the highest opening weekend of all time up to that point.[29] The film went on to gross $184.03 million in North America, and $152.5 million in international countries, totaling $336.53 million. Batman Forever was declared a huge financial success.[1] The film earned more money than its predecessor Batman Returns,[30] and was the second-highest (behind Toy Story) grossing film of 1995, in the U.S.[29]
Critical reaction [edit]
Based on 58 reviews collected by the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 41% of reviewers giving the film a positive review and the consensus: "Loud, excessively busy, and often boring, Batman Forever nonetheless has the charisma of Jim Carrey and Tommy Lee Jones to offer mild relief."[31] Metacritic collected an average score of 51, based on 23 reviews.[32]
Peter Travers said "Batman Forever still gets in its licks. There's no fun machine this summer that packs more surprises." However, he criticized the film's excessive commercialism and felt that "the script misses the pain Tim Burton caught in a man tormented by the long-ago murder of his parents."[33] Brian Lowry of Variety believed "One does have to question the logic behind adding nipples to the hard-rubber batsuit. Whose idea was that supposed to be anyway, Alfred's? Some of the computer-generated Gotham cityscapes appear too obviously fake. Elliot Goldenthal's score, while serviceable, also isn't as stirring as Danny Elfman's work in the first two films."[34]
James Berardinelli enjoyed the film. "It's lighter, brighter, funnier, faster-paced, and a whole lot more colorful than before."[35] Scott Beatty felt "Tommy Lee Jones played Harvey Dent as a Joker knock-off rather than a multi-layered rogue."[36] Lee Bermejo called Batman Forever "unbearable".[37] Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert both gave the film mixed reviews, but with the former giving it a thumbs up and the latter a thumbs down.[dead link][38] In his written review, Ebert wrote: "Is the movie better entertainment? Well, it's great bubblegum for the eyes. Younger children will be able to process it more easily; some kids were led bawling from Batman Returns where the PG-13 rating was a joke."[39] Mick LaSalle had a mixed reaction, concluding "a shot of Kilmer's rubber buns at one point is guaranteed to bring squeals from the audience."[40]
UK video game magazine Amiga Power sabotaged an in-house advert for sister magazine SFX by inserting an assertion that Batman Forever was "the worst" (Batman movie) in response to the advert's own suggestive question, pithily pre-empting that magazine's own coverage.[citation needed]
Accolades[edit]
At the 68th Academy Awards, Batman Forever was nominated for Cinematography (lost to Braveheart), Sound (Donald O. Mitchell, Frank A. Montaño, Michael Herbick and Petur Hliddal; lost to Apollo 13) and Sound Editing (John Leveque and Bruce Stambler) (also lost to Braveheart).[41] "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" by U2 was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song (lost to "Colors of the Wind" from Pocahontas), but was also nominated for the Worst Original Song Golden Raspberry Award (lost to "Walk Into the Wind" from Showgirls). At the Saturn Awards, the film was nominated for Best Fantasy Film (lost to Babe), Make-up (lost to Seven), Special Effects (lost to Jumanji) and Costume Design (lost to 12 Monkeys). Composer Elliot Goldenthal was given a Grammy Award nomination. Batman Forever received six nominations at the 1996 MTV Movie Awards, four of which were divided between two categories (Carrey and Lee Jones for Best Villain; and Seal's "Kiss from a Rose" and U2's "Hold Me" in Best Song from a Movie). However, it won in just one category — Best Song from a Movie for Seal's "Kiss from a Rose".
Merchandising[edit]
In addition to a large line of toys and action figures from Kenner, the McDonald's food chain released several collectibles and mugs to coincide with the release of the film. Peter David and Alan Grant wrote separate novelizations of the film.[42][43] Dennis O'Neil authored a comic book adaptation, with art by Michal Dutkiewicz.[44]
Six Flags Great Adventure theme park re-themed their "Axis Chemical" arena, home of the Batman stunt show, to resemble "Batman Forever", and the new show featured props from the film. Because of the mostly negative critical reaction however, the stunt arena was changed back to its original version after the season. Six Flags Over Texas featured a one-time firework show to promote the movie, and replica busts of Batman, Robin, Two-Face, and the Riddler can still be found in the Justice League store in the Looney Tunes U.S.A. section.
See also[edit]

Portal icon United States portal
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Portal icon Film portal
Portal icon Superhero fiction portal
Batman Forever (video game)
Batman Forever: The Arcade Game
Batman Forever (soundtrack)



References[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b c d "Batman Forever". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2008-08-16.
2.^ Jump up to: a b "Batman 3". Entertainment Weekly. October 1, 1993. Archived from the original on September 21, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-16.
3.Jump up ^ "Interview with Batman Forever's Janet Scott Batchler". Retrieved 2013-02-11.
4.^ Jump up to: a b Shadows of the Bat: The Cinematic Saga of the Dark Knight-Reinventing a Hero (DVD). Warner Bros. 2005.
5.^ Jump up to: a b c Jeff Gordinier (July 15, 1994). "Next at Batman". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on September 21, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-16.
6.Jump up ^ Army Archerd (December 1, 1994). "Culkin kids ink with WMA". Variety. Archived from the original on September 21, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-16.
7.Jump up ^ Staff (October 12, 2014). "Michael Keaton takes wing in "Birdman"". CBS News. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
8.Jump up ^ Nathan, Ian (August 1995). "Hold me, thrill me, kiss me, Kilmer". Empire. pp. 108–117.
9.Jump up ^ Jett (December 16, 2009). "William Baldwin Talks Batman And "JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRISIS ON TWO EARTHS"". Batman-on-Film.
10.Jump up ^ "Johnny Depp Was Almost Batman In Batman Forever". ComicBookMovie. December 10, 2009.
11.Jump up ^ Wiener, Jonah (October 2011). "Q&A: Ethan Hawke". Details. Retrieved 2012-08-07.
12.^ Jump up to: a b Judy Brennan (1994-06-03). "Batman Battles New Bat Villains". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on August 28, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-16.
13.Jump up ^ Batman Heroes Profile: Harvey Dent (DVD). Batman Special Edition: Warner Bros. Home Video. 2005.
14.Jump up ^ Cindy Pearlman (July 22, 1994). "The Good Son". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2009-07-19.
15.Jump up ^ "Christopher Nolan: The Movies. The Memories.". Empire. July 2010. Retrieved 2014-08-11.
16.Jump up ^ Cindy Pearlman (December 17, 1993). "Flashes: No Joker". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on September 21, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-16.
17.Jump up ^ Mike Thomas (2003-03-31). "Hey, what about that man in the glass booth?". Chicago Sun-Times.
18.Jump up ^ Nathan Rabin (1998-02-25). "Wayans World". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on 2009-02-26. Retrieved 2014-08-17.
19.Jump up ^ "DiCaprio Interview". Shortlist. 2010-07-15. Retrieved 2014-09-17.
20.Jump up ^ Benjamin Svetkey (July 12, 1996). "Holy Happy Set!". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on September 7, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-16.
21.Jump up ^ "Tommy Lee Jones Once Told Jim Carrey I Hate You, I Really Don't Like You". US Weekly. October 29, 2014. Retrieved 2014-10-29.
22.Jump up ^ Menache, Alberto (1999). Understanding motion capture for computer animation and video games. Morgan Kaufmann. p. 49. ISBN 0-12-490630-3.
23.Jump up ^ The Many Faces of Gotham City (DVD). Warner Bros. 2005.
24.Jump up ^ Kenny, Tom (October 1, 2000). Sound for picture: film sound through the 1990s. Hal Leonard Corporation. pp. 85–87. ISBN 978-0-87288-724-4. Retrieved February 28, 2011.
25.Jump up ^ Out of the Shadows: The Production Design of Batman Forever (DVD). Batman Forever: Special Edition: Warner Bros. 2005.
26.Jump up ^ Scoring Forever: The Music of Batman Forever (DVD publisher =Warner Bros.). 2005.
27.Jump up ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_KllgySsPo Retrieved January 27th, 2014
28.Jump up ^ "Batman Forever – What Could Be: A Guide to the Batman Forever Cutting Room Floor". Batman-On-Film.com. Retrieved 2008-12-18.
29.^ Jump up to: a b "1995 Domestic Grosses". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2008-08-16.
30.Jump up ^ "Batman Battle". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2008-08-16.
31.Jump up ^ "Batman Forever". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved 2012-07-05.
32.Jump up ^ "Batman Forever (1995): Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2008-08-16.
33.Jump up ^ Peter Travers (December 8, 2000). "Batman Forever". Rolling Stone.
34.Jump up ^ Brian Lowry (June 14, 1995). "Batman Forever". Variety. Archived from the original on August 21, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-16.
35.Jump up ^ James Berardinelli (June 16, 1995). "Batman Forever". ReelViews. Retrieved 2008-08-17.
36.Jump up ^ Bill "Jett" Ramey (November 28, 2005). "BOF Interview: Scott Beatty". Batman-on-Film. Retrieved 2008-08-16.
37.Jump up ^ Bill "Jett" Ramey (October 13, 2005). "Interview: Lee Bermejo". Batman-on-Film. Archived from the original on September 15, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-16.
38.Jump up ^ At the Movies.[dead link]
39.Jump up ^ Roger Ebert. "Batman Forever". rogerebert.com. Archived from the original on July 22, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-17.
40.Jump up ^ Mick LaSalle (June 16, 1995). "Batman Forever Goes On and On". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on September 21, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-17.
41.Jump up ^ "The 68th Academy Awards (1996) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org.
42.Jump up ^ "Batman Forever (Paperback)". Amazon. Retrieved 2008-08-17.
43.Jump up ^ "Batman Forever: The Novelization". Amazon. Retrieved 2008-08-17.
44.Jump up ^ "Batman Forever: The Official Comic Adaptation of Motion Picture". Amazon. Retrieved 2008-08-17.
External links[edit]
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Batman & Robin (film)
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Batman & Robin
Batman & robin poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster

Directed by
Joel Schumacher
Produced by
Peter MacGregor-Scott
Written by
Akiva Goldsman
Based on
Batman
 by Bob Kane
Starring
Arnold Schwarzenegger
George Clooney
Chris O'Donnell
Uma Thurman
Alicia Silverstone
Michael Gough
Pat Hingle
Elle Macpherson
Music by
Elliot Goldenthal
Cinematography
Stephen Goldblatt
Edited by
Dennis Virkler
Mark Stevens

Production
 company

PolyGram Filmed Entertainment

Distributed by
Warner Bros.

Release dates

June 20, 1997


Running time
 125 minutes
Country
United States
Language
English
Budget
$140 million[1]
Box office
$238.2 million[2]
Batman & Robin is a 1997 American superhero film based on the DC Comics character Batman. It is the fourth and final film of Warner Bros.' initial Batman film series. The film was directed by Joel Schumacher and written by Akiva Goldsman. It stars George Clooney, Chris O'Donnell, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Uma Thurman, and Alicia Silverstone.
Batman & Robin tells the story of the Dynamic Duo as they attempt to prevent Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy from freezing all mankind to death and repopulating the earth with mutant plants, while at the same time struggling to keep their partnership together. This is also the only film appearance of Batgirl, who helps the title characters win in the end.
Warner Bros. fast tracked development for Batman & Robin following the box office success of the previous film, Batman Forever. Schumacher and Goldsman conceived the storyline during pre-production on A Time to Kill, while Kilmer decided not to reprise the role over scheduling conflicts with The Saint. Schumacher had a strong interest in casting William Baldwin in Kilmer's place before George Clooney won the role. Principal photography began in September 1996 and finished in January 1997, two weeks ahead of the shooting schedule.
Batman & Robin was released on June 20, 1997 to extremely negative reviews and is often regarded as one of the worst superhero films ever made. Subsequently, Warner Bros. cancelled the unproduced Batman Triumphant and the film series was eventually rebooted with Batman Begins (2005) by director Christopher Nolan. One of the songs recorded for the film, "The End Is the Beginning Is the End" by The Smashing Pumpkins, won a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance at the 40th Grammy Awards.


Contents  [hide]
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Production 3.1 Development
3.2 Filming
3.3 Music
4 Marketing
5 Reception 5.1 Box office
5.2 Critical reaction
6 Canceled sequel/Reboot/Legacy
7 See also
8 References
9 External links

Plot[edit]
Batman and Robin fail to stop Mr. Freeze from stealing a cache of diamonds. They learn that Freeze was once a scientist named Victor Fries, who became dependent on a diamond-powered subzero suit following an accident in a cryogenics lab while working to save his wife, Nora from a terminal illness called Mac Gregor's Syndrome.
Meanwhile, botanist Dr. Pamela Isley is experimenting with the strength serum "Venom" to create mutant plants capable of fighting back against mankind. She is angry that her senior colleague Dr. Jason Woodrue used her Venom to transform a diminutive prisoner into the "super soldier" Bane. She refuses to partner with Woodrue so he tries to kill her with animal-plant toxins and chemicals causing her to transform into the beautiful Poison Ivy. She kills Woodrue with a venomous kiss and vows to establish botanical supremacy over the world.
Alfred Pennyworth's niece Barbara Wilson makes a surprise visit from England and is invited to stay at Wayne Manor. Later, Barbara finds the Batcave and creates her own crime-fighting persona with the help of a computer simulation of Alfred. The real Alfred is suffering from Mac Gregor's Syndrome. He is, however, in stage 1 for which Mr. Freeze has developed a cure despite being unable to cure his wife's condition because it is too advanced.
Ivy arrives in Gotham City with Bane as her henchman. She interrupts a Wayne Enterprises press conference at the Gotham Observatory where a giant telescope is being unveiled. Ivy demands Bruce Wayne use his fortune to safeguard the natural environment at the expense of millions of human lives, and Bruce refuses.
Ivy appears at the Gotham Botanical Gardens fundraiser, seducing everyone present with her pheromone dust, including the Dynamic Duo, who are there to protect a diamond from Mr. Freeze. When Freeze crashes the event Ivy is instantly captivated by his "ruthless charm." Freeze is captured by Batman and detained at the Arkham Asylum but is released by Ivy.
Ivy turns off Nora Fries' life support and makes Freeze believe Batman did it, persuading him that they should destroy Batman along with the society that created him. They plan to turn the observatory's new telescope into a giant freeze ray to kill all humanity to allow Ivy's mutant plants to take over the world.
Meanwhile, Robin is under Ivy's seductive spell and is rebelling against Batman. Robin goes to meet Ivy at her garden hide-out where her venomous kiss fails to kill Robin because Batman had prevailed on him to coat his lips with rubber. Ivy tries to drown Robin in her lily pond and entangles Batman in her crushing vines, but they are able to free themselves when Batgirl arrives and traps Ivy in her own floral throne.
Batgirl reveals herself as Barbara. The three crime-fighters arrive at the Observatory to stop Freeze who has already frozen all of Gotham. Bane attacks Robin and Batgirl, but they incapacitate him and restore him to his original human state. Robin and Batgirl save Gotham by using the observatory's satellites to reflect sunlight from outer space to thaw the city.
Batman shows Freeze video proof that Ivy pulled the plug on Nora and reveals that he, Batman was the one who saved her. He vows that Freeze will be allowed to continue his research at Arkham Asylum to cure Nora. Batman asks Freeze for his cure for the first stage of Mac Gregor's Syndrome for Alfred and Freeze atones for his misdeeds by giving him two vials of the medicine.
At Arkham, Ivy is joined in her cell by Freeze, who vows to exact revenge on her. Back at Wayne Manor, Alfred is cured and Bruce invites Barbara to live with them, joining Batman and Robin to fight crime as Batgirl.
Cast[edit]
##George Clooney as Bruce Wayne / Batman
 A billionaire industrialist who witnessed his parents' murder as a young boy. At night, Bruce becomes Batman, Gotham City's vigilante protector. Eric Lloyd portrays him as a child in a flashback.
##Arnold Schwarzenegger as Dr. Victor Fries / Mr. Freeze
 A Nobel Prize-winning molecular biologist and two-time Olympic decathlete who suffers a terrible accident while trying to cryogenically preserve his terminally ill wife. As a result, he is transformed into a criminal forced to live in a special sub-zero suit powered by diamonds.
##Chris O'Donnell as Dick Grayson / Robin
 The crime-fighting partner to Batman and ward of Bruce Wayne. He has begun to chafe against Batman's authority.
##Uma Thurman as Dr. Pamela Isley / Poison Ivy
 A botanist who becomes a crazed eco-terrorist after being pushed into vials of chemicals, poisons and toxins.
##Alicia Silverstone as Barbara Wilson / Batgirl
 Her parents had previously died in a car accident. Alfred, her uncle, was very close to her mother, Margaret. As she is Alfred's niece and is an orphan, Barbara is not Commissioner Gordon's daughter like in the comics, hence why her surname is Wilson instead of Gordon.
##Michael Gough as Alfred Pennyworth
 The trusted butler for Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson. Alfred is dying of a rare disease from which Mr. Freeze's wife also suffers.
##Pat Hingle as Commissioner James Gordon
 The police commissioner of Gotham City. He is close to Batman and informs him of numerous crimes.
##John Glover as Dr. Jason Woodrue
 A deranged scientist who aims to create Venom-powered "supersoldiers" to sell to dictators and warlords in order to make millions. He is responsible for the creation of both Bane and Poison Ivy, the latter of whom kills him with a kiss from her toxic lips.
##Elle Macpherson as Julie Madison
 Bruce Wayne's girlfriend. She proposes to Bruce, but he does not respond, fearing for her safety.
##Vivica A. Fox as Ms. B. Haven
 Mr. Freeze's sexy assistant who flirts with him constantly. He is unresponsive, as he is still in love with his wife.
##Robert "Jeep" Swenson as Bane
 Poison Ivy's bodyguard and muscle, who was originally a diminutive serial murderer named Antonio Diego (portrayed by Michael Reid MacKay). Transformed into a hugely powerful "Super-soldier" by the strength-enhancing drug "Venom", he was seen getting Mr. Freeze's suit back from Arkham Asylum, as well as fighting against the main heroes several times. Despite proving more than a match for Batman and Robin earlier on, he is eventually defeated by Robin and Batgirl after they find a way to stop the venom flow to his brain.
##Vendela Kirsebom as Nora Fries
 Mr. Freeze's cryogenically-frozen wife.
##Elizabeth Sanders as Gossip Gerty
 Gotham's top gossip columnist.
##Jesse Ventura as Arkham Asylum Guard
Production[edit]
Development[edit]
With the box office success of Batman Forever in June 1995, Warner Bros. instantly commissioned a sequel.[3] They hired director Joel Schumacher and writer Akiva Goldsman to reprise their duties the following August,[4] and decided it was best to fast track production for a June 1997 target release date, which is a break from the usual 3-year gap between films.[3] Schumacher wanted to homage both the broad camp style of the 1960s television series and the work of Dick Sprang.[5] The storyline of Batman & Robin was conceived by Schumacher and Goldsman during pre-production on A Time to Kill.[6] Portions of Mr. Freeze's back-story were based on the Batman: The Animated Series episode "Heart of Ice", written by Paul Dini.[7]
While Chris O'Donnell reprises the role of Robin, Val Kilmer decided not to reprise the role of Batman from Batman Forever. Schumacher admitted he had difficulty working with Kilmer on Forever. "He sort of quit," Schumacher said, "and we sort of fired him."[8] Kilmer said he was not aware of the fast track production and was already committed to The Saint (1997).[4] Schumacher originally had a strong interest in casting William Baldwin in Kilmer's place, but George Clooney was cast instead.[9] Schumacher believed Clooney could provide a lighter interpretation of the character than Michael Keaton (in Batman and Batman Returns) and Kilmer.[4][10] The shooting schedule allowed Clooney to simultaneously work on ER without any scheduling conflicts.[5]
Patrick Stewart was considered for the role of Mr. Freeze,[11] before the script was rewritten to accommodate Arnold Schwarzenegger's casting.[12] Schumacher decided that Mr. Freeze must be "big and strong like he was chiseled out of a glacier".[4] Schwarzenegger was paid a $25 million salary for the role.[13][14] His prosthetic makeup and wardrobe took six hours to apply each day.[15] Thurman took the role of Poison Ivy because she liked the femme fatale characterization of the character.[4] Alicia Silverstone was the only choice for the role of Batgirl.[11]
Filming[edit]
The original start date was August 1996,[8] but principal photography did not begin until September 12, 1996.[16] Batman & Robin finished filming in late January 1997,[17] two weeks ahead of the shooting schedule.[5] The film was mostly shot at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California.[4]
When comparing work on Batman Forever, Chris O'Donnell, who portrayed Robin, explained, "It just felt like everything got a little soft the second time. On Batman Forever, I felt like I was making a movie. The second time, I felt like I was making a kid's toy commercial."[4] He also complained of the Robin costume, saying it was more involved and uncomfortable than the one he wore in Batman Forever, with a glued-on mask which caused sweat to pool on his face.[18] According to John Glover, who played Dr. Jason Woodrue, "Joel [Schumacher] would sit on a crane with a megaphone and yell before each take, 'Remember, everyone, this is a cartoon'. It was hard to act because that kind of set the tone for the film."[4] Production designer Barbara Ling admitted her influences for the Gotham City design came from "neon-ridden Tokyo and the Machine Age. Gotham is like a World's Fair on ecstasy."[19] Rhythm and Hues and Pacific Data Images created the visual effects sequences, with John Dykstra and Andrew Adamson credited as the visual effects supervisors.[20]
According to Shadows of the Bat: The Cinematic Saga of the Dark Knight Part 6: Batman Unbound, Chris O'Donnell revealed that despite hanging out with Arnold Schwarzenegger a lot off set and during promotion for the film, they never worked a single day together. This was achieved with stand in's when one of the actors wasn't available.
Stunt coordinator Alex Field taught Alicia Silverstone to ride a motorcycle so that she could play Batgirl.[18]
Music[edit]
Main article: Batman & Robin (soundtrack)
Like Batman Forever, the original score for the film was written by Elliot Goldenthal.[21] The soundtrack featured a variety of genres by various bands and performers, showcasing alternative rock on the lead single "The End Is the Beginning Is the End" by The Smashing Pumpkins, on the Goo Goo Dolls' contribution, "Lazy Eye" and with R.E.M.'s song "Revolution". R&B singer R. Kelly also wrote "Gotham City" for the soundtrack, which became the other song featured in the end credits, as well as one of the singles, reaching the top 10 in the United States and in the UK. Eric Benét and Meshell Ndegeocello also contributed R&B songs. Also included was the top 5 second single, "Look into My Eyes" by the hip hop group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. Other songs featured included electronic dance elements, including those by Moloko and Arkana. The soundtrack was released on May 27, 1997, a month before the film.[22][23]
Marketing[edit]
The Batman & Robin film trailer debuted on the February 19, 1997 episode of Entertainment Tonight.[24] Warner Bros. spent $15 million to market and promote the film, in addition to its $125 million production budget.[1] The studio also brought in toy companies to be involved with pre-production, including the design of concept art and character illustrations. Director Joel Schumacher criticized Warner Bros.' strategy for Batman & Robin as being overtly toyetic. Various Six Flags parks (Six Flags Great Adventure, Six Flags Over Texas, as well as Six Flags St. Louis) all debuted coasters themed to the film (all of which have been either closed, or re-themed to resemble Batman: The Animated Series).[4] As well as a campaign with Taco Bell; with collector cups and a contest to win the Bat-mobile.
Reception[edit]
Box office[edit]
Batman & Robin was released on June 20, 1997 in North America, earning $42,872,605 in its opening weekend,[2] making it the third-highest opening weekend of 1997.[25] However, the film rapidly declined with a 63% second-week plunge.[26] Many observers based the second week drop on negative word of mouth. In addition, Batman & Robin faced early competition with Face/Off and Hercules.[1] Schumacher blamed it on yellow journalism started by Harry Knowles of Ain't It Cool News and other film websites such as Dark Horizons.[27] The film went on to gross $107.3 million in North America and $130.9 million internationally, coming to a worldwide total of $238.2 million.[2] Warner Bros. acknowledged Batman & Robin '​s shortcomings in the domestic market but pointed out success overseas.[1]
Critical reaction[edit]



"If there's anybody watching this, that... let's say, loved Batman Forever, and went into Batman & Robin with great anticipation, if I've disappointed them in any way, then I really want to apologize. Because it wasn't my intention. My intention was just to entertain them."
—Joel Schumacher's apology for his work on the film[4]
Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 11% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 85 reviews, certifying it "Rotten", with an average rating of 3.4/10, the consensus: "Joel Schumacher's tongue-in-cheek attitude hits an unbearable limit in Batman & Robin, resulting in a frantic and mindless movie that's too jokey to care much for."[28] Metacritic collected an average score of 28, based on 21 reviews which is regarded as "generally unfavorable".[29]
Schumacher and producer Peter MacGregor-Scott blamed the negative reception of Batman & Robin on Warner Bros.' decision to fast track production. "There was a lot of pressure from Warner Bros. to make Batman & Robin more family-friendly," Schumacher explained. "We decided to do a less depressing Batman movie and less torture and more heroic. I know I have been criticized a lot for this, but I didn't see the harm in that approach at all."[4] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times criticized the toyetic approach and Mr. Freeze's one-liner jokes in his two-star review of the film.[30] Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times believed the film "killed" the Batman film series, and felt Batman & Robin depended too much on visual effects.[31] Desson Thomson of The Washington Post largely disapproved of Schumacher's direction and Akiva Goldsman's script.[32] Mick LaSalle, writing in the San Francisco Chronicle, said, "George Clooney is the big zero of the film, and should go down in history as the George Lazenby of the series."[33] However, Janet Maslin of The New York Times gave a positive review. She praised Uma Thurman's acting, as well as the production and costume design.[34]
Batman & Robin was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Fantasy Film, as well as Best Make-up and Best Costume, but won none. Alicia Silverstone won the Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actress. Other nominations at the Razzie Awards included Schumacher (Worst Director), George Clooney and Chris O'Donnell (Worst Screen Couple), Akiva Goldsman (Worst Screenplay), both Chris O'Donnell and Arnold Schwarzenegger (Worst Supporting Actor), Uma Thurman (Worst Supporting Actress), as well as Billy Corgan (Worst Song for "The End Is the Beginning Is the End"). Batman & Robin also received nominations for Worst Picture, Worst Remake or Sequel and Worst Reckless Disregard for Human Life and Public Property. Ultimately, out of 11 nominations, Batman & Robin garnered only one Razzie Award.
Many observers thought Schumacher added possible homoerotic innuendo in the storyline.[4] James Berardinelli questioned the "random amount [sic] of rubber nipples and camera angle close-ups of the Dynamic Duo's butts and Bat-crotches."[35] Similar to Batman Forever, this primarily included the decision to add nipples and enlarged codpieces to Batman and Robin suits. Schumacher stated, "I had no idea that putting nipples on the Batsuit and Robin suit were going to spark international headlines. The bodies of the suits come from ancient Greek statues, which display perfect bodies. They are anatomically correct."[4] Chris O'Donnell, who portrayed Robin, felt "it wasn't so much the nipples that bothered me. It was the codpiece. The press obviously played it up and made it a big deal, especially with Joel directing. I didn't think twice about the controversy, but going back and looking and seeing some of the pictures, it was very unusual."[4] George Clooney joked, "Joel Schumacher told me we never made another Batman film because Batman was gay".[36] Clooney himself has spoken critically of the film, saying, "I think we might have killed the franchise",[37] and called it "a waste of money".[38]
Canceled sequel/Reboot/Legacy[edit]
See also: Batman in film § Batman Triumphant
During the filming of Batman & Robin, Warner Bros. was impressed with the dailies, prompting them to immediately hire Joel Schumacher to return as director for a sequel. However, writer Akiva Goldsman turned down an offer to write the script.[5] In late 1996, Warner Bros. and Schumacher hired Mark Protosevich to write the script for a fifth Batman film. A projected mid-1999 release date was announced.[39] Titled Batman Triumphant, Protosevich's script had the Scarecrow as the main villain. Through the use of his fear toxin, he resurrects the Joker as a hallucination in Batman's mind. Harley Quinn appeared as a supporting character, written as the Joker's daughter.[40] George Clooney, Chris O'Donnell, and Alicia Silverstone were set to reprise the roles of Batman, Robin, and Batgirl. However, following the failure of Batman & Robin, Clooney vowed never to reprise his role.[41]
Warner Bros. decided to consider a live-action Batman Beyond film and an adaptation of Frank Miller's Batman: Year One. Warner would then produce whichever idea suited them the most.[42] Schumacher felt he "owe[d] the Batman culture a real Batman movie. I would go back to the basics and make a dark portrayal of the Dark Knight."[43] He approached Warner Bros. about doing Batman: Year One in mid-1998,[43] but they were more interested in hiring Darren Aronofsky. Aronofsky and Frank Miller developed a Year One script with Aronofsky to direct, but it was ultimately canceled. Christopher Nolan was eventually hired to helm the next Batman film in January 2003, resulting in the rebooted Batman Begins (2005).[42]
In "Legends of the Dark Knight", an episode of The New Batman Adventures, three teenagers discuss their ideas about what Batman is really like. They briefly meet a youth called Joel whose idea of Batman reflects characterizations and costumes portrayed within Schumacher's Batman and Robin. The teens treat Joel's ideas with utter disdain.[44] In Watchmen, director Zack Snyder and comic book artist Dave Gibbons chose to parody the molded muscle and nipple Batsuit design from Batman & Robin for the Ozymandias costume.[45][46] The film is referenced in the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode "Legends of the Dark Mite!", when Bat-Mite briefly uses his powers to transform Batman's costume into the same suit shown in the Joel Schumacher Batman films, before declaring it "Too icky".[47] The Batman from Batman & Robin later appeared as part of an army of Batmen gathered from across the Multiverse in "Night of the Batmen!", complete with the blue rubber Batsuit. Additionally, there were worries within Warner Bros. surrounding the negative critical reaction to Batman & Robin and how that may come to harm the success of the subsequent direct-to-video animated film Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero, which was originally planned for release at around the same time as Batman & Robin but was subsequently delayed.[48] However, SubZero received a far stronger positive response from critics than Batman & Robin, with Mr. Freeze's role within it being seen in a much more positive light, returning his popularity as a Batman villain to a level comparable to that reached by him within the two Emmy-winning episodes the character featured in of Batman: The Animated Series.[48]
See also[edit]

Portal icon Film portal
Portal icon United States portal
Portal icon 1990s portal
##Homosexuality in the Batman franchise
##List of films featuring powered exoskeletons
##List of films considered the worst

References[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b c d Dave Karger (July 11, 1997). "Big Chill". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on November 21, 2008. Retrieved November 11, 2008.
2.^ Jump up to: a b c "Batman and Robin". Box Office Mojo. Amazon.com. Archived from the original on December 16, 2008. Retrieved November 12, 2008.
3.^ Jump up to: a b Michael Fleming (February 21, 1997). "Helmer's 3rd At Bat". Variety. Archived from the original on October 19, 2008. Retrieved November 11, 2008.
4.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Joel Schumacher, Peter MacGregor-Scott, Chris O'Donnell, Val Kilmer, Uma Thurman, John Glover, Shadows of the Bat: The Cinematic Saga of the Dark Knight Part 6-Batman Unbound, 2005, Warner Home Video
5.^ Jump up to: a b c d Michael Mallory; Michael Fleming (March 5, 1997). "Holy caped caper, IV". Variety. Archived from the original on December 16, 2008. Retrieved November 11, 2008.
6.Jump up ^ Rick Setlowe (March 5, 1997). "The write kind of director". Variety. Archived from the original on December 16, 2008. Retrieved November 11, 2008.
7.Jump up ^ Paul Dini, Batman & Robin: The Heroes, 2005, Warner Home Video
8.^ Jump up to: a b Rebecca Ascher-Walsh (May 31, 1995). "Psycho Kilmer". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on December 1, 2008. Retrieved November 11, 2008.
9.Jump up ^ Bill Ramey (2009-12-16). "William Baldwin Talks Batman & Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths". Batman-on-film.com. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
10.Jump up ^ "Batman & Robin: About The Production". Film Scouts. Film Scouts LLC.
11.^ Jump up to: a b Jeff Gordinier; Jeffrey Wells (December 15, 1995). "Bat Signal". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 25, 2008. Retrieved November 14, 2008.
12.Jump up ^ Michael Mallory (March 5, 1997). "An ice-cold Arnold sends Batman back to his cave". Variety. Archived from the original on December 16, 2008. Retrieved November 11, 2008.
13.Jump up ^ Dave Karger; Cindy Pearlman (March 14, 1997). "The Bat and the Beautiful". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on December 16, 2008. Retrieved November 11, 2008.
14.Jump up ^ Masters, Kim (August 5, 1996). "Hollywood Fades to Red". Time. Retrieved February 19, 2009.
15.Jump up ^ "Summer Movie Preview". Entertainment Weekly. May 16, 1997. Archived from the original on December 3, 2008. Retrieved November 11, 2008.
16.Jump up ^ Degen Pener (September 13, 1996). "Holy Hearsay". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 11, 2008. Retrieved November 11, 2008.
17.Jump up ^ Anita M. Busch (January 10, 1997). "Schumacher on 'Popcorn'". Variety. Archived from the original on December 16, 2008. Retrieved November 11, 2008.
18.^ Jump up to: a b Allstetter, Rob (August 1997). "The Bat-Box". Wizard (72). p. 120.
19.Jump up ^ Barbara Ling, Bigger, Bolder, Brighter: The Production Design of Batman & Robin, 2005, Warner Home Video
20.Jump up ^ John Dykstra, Andrew Adamson, Freeze Frame: The Visual Effects of Batman & Robin, 2005, Warner Home Video
21.Jump up ^ Chapman, Glen (December 14, 2010). "Music in the movies: Elliot Goldenthal". Den of Geek (Dennis Publishing). Retrieved November 30, 2012.
22.Jump up ^ Browne, David (June 27, 1997). "Batman & Robin". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 30, 2012.
23.Jump up ^ "Awards and Chart positions for Batman & Robin (Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture)". AllMusic.
24.Jump up ^ Jenny Hontz (February 20, 1997). "Inside Moves". Variety. Archived from the original on December 16, 2008. Retrieved November 11, 2008.
25.Jump up ^ "1997 Domestic Grosses". Box Office Mojo. Amazon.com. Archived from the original on December 16, 2008. Retrieved November 12, 2008.
26.Jump up ^ "'Bat' beats up B.O.". Variety. July 8, 1997. Archived from the original on December 16, 2008. Retrieved November 11, 2008.
27.Jump up ^ Rex Weiner (July 29, 1997). "Www.h'w'd.ticked". Variety. Retrieved November 11, 2008.
28.Jump up ^ "Batman & Robin". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved June 29, 2014.
29.Jump up ^ "Batman & Robin (1997): Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 17, 2010.
30.Jump up ^ Roger Ebert (June 20, 1997). "Batman & Robin". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on December 16, 2008. Retrieved November 12, 2008.
31.Jump up ^ Kenneth Turan (June 20, 1997). "Batman & Robin". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on August 2, 2008. Retrieved November 12, 2008.
32.Jump up ^ Desson Thomson (June 20, 1997). "Batman & Robin". The Washington Post.
33.Jump up ^ Mick LaSalle (June 20, 1997). "Batman Chills Out". San Francisco Chronicle.
34.Jump up ^ Janet Maslin (June 20, 1997). "Batman and Robin". The New York Times.
35.Jump up ^ James Berardinelli. "Batman and Robin". ReelViews.net. Retrieved November 13, 2008.
36.Jump up ^ Sharon Swart; Bill Higgins (June 27, 2005). "'Happy' to sign off". Variety. Archived from the original on December 20, 2008. Retrieved November 11, 2008.
37.Jump up ^ Daniel, Mac (June 12, 2005). "Batman and Robin". The Boston Globe. Retrieved May 17, 2006.
38.Jump up ^ Lynn Hirschberg (November 3, 2002). "Questions for George Clooney; True Confessions". The New York Times.
39.Jump up ^ Michael Fleming (February 21, 1997). "Helmer's 3rd At Bat". Variety. Archived from the original on October 19, 2008. Retrieved October 17, 2008.
40.Jump up ^ Brian Linder (July 27, 2000). "Rumblings From Gotham". IGN. Retrieved October 17, 2008.
41.Jump up ^ Michael Fleming (November 11, 1997). "Schumacher trims sails". Variety. Archived from the original on December 16, 2008. Retrieved November 11, 2008.
42.^ Jump up to: a b David Hughes (March 2004). "The Dark Knight Strikes Out". Tales From Development Hell. London: Titan Books. pp. 192–211. ISBN 1-84023-691-4.
43.^ Jump up to: a b Jeff Jensen (December 4, 1998). "Winging It". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 19, 2008. Retrieved October 17, 2008.
44.Jump up ^ "Legends of the Dark Knight". Dan Riba (director), Bruce Timm; Robert Goodman (writers). Batman: The Animated Series. October 10, 1998. No. 19, season 2.
45.Jump up ^ Frosty (June 26, 2008). "Exclusive Zack Snyder Video Interview Backstage at Saturn Awards". Collider.com. Archived from the original on November 21, 2008. Retrieved November 14, 2008.
46.Jump up ^ Dave Gibbons (December 2008). "Watchmen's artist tells us how the famed graphic novel changed his life and gives some thoughts on the upcoming movie and game". Electronic Gaming Monthly. p. 53.
47.Jump up ^ "Legends of the Dark Mite!". Ben Jones (director), Paul Dini (writer). Batman: The Brave and the Bold. May 29, 2009. No. 19, season 1.
48.^ Jump up to: a b "Stomp Tokyo Video Reviews - Batman & Mr. Freeze: Subzero". Stomptokyo.com. March 25, 1998. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
External links[edit]
 Wikimedia Commons has media related to Batman & Robin (film).
 Wikiquote has quotations related to: Batman & Robin (1997 film)
##Batman & Robin at the Wayback Machine
##Batman & Robin at the Internet Movie Database
##Batman & Robin at the TCM Movie Database
##Batman & Robin at AllMovie
##Batman & Robin at Box Office Mojo
##Batman & Robin at Rotten Tomatoes
##Batman & Robin at RiffTrax


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Batman & Robin (film)
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Batman & Robin
Batman & robin poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster

Directed by
Joel Schumacher
Produced by
Peter MacGregor-Scott
Written by
Akiva Goldsman
Based on
Batman
 by Bob Kane
Starring
Arnold Schwarzenegger
George Clooney
Chris O'Donnell
Uma Thurman
Alicia Silverstone
Michael Gough
Pat Hingle
Elle Macpherson
Music by
Elliot Goldenthal
Cinematography
Stephen Goldblatt
Edited by
Dennis Virkler
Mark Stevens

Production
 company

PolyGram Filmed Entertainment

Distributed by
Warner Bros.

Release dates

June 20, 1997


Running time
 125 minutes
Country
United States
Language
English
Budget
$140 million[1]
Box office
$238.2 million[2]
Batman & Robin is a 1997 American superhero film based on the DC Comics character Batman. It is the fourth and final film of Warner Bros.' initial Batman film series. The film was directed by Joel Schumacher and written by Akiva Goldsman. It stars George Clooney, Chris O'Donnell, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Uma Thurman, and Alicia Silverstone.
Batman & Robin tells the story of the Dynamic Duo as they attempt to prevent Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy from freezing all mankind to death and repopulating the earth with mutant plants, while at the same time struggling to keep their partnership together. This is also the only film appearance of Batgirl, who helps the title characters win in the end.
Warner Bros. fast tracked development for Batman & Robin following the box office success of the previous film, Batman Forever. Schumacher and Goldsman conceived the storyline during pre-production on A Time to Kill, while Kilmer decided not to reprise the role over scheduling conflicts with The Saint. Schumacher had a strong interest in casting William Baldwin in Kilmer's place before George Clooney won the role. Principal photography began in September 1996 and finished in January 1997, two weeks ahead of the shooting schedule.
Batman & Robin was released on June 20, 1997 to extremely negative reviews and is often regarded as one of the worst superhero films ever made. Subsequently, Warner Bros. cancelled the unproduced Batman Triumphant and the film series was eventually rebooted with Batman Begins (2005) by director Christopher Nolan. One of the songs recorded for the film, "The End Is the Beginning Is the End" by The Smashing Pumpkins, won a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance at the 40th Grammy Awards.


Contents  [hide]
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Production 3.1 Development
3.2 Filming
3.3 Music
4 Marketing
5 Reception 5.1 Box office
5.2 Critical reaction
6 Canceled sequel/Reboot/Legacy
7 See also
8 References
9 External links

Plot[edit]
Batman and Robin fail to stop Mr. Freeze from stealing a cache of diamonds. They learn that Freeze was once a scientist named Victor Fries, who became dependent on a diamond-powered subzero suit following an accident in a cryogenics lab while working to save his wife, Nora from a terminal illness called Mac Gregor's Syndrome.
Meanwhile, botanist Dr. Pamela Isley is experimenting with the strength serum "Venom" to create mutant plants capable of fighting back against mankind. She is angry that her senior colleague Dr. Jason Woodrue used her Venom to transform a diminutive prisoner into the "super soldier" Bane. She refuses to partner with Woodrue so he tries to kill her with animal-plant toxins and chemicals causing her to transform into the beautiful Poison Ivy. She kills Woodrue with a venomous kiss and vows to establish botanical supremacy over the world.
Alfred Pennyworth's niece Barbara Wilson makes a surprise visit from England and is invited to stay at Wayne Manor. Later, Barbara finds the Batcave and creates her own crime-fighting persona with the help of a computer simulation of Alfred. The real Alfred is suffering from Mac Gregor's Syndrome. He is, however, in stage 1 for which Mr. Freeze has developed a cure despite being unable to cure his wife's condition because it is too advanced.
Ivy arrives in Gotham City with Bane as her henchman. She interrupts a Wayne Enterprises press conference at the Gotham Observatory where a giant telescope is being unveiled. Ivy demands Bruce Wayne use his fortune to safeguard the natural environment at the expense of millions of human lives, and Bruce refuses.
Ivy appears at the Gotham Botanical Gardens fundraiser, seducing everyone present with her pheromone dust, including the Dynamic Duo, who are there to protect a diamond from Mr. Freeze. When Freeze crashes the event Ivy is instantly captivated by his "ruthless charm." Freeze is captured by Batman and detained at the Arkham Asylum but is released by Ivy.
Ivy turns off Nora Fries' life support and makes Freeze believe Batman did it, persuading him that they should destroy Batman along with the society that created him. They plan to turn the observatory's new telescope into a giant freeze ray to kill all humanity to allow Ivy's mutant plants to take over the world.
Meanwhile, Robin is under Ivy's seductive spell and is rebelling against Batman. Robin goes to meet Ivy at her garden hide-out where her venomous kiss fails to kill Robin because Batman had prevailed on him to coat his lips with rubber. Ivy tries to drown Robin in her lily pond and entangles Batman in her crushing vines, but they are able to free themselves when Batgirl arrives and traps Ivy in her own floral throne.
Batgirl reveals herself as Barbara. The three crime-fighters arrive at the Observatory to stop Freeze who has already frozen all of Gotham. Bane attacks Robin and Batgirl, but they incapacitate him and restore him to his original human state. Robin and Batgirl save Gotham by using the observatory's satellites to reflect sunlight from outer space to thaw the city.
Batman shows Freeze video proof that Ivy pulled the plug on Nora and reveals that he, Batman was the one who saved her. He vows that Freeze will be allowed to continue his research at Arkham Asylum to cure Nora. Batman asks Freeze for his cure for the first stage of Mac Gregor's Syndrome for Alfred and Freeze atones for his misdeeds by giving him two vials of the medicine.
At Arkham, Ivy is joined in her cell by Freeze, who vows to exact revenge on her. Back at Wayne Manor, Alfred is cured and Bruce invites Barbara to live with them, joining Batman and Robin to fight crime as Batgirl.
Cast[edit]
##George Clooney as Bruce Wayne / Batman
 A billionaire industrialist who witnessed his parents' murder as a young boy. At night, Bruce becomes Batman, Gotham City's vigilante protector. Eric Lloyd portrays him as a child in a flashback.
##Arnold Schwarzenegger as Dr. Victor Fries / Mr. Freeze
 A Nobel Prize-winning molecular biologist and two-time Olympic decathlete who suffers a terrible accident while trying to cryogenically preserve his terminally ill wife. As a result, he is transformed into a criminal forced to live in a special sub-zero suit powered by diamonds.
##Chris O'Donnell as Dick Grayson / Robin
 The crime-fighting partner to Batman and ward of Bruce Wayne. He has begun to chafe against Batman's authority.
##Uma Thurman as Dr. Pamela Isley / Poison Ivy
 A botanist who becomes a crazed eco-terrorist after being pushed into vials of chemicals, poisons and toxins.
##Alicia Silverstone as Barbara Wilson / Batgirl
 Her parents had previously died in a car accident. Alfred, her uncle, was very close to her mother, Margaret. As she is Alfred's niece and is an orphan, Barbara is not Commissioner Gordon's daughter like in the comics, hence why her surname is Wilson instead of Gordon.
##Michael Gough as Alfred Pennyworth
 The trusted butler for Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson. Alfred is dying of a rare disease from which Mr. Freeze's wife also suffers.
##Pat Hingle as Commissioner James Gordon
 The police commissioner of Gotham City. He is close to Batman and informs him of numerous crimes.
##John Glover as Dr. Jason Woodrue
 A deranged scientist who aims to create Venom-powered "supersoldiers" to sell to dictators and warlords in order to make millions. He is responsible for the creation of both Bane and Poison Ivy, the latter of whom kills him with a kiss from her toxic lips.
##Elle Macpherson as Julie Madison
 Bruce Wayne's girlfriend. She proposes to Bruce, but he does not respond, fearing for her safety.
##Vivica A. Fox as Ms. B. Haven
 Mr. Freeze's sexy assistant who flirts with him constantly. He is unresponsive, as he is still in love with his wife.
##Robert "Jeep" Swenson as Bane
 Poison Ivy's bodyguard and muscle, who was originally a diminutive serial murderer named Antonio Diego (portrayed by Michael Reid MacKay). Transformed into a hugely powerful "Super-soldier" by the strength-enhancing drug "Venom", he was seen getting Mr. Freeze's suit back from Arkham Asylum, as well as fighting against the main heroes several times. Despite proving more than a match for Batman and Robin earlier on, he is eventually defeated by Robin and Batgirl after they find a way to stop the venom flow to his brain.
##Vendela Kirsebom as Nora Fries
 Mr. Freeze's cryogenically-frozen wife.
##Elizabeth Sanders as Gossip Gerty
 Gotham's top gossip columnist.
##Jesse Ventura as Arkham Asylum Guard
Production[edit]
Development[edit]
With the box office success of Batman Forever in June 1995, Warner Bros. instantly commissioned a sequel.[3] They hired director Joel Schumacher and writer Akiva Goldsman to reprise their duties the following August,[4] and decided it was best to fast track production for a June 1997 target release date, which is a break from the usual 3-year gap between films.[3] Schumacher wanted to homage both the broad camp style of the 1960s television series and the work of Dick Sprang.[5] The storyline of Batman & Robin was conceived by Schumacher and Goldsman during pre-production on A Time to Kill.[6] Portions of Mr. Freeze's back-story were based on the Batman: The Animated Series episode "Heart of Ice", written by Paul Dini.[7]
While Chris O'Donnell reprises the role of Robin, Val Kilmer decided not to reprise the role of Batman from Batman Forever. Schumacher admitted he had difficulty working with Kilmer on Forever. "He sort of quit," Schumacher said, "and we sort of fired him."[8] Kilmer said he was not aware of the fast track production and was already committed to The Saint (1997).[4] Schumacher originally had a strong interest in casting William Baldwin in Kilmer's place, but George Clooney was cast instead.[9] Schumacher believed Clooney could provide a lighter interpretation of the character than Michael Keaton (in Batman and Batman Returns) and Kilmer.[4][10] The shooting schedule allowed Clooney to simultaneously work on ER without any scheduling conflicts.[5]
Patrick Stewart was considered for the role of Mr. Freeze,[11] before the script was rewritten to accommodate Arnold Schwarzenegger's casting.[12] Schumacher decided that Mr. Freeze must be "big and strong like he was chiseled out of a glacier".[4] Schwarzenegger was paid a $25 million salary for the role.[13][14] His prosthetic makeup and wardrobe took six hours to apply each day.[15] Thurman took the role of Poison Ivy because she liked the femme fatale characterization of the character.[4] Alicia Silverstone was the only choice for the role of Batgirl.[11]
Filming[edit]
The original start date was August 1996,[8] but principal photography did not begin until September 12, 1996.[16] Batman & Robin finished filming in late January 1997,[17] two weeks ahead of the shooting schedule.[5] The film was mostly shot at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California.[4]
When comparing work on Batman Forever, Chris O'Donnell, who portrayed Robin, explained, "It just felt like everything got a little soft the second time. On Batman Forever, I felt like I was making a movie. The second time, I felt like I was making a kid's toy commercial."[4] He also complained of the Robin costume, saying it was more involved and uncomfortable than the one he wore in Batman Forever, with a glued-on mask which caused sweat to pool on his face.[18] According to John Glover, who played Dr. Jason Woodrue, "Joel [Schumacher] would sit on a crane with a megaphone and yell before each take, 'Remember, everyone, this is a cartoon'. It was hard to act because that kind of set the tone for the film."[4] Production designer Barbara Ling admitted her influences for the Gotham City design came from "neon-ridden Tokyo and the Machine Age. Gotham is like a World's Fair on ecstasy."[19] Rhythm and Hues and Pacific Data Images created the visual effects sequences, with John Dykstra and Andrew Adamson credited as the visual effects supervisors.[20]
According to Shadows of the Bat: The Cinematic Saga of the Dark Knight Part 6: Batman Unbound, Chris O'Donnell revealed that despite hanging out with Arnold Schwarzenegger a lot off set and during promotion for the film, they never worked a single day together. This was achieved with stand in's when one of the actors wasn't available.
Stunt coordinator Alex Field taught Alicia Silverstone to ride a motorcycle so that she could play Batgirl.[18]
Music[edit]
Main article: Batman & Robin (soundtrack)
Like Batman Forever, the original score for the film was written by Elliot Goldenthal.[21] The soundtrack featured a variety of genres by various bands and performers, showcasing alternative rock on the lead single "The End Is the Beginning Is the End" by The Smashing Pumpkins, on the Goo Goo Dolls' contribution, "Lazy Eye" and with R.E.M.'s song "Revolution". R&B singer R. Kelly also wrote "Gotham City" for the soundtrack, which became the other song featured in the end credits, as well as one of the singles, reaching the top 10 in the United States and in the UK. Eric Benét and Meshell Ndegeocello also contributed R&B songs. Also included was the top 5 second single, "Look into My Eyes" by the hip hop group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. Other songs featured included electronic dance elements, including those by Moloko and Arkana. The soundtrack was released on May 27, 1997, a month before the film.[22][23]
Marketing[edit]
The Batman & Robin film trailer debuted on the February 19, 1997 episode of Entertainment Tonight.[24] Warner Bros. spent $15 million to market and promote the film, in addition to its $125 million production budget.[1] The studio also brought in toy companies to be involved with pre-production, including the design of concept art and character illustrations. Director Joel Schumacher criticized Warner Bros.' strategy for Batman & Robin as being overtly toyetic. Various Six Flags parks (Six Flags Great Adventure, Six Flags Over Texas, as well as Six Flags St. Louis) all debuted coasters themed to the film (all of which have been either closed, or re-themed to resemble Batman: The Animated Series).[4] As well as a campaign with Taco Bell; with collector cups and a contest to win the Bat-mobile.
Reception[edit]
Box office[edit]
Batman & Robin was released on June 20, 1997 in North America, earning $42,872,605 in its opening weekend,[2] making it the third-highest opening weekend of 1997.[25] However, the film rapidly declined with a 63% second-week plunge.[26] Many observers based the second week drop on negative word of mouth. In addition, Batman & Robin faced early competition with Face/Off and Hercules.[1] Schumacher blamed it on yellow journalism started by Harry Knowles of Ain't It Cool News and other film websites such as Dark Horizons.[27] The film went on to gross $107.3 million in North America and $130.9 million internationally, coming to a worldwide total of $238.2 million.[2] Warner Bros. acknowledged Batman & Robin '​s shortcomings in the domestic market but pointed out success overseas.[1]
Critical reaction[edit]



"If there's anybody watching this, that... let's say, loved Batman Forever, and went into Batman & Robin with great anticipation, if I've disappointed them in any way, then I really want to apologize. Because it wasn't my intention. My intention was just to entertain them."
—Joel Schumacher's apology for his work on the film[4]
Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 11% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 85 reviews, certifying it "Rotten", with an average rating of 3.4/10, the consensus: "Joel Schumacher's tongue-in-cheek attitude hits an unbearable limit in Batman & Robin, resulting in a frantic and mindless movie that's too jokey to care much for."[28] Metacritic collected an average score of 28, based on 21 reviews which is regarded as "generally unfavorable".[29]
Schumacher and producer Peter MacGregor-Scott blamed the negative reception of Batman & Robin on Warner Bros.' decision to fast track production. "There was a lot of pressure from Warner Bros. to make Batman & Robin more family-friendly," Schumacher explained. "We decided to do a less depressing Batman movie and less torture and more heroic. I know I have been criticized a lot for this, but I didn't see the harm in that approach at all."[4] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times criticized the toyetic approach and Mr. Freeze's one-liner jokes in his two-star review of the film.[30] Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times believed the film "killed" the Batman film series, and felt Batman & Robin depended too much on visual effects.[31] Desson Thomson of The Washington Post largely disapproved of Schumacher's direction and Akiva Goldsman's script.[32] Mick LaSalle, writing in the San Francisco Chronicle, said, "George Clooney is the big zero of the film, and should go down in history as the George Lazenby of the series."[33] However, Janet Maslin of The New York Times gave a positive review. She praised Uma Thurman's acting, as well as the production and costume design.[34]
Batman & Robin was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Fantasy Film, as well as Best Make-up and Best Costume, but won none. Alicia Silverstone won the Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actress. Other nominations at the Razzie Awards included Schumacher (Worst Director), George Clooney and Chris O'Donnell (Worst Screen Couple), Akiva Goldsman (Worst Screenplay), both Chris O'Donnell and Arnold Schwarzenegger (Worst Supporting Actor), Uma Thurman (Worst Supporting Actress), as well as Billy Corgan (Worst Song for "The End Is the Beginning Is the End"). Batman & Robin also received nominations for Worst Picture, Worst Remake or Sequel and Worst Reckless Disregard for Human Life and Public Property. Ultimately, out of 11 nominations, Batman & Robin garnered only one Razzie Award.
Many observers thought Schumacher added possible homoerotic innuendo in the storyline.[4] James Berardinelli questioned the "random amount [sic] of rubber nipples and camera angle close-ups of the Dynamic Duo's butts and Bat-crotches."[35] Similar to Batman Forever, this primarily included the decision to add nipples and enlarged codpieces to Batman and Robin suits. Schumacher stated, "I had no idea that putting nipples on the Batsuit and Robin suit were going to spark international headlines. The bodies of the suits come from ancient Greek statues, which display perfect bodies. They are anatomically correct."[4] Chris O'Donnell, who portrayed Robin, felt "it wasn't so much the nipples that bothered me. It was the codpiece. The press obviously played it up and made it a big deal, especially with Joel directing. I didn't think twice about the controversy, but going back and looking and seeing some of the pictures, it was very unusual."[4] George Clooney joked, "Joel Schumacher told me we never made another Batman film because Batman was gay".[36] Clooney himself has spoken critically of the film, saying, "I think we might have killed the franchise",[37] and called it "a waste of money".[38]
Canceled sequel/Reboot/Legacy[edit]
See also: Batman in film § Batman Triumphant
During the filming of Batman & Robin, Warner Bros. was impressed with the dailies, prompting them to immediately hire Joel Schumacher to return as director for a sequel. However, writer Akiva Goldsman turned down an offer to write the script.[5] In late 1996, Warner Bros. and Schumacher hired Mark Protosevich to write the script for a fifth Batman film. A projected mid-1999 release date was announced.[39] Titled Batman Triumphant, Protosevich's script had the Scarecrow as the main villain. Through the use of his fear toxin, he resurrects the Joker as a hallucination in Batman's mind. Harley Quinn appeared as a supporting character, written as the Joker's daughter.[40] George Clooney, Chris O'Donnell, and Alicia Silverstone were set to reprise the roles of Batman, Robin, and Batgirl. However, following the failure of Batman & Robin, Clooney vowed never to reprise his role.[41]
Warner Bros. decided to consider a live-action Batman Beyond film and an adaptation of Frank Miller's Batman: Year One. Warner would then produce whichever idea suited them the most.[42] Schumacher felt he "owe[d] the Batman culture a real Batman movie. I would go back to the basics and make a dark portrayal of the Dark Knight."[43] He approached Warner Bros. about doing Batman: Year One in mid-1998,[43] but they were more interested in hiring Darren Aronofsky. Aronofsky and Frank Miller developed a Year One script with Aronofsky to direct, but it was ultimately canceled. Christopher Nolan was eventually hired to helm the next Batman film in January 2003, resulting in the rebooted Batman Begins (2005).[42]
In "Legends of the Dark Knight", an episode of The New Batman Adventures, three teenagers discuss their ideas about what Batman is really like. They briefly meet a youth called Joel whose idea of Batman reflects characterizations and costumes portrayed within Schumacher's Batman and Robin. The teens treat Joel's ideas with utter disdain.[44] In Watchmen, director Zack Snyder and comic book artist Dave Gibbons chose to parody the molded muscle and nipple Batsuit design from Batman & Robin for the Ozymandias costume.[45][46] The film is referenced in the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode "Legends of the Dark Mite!", when Bat-Mite briefly uses his powers to transform Batman's costume into the same suit shown in the Joel Schumacher Batman films, before declaring it "Too icky".[47] The Batman from Batman & Robin later appeared as part of an army of Batmen gathered from across the Multiverse in "Night of the Batmen!", complete with the blue rubber Batsuit. Additionally, there were worries within Warner Bros. surrounding the negative critical reaction to Batman & Robin and how that may come to harm the success of the subsequent direct-to-video animated film Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero, which was originally planned for release at around the same time as Batman & Robin but was subsequently delayed.[48] However, SubZero received a far stronger positive response from critics than Batman & Robin, with Mr. Freeze's role within it being seen in a much more positive light, returning his popularity as a Batman villain to a level comparable to that reached by him within the two Emmy-winning episodes the character featured in of Batman: The Animated Series.[48]
See also[edit]

Portal icon Film portal
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Portal icon 1990s portal
##Homosexuality in the Batman franchise
##List of films featuring powered exoskeletons
##List of films considered the worst

References[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b c d Dave Karger (July 11, 1997). "Big Chill". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on November 21, 2008. Retrieved November 11, 2008.
2.^ Jump up to: a b c "Batman and Robin". Box Office Mojo. Amazon.com. Archived from the original on December 16, 2008. Retrieved November 12, 2008.
3.^ Jump up to: a b Michael Fleming (February 21, 1997). "Helmer's 3rd At Bat". Variety. Archived from the original on October 19, 2008. Retrieved November 11, 2008.
4.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Joel Schumacher, Peter MacGregor-Scott, Chris O'Donnell, Val Kilmer, Uma Thurman, John Glover, Shadows of the Bat: The Cinematic Saga of the Dark Knight Part 6-Batman Unbound, 2005, Warner Home Video
5.^ Jump up to: a b c d Michael Mallory; Michael Fleming (March 5, 1997). "Holy caped caper, IV". Variety. Archived from the original on December 16, 2008. Retrieved November 11, 2008.
6.Jump up ^ Rick Setlowe (March 5, 1997). "The write kind of director". Variety. Archived from the original on December 16, 2008. Retrieved November 11, 2008.
7.Jump up ^ Paul Dini, Batman & Robin: The Heroes, 2005, Warner Home Video
8.^ Jump up to: a b Rebecca Ascher-Walsh (May 31, 1995). "Psycho Kilmer". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on December 1, 2008. Retrieved November 11, 2008.
9.Jump up ^ Bill Ramey (2009-12-16). "William Baldwin Talks Batman & Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths". Batman-on-film.com. Retrieved 2014-09-11.
10.Jump up ^ "Batman & Robin: About The Production". Film Scouts. Film Scouts LLC.
11.^ Jump up to: a b Jeff Gordinier; Jeffrey Wells (December 15, 1995). "Bat Signal". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 25, 2008. Retrieved November 14, 2008.
12.Jump up ^ Michael Mallory (March 5, 1997). "An ice-cold Arnold sends Batman back to his cave". Variety. Archived from the original on December 16, 2008. Retrieved November 11, 2008.
13.Jump up ^ Dave Karger; Cindy Pearlman (March 14, 1997). "The Bat and the Beautiful". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on December 16, 2008. Retrieved November 11, 2008.
14.Jump up ^ Masters, Kim (August 5, 1996). "Hollywood Fades to Red". Time. Retrieved February 19, 2009.
15.Jump up ^ "Summer Movie Preview". Entertainment Weekly. May 16, 1997. Archived from the original on December 3, 2008. Retrieved November 11, 2008.
16.Jump up ^ Degen Pener (September 13, 1996). "Holy Hearsay". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 11, 2008. Retrieved November 11, 2008.
17.Jump up ^ Anita M. Busch (January 10, 1997). "Schumacher on 'Popcorn'". Variety. Archived from the original on December 16, 2008. Retrieved November 11, 2008.
18.^ Jump up to: a b Allstetter, Rob (August 1997). "The Bat-Box". Wizard (72). p. 120.
19.Jump up ^ Barbara Ling, Bigger, Bolder, Brighter: The Production Design of Batman & Robin, 2005, Warner Home Video
20.Jump up ^ John Dykstra, Andrew Adamson, Freeze Frame: The Visual Effects of Batman & Robin, 2005, Warner Home Video
21.Jump up ^ Chapman, Glen (December 14, 2010). "Music in the movies: Elliot Goldenthal". Den of Geek (Dennis Publishing). Retrieved November 30, 2012.
22.Jump up ^ Browne, David (June 27, 1997). "Batman & Robin". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 30, 2012.
23.Jump up ^ "Awards and Chart positions for Batman & Robin (Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture)". AllMusic.
24.Jump up ^ Jenny Hontz (February 20, 1997). "Inside Moves". Variety. Archived from the original on December 16, 2008. Retrieved November 11, 2008.
25.Jump up ^ "1997 Domestic Grosses". Box Office Mojo. Amazon.com. Archived from the original on December 16, 2008. Retrieved November 12, 2008.
26.Jump up ^ "'Bat' beats up B.O.". Variety. July 8, 1997. Archived from the original on December 16, 2008. Retrieved November 11, 2008.
27.Jump up ^ Rex Weiner (July 29, 1997). "Www.h'w'd.ticked". Variety. Retrieved November 11, 2008.
28.Jump up ^ "Batman & Robin". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved June 29, 2014.
29.Jump up ^ "Batman & Robin (1997): Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 17, 2010.
30.Jump up ^ Roger Ebert (June 20, 1997). "Batman & Robin". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on December 16, 2008. Retrieved November 12, 2008.
31.Jump up ^ Kenneth Turan (June 20, 1997). "Batman & Robin". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on August 2, 2008. Retrieved November 12, 2008.
32.Jump up ^ Desson Thomson (June 20, 1997). "Batman & Robin". The Washington Post.
33.Jump up ^ Mick LaSalle (June 20, 1997). "Batman Chills Out". San Francisco Chronicle.
34.Jump up ^ Janet Maslin (June 20, 1997). "Batman and Robin". The New York Times.
35.Jump up ^ James Berardinelli. "Batman and Robin". ReelViews.net. Retrieved November 13, 2008.
36.Jump up ^ Sharon Swart; Bill Higgins (June 27, 2005). "'Happy' to sign off". Variety. Archived from the original on December 20, 2008. Retrieved November 11, 2008.
37.Jump up ^ Daniel, Mac (June 12, 2005). "Batman and Robin". The Boston Globe. Retrieved May 17, 2006.
38.Jump up ^ Lynn Hirschberg (November 3, 2002). "Questions for George Clooney; True Confessions". The New York Times.
39.Jump up ^ Michael Fleming (February 21, 1997). "Helmer's 3rd At Bat". Variety. Archived from the original on October 19, 2008. Retrieved October 17, 2008.
40.Jump up ^ Brian Linder (July 27, 2000). "Rumblings From Gotham". IGN. Retrieved October 17, 2008.
41.Jump up ^ Michael Fleming (November 11, 1997). "Schumacher trims sails". Variety. Archived from the original on December 16, 2008. Retrieved November 11, 2008.
42.^ Jump up to: a b David Hughes (March 2004). "The Dark Knight Strikes Out". Tales From Development Hell. London: Titan Books. pp. 192–211. ISBN 1-84023-691-4.
43.^ Jump up to: a b Jeff Jensen (December 4, 1998). "Winging It". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 19, 2008. Retrieved October 17, 2008.
44.Jump up ^ "Legends of the Dark Knight". Dan Riba (director), Bruce Timm; Robert Goodman (writers). Batman: The Animated Series. October 10, 1998. No. 19, season 2.
45.Jump up ^ Frosty (June 26, 2008). "Exclusive Zack Snyder Video Interview Backstage at Saturn Awards". Collider.com. Archived from the original on November 21, 2008. Retrieved November 14, 2008.
46.Jump up ^ Dave Gibbons (December 2008). "Watchmen's artist tells us how the famed graphic novel changed his life and gives some thoughts on the upcoming movie and game". Electronic Gaming Monthly. p. 53.
47.Jump up ^ "Legends of the Dark Mite!". Ben Jones (director), Paul Dini (writer). Batman: The Brave and the Bold. May 29, 2009. No. 19, season 1.
48.^ Jump up to: a b "Stomp Tokyo Video Reviews - Batman & Mr. Freeze: Subzero". Stomptokyo.com. March 25, 1998. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
External links[edit]
 Wikimedia Commons has media related to Batman & Robin (film).
 Wikiquote has quotations related to: Batman & Robin (1997 film)
##Batman & Robin at the Wayback Machine
##Batman & Robin at the Internet Movie Database
##Batman & Robin at the TCM Movie Database
##Batman & Robin at AllMovie
##Batman & Robin at Box Office Mojo
##Batman & Robin at Rotten Tomatoes
##Batman & Robin at RiffTrax


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Batman Begins
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This article is about the film. For the video game, see Batman Begins (video game).

Batman Begins
A man in a batsuit spreads his wings while looking down. Tall skyscrapers extend above and bats fly around him.
Theatrical release poster

Directed by
Christopher Nolan
Produced by
Charles Roven
Emma Thomas
Larry Franco

Screenplay by
Christopher Nolan
David S. Goyer

Story by
David S. Goyer
Based on
Characters appearing in comic books published
 by DC Comics
Starring
Christian Bale
Michael Caine
Liam Neeson
Katie Holmes
Gary Oldman
Cillian Murphy
Tom Wilkinson
Rutger Hauer
Ken Watanabe
Morgan Freeman

Music by
Hans Zimmer
James Newton Howard

Cinematography
Wally Pfister
Edited by
Lee Smith

Production
 companies

DC Comics
Syncopy
Patalex III Productions
Legendary Pictures

Distributed by
Warner Bros. Pictures

Release dates

June 10, 2005 (Russia)
June 15, 2005 (North America)
June 16, 2005 (United Kingdom)


Running time
 140 minutes[1]
Country
United States[2]
United Kingdom[2]

Language
English
Budget
$150 million[3]
Box office
$374.2 million[3]
Batman Begins is a 2005 superhero film based on the fictional DC Comics character Batman, co-written and directed by Christopher Nolan. It stars Christian Bale as Batman along with Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Gary Oldman, and Morgan Freeman. The film reboots the Batman film series, telling the origin story of the character from Bruce Wayne's initial fear of bats, the death of his parents, his journey to become Batman, and his fight against Ra's al Ghul's plot to destroy Gotham City. It draws inspiration from classic comic book storylines such as The Man Who Falls, Batman: Year One, and Batman: The Long Halloween.
After a series of unsuccessful projects to resurrect Batman on screen following the critical failure and box office disappointment of Batman & Robin (1997), Nolan and David S. Goyer began to work on the film in early 2003 and aimed for a darker and more realistic tone, with humanity and realism being the basis of the film. The goal was to get the audience to care for both Batman and Bruce Wayne. The film, which was primarily shot in Iceland and Chicago, relied on traditional stunts and miniatures – computer-generated imagery was used minimally.
The film opened on June 17, 2005, in the United States and Canada in 3,858 theaters. It grossed $48 million in its opening weekend in North America, eventually grossing over $374 million worldwide. The film received positive reviews and has been considered by many as one of the best superhero films ever made. Critics noted that fear was a common motif throughout the film, and remarked that it had a darker tone compared with previous Batman films. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography and three BAFTA awards.
The film is followed by The Dark Knight (2008) and The Dark Knight Rises (2012) in a continual story-arc, which has later been referred to as the The Dark Knight Trilogy.


Contents  [hide]
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Production 3.1 Development
3.2 Filming
3.3 Design 3.3.1 Tumbler
3.3.2 Batsuit
3.3.3 Fight choreography
3.3.4 Special effects
3.4 Music
4 Release 4.1 Critical reception
4.2 Themes
4.3 Accolades
4.4 Box office
4.5 Home media
5 Impact
6 See also
7 References
8 External links

Plot[edit]
As a child, Bruce Wayne falls into a well, where he is attacked by a swarm of bats; he subsequently develops a fear of bats. While watching an opera with his parents, Bruce is frightened by performers masquerading as bats, and asks to leave. Outside, the family is targeted by a mugger, Joe Chill, who murders Bruce's parents, leaving him to be raised by the family butler, Alfred Pennyworth.
Fourteen years later, Chill is freed in exchange for testifying against Gotham City mafia boss Carmine Falcone. Bruce intends to murder Chill in revenge, but one of Falcone's assassins does so first. Bruce's childhood friend, assistant district attorney Rachel Dawes, berates him for attempting to undermine the legal system, telling Bruce that his father would be ashamed. Bruce confronts Falcone in a nightclub, where Falcone demonstrates that real power comes from being feared. Bruce decides to travel the world, learning new skills and abilities to confront injustice. In Bhutan, he meets Henri Ducard who offers to train him as a member of the League of Shadows, led by Ra's al Ghul. After completing his training and purging his fears, Bruce learns the League intends to destroy Gotham, believing it to be corrupt and beyond saving, having done so with other cities for centuries. Bruce rejects their crusade, and causes a fire that burns down the League's temple. Ra's is killed by falling debris, while Bruce saves an unconscious Ducard.
Posing as a billionaire playboy, Bruce returns to Gotham intent on fighting crime. He develops a base in the bat-infested caves beneath Wayne manor, and takes an interest in his family's company, Wayne Enterprises, run by the unscrupulous William Earle. The company's top scientist, Lucius Fox, introduces Bruce to various prototype technologies including the Tumbler (a heavily armored car) and a protective bodysuit, which Bruce uses to take up the vigilante identity of "Batman". As Batman, he intercepts a drug shipment and provides Rachel with evidence against Falcone, empowering the honest Sgt. James Gordon to arrest the previously untouchable criminal.
Falcone is declared mentally unfit for trial by the corrupt Dr. Jonathan Crane, and transferred to Arkham Asylum. When Falcone threatens to reveal that he has been importing a fear-inducing hallucinogenic drug for Crane's employers, Crane exposes him to the drug while wearing a burlap mask, driving Falcone insane with fear of the "Scarecrow". While investigating Crane, Batman is exposed to the drug and left incapacitated. He is saved by Alfred and given an antidote developed by Fox. At Arkham, Rachel accuses Crane of corruption, and Crane reveals he has been pouring the drug into Gotham's water supply. He doses Rachel with it, but she is rescued by Batman, who leads a destructive chase through Gotham in the Tumbler to escape the police. Batman cures Rachel and leaves her with two vials of the antidote; one for Gordon, and one for mass production. After Crane is arrested, Gordon learns that the tainted water supply is only harmful if inhaled.
During his 30th birthday celebration at the manor, Bruce is confronted by Ducard, who reveals himself to be the real Ra's al Ghul; Bruce expels his guests so they will be safe. Ra's reveals that he employed Crane, and stole a powerful microwave emitter from Wayne Enterprises, that will be used to vaporize the tainted water supply, making the drug airborne and causing mass hysteria and violence that will destroy Gotham. Ra's' men set fire to the mansion, and Bruce is saved by Alfred, who secures them in the Batcave before the fire engulfs the building. As the League's plot commences, Batman rescues Rachel from a drugged-mob and indirectly reveals his identity to her before pursuing Ra's onto a monorail train carrying the emitter toward Gotham's central water source. Gordon uses the Tumbler's cannons to destroy a section of the track and derail the train. Batman overpowers Ra's but refuses to kill him, while also refusing to save him, before gliding from the train car, leaving Ra's to die as the train crashes and explodes.
Batman becomes a public hero, but loses Rachel, who cannot be with Bruce while he is Batman. Bruce buys a controlling stake in the now publicly traded Wayne Enterprises, fires Earle, and replaces him with Fox. Gordon — now promoted to Lieutenant of the Gotham Police Force — shows Batman the Bat-Signal and mentions a criminal who leaves Joker playing cards at crime scenes. Batman promises to investigate and disappears into the night.
Cast[edit]
Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne / Batman:
A billionaire industrialist whose parents were killed by a mugger when he was eight years old, and traveled the world for several years to seek the means to fight injustice before returning to Gotham, becoming Gotham City's vigilante protector at night. Bale was cast on September 11, 2003,[4] having expressed interest in playing Batman since Darren Aronofsky was planning his own film adaptation.[5] Some of the early candidates for the Batman/Bruce Wayne role were Eion Bailey, Henry Cavill, Billy Crudup, Hugh Dancy, Jake Gyllenhaal, Joshua Jackson, Heath Ledger, David Boreanaz and Cillian Murphy.[4][6][7] Amy Adams served as the casting reader for the casting of Bruce Wayne/Batman in a favor to the casting director.[8] Bale felt the previous films underused Batman's character, overplaying the villains instead.[9] To best pose as Batman, Bale studied graphic novels and illustrations of the superhero.[10] Director Nolan said of Bale, "He has exactly the balance of darkness and light that we were looking for."[11] Goyer stated that while some actors could play a great Bruce Wayne or a great Batman, Bale could portray both radically different personalities.[12] Bale described the part as playing four characters: the raging Batman persona; the shallow playboy façade Bruce uses to ward off suspicion; the vengeful young man; and the older, angrier Bruce who is discovering his purpose in life.[13] Bale's dislike of his costume, which heated up regularly, helped him get into a necessarily foul mood. He said, "Batman's meant to be fierce, and you become a beast in that suit, as Batman should be – not a man in a suit, but a different creature."[10] Since he had lost a great deal of weight in preparation for his role in The Machinist, Bale hired a personal trainer to help him gain 100 pounds (45 kg) in the span of only a couple of months to help him physically prepare for the role. He first went well over the weight required and created concern over whether he would look right for the part. Bale recognized that his large physique was not appropriate for Batman, who relies on speed and strategy. He lost the excess weight by the time filming began.[12]Gus Lewis as Young Bruce Wayne.[14]
Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth:
The trusted butler to Bruce's parents, who continues his loyal service to their son after their deaths as his closest confidant. Nolan felt Caine would effectively portray the foster father element of the character.[12] Although Alfred's family is depicted in the film as having served the Wayne family for generations, Caine created his own backstory, in that before becoming Wayne's butler, Alfred served in the Special Air Service. After being wounded, he was invited to the position of the Wayne family butler by Thomas Wayne because, "He wanted a butler, but someone a bit tougher than that, you know?"[15]Liam Neeson as Henri Ducard / Ra's al Ghul:
A mysterious man who trains Bruce in the martial arts, initially posing as a subservient member of the League of Shadows, an organization led by Ra's al Ghul, but is later revealed to be Ra's al Ghul himself, having to have used the name "Ducard" as a pseudonym to hide his true identity. Writer David Goyer said he felt he was the most complex of all the Batman villains, comparing him to Osama bin Laden; "He's not crazy in the way that all the other Batman villains are. He's not bent on revenge; he's actually trying to heal the world. He's just doing it by very draconian means."[16] Gary Oldman was first choice for the part, but ended up playing James Gordon instead.[17] Guy Pearce, who collaborated with Christopher Nolan on Memento (2000), reported that the pair had discussions about him playing the role, but both of them decided that he was too young for the part.[18] Neeson is commonly cast as a mentor, so the revelation that his character was the main villain was intended to shock viewers.[12]Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes:
Bruce's childhood friend and love interest who serves as Gotham City's assistant district attorney, fighting against the corruption in the city. Nolan found a "tremendous warmth and great emotional appeal" in Holmes, and also felt "she has a maturity beyond her years that comes across in the film and is essential to the idea that Rachel is something of a moral conscience for Bruce".[19]Emma Lockhart as Young Rachel Dawes.
Gary Oldman as James Gordon:
One of the few uncorrupted Gotham City police officers. He was the officer on duty the night of the murder of Bruce Wayne's parents. In this way, he shares a special bond with the adult Bruce and thus with Batman. Oldman was Nolan's first choice for Ra's al Ghul,[17] but when Chris Cooper turned down the part of Gordon to spend time with his family[20] Nolan decided that it would be refreshing for Oldman, who is renowned for his portrayals of villains, to play the role instead.[21] "I embody the themes of the movie which are the values of family, courage and compassion and a sense of right and wrong, good and bad and justice," Oldman said of his character. He filmed most of his scenes in Britain.[22] Goyer said Oldman heavily resembled Gordon as drawn by David Mazzucchelli in Batman: Year One.[12]Cillian Murphy as Dr. Jonathan Crane / Scarecrow:
A corrupt psychopharmacologist who works as Chief Administrator of Arkham Asylum and has developed fear-inducing toxins from a flower that grows in Ra's al Ghul's sanctuary. He takes on the persona of the Scarecrow to use during his experiments, in which he uses his patients as human guinea pigs for his toxins. Using Carmine Falcone, Crane works with Ra's al Ghul to smuggle the drugs into Gotham. Nolan decided against Irish actor Murphy for Batman, before casting him as Scarecrow.[23] Murphy read numerous comics featuring the Scarecrow, and discussed making the character look less theatrical with Nolan. Murphy explained, "I wanted to avoid the Worzel Gummidge look, because he's not a very physically imposing man – he's more interested in the manipulation of the mind and what that can do."[24]Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox:
A high-ranking Wayne Enterprises employee who was demoted to working in the company's Applied Science Division, where he conducts advanced studies in biochemistry and mechanical engineering. Fox supplies Bruce with much of the gear necessary to carry out Batman's mission and is promoted to CEO when Bruce takes control of the company by the end of the film. Freeman was Goyer's first and only choice for the role.[12]Tom Wilkinson as Carmine Falcone:
The most powerful Mafia boss in Gotham. He had shared a prison cell with Joe Chill after Chill murdered Wayne's parents. He had Chill murdered when he decided to testify against Falcone. He goes into business with Dr. Jonathan Crane and Ra's al Ghul by smuggling in Crane's fear toxins through his drug shipments over the course of several months so that they can be mixed in with the city's water supply.Rutger Hauer as William Earle, the CEO of Wayne Enterprises who takes the company public in the long-term absence of Bruce Wayne.
Ken Watanabe as Ra's al Ghul's decoy.
Other cast members include Mark Boone Junior as Gordon's corrupt partner Detective Arnold Flass; Larry Holden as district attorney Carl Finch; Colin McFarlane as Police commissioner Gillian B. Loeb; Christine Adams as Jessica, Lucius Fox's secretary; Linus Roache and Sara Stewart as Thomas and Martha Wayne, Bruce's parents; Richard Brake as Joe Chill, the Waynes' killer; Gerard Murphy as the corrupt High Court Judge Faden; Charles Edwards as a Wayne Enterprises executive; Tim Booth as Victor Zsasz; Rade Šerbedžija as a homeless man, who is the last person to meet Bruce when he leaves Gotham, and the first civilian to see Batman, and both Risteárd Cooper and Andrew Pleavin as uniformed policemen. Actors John Foo, Joey Ansah, Spencer Wilding, Dave Legeno, Khan Bonfils, Rodney Ryan, Dean Alexandrou, James Embree, David Bedella, Emil Martirossian, Mark Strange, Justin Miu and Chuen Tsou appear as members of the League of Shadows. Jack Gleeson, who previously co-starred with Bale in 2002's Reign of Fire and later found fame for his role as Joffrey Baratheon in the HBO series Game of Thrones, has a small role as a young boy who idolises Batman and is later saved by him before the final battle with Ra's al Ghul.
Production[edit]
Development[edit]
Further information: Proposals for a fifth Batman film
In January 2003, Warner Bros. hired Memento director Christopher Nolan to direct an untitled Batman film,[25] and David S. Goyer signed on to write the script two months later.[26] Nolan stated his intention to reinvent the film franchise of Batman by "doing the origins story of the character, which is a story that's never been told before". Nolan said that humanity and realism would be the basis of the origin film, and that "the world of Batman is that of grounded reality. [It] will be a recognizable, contemporary reality against which an extraordinary heroic figure arises." Goyer said that the goal of the film was to get the audience to care for both Batman and Bruce Wayne.[27] Nolan felt the previous films were exercises in style rather than drama, and described his inspiration as being Richard Donner's 1978 film Superman, in its focus on depicting the character's growth.[5] Also similar to Superman, Nolan wanted an all-star supporting cast for Batman Begins to lend a more epic feel and credibility to the story.[12]
Nolan's personal "jumping off point" of inspiration was The Man Who Falls, a short story by Denny O'Neil and Dick Giordano about Bruce's travels throughout the world. The early scene in Batman Begins of young Bruce Wayne falling into a well was adapted from "The Man Who Falls".[28] Batman: The Long Halloween, written by Jeph Loeb and drawn by Tim Sale, influenced Goyer in writing the screenplay, with the villain Carmine Falcone as one of many elements which were drawn from Halloween's "sober, serious approach".[28] The writers considered having Harvey Dent in the film, but replaced him with the new character Rachel Dawes when they realized they "couldn't do him justice".[29] The character was later portrayed by Aaron Eckhart in the 2008 sequel The Dark Knight. The sequel to Halloween, Batman: Dark Victory, also served as an influence.[30] Goyer used the vacancy of Bruce Wayne's multi-year absence presented in Batman: Year One to help set up some of the film's events in the transpiring years.[31] In addition, the film's Sergeant James Gordon was based on his comic book incarnation as seen in Year One. The writers of Batman Begins also used Frank Miller's Year One plot device, which was about a corrupt police force that led to Gordon and Gotham City's need for Batman.[28]
A common idea in the comics is that Bruce saw a Zorro film with his parents before they were murdered. Nolan explained that by ignoring that idea – which he stated is not found in Batman's first appearances – it emphasized the importance of bats to Bruce and that becoming a superhero is a wholly original idea on his part. It is for this reason Nolan believes other DC characters do not exist in the universe of his film; otherwise, Wayne's reasons for taking up costumed vigilantism would have been very different.[32]
At his audition, Bale wore the bat suit (minus the cape which has been missing for some time) Val Kilmer donned for 1995's Batman Forever.[33]
Filming[edit]
As with all his films, Nolan refused a second unit; he did this in order to keep his vision consistent.[10] Filming began in March 2004 in the Vatnajökull glacier in Iceland (standing in for Bhutan).[10] The crew built a village and the front doors to Ra's' temple,[34] as well as a road to access the remote area.[10] The weather was problematic, with 75 miles per hour (121 km/h) winds,[10] rain, and a lack of snow. A shot Wally Pfister had planned to take using a crane had to be done with a handheld camera.[34]
In seeking inspiration from Superman and other blockbuster films of the late 1970s and early 1980s, Nolan based most of the production in England, specifically Shepperton Studios.[35] A Batcave set was built there and measured 250 feet (76 m) long, 120 feet (37 m) wide, and 40 feet (12 m) high. Production designer Nathan Crowley installed twelve pumps to create a waterfall with 12,000 imperial gallons (55,000 l; 14,000 US gal), and built rocks using molds of real caves.[36] In January 2004, an airship hangar at Cardington, Bedfordshire was rented by Warner Bros during April 2004[37] and, converted into a 900 feet (270 m) sound stage, was where the slum-district of "the Narrows" and the feet of the monorails were filmed.[36]
Mentmore Towers was chosen from twenty different locations for Wayne Manor, as Nolan and Crowley liked its white floors, which gave the impression of the manor as a memorial to Wayne's parents.[38] The building chosen to represent Arkham Asylum was the National Institute for Medical Research building in Mill Hill, northwest London, England.[39] The St Pancras railway station and the Abbey Mills Pumping Stations were used for Arkham's interiors.[36] University College London was used for courtrooms.[36] Some scenes, including the Tumbler pursuit,[10] were filmed in Chicago at locations such as Lower Wacker Drive and 35 East Wacker.[40] Authorities agreed to raise Franklin Street Bridge for a scene where access to the Narrows is closed.[10]
Despite the film's darkness, Nolan wanted to make the film appeal to a wide age range. "Not the youngest kids obviously, I think what we've done is probably a bit intense for them but I certainly didn't want to exclude the sort of ten to 12-year olds, because as a kid I would have loved to have seen a movie like this." Because of this, nothing gory or bloody was filmed.[19]
Design[edit]
Nolan used the 1982 cult science fiction film Blade Runner as a source of inspiration for Batman Begins. He screened Blade Runner to cinematographer Wally Pfister and two others to show the attitude and style that he wanted to draw from the film. Nolan described the film's world as "an interesting lesson on the technique of exploring and describing a credible universe that doesn't appear to have any boundaries", a lesson that he applied to the production of Batman Begins.[41]
Nolan worked with production designer Nathan Crowley to create the look of Gotham City. Crowley built a model of the city that filled Nolan's garage.[38] Crowley and Nolan designed it as a large, modern metropolitan area that would reflect the various periods of architecture that the city had gone through. Elements were drawn from New York City, Chicago, and Tokyo; the latter for its elevated freeways and monorails. The Narrows was based on the slummish nature of the (now demolished) walled city of Kowloon in Hong Kong.[42]
Tumbler[edit]
See also: Batmobile
Crowley started the process of designing the Tumbler for the film by model bashing. Crowley used the nose cone of a P-38 Lightning model to serve as the chassis for the Tumbler's turbine engine. Six models of the Tumbler were built to 1:12 scale in the course of four months. Following the scale model creation, a crew of over 30 people, including Crowley and engineers Chris Culvert and Annie Smith, carved a full-size replica of the Tumbler out of a large block of Styrofoam in two months.[43]
The styrofoam model was used to create a steel "test frame", which had to stand up to several standards: have a speed of over 100 miles per hour (160 km/h), go from 0 to 60 miles per hour (97 km/h) in 5 seconds, possess a steering system to make sharp turns at city corners, and withstand a self-propelled launch of up to 30 feet (9.1 m). On the first jump test, the Tumbler's front end collapsed and had to be completely rebuilt. The basic configuration of the newly designed Tumbler included a 5.7-liter Chevy V8 engine, a truck axle for the rear axle, front tires by Hoosier (which are actually dirt racing tires used on the right rear of open wheel sprint cars), 4 rear 44/18.5-16.5 Interco Super Swamper TSL tires (44" tall, 18.5" wide, mounted on a 16.5" wheel) and the suspension system of Baja racing trucks. The design and development process took nine months and cost several million dollars.[43]
With the design process complete, four street-ready race cars were constructed, with each vehicle possessing 65 panels and costing $250,000 to build. Two of the four cars were specialized versions. One version was the flap version, which had hydraulics and flaps to detail the close-up shots where the vehicle propelled itself through the air. The other version was the jet version, in which an actual jet engine was mounted onto the vehicle, fueled by six propane tanks. The visibility inside the vehicle was poor, so monitors were connected to cameras on the vehicle body. The professional drivers for the Tumblers practiced driving the vehicles for six months before they drove on the streets of Chicago for the film's scenes.[43]
The interior of the Tumbler was an immobile studio set and not actually the interior of a street-capable Tumbler. The cockpit was over-sized to fit cameras for scenes filmed in the Tumbler interior. In addition, another version of the Tumbler was a miniature model that was 1:6 scale of the actual Tumbler. This miniature model had an electric motor and was used to show the Tumbler flying across ravines and between buildings. However, the actual Tumbler was used for the waterfall sequence.[43]
Batsuit[edit]

A man in a batsuit, with a cowl on his head, a utility belt, and a cape flowing behind him.

 The Batsuit, worn by Christian Bale.
The filmmakers intended to create a very mobile Batsuit that would allow the wearer to move easily to fight and crouch. Previous film incarnations of the Batsuit had been stiff and especially restrictive of full head movement. Costume designer Lindy Hemming and her crew worked on the Batsuit at an FX workshop codenamed "Cape Town", a secured compound located at Shepperton Studios in London. The Batsuit's basic design was a neoprene undersuit, which was shaped by attaching molded cream latex sections. Christian Bale was molded and sculpted prior to his physical training so the team could work on a full body cast. To avoid imperfections picked up by sculpting with clay, plastiline was used to smooth the surface. In addition, the team brewed different mixtures of foam to find the mixture that would be the most flexible, light, durable, and black. The latter presented a problem, since the process to make the foam black reduced the foam's durability.[10]
For the cape, director Christopher Nolan wanted to have a "flowing cloak... that blows and flows as in so many great graphic novels". Hemming's team created the cape out of their own version of parachute nylon that had electrostatic flocking, a process shared with the team by the British Ministry of Defence. The process was used by the London police force to minimize night vision detection. The cape was topped by a cowl, which was designed by Nolan, Hemming, and costume effects supervisor Graham Churchyard. The cowl was created to be thin enough to allow motion but thick enough to avoid wrinkling when Bale turned his head in the Batsuit. Churchyard explained the cowl had been designed to show "a man who has angst", so his character would be revealed through the mask.[10]
Fight choreography[edit]
Fight choreography used the Keysi Fighting Method which itself gained fame after it was used in the movie Batman Begins and its sequel, The Dark Knight; however, the method was modified in the The Dark Knight Rises due to Batman's age and physical condition and in order to match Bane's fighting style. The method is a self-defense system whose training is based on the study and cultivation of natural instincts.[44]
Special effects[edit]
For Batman Begins, Nolan preferred traditional stuntwork over computer-generated imagery.[5] Scale models were used to represent the Narrows and Ra's al Ghul's temple.[34][38] There were, however, several establishing shots that were CG composite images; that is, an image composed of multiple images. Examples include Gotham's skyline, exterior shots of Wayne Tower, and some of the exterior monorail shots.[38] The climactic monorail sequence mixed live action footage, model work, and CGI.[45]
The bats were entirely digital (except in shots containing only one or two bats), as it was decided directing larger numbers of real bats on set would be problematic. Dead bats were scanned to create digital models. Locations and sets were recreated on the computer so the flying bats would not be superfluous once incorporated into the finished film.
Music[edit]
Main article: Batman Begins (soundtrack)
The score for Batman Begins was composed by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard. Nolan originally invited Zimmer to compose the music, and Zimmer asked Nolan if he could invite Howard to compose as well, as they had always planned a collaboration.[46] The two composers collaborated on separate themes for the "split personality" of Bruce Wayne and his alter ego, Batman. Zimmer and Howard began composing in Los Angeles and moved to London where they stayed for twelve weeks to complete most of their writing.[47] Zimmer and Howard sought inspiration for shaping the score by visiting the Batman Begins sets.[48]
Zimmer wanted to avoid writing music that had been done in earlier Batman films, so the score became an amalgamation of orchestra and electronic music. The film's ninety-piece orchestra[46] was developed from members of various London orchestras, and Zimmer chose to use more than the normal number of cellos. Zimmer enlisted a boy soprano to help reflect the music in some of the film's scenes where tragic memories of Bruce Wayne's parents are involved. "He's singing a fairly pretty tune and then he gets stuck, it's like froze, arrested development," said Zimmer. He also attempted to add a human dimension to Batman, whose behavior would typically be seen as "psychotic", through the music. Both composers collaborated to create 2 hours and 20 minutes worth of music for the film,[48] with Zimmer composing the action sequences and Howard focusing on the dramatic scenes.[46]
Release[edit]
Critical reception[edit]
Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 85% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 263 reviews, with an average score of 7.7/10, making the film a "Certified Fresh" on the website's rating system.[49] At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film received an average score of 70, based on 41 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".[50] Additionally, the film was a success with audiences who, when polled by CinemaScore, awarded the film an A grade.[51]
James Berardinelli applauded Nolan and Goyer's work in creating more understanding into "who [Batman] is and what motivates him", something Berardinelli felt Tim Burton's film had lacked; at the same time, Berardinelli felt the romantic aspect between Bale and Holmes did not work because the actors lacked the chemistry Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder (Superman), or Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst (Spider-Man) shared in their respective roles.[52] According to Total Film, Nolan manages to create such strong characters and story that the third-act action sequences cannot compare to "the frisson of two people talking", and Katie Holmes and Christian Bale's romantic subplot has a spark "refreshingly free of Peter Parker/Mary Jane-style whining".[53]
Los Angeles Times '​ Kenneth Turan, who felt the film began slowly, stated that the "story, psychology and reality, not special effects", assisted the darkness behind Batman's arsenal; he noted that Neeson and Holmes, unlike Bale's ability to "feel his role in his bones", do not appear to fit their respective characters in "being both comic-book archetypes and real people".[54] The New Yorker '​s David Denby did not share Berardinelli and Turan's opinion. He was unimpressed with the film, when comparing it to the two Tim Burton films, and that Christian Bale's presence was hindered by the "dull earnestness of the screenplay", the final climax was "cheesy and unexciting", and that Nolan had resorted to imitating the "fakery" used by other filmmakers when filming action sequences.[55]
Michael Wilmington of the Chicago Tribune believed Nolan and Goyer managed to "comfortably mix the tormented drama and revenge motifs with light hearted gags and comic book allusions," and that Nolan takes the series out of the "slam-bang Hollywood jokefests" the franchise had drifted into.[56] Comic book scribe and editor Dennis O'Neil stated that he "felt the filmmakers really understood the character they were translating", citing this film as the best of the live-action Batman films.[57] In contrast, J.R. Jones, from the Chicago Reader, criticized the script, and Nolan and David Goyer for not living up to the "hype about exploring Batman's damaged psyche".[58] Roger Ebert, who gave mixed reviews to the previous films, and claimed in his review for Batman Returns that he did not believe noir worked in superhero films, wrote this was "the Batman movie I've been waiting for; more correctly, this is the movie I did not realize I was waiting for". Giving it four out of four stars, he commended the realistic portrayals of the Batman arsenal – the Batsuit, Batcave, Tumbler, and the Batsignal – as well as the focus on "the story and character" with less stress on "high-tech action".[59]
Like Berardinelli, USA Today '​s Mike Clark thought Bale performed the role of Batman as well as he did Patrick Bateman in American Psycho, but that the relationship between Bruce Wayne and Rachel Dawes was "frustratingly underdeveloped".[60] Kyle Smith thought Bale exhibited "both the menace and the wit he showed in his brilliant turn in American Psycho", and that the film works so well because of the realism, stating, "Batman starts stripping away each layer of Gotham crime only to discover a sicker and more monstrous evil beneath, his rancid city simultaneously invokes early '90s New York, when criminals frolicked to the tune of five murders a day; Serpico New York, when cops were for sale; and today, when psychos seek to kill us all at once rather than one by one."[61] In contrast, Salon.com's Stephanie Zacharek felt Nolan did not deliver the emotional depth expected of "one of the most soulful and tortured superheroes of all"; she thought Bale, unlike Michael Keaton whom she compared him to, failed to connect with the audience underneath the mask, but that Gary Oldman succeeded in "emotional complexity" where the rest of the movie failed.[62]
Film director Tim Burton felt Nolan "captured the real spirit that these kind of movies are supposed to have nowadays. When I did Batman twenty years ago, in 1988 or something, it was a different time in comic book movies. You couldn't go into that dark side of comics yet. The last couple of years that has become acceptable and Nolan certainly got more to the root of what the Batman comics are about."[63]
Themes[edit]
Comic book writer and author Danny Fingeroth argues that a strong theme in the film is Bruce's search for a father figure, saying "[Alfred] is the good father that Bruce comes to depend on. Bruce's real father died before they could establish an adult relationship, and Liam Neeson's Ducard is stern and demanding, didactic and challenging, but not a father figure with any sympathy. If Bruce is anyone's son, he is Alfred's. [Morgan] Freeman's Lucius is cool and imperturbable, another steady anchor in Bruce's life."[64] Blogger Mark Fisher states that Bruce's search for justice requires him to learn from a proper father figure, with Thomas Wayne and Ra's al Ghul being the two counterpoints. Alfred provides a maternal figure of unconditional love, despite the overall lack of focus on a mother figure in Bruce's life.[65]
Fingeroth also argues that a major theme in the film is fear, which supports the story of Bruce Wayne becoming a hero. Director Christopher Nolan stated that the idea behind the film was "a person who would confront his innermost fear and then attempt to become it". Fingeroth referred to this film's depiction as "the man with fear—but who rises above it". The theme of fear is further personified by the Scarecrow.[64] The film depicts how fear can affect all creatures regardless of might. Allusions to fear are seen throughout, from Bruce's conquering of his demons, to becoming Batman, to the Scarecrow and his deadly fear toxin. The macabre, distorted images presented in the Scarecrow's toxin-induced hallucinations also express the idea of terror to an extreme.[66]
Critic Brian Orndorf considered Batman Begins "fierce" and "demonstrative in brood", giving the film an abundance of gravitas and energy. It strays away from the lighter fare of Joel Schumacher's 1997 Batman film, Batman & Robin, which contained camp one-liners throughout. The theme of fear is intensified with the help of the musical score by Zimmer and Howard, which also "eschews traditional heroic themes".[66] Also contrary to previous Batman films, a psychological investigation of Bruce Wayne's split personality in the bat suit is only lightly touched upon. Orndorf noted that Bruce is a "character constantly striving to do the right thing, not worn down by incessant reexamination".[66]
Accolades[edit]
Wally Pfister was nominated for Best Cinematography at the 78th Academy Awards, receiving the film's only Academy Award nomination. The film received three nominations at the 59th British Academy Film Awards. Just months after its release, Batman Begins was voted by Empire readers as the 36th greatest film of all time.[67] In 2006, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers honored James Newton Howard, Hans Zimmer, and Ramin Djawadi with an ASCAP award for composing a film that became one of the top grossing films of 2005.[68] The film was awarded three Saturn Awards in 2006 as well: Best Fantasy Film, Best Actor for Christian Bale, and Best Writing for Nolan and Goyer.[69] Christian Bale would go on to win an MTV Movie Award for Best Hero.[70] However, Katie Holmes's performance was not well received, and she was nominated for a Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actress.[71] Batman Begins won the fan-based Total Film award for Best Film.[72]
In November 2008, Empire ranked Batman Begins 81 in its 500 Greatest Movies of All Time list.[73] In May 2014, Empire ranked Batman Begins the 138th greatest film ever made on their list of "The 301 Greatest Movies Of All Time" as voted by the magazine's readers.[74]
Box office[edit]
Batman Begins opened on June 17, 2005 in the United States and Canada in 3,858 theaters,[3] including 55 IMAX theaters. The film ranked at the top in its opening weekend, accumulating $48 million, which was seen as "strong but unimpressive by today's instantaneous blockbuster standards".[51] The film's five-day gross was $72.9 million, beating Batman Forever (1995) as the franchise high. Batman Begins also broke the five-day opening record in the 55 IMAX theaters, grossing $3.16 million. Polled moviegoers rated the film with an A, and according to the studio's surveys, Batman Begins was considered the best of all the Batman films. The audience's demographic was 57 percent male and 54 percent people over the age of 25.[51]
The film held its top spot for another weekend, accumulating $28 million in a 43 percent drop from its first weekend.[75] Batman Begins went on to gross $205 million in North America and had a worldwide total of $373 million.[3] It is the fourth-highest grossing Batman film, as of August 2012, behind Tim Burton's Batman, which grossed $411 million worldwide and also being surpassed by its sequels The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, both of which have grossed over $1 billion.[76] Batman Begins averaged $12,634 per theater in its opening weekend.[3] It was released in more theaters, but sold fewer tickets than the other previous Batman movies, with the exception of Batman & Robin.[77] Batman Begins was the eighth-highest grossing film of 2005 in the US.[78]
Home media[edit]
The DVD of Batman Begins was released on October 18, 2005, in both single-disc and two-disc deluxe editions and also released on VHS and UMD Video formats.[79] In addition to the film, the deluxe edition contained featurettes and other bonus materials. The edition contained a small paperback booklet, the first Batman story, featured in Detective Comics No. 27, as well as Batman: The Man Who Falls and an excerpt from Batman: The Long Halloween.[80] Batman Begins achieved first place in national sales and rental charts in October 2005, becoming the top-selling DVD of the fourth quarter of 2005. The DVD grossed $11.36 million in rental revenue.[81] The DVD held its position at the top of the sales chart for a second week, but fell to second place behind Bewitched on video rental charts.[82] The film had brought in $167 million in DVD sales by August 2006.[83]
Batman Begins was released on HD DVD on October 10, 2006.[84] A Limited Edition Giftset of the film was released on DVD and Blu-ray on July 8, 2008, to coincide with The Dark Knight which hit theaters July 18, 2008.[85] Due to the successful box office performance of The Dark Knight, the Batman Begins DVD has since seen an increase in both sales and rentals.[86]
Impact[edit]
Shawn Adler of MTV stated Batman Begins heralded a trend of darker genre films, that either retold back-stories or rebooted them altogether. Examples he cited were Casino Royale, as well as the in-development RoboCop, Red Sonja, and Grayskull.[87] Filmmakers, screenwriters and producers who have mentioned Batman Begins or The Dark Knight to describe their projects include: Jon Favreau and Iron Man,[88] Edward Norton and The Incredible Hulk,[89] McG and Terminator Salvation,[90] (Alan Taylor also cited Batman Begins as inspiration for his Terminator reboot)[91] Damon Lindelof and Star Trek,[92] Star Trek Into Darkness,[93] Robert Downey, Jr. and Sherlock Holmes,[94] Lorenzo di Bonaventura and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra,[95] Hugh Jackman and X-Men Origins: Wolverine,[96] Matthew Vaughn and X-Men: First Class,[97] Rupert Wyatt and Rise of the Planet of the Apes,[98] Kevin Tancharoen and Mortal Kombat,[99] Sam Mendes and Skyfall,[100] Alex Kurtzman and Van Helsing,[101] Andrew Kreisberg and Arrow,[102] Gareth Edwards and Godzilla,[103] Mark Wahlberg and The Roman,[104] and Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton with a potential adaptation of God of War.[105]
See also[edit]

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The Shadow - A 1994 superhero film, based on the character that partially inspired Batman, that uses a similar storyline of an American millionaire being trained in the East to fight crime.
List of films shot in Iceland
References[edit]
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External links[edit]
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Batman Begins
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This article is about the film. For the video game, see Batman Begins (video game).

Batman Begins
A man in a batsuit spreads his wings while looking down. Tall skyscrapers extend above and bats fly around him.
Theatrical release poster

Directed by
Christopher Nolan
Produced by
Charles Roven
Emma Thomas
Larry Franco

Screenplay by
Christopher Nolan
David S. Goyer

Story by
David S. Goyer
Based on
Characters appearing in comic books published
 by DC Comics
Starring
Christian Bale
Michael Caine
Liam Neeson
Katie Holmes
Gary Oldman
Cillian Murphy
Tom Wilkinson
Rutger Hauer
Ken Watanabe
Morgan Freeman

Music by
Hans Zimmer
James Newton Howard

Cinematography
Wally Pfister
Edited by
Lee Smith

Production
 companies

DC Comics
Syncopy
Patalex III Productions
Legendary Pictures

Distributed by
Warner Bros. Pictures

Release dates

June 10, 2005 (Russia)
June 15, 2005 (North America)
June 16, 2005 (United Kingdom)


Running time
 140 minutes[1]
Country
United States[2]
United Kingdom[2]

Language
English
Budget
$150 million[3]
Box office
$374.2 million[3]
Batman Begins is a 2005 superhero film based on the fictional DC Comics character Batman, co-written and directed by Christopher Nolan. It stars Christian Bale as Batman along with Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Gary Oldman, and Morgan Freeman. The film reboots the Batman film series, telling the origin story of the character from Bruce Wayne's initial fear of bats, the death of his parents, his journey to become Batman, and his fight against Ra's al Ghul's plot to destroy Gotham City. It draws inspiration from classic comic book storylines such as The Man Who Falls, Batman: Year One, and Batman: The Long Halloween.
After a series of unsuccessful projects to resurrect Batman on screen following the critical failure and box office disappointment of Batman & Robin (1997), Nolan and David S. Goyer began to work on the film in early 2003 and aimed for a darker and more realistic tone, with humanity and realism being the basis of the film. The goal was to get the audience to care for both Batman and Bruce Wayne. The film, which was primarily shot in Iceland and Chicago, relied on traditional stunts and miniatures – computer-generated imagery was used minimally.
The film opened on June 17, 2005, in the United States and Canada in 3,858 theaters. It grossed $48 million in its opening weekend in North America, eventually grossing over $374 million worldwide. The film received positive reviews and has been considered by many as one of the best superhero films ever made. Critics noted that fear was a common motif throughout the film, and remarked that it had a darker tone compared with previous Batman films. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography and three BAFTA awards.
The film is followed by The Dark Knight (2008) and The Dark Knight Rises (2012) in a continual story-arc, which has later been referred to as the The Dark Knight Trilogy.


Contents  [hide]
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Production 3.1 Development
3.2 Filming
3.3 Design 3.3.1 Tumbler
3.3.2 Batsuit
3.3.3 Fight choreography
3.3.4 Special effects
3.4 Music
4 Release 4.1 Critical reception
4.2 Themes
4.3 Accolades
4.4 Box office
4.5 Home media
5 Impact
6 See also
7 References
8 External links

Plot[edit]
As a child, Bruce Wayne falls into a well, where he is attacked by a swarm of bats; he subsequently develops a fear of bats. While watching an opera with his parents, Bruce is frightened by performers masquerading as bats, and asks to leave. Outside, the family is targeted by a mugger, Joe Chill, who murders Bruce's parents, leaving him to be raised by the family butler, Alfred Pennyworth.
Fourteen years later, Chill is freed in exchange for testifying against Gotham City mafia boss Carmine Falcone. Bruce intends to murder Chill in revenge, but one of Falcone's assassins does so first. Bruce's childhood friend, assistant district attorney Rachel Dawes, berates him for attempting to undermine the legal system, telling Bruce that his father would be ashamed. Bruce confronts Falcone in a nightclub, where Falcone demonstrates that real power comes from being feared. Bruce decides to travel the world, learning new skills and abilities to confront injustice. In Bhutan, he meets Henri Ducard who offers to train him as a member of the League of Shadows, led by Ra's al Ghul. After completing his training and purging his fears, Bruce learns the League intends to destroy Gotham, believing it to be corrupt and beyond saving, having done so with other cities for centuries. Bruce rejects their crusade, and causes a fire that burns down the League's temple. Ra's is killed by falling debris, while Bruce saves an unconscious Ducard.
Posing as a billionaire playboy, Bruce returns to Gotham intent on fighting crime. He develops a base in the bat-infested caves beneath Wayne manor, and takes an interest in his family's company, Wayne Enterprises, run by the unscrupulous William Earle. The company's top scientist, Lucius Fox, introduces Bruce to various prototype technologies including the Tumbler (a heavily armored car) and a protective bodysuit, which Bruce uses to take up the vigilante identity of "Batman". As Batman, he intercepts a drug shipment and provides Rachel with evidence against Falcone, empowering the honest Sgt. James Gordon to arrest the previously untouchable criminal.
Falcone is declared mentally unfit for trial by the corrupt Dr. Jonathan Crane, and transferred to Arkham Asylum. When Falcone threatens to reveal that he has been importing a fear-inducing hallucinogenic drug for Crane's employers, Crane exposes him to the drug while wearing a burlap mask, driving Falcone insane with fear of the "Scarecrow". While investigating Crane, Batman is exposed to the drug and left incapacitated. He is saved by Alfred and given an antidote developed by Fox. At Arkham, Rachel accuses Crane of corruption, and Crane reveals he has been pouring the drug into Gotham's water supply. He doses Rachel with it, but she is rescued by Batman, who leads a destructive chase through Gotham in the Tumbler to escape the police. Batman cures Rachel and leaves her with two vials of the antidote; one for Gordon, and one for mass production. After Crane is arrested, Gordon learns that the tainted water supply is only harmful if inhaled.
During his 30th birthday celebration at the manor, Bruce is confronted by Ducard, who reveals himself to be the real Ra's al Ghul; Bruce expels his guests so they will be safe. Ra's reveals that he employed Crane, and stole a powerful microwave emitter from Wayne Enterprises, that will be used to vaporize the tainted water supply, making the drug airborne and causing mass hysteria and violence that will destroy Gotham. Ra's' men set fire to the mansion, and Bruce is saved by Alfred, who secures them in the Batcave before the fire engulfs the building. As the League's plot commences, Batman rescues Rachel from a drugged-mob and indirectly reveals his identity to her before pursuing Ra's onto a monorail train carrying the emitter toward Gotham's central water source. Gordon uses the Tumbler's cannons to destroy a section of the track and derail the train. Batman overpowers Ra's but refuses to kill him, while also refusing to save him, before gliding from the train car, leaving Ra's to die as the train crashes and explodes.
Batman becomes a public hero, but loses Rachel, who cannot be with Bruce while he is Batman. Bruce buys a controlling stake in the now publicly traded Wayne Enterprises, fires Earle, and replaces him with Fox. Gordon — now promoted to Lieutenant of the Gotham Police Force — shows Batman the Bat-Signal and mentions a criminal who leaves Joker playing cards at crime scenes. Batman promises to investigate and disappears into the night.
Cast[edit]
Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne / Batman:
A billionaire industrialist whose parents were killed by a mugger when he was eight years old, and traveled the world for several years to seek the means to fight injustice before returning to Gotham, becoming Gotham City's vigilante protector at night. Bale was cast on September 11, 2003,[4] having expressed interest in playing Batman since Darren Aronofsky was planning his own film adaptation.[5] Some of the early candidates for the Batman/Bruce Wayne role were Eion Bailey, Henry Cavill, Billy Crudup, Hugh Dancy, Jake Gyllenhaal, Joshua Jackson, Heath Ledger, David Boreanaz and Cillian Murphy.[4][6][7] Amy Adams served as the casting reader for the casting of Bruce Wayne/Batman in a favor to the casting director.[8] Bale felt the previous films underused Batman's character, overplaying the villains instead.[9] To best pose as Batman, Bale studied graphic novels and illustrations of the superhero.[10] Director Nolan said of Bale, "He has exactly the balance of darkness and light that we were looking for."[11] Goyer stated that while some actors could play a great Bruce Wayne or a great Batman, Bale could portray both radically different personalities.[12] Bale described the part as playing four characters: the raging Batman persona; the shallow playboy façade Bruce uses to ward off suspicion; the vengeful young man; and the older, angrier Bruce who is discovering his purpose in life.[13] Bale's dislike of his costume, which heated up regularly, helped him get into a necessarily foul mood. He said, "Batman's meant to be fierce, and you become a beast in that suit, as Batman should be – not a man in a suit, but a different creature."[10] Since he had lost a great deal of weight in preparation for his role in The Machinist, Bale hired a personal trainer to help him gain 100 pounds (45 kg) in the span of only a couple of months to help him physically prepare for the role. He first went well over the weight required and created concern over whether he would look right for the part. Bale recognized that his large physique was not appropriate for Batman, who relies on speed and strategy. He lost the excess weight by the time filming began.[12]Gus Lewis as Young Bruce Wayne.[14]
Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth:
The trusted butler to Bruce's parents, who continues his loyal service to their son after their deaths as his closest confidant. Nolan felt Caine would effectively portray the foster father element of the character.[12] Although Alfred's family is depicted in the film as having served the Wayne family for generations, Caine created his own backstory, in that before becoming Wayne's butler, Alfred served in the Special Air Service. After being wounded, he was invited to the position of the Wayne family butler by Thomas Wayne because, "He wanted a butler, but someone a bit tougher than that, you know?"[15]Liam Neeson as Henri Ducard / Ra's al Ghul:
A mysterious man who trains Bruce in the martial arts, initially posing as a subservient member of the League of Shadows, an organization led by Ra's al Ghul, but is later revealed to be Ra's al Ghul himself, having to have used the name "Ducard" as a pseudonym to hide his true identity. Writer David Goyer said he felt he was the most complex of all the Batman villains, comparing him to Osama bin Laden; "He's not crazy in the way that all the other Batman villains are. He's not bent on revenge; he's actually trying to heal the world. He's just doing it by very draconian means."[16] Gary Oldman was first choice for the part, but ended up playing James Gordon instead.[17] Guy Pearce, who collaborated with Christopher Nolan on Memento (2000), reported that the pair had discussions about him playing the role, but both of them decided that he was too young for the part.[18] Neeson is commonly cast as a mentor, so the revelation that his character was the main villain was intended to shock viewers.[12]Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes:
Bruce's childhood friend and love interest who serves as Gotham City's assistant district attorney, fighting against the corruption in the city. Nolan found a "tremendous warmth and great emotional appeal" in Holmes, and also felt "she has a maturity beyond her years that comes across in the film and is essential to the idea that Rachel is something of a moral conscience for Bruce".[19]Emma Lockhart as Young Rachel Dawes.
Gary Oldman as James Gordon:
One of the few uncorrupted Gotham City police officers. He was the officer on duty the night of the murder of Bruce Wayne's parents. In this way, he shares a special bond with the adult Bruce and thus with Batman. Oldman was Nolan's first choice for Ra's al Ghul,[17] but when Chris Cooper turned down the part of Gordon to spend time with his family[20] Nolan decided that it would be refreshing for Oldman, who is renowned for his portrayals of villains, to play the role instead.[21] "I embody the themes of the movie which are the values of family, courage and compassion and a sense of right and wrong, good and bad and justice," Oldman said of his character. He filmed most of his scenes in Britain.[22] Goyer said Oldman heavily resembled Gordon as drawn by David Mazzucchelli in Batman: Year One.[12]Cillian Murphy as Dr. Jonathan Crane / Scarecrow:
A corrupt psychopharmacologist who works as Chief Administrator of Arkham Asylum and has developed fear-inducing toxins from a flower that grows in Ra's al Ghul's sanctuary. He takes on the persona of the Scarecrow to use during his experiments, in which he uses his patients as human guinea pigs for his toxins. Using Carmine Falcone, Crane works with Ra's al Ghul to smuggle the drugs into Gotham. Nolan decided against Irish actor Murphy for Batman, before casting him as Scarecrow.[23] Murphy read numerous comics featuring the Scarecrow, and discussed making the character look less theatrical with Nolan. Murphy explained, "I wanted to avoid the Worzel Gummidge look, because he's not a very physically imposing man – he's more interested in the manipulation of the mind and what that can do."[24]Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox:
A high-ranking Wayne Enterprises employee who was demoted to working in the company's Applied Science Division, where he conducts advanced studies in biochemistry and mechanical engineering. Fox supplies Bruce with much of the gear necessary to carry out Batman's mission and is promoted to CEO when Bruce takes control of the company by the end of the film. Freeman was Goyer's first and only choice for the role.[12]Tom Wilkinson as Carmine Falcone:
The most powerful Mafia boss in Gotham. He had shared a prison cell with Joe Chill after Chill murdered Wayne's parents. He had Chill murdered when he decided to testify against Falcone. He goes into business with Dr. Jonathan Crane and Ra's al Ghul by smuggling in Crane's fear toxins through his drug shipments over the course of several months so that they can be mixed in with the city's water supply.Rutger Hauer as William Earle, the CEO of Wayne Enterprises who takes the company public in the long-term absence of Bruce Wayne.
Ken Watanabe as Ra's al Ghul's decoy.
Other cast members include Mark Boone Junior as Gordon's corrupt partner Detective Arnold Flass; Larry Holden as district attorney Carl Finch; Colin McFarlane as Police commissioner Gillian B. Loeb; Christine Adams as Jessica, Lucius Fox's secretary; Linus Roache and Sara Stewart as Thomas and Martha Wayne, Bruce's parents; Richard Brake as Joe Chill, the Waynes' killer; Gerard Murphy as the corrupt High Court Judge Faden; Charles Edwards as a Wayne Enterprises executive; Tim Booth as Victor Zsasz; Rade Šerbedžija as a homeless man, who is the last person to meet Bruce when he leaves Gotham, and the first civilian to see Batman, and both Risteárd Cooper and Andrew Pleavin as uniformed policemen. Actors John Foo, Joey Ansah, Spencer Wilding, Dave Legeno, Khan Bonfils, Rodney Ryan, Dean Alexandrou, James Embree, David Bedella, Emil Martirossian, Mark Strange, Justin Miu and Chuen Tsou appear as members of the League of Shadows. Jack Gleeson, who previously co-starred with Bale in 2002's Reign of Fire and later found fame for his role as Joffrey Baratheon in the HBO series Game of Thrones, has a small role as a young boy who idolises Batman and is later saved by him before the final battle with Ra's al Ghul.
Production[edit]
Development[edit]
Further information: Proposals for a fifth Batman film
In January 2003, Warner Bros. hired Memento director Christopher Nolan to direct an untitled Batman film,[25] and David S. Goyer signed on to write the script two months later.[26] Nolan stated his intention to reinvent the film franchise of Batman by "doing the origins story of the character, which is a story that's never been told before". Nolan said that humanity and realism would be the basis of the origin film, and that "the world of Batman is that of grounded reality. [It] will be a recognizable, contemporary reality against which an extraordinary heroic figure arises." Goyer said that the goal of the film was to get the audience to care for both Batman and Bruce Wayne.[27] Nolan felt the previous films were exercises in style rather than drama, and described his inspiration as being Richard Donner's 1978 film Superman, in its focus on depicting the character's growth.[5] Also similar to Superman, Nolan wanted an all-star supporting cast for Batman Begins to lend a more epic feel and credibility to the story.[12]
Nolan's personal "jumping off point" of inspiration was The Man Who Falls, a short story by Denny O'Neil and Dick Giordano about Bruce's travels throughout the world. The early scene in Batman Begins of young Bruce Wayne falling into a well was adapted from "The Man Who Falls".[28] Batman: The Long Halloween, written by Jeph Loeb and drawn by Tim Sale, influenced Goyer in writing the screenplay, with the villain Carmine Falcone as one of many elements which were drawn from Halloween's "sober, serious approach".[28] The writers considered having Harvey Dent in the film, but replaced him with the new character Rachel Dawes when they realized they "couldn't do him justice".[29] The character was later portrayed by Aaron Eckhart in the 2008 sequel The Dark Knight. The sequel to Halloween, Batman: Dark Victory, also served as an influence.[30] Goyer used the vacancy of Bruce Wayne's multi-year absence presented in Batman: Year One to help set up some of the film's events in the transpiring years.[31] In addition, the film's Sergeant James Gordon was based on his comic book incarnation as seen in Year One. The writers of Batman Begins also used Frank Miller's Year One plot device, which was about a corrupt police force that led to Gordon and Gotham City's need for Batman.[28]
A common idea in the comics is that Bruce saw a Zorro film with his parents before they were murdered. Nolan explained that by ignoring that idea – which he stated is not found in Batman's first appearances – it emphasized the importance of bats to Bruce and that becoming a superhero is a wholly original idea on his part. It is for this reason Nolan believes other DC characters do not exist in the universe of his film; otherwise, Wayne's reasons for taking up costumed vigilantism would have been very different.[32]
At his audition, Bale wore the bat suit (minus the cape which has been missing for some time) Val Kilmer donned for 1995's Batman Forever.[33]
Filming[edit]
As with all his films, Nolan refused a second unit; he did this in order to keep his vision consistent.[10] Filming began in March 2004 in the Vatnajökull glacier in Iceland (standing in for Bhutan).[10] The crew built a village and the front doors to Ra's' temple,[34] as well as a road to access the remote area.[10] The weather was problematic, with 75 miles per hour (121 km/h) winds,[10] rain, and a lack of snow. A shot Wally Pfister had planned to take using a crane had to be done with a handheld camera.[34]
In seeking inspiration from Superman and other blockbuster films of the late 1970s and early 1980s, Nolan based most of the production in England, specifically Shepperton Studios.[35] A Batcave set was built there and measured 250 feet (76 m) long, 120 feet (37 m) wide, and 40 feet (12 m) high. Production designer Nathan Crowley installed twelve pumps to create a waterfall with 12,000 imperial gallons (55,000 l; 14,000 US gal), and built rocks using molds of real caves.[36] In January 2004, an airship hangar at Cardington, Bedfordshire was rented by Warner Bros during April 2004[37] and, converted into a 900 feet (270 m) sound stage, was where the slum-district of "the Narrows" and the feet of the monorails were filmed.[36]
Mentmore Towers was chosen from twenty different locations for Wayne Manor, as Nolan and Crowley liked its white floors, which gave the impression of the manor as a memorial to Wayne's parents.[38] The building chosen to represent Arkham Asylum was the National Institute for Medical Research building in Mill Hill, northwest London, England.[39] The St Pancras railway station and the Abbey Mills Pumping Stations were used for Arkham's interiors.[36] University College London was used for courtrooms.[36] Some scenes, including the Tumbler pursuit,[10] were filmed in Chicago at locations such as Lower Wacker Drive and 35 East Wacker.[40] Authorities agreed to raise Franklin Street Bridge for a scene where access to the Narrows is closed.[10]
Despite the film's darkness, Nolan wanted to make the film appeal to a wide age range. "Not the youngest kids obviously, I think what we've done is probably a bit intense for them but I certainly didn't want to exclude the sort of ten to 12-year olds, because as a kid I would have loved to have seen a movie like this." Because of this, nothing gory or bloody was filmed.[19]
Design[edit]
Nolan used the 1982 cult science fiction film Blade Runner as a source of inspiration for Batman Begins. He screened Blade Runner to cinematographer Wally Pfister and two others to show the attitude and style that he wanted to draw from the film. Nolan described the film's world as "an interesting lesson on the technique of exploring and describing a credible universe that doesn't appear to have any boundaries", a lesson that he applied to the production of Batman Begins.[41]
Nolan worked with production designer Nathan Crowley to create the look of Gotham City. Crowley built a model of the city that filled Nolan's garage.[38] Crowley and Nolan designed it as a large, modern metropolitan area that would reflect the various periods of architecture that the city had gone through. Elements were drawn from New York City, Chicago, and Tokyo; the latter for its elevated freeways and monorails. The Narrows was based on the slummish nature of the (now demolished) walled city of Kowloon in Hong Kong.[42]
Tumbler[edit]
See also: Batmobile
Crowley started the process of designing the Tumbler for the film by model bashing. Crowley used the nose cone of a P-38 Lightning model to serve as the chassis for the Tumbler's turbine engine. Six models of the Tumbler were built to 1:12 scale in the course of four months. Following the scale model creation, a crew of over 30 people, including Crowley and engineers Chris Culvert and Annie Smith, carved a full-size replica of the Tumbler out of a large block of Styrofoam in two months.[43]
The styrofoam model was used to create a steel "test frame", which had to stand up to several standards: have a speed of over 100 miles per hour (160 km/h), go from 0 to 60 miles per hour (97 km/h) in 5 seconds, possess a steering system to make sharp turns at city corners, and withstand a self-propelled launch of up to 30 feet (9.1 m). On the first jump test, the Tumbler's front end collapsed and had to be completely rebuilt. The basic configuration of the newly designed Tumbler included a 5.7-liter Chevy V8 engine, a truck axle for the rear axle, front tires by Hoosier (which are actually dirt racing tires used on the right rear of open wheel sprint cars), 4 rear 44/18.5-16.5 Interco Super Swamper TSL tires (44" tall, 18.5" wide, mounted on a 16.5" wheel) and the suspension system of Baja racing trucks. The design and development process took nine months and cost several million dollars.[43]
With the design process complete, four street-ready race cars were constructed, with each vehicle possessing 65 panels and costing $250,000 to build. Two of the four cars were specialized versions. One version was the flap version, which had hydraulics and flaps to detail the close-up shots where the vehicle propelled itself through the air. The other version was the jet version, in which an actual jet engine was mounted onto the vehicle, fueled by six propane tanks. The visibility inside the vehicle was poor, so monitors were connected to cameras on the vehicle body. The professional drivers for the Tumblers practiced driving the vehicles for six months before they drove on the streets of Chicago for the film's scenes.[43]
The interior of the Tumbler was an immobile studio set and not actually the interior of a street-capable Tumbler. The cockpit was over-sized to fit cameras for scenes filmed in the Tumbler interior. In addition, another version of the Tumbler was a miniature model that was 1:6 scale of the actual Tumbler. This miniature model had an electric motor and was used to show the Tumbler flying across ravines and between buildings. However, the actual Tumbler was used for the waterfall sequence.[43]
Batsuit[edit]

A man in a batsuit, with a cowl on his head, a utility belt, and a cape flowing behind him.

 The Batsuit, worn by Christian Bale.
The filmmakers intended to create a very mobile Batsuit that would allow the wearer to move easily to fight and crouch. Previous film incarnations of the Batsuit had been stiff and especially restrictive of full head movement. Costume designer Lindy Hemming and her crew worked on the Batsuit at an FX workshop codenamed "Cape Town", a secured compound located at Shepperton Studios in London. The Batsuit's basic design was a neoprene undersuit, which was shaped by attaching molded cream latex sections. Christian Bale was molded and sculpted prior to his physical training so the team could work on a full body cast. To avoid imperfections picked up by sculpting with clay, plastiline was used to smooth the surface. In addition, the team brewed different mixtures of foam to find the mixture that would be the most flexible, light, durable, and black. The latter presented a problem, since the process to make the foam black reduced the foam's durability.[10]
For the cape, director Christopher Nolan wanted to have a "flowing cloak... that blows and flows as in so many great graphic novels". Hemming's team created the cape out of their own version of parachute nylon that had electrostatic flocking, a process shared with the team by the British Ministry of Defence. The process was used by the London police force to minimize night vision detection. The cape was topped by a cowl, which was designed by Nolan, Hemming, and costume effects supervisor Graham Churchyard. The cowl was created to be thin enough to allow motion but thick enough to avoid wrinkling when Bale turned his head in the Batsuit. Churchyard explained the cowl had been designed to show "a man who has angst", so his character would be revealed through the mask.[10]
Fight choreography[edit]
Fight choreography used the Keysi Fighting Method which itself gained fame after it was used in the movie Batman Begins and its sequel, The Dark Knight; however, the method was modified in the The Dark Knight Rises due to Batman's age and physical condition and in order to match Bane's fighting style. The method is a self-defense system whose training is based on the study and cultivation of natural instincts.[44]
Special effects[edit]
For Batman Begins, Nolan preferred traditional stuntwork over computer-generated imagery.[5] Scale models were used to represent the Narrows and Ra's al Ghul's temple.[34][38] There were, however, several establishing shots that were CG composite images; that is, an image composed of multiple images. Examples include Gotham's skyline, exterior shots of Wayne Tower, and some of the exterior monorail shots.[38] The climactic monorail sequence mixed live action footage, model work, and CGI.[45]
The bats were entirely digital (except in shots containing only one or two bats), as it was decided directing larger numbers of real bats on set would be problematic. Dead bats were scanned to create digital models. Locations and sets were recreated on the computer so the flying bats would not be superfluous once incorporated into the finished film.
Music[edit]
Main article: Batman Begins (soundtrack)
The score for Batman Begins was composed by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard. Nolan originally invited Zimmer to compose the music, and Zimmer asked Nolan if he could invite Howard to compose as well, as they had always planned a collaboration.[46] The two composers collaborated on separate themes for the "split personality" of Bruce Wayne and his alter ego, Batman. Zimmer and Howard began composing in Los Angeles and moved to London where they stayed for twelve weeks to complete most of their writing.[47] Zimmer and Howard sought inspiration for shaping the score by visiting the Batman Begins sets.[48]
Zimmer wanted to avoid writing music that had been done in earlier Batman films, so the score became an amalgamation of orchestra and electronic music. The film's ninety-piece orchestra[46] was developed from members of various London orchestras, and Zimmer chose to use more than the normal number of cellos. Zimmer enlisted a boy soprano to help reflect the music in some of the film's scenes where tragic memories of Bruce Wayne's parents are involved. "He's singing a fairly pretty tune and then he gets stuck, it's like froze, arrested development," said Zimmer. He also attempted to add a human dimension to Batman, whose behavior would typically be seen as "psychotic", through the music. Both composers collaborated to create 2 hours and 20 minutes worth of music for the film,[48] with Zimmer composing the action sequences and Howard focusing on the dramatic scenes.[46]
Release[edit]
Critical reception[edit]
Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 85% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 263 reviews, with an average score of 7.7/10, making the film a "Certified Fresh" on the website's rating system.[49] At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film received an average score of 70, based on 41 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".[50] Additionally, the film was a success with audiences who, when polled by CinemaScore, awarded the film an A grade.[51]
James Berardinelli applauded Nolan and Goyer's work in creating more understanding into "who [Batman] is and what motivates him", something Berardinelli felt Tim Burton's film had lacked; at the same time, Berardinelli felt the romantic aspect between Bale and Holmes did not work because the actors lacked the chemistry Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder (Superman), or Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst (Spider-Man) shared in their respective roles.[52] According to Total Film, Nolan manages to create such strong characters and story that the third-act action sequences cannot compare to "the frisson of two people talking", and Katie Holmes and Christian Bale's romantic subplot has a spark "refreshingly free of Peter Parker/Mary Jane-style whining".[53]
Los Angeles Times '​ Kenneth Turan, who felt the film began slowly, stated that the "story, psychology and reality, not special effects", assisted the darkness behind Batman's arsenal; he noted that Neeson and Holmes, unlike Bale's ability to "feel his role in his bones", do not appear to fit their respective characters in "being both comic-book archetypes and real people".[54] The New Yorker '​s David Denby did not share Berardinelli and Turan's opinion. He was unimpressed with the film, when comparing it to the two Tim Burton films, and that Christian Bale's presence was hindered by the "dull earnestness of the screenplay", the final climax was "cheesy and unexciting", and that Nolan had resorted to imitating the "fakery" used by other filmmakers when filming action sequences.[55]
Michael Wilmington of the Chicago Tribune believed Nolan and Goyer managed to "comfortably mix the tormented drama and revenge motifs with light hearted gags and comic book allusions," and that Nolan takes the series out of the "slam-bang Hollywood jokefests" the franchise had drifted into.[56] Comic book scribe and editor Dennis O'Neil stated that he "felt the filmmakers really understood the character they were translating", citing this film as the best of the live-action Batman films.[57] In contrast, J.R. Jones, from the Chicago Reader, criticized the script, and Nolan and David Goyer for not living up to the "hype about exploring Batman's damaged psyche".[58] Roger Ebert, who gave mixed reviews to the previous films, and claimed in his review for Batman Returns that he did not believe noir worked in superhero films, wrote this was "the Batman movie I've been waiting for; more correctly, this is the movie I did not realize I was waiting for". Giving it four out of four stars, he commended the realistic portrayals of the Batman arsenal – the Batsuit, Batcave, Tumbler, and the Batsignal – as well as the focus on "the story and character" with less stress on "high-tech action".[59]
Like Berardinelli, USA Today '​s Mike Clark thought Bale performed the role of Batman as well as he did Patrick Bateman in American Psycho, but that the relationship between Bruce Wayne and Rachel Dawes was "frustratingly underdeveloped".[60] Kyle Smith thought Bale exhibited "both the menace and the wit he showed in his brilliant turn in American Psycho", and that the film works so well because of the realism, stating, "Batman starts stripping away each layer of Gotham crime only to discover a sicker and more monstrous evil beneath, his rancid city simultaneously invokes early '90s New York, when criminals frolicked to the tune of five murders a day; Serpico New York, when cops were for sale; and today, when psychos seek to kill us all at once rather than one by one."[61] In contrast, Salon.com's Stephanie Zacharek felt Nolan did not deliver the emotional depth expected of "one of the most soulful and tortured superheroes of all"; she thought Bale, unlike Michael Keaton whom she compared him to, failed to connect with the audience underneath the mask, but that Gary Oldman succeeded in "emotional complexity" where the rest of the movie failed.[62]
Film director Tim Burton felt Nolan "captured the real spirit that these kind of movies are supposed to have nowadays. When I did Batman twenty years ago, in 1988 or something, it was a different time in comic book movies. You couldn't go into that dark side of comics yet. The last couple of years that has become acceptable and Nolan certainly got more to the root of what the Batman comics are about."[63]
Themes[edit]
Comic book writer and author Danny Fingeroth argues that a strong theme in the film is Bruce's search for a father figure, saying "[Alfred] is the good father that Bruce comes to depend on. Bruce's real father died before they could establish an adult relationship, and Liam Neeson's Ducard is stern and demanding, didactic and challenging, but not a father figure with any sympathy. If Bruce is anyone's son, he is Alfred's. [Morgan] Freeman's Lucius is cool and imperturbable, another steady anchor in Bruce's life."[64] Blogger Mark Fisher states that Bruce's search for justice requires him to learn from a proper father figure, with Thomas Wayne and Ra's al Ghul being the two counterpoints. Alfred provides a maternal figure of unconditional love, despite the overall lack of focus on a mother figure in Bruce's life.[65]
Fingeroth also argues that a major theme in the film is fear, which supports the story of Bruce Wayne becoming a hero. Director Christopher Nolan stated that the idea behind the film was "a person who would confront his innermost fear and then attempt to become it". Fingeroth referred to this film's depiction as "the man with fear—but who rises above it". The theme of fear is further personified by the Scarecrow.[64] The film depicts how fear can affect all creatures regardless of might. Allusions to fear are seen throughout, from Bruce's conquering of his demons, to becoming Batman, to the Scarecrow and his deadly fear toxin. The macabre, distorted images presented in the Scarecrow's toxin-induced hallucinations also express the idea of terror to an extreme.[66]
Critic Brian Orndorf considered Batman Begins "fierce" and "demonstrative in brood", giving the film an abundance of gravitas and energy. It strays away from the lighter fare of Joel Schumacher's 1997 Batman film, Batman & Robin, which contained camp one-liners throughout. The theme of fear is intensified with the help of the musical score by Zimmer and Howard, which also "eschews traditional heroic themes".[66] Also contrary to previous Batman films, a psychological investigation of Bruce Wayne's split personality in the bat suit is only lightly touched upon. Orndorf noted that Bruce is a "character constantly striving to do the right thing, not worn down by incessant reexamination".[66]
Accolades[edit]
Wally Pfister was nominated for Best Cinematography at the 78th Academy Awards, receiving the film's only Academy Award nomination. The film received three nominations at the 59th British Academy Film Awards. Just months after its release, Batman Begins was voted by Empire readers as the 36th greatest film of all time.[67] In 2006, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers honored James Newton Howard, Hans Zimmer, and Ramin Djawadi with an ASCAP award for composing a film that became one of the top grossing films of 2005.[68] The film was awarded three Saturn Awards in 2006 as well: Best Fantasy Film, Best Actor for Christian Bale, and Best Writing for Nolan and Goyer.[69] Christian Bale would go on to win an MTV Movie Award for Best Hero.[70] However, Katie Holmes's performance was not well received, and she was nominated for a Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actress.[71] Batman Begins won the fan-based Total Film award for Best Film.[72]
In November 2008, Empire ranked Batman Begins 81 in its 500 Greatest Movies of All Time list.[73] In May 2014, Empire ranked Batman Begins the 138th greatest film ever made on their list of "The 301 Greatest Movies Of All Time" as voted by the magazine's readers.[74]
Box office[edit]
Batman Begins opened on June 17, 2005 in the United States and Canada in 3,858 theaters,[3] including 55 IMAX theaters. The film ranked at the top in its opening weekend, accumulating $48 million, which was seen as "strong but unimpressive by today's instantaneous blockbuster standards".[51] The film's five-day gross was $72.9 million, beating Batman Forever (1995) as the franchise high. Batman Begins also broke the five-day opening record in the 55 IMAX theaters, grossing $3.16 million. Polled moviegoers rated the film with an A, and according to the studio's surveys, Batman Begins was considered the best of all the Batman films. The audience's demographic was 57 percent male and 54 percent people over the age of 25.[51]
The film held its top spot for another weekend, accumulating $28 million in a 43 percent drop from its first weekend.[75] Batman Begins went on to gross $205 million in North America and had a worldwide total of $373 million.[3] It is the fourth-highest grossing Batman film, as of August 2012, behind Tim Burton's Batman, which grossed $411 million worldwide and also being surpassed by its sequels The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, both of which have grossed over $1 billion.[76] Batman Begins averaged $12,634 per theater in its opening weekend.[3] It was released in more theaters, but sold fewer tickets than the other previous Batman movies, with the exception of Batman & Robin.[77] Batman Begins was the eighth-highest grossing film of 2005 in the US.[78]
Home media[edit]
The DVD of Batman Begins was released on October 18, 2005, in both single-disc and two-disc deluxe editions and also released on VHS and UMD Video formats.[79] In addition to the film, the deluxe edition contained featurettes and other bonus materials. The edition contained a small paperback booklet, the first Batman story, featured in Detective Comics No. 27, as well as Batman: The Man Who Falls and an excerpt from Batman: The Long Halloween.[80] Batman Begins achieved first place in national sales and rental charts in October 2005, becoming the top-selling DVD of the fourth quarter of 2005. The DVD grossed $11.36 million in rental revenue.[81] The DVD held its position at the top of the sales chart for a second week, but fell to second place behind Bewitched on video rental charts.[82] The film had brought in $167 million in DVD sales by August 2006.[83]
Batman Begins was released on HD DVD on October 10, 2006.[84] A Limited Edition Giftset of the film was released on DVD and Blu-ray on July 8, 2008, to coincide with The Dark Knight which hit theaters July 18, 2008.[85] Due to the successful box office performance of The Dark Knight, the Batman Begins DVD has since seen an increase in both sales and rentals.[86]
Impact[edit]
Shawn Adler of MTV stated Batman Begins heralded a trend of darker genre films, that either retold back-stories or rebooted them altogether. Examples he cited were Casino Royale, as well as the in-development RoboCop, Red Sonja, and Grayskull.[87] Filmmakers, screenwriters and producers who have mentioned Batman Begins or The Dark Knight to describe their projects include: Jon Favreau and Iron Man,[88] Edward Norton and The Incredible Hulk,[89] McG and Terminator Salvation,[90] (Alan Taylor also cited Batman Begins as inspiration for his Terminator reboot)[91] Damon Lindelof and Star Trek,[92] Star Trek Into Darkness,[93] Robert Downey, Jr. and Sherlock Holmes,[94] Lorenzo di Bonaventura and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra,[95] Hugh Jackman and X-Men Origins: Wolverine,[96] Matthew Vaughn and X-Men: First Class,[97] Rupert Wyatt and Rise of the Planet of the Apes,[98] Kevin Tancharoen and Mortal Kombat,[99] Sam Mendes and Skyfall,[100] Alex Kurtzman and Van Helsing,[101] Andrew Kreisberg and Arrow,[102] Gareth Edwards and Godzilla,[103] Mark Wahlberg and The Roman,[104] and Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton with a potential adaptation of God of War.[105]
See also[edit]

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The Shadow - A 1994 superhero film, based on the character that partially inspired Batman, that uses a similar storyline of an American millionaire being trained in the East to fight crime.
List of films shot in Iceland
References[edit]
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External links[edit]
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List of accolades received by The Dark Knight
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 This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2011)
List of The Dark Knight awards
Heath Ledger.jpg
Heath Ledger's portrayal of The Joker garnered the most attention from critics.


[show]Awards & nominations
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Total number of wins and nominations
Totals 103 178
References
The Dark Knight is a 2008 superhero film directed, produced, and co-written by Christopher Nolan. It was released in Australia on July 16, 2008. The Dark Knight grossed $1,004,558,444 worldwide,[1] becoming the fourth film in history to gross more than $1 billion worldwide[2] and the highest-grossing film of 2008. It is currently the 16th highest-grossing film of all time. The Dark Knight also received a high critical acclaim, accumulating an approval rating of 94% on the review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes.[3]
At the People's Choice Awards—in which the winners are determined by the choices of the people (audience) in the Gallup polls—The Dark Knight won five awards, including: Favorite Movie, Favorite Action Movie, Favorite Superhero (Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman), Favorite On Screen Match-Up (Christian Bale and Heath Ledger), and Favourite Cast.[4]
At the 81st Academy Awards, The Dark Knight won Academy Awards for Best Sound Editing and Ledger was posthumously awarded Best Supporting Actor. Notably, the film's Best Sound Editing win prevented Slumdog Millionaire—eventual Best Picture winner—from having a clean category-sweep.


Contents  [hide]
1 Awards and nominations 1.1 Organizations
1.2 Guild Awards
1.3 Film Critics Awards
2 References

Awards and nominations[edit]
Organizations[edit]

Award
Category
Winner/Nominee
Result
81st Academy Awards[5]
Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Won
Best Art Direction Nathan Crowley, Peter Lando Nominated
Best Cinematography Wally Pfister Nominated
Best Film Editing Lee Smith Nominated
Best Makeup John Caglione, Jr. and Conor O'Sullivan Nominated
Best Sound Editing Richard King Won
Best Sound Mixing Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo and Ed Novick Nominated
Best Visual Effects Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Tim Webber and Paul Franklin Nominated
American Film Institute Top 10 Film of the Year Warner Brothers Studios Won
Australian Film Institute International Award for Best Actor Heath Ledger Won
BAFTA Awards[6] Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Won
Best Music Hans Zimmer / James Newton Howard Nominated
Best Cinematography Wally Pfister Nominated
Best Editing Lee Smith Nominated
Best Production Design Nathan Crowley / Peter Lando Nominated
Best Costume Design Linda Hemming Nominated
Best Sound Lora Hirschberg / Richard King / Ed Novick / Gary Rizzo Nominated
Best Visual Effects Chris Corbould / Nick Davis / Paul Franklin / Tim Webber Nominated
Best Make Up and Hair Peter Robb-King Nominated
Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Picture Warner Brothers Studios Nominated
Best Director Christopher Nolan Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Won
Best Acting Ensemble Bale, Caine, Ledger, Eckhart, Oldman, Gyllenhaal, and Freeman Nominated
Best Action Movie Warner Brothers Studios Won
Best Composer James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer Nominated
Empire Awards Best Movie Warner Brothers Won
Best Director Christopher Nolan Won
Best Actor Christian Bale Won
Best SciFi/Fantasy/Superhero Movie Warner Brothers Nominated
Golden Globe Award[7] Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture Heath Ledger Won
Golden Trailer Awards Best in Show Warner Brothers Studios Won
Best Action Trailer Warner Brothers Studios Won
"Batman Teaser" Poster Warner Brothers Studios Nominated
Best Summer 2008 Blockbuster Poster (teaser) Warner Brothers Studios Won
Best Motion Title/Graphics Warner Brothers Studios Nominated
Grammy Awards Best Score Soundtrack Album James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer Won
Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Movie Warner Brothers Nominated
MTV Movie Awards Best Movie Warner Brothers Nominated
Best Male Performance Christian Bale Nominated
Best Villain Heath Ledger Won
Best Fight Christian Bale vs. Heath Ledger Nominated
National Board of Review Top 10 Film of the Year Warner Brothers Won
National Movie Awards Best Superhero Film Warner Brothers Studios Won
Best Performance - Male Christian Bale Nominated
Project Fanboy Awards Best Comic Book to Movie Adaptation Batman The Dark Knight Won
Best Comic Book to Movie Adaptation: Actor Heath Ledger Won
People's Choice Awards Favorite Movie Warner Brothers Studios Won
Favorite Action Movie Warner Brothers Studios Won
Favorite Cast Bale, Ledger, Eckhart, Caine, Oldman, Gyllenhaal, and Freeman Won
Favorite Male Action Star Christian Bale Nominated
Favorite Leading Man Christian Bale Nominated
Favorite On-Screen Match Up Christian Bale and Heath Ledger Won
Favorite Superhero Christian Bale as Batman Won
Satellite Awards Best Sound (Mixing & Editing) Richard King, Lora Hirschberg, and Gary rizzo Won
Best Director Christopher Nolan Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Nominated
Best Visual Effects Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Tim Webber, Paul Franklin Nominated
Best Film Editing Lee Smith Nominated
Saturn Award Best Action/Adventure/Thriller Film Warner Bros Won
Best Director Christopher Nolan Nominated
Best Writing Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan Won
Best Actor Christian Bale Nominated
Best Actress Maggie Gyllenhaal Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Aaron Eckhart Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Won
Best Music James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer Won
Best Costume Lindy Hemming Nominated
Best Make Up John Caglione, JR. and Conor O’Sullian Nominated
Best Special Effects Nick Davis, Chis Corbould, Tim Webber, Paul Franklin Won
Scream Awards The Ultimate Scream Warner Brothers studios Won
Best Director Christopher Nolan Won
Best Screamplay Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan Won
Best Sequel Warner Brothers Studios Won
Best F/X Warner Brothers Studios Won
Best Comic Book Movie Warner Brothers Studios Won
Best Fantasy Actor Heath Ledger Won
Best Superhero Christian Bale Won
Best Villain Heath Ledger Won
Best Supporting Actor Gary Oldman Won
The Holy Sh!t Scene of the Year Big Rig Flips over Won
Best Line Heath Ledger - I believe that whatever doesn't kill you simply makes you... stranger! Won
Best Fantasy Movie Warner Brothers Studios Nominated
Best Fantasy Actor Christian Bale Nominated
Best Fantasy Actress Maggie Gyllenhaal Nominated
Best Villain Aaron Eckhart Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Michael Caine Nominated
Best Line Heath Ledger - Why So Serious? Nominated
Best Line Heath Ledger - I'm gonna make this pencil disappear Nominated
The Holy Sh!t Scene of the Year The Batmobile/Batpod Chase Nominated
Teen Choice Awards Choice Summer Movie - Action, Adventure Warner Brothers Studios Nominated
Japanese Academy Awards Outstanding Foreign Language Film Warner Brothers Studios Won
Guild Awards[edit]

Award
Category
Winner/Nominee
Result
American Cinema Editors Best Edited Feature Film,Dramatic Lee Smith Nominated
American Society of Cinematographers Outstanding Achievement Award,Theatrical Release Wally Pfister Nominated
Art Directors Guild Excellence in Production Design,Fantasy Films Nathan Crowley Won
Cinema Audio Society Awards Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing Ed Novick,Lora Hirschberg,Gary A. Rizzo Nominated
Costume Designers Guild Excellence in Fantasy Film Lindy Hemming Won
Directors Guild of America Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film Christopher Nolan Nominated
Motion Picture Sound Editors Best Sound Editing: Music in a Feature Film Alex Gibson and Daniel Pinder Won
Best Sound Editing: Dialogue and ADR in a Feature Film Richard King, Hugo Weng, Linda Folk, and Michael Magill Nominated
Best Sound Editing: Sound Effects and Foley in a Feature Film Richard King, Christopher Flick, John Roesch, Alyson Dee Moore, Michael W. Mitchell, Hamilton Sterling and Michael Babcock Won
Producers Guild of America Motion Picture Producer of the Year Award, Theatrical Motion Picture Christopher Nolan, Charles Roven, Emma Thomas Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Awards Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Won
Best Stunt Ensemble Warner Brothers Studios Won
Visual Effects Society Outstanding Models and Miniatures in a Feature Motion Picture(Garbage Truck Crash Models and Miniature) Ian Hunter, Forest Fischer, Branden Seifert, Adam Gelbart Won
Outstanding Created Environment in a Feature Motion Picture(IMAX Gotham City Scapes) Peter Bebb, David Vickery, Philippe Leprince, Andrew Lockley Won
Outstanding Special Effects in a Motion Picture Chris Corbould, Peter Notley, Ian Lowe Won
World Stunt Awards Best Stunt Coordinator and/or 2nd Unit Director Paul Jennings, Rick LeFevour, Tom Struthers Won
Best Fight (Batman fights bad guys in building construction site) Rob Cooper, Richard Hansen, Mark Mottram, Andy Pilgrim, Dominic Preece, Marvin Stewart-Campbell, Buster Reeves, Steen Young Won
Best High Work (Five stunt men are thrown out of a building by Batman) Mark Harper, Luke Kearney, Tom Lowell, Mark Mottram, Brian A. Peters Won
Best Specialty Stunt (Stunt man drives a semi and does a large forward cannon flipping the tractor and trailer end over end) Jim Wilkey Won
Best Work With a Vehicle(Car chase through streets of Gotham) Rick Avery; Richard Burden, Gillie,McKenzie, George Cottle, Tobiasz Daszkiewicz, James Fierro, Terry Jackson, Tom Lowell, Rick Mille, Jean-Pierre Goy, Jim Wilkey Won
Writers Guild of America Best Adapted Screenplay Screenplay by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan; Story by Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer; Batman Created by Bob Kane Nominated
Film Critics Awards[edit]

Award
Category
Winner/Nominee
Result
African-American Film Critics Association Best Picture Warner Brothers Studios Won
Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Won
Australian Film Critics Association Commendation for Best Overseas Film Dark Knight Won
Boston Society of Film Critics Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Won
Austin Film Critics Association Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Won
Best Picture Warner Brothers Studios Won
Best Director Christoper Nolan Won
Best Adapted Screenplay Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan Won
Best Original Score James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer Won
Central Ohio Film Critics Association Top 10 Film of the Year (#4) Warner Brothers Studios Won
Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Won
Best Acting Ensemble Bale, Ledger, Eckhart, Oldman, Caine, Gyllenhaal, and Freeman Won
Best Cinematography Wally Pfister Won
Chicago Film Critics Association Best Picture Warner Brothers Studios Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Won
Best Director Christoper Nolan Nominated
Best Original Score James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer Nominated
Best Cinematography Wally Pfister Won
Best Adapted Screenplay Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan Nominated
Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Top 10 Film of the Year (#3) Warner Brothers Studios Won
Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Won
Best Cinematography Wally Pfister Won
Best Director Christoper Nolan Runner-Up
Houston Film Critics Society Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Won
Florida Film Critics Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Won
Best Cinematography Wally Pfister Won
International Film Music Critics Association Film Score of the Year James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer Nominated
Best Original Score for an Action/Adventure Film James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer Nominated
Iowa Film Critics Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Won
Kansas City Film Critics Circle Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Won
Best Fantasy or Horror Film Warner Brothers Studios Won
Las Vegas Film Critics Society Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Won
London Film Critics' Circle Actor of the Year Heath Ledger Nominated
British Director of the Year Christopher Nolan Nominated
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Won
Best Film Warner Brothers Studios Runner-Up
Best Director Christoper Nolan Runner-Up
Best Production Design Nathan Crowley Runner-Up
National Society of Film Critics Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Runner-Up
New York Film Critics Online Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Won
Oklahoma Film Critics Circle Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Won
Top Ten Film of the Year Warner Brothers Studios Won
Online Film Critics Society Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Won
Best Director Christoper Nolan Won
Best Cinematography Wally Pfister Won
Best Picture Warner Brothers Studios Nominated
Best Score James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer Won
Best Adapted Screenplay Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan Nominated
Best Editing Lee Smith Nominated
San Diego Film Critics Society Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Won
Best Film Warner Brothers Studios Runner-Up
San Francisco Film Critics Circle Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Won
Best Cinematography Wally Pfister Won
Southeastern Film Critics Association Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Won
Top Ten Film of the Year (#4) Warner Brothers Studios Won
St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Won
Best Special Effects Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Tim Webber, Paul Franklin Won
Best Music James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer Nominated
Best Director Christoper Nolan Nominated
Best Picture Warner Brothers Studios Nominated
Best Cinematography Wally Pfister Nominated
Toronto Film Critics Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Won
Utah Film Critics Association Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Won
Best Director Christoper Nolan Runner-Up
Best Picture Warner Brothers Studios Won
Vancouver Film Critics Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Won
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Won
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ "The Dark Knight (2008)". Box Office Mojo. Amazon.com. Retrieved 2011-12-22.
2.Jump up ^ Gary, Brandon (February 20, 2009). "Billion Dollar Batman". Box Office Mojo. Amazon.com. Retrieved July 25, 2013.
3.Jump up ^ "The Dark Knight". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
4.Jump up ^ "'The Dark Knight' wins big at People's Choice Awards". CNN. January 8, 2009. Retrieved July 25, 2013.
5.Jump up ^ "The 81st Academy Awards (2009) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 2011-11-22.
6.Jump up ^ "Film Awards Winners in 2009". British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Retrieved 2013-07-25.
7.Jump up ^ "66th Annual Golden Globe Award Winners". Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Retrieved 2013-07-25.
  


Categories: Lists of accolades by film





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List of accolades received by The Dark Knight
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search



 This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2011)
List of The Dark Knight awards
Heath Ledger.jpg
Heath Ledger's portrayal of The Joker garnered the most attention from critics.


[show]Awards & nominations
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Total number of wins and nominations
Totals 103 178
References
The Dark Knight is a 2008 superhero film directed, produced, and co-written by Christopher Nolan. It was released in Australia on July 16, 2008. The Dark Knight grossed $1,004,558,444 worldwide,[1] becoming the fourth film in history to gross more than $1 billion worldwide[2] and the highest-grossing film of 2008. It is currently the 16th highest-grossing film of all time. The Dark Knight also received a high critical acclaim, accumulating an approval rating of 94% on the review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes.[3]
At the People's Choice Awards—in which the winners are determined by the choices of the people (audience) in the Gallup polls—The Dark Knight won five awards, including: Favorite Movie, Favorite Action Movie, Favorite Superhero (Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman), Favorite On Screen Match-Up (Christian Bale and Heath Ledger), and Favourite Cast.[4]
At the 81st Academy Awards, The Dark Knight won Academy Awards for Best Sound Editing and Ledger was posthumously awarded Best Supporting Actor. Notably, the film's Best Sound Editing win prevented Slumdog Millionaire—eventual Best Picture winner—from having a clean category-sweep.


Contents  [hide]
1 Awards and nominations 1.1 Organizations
1.2 Guild Awards
1.3 Film Critics Awards
2 References

Awards and nominations[edit]
Organizations[edit]

Award
Category
Winner/Nominee
Result
81st Academy Awards[5]
Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Won
Best Art Direction Nathan Crowley, Peter Lando Nominated
Best Cinematography Wally Pfister Nominated
Best Film Editing Lee Smith Nominated
Best Makeup John Caglione, Jr. and Conor O'Sullivan Nominated
Best Sound Editing Richard King Won
Best Sound Mixing Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo and Ed Novick Nominated
Best Visual Effects Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Tim Webber and Paul Franklin Nominated
American Film Institute Top 10 Film of the Year Warner Brothers Studios Won
Australian Film Institute International Award for Best Actor Heath Ledger Won
BAFTA Awards[6] Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Won
Best Music Hans Zimmer / James Newton Howard Nominated
Best Cinematography Wally Pfister Nominated
Best Editing Lee Smith Nominated
Best Production Design Nathan Crowley / Peter Lando Nominated
Best Costume Design Linda Hemming Nominated
Best Sound Lora Hirschberg / Richard King / Ed Novick / Gary Rizzo Nominated
Best Visual Effects Chris Corbould / Nick Davis / Paul Franklin / Tim Webber Nominated
Best Make Up and Hair Peter Robb-King Nominated
Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Picture Warner Brothers Studios Nominated
Best Director Christopher Nolan Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Won
Best Acting Ensemble Bale, Caine, Ledger, Eckhart, Oldman, Gyllenhaal, and Freeman Nominated
Best Action Movie Warner Brothers Studios Won
Best Composer James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer Nominated
Empire Awards Best Movie Warner Brothers Won
Best Director Christopher Nolan Won
Best Actor Christian Bale Won
Best SciFi/Fantasy/Superhero Movie Warner Brothers Nominated
Golden Globe Award[7] Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture Heath Ledger Won
Golden Trailer Awards Best in Show Warner Brothers Studios Won
Best Action Trailer Warner Brothers Studios Won
"Batman Teaser" Poster Warner Brothers Studios Nominated
Best Summer 2008 Blockbuster Poster (teaser) Warner Brothers Studios Won
Best Motion Title/Graphics Warner Brothers Studios Nominated
Grammy Awards Best Score Soundtrack Album James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer Won
Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Movie Warner Brothers Nominated
MTV Movie Awards Best Movie Warner Brothers Nominated
Best Male Performance Christian Bale Nominated
Best Villain Heath Ledger Won
Best Fight Christian Bale vs. Heath Ledger Nominated
National Board of Review Top 10 Film of the Year Warner Brothers Won
National Movie Awards Best Superhero Film Warner Brothers Studios Won
Best Performance - Male Christian Bale Nominated
Project Fanboy Awards Best Comic Book to Movie Adaptation Batman The Dark Knight Won
Best Comic Book to Movie Adaptation: Actor Heath Ledger Won
People's Choice Awards Favorite Movie Warner Brothers Studios Won
Favorite Action Movie Warner Brothers Studios Won
Favorite Cast Bale, Ledger, Eckhart, Caine, Oldman, Gyllenhaal, and Freeman Won
Favorite Male Action Star Christian Bale Nominated
Favorite Leading Man Christian Bale Nominated
Favorite On-Screen Match Up Christian Bale and Heath Ledger Won
Favorite Superhero Christian Bale as Batman Won
Satellite Awards Best Sound (Mixing & Editing) Richard King, Lora Hirschberg, and Gary rizzo Won
Best Director Christopher Nolan Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Nominated
Best Visual Effects Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Tim Webber, Paul Franklin Nominated
Best Film Editing Lee Smith Nominated
Saturn Award Best Action/Adventure/Thriller Film Warner Bros Won
Best Director Christopher Nolan Nominated
Best Writing Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan Won
Best Actor Christian Bale Nominated
Best Actress Maggie Gyllenhaal Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Aaron Eckhart Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Won
Best Music James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer Won
Best Costume Lindy Hemming Nominated
Best Make Up John Caglione, JR. and Conor O’Sullian Nominated
Best Special Effects Nick Davis, Chis Corbould, Tim Webber, Paul Franklin Won
Scream Awards The Ultimate Scream Warner Brothers studios Won
Best Director Christopher Nolan Won
Best Screamplay Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan Won
Best Sequel Warner Brothers Studios Won
Best F/X Warner Brothers Studios Won
Best Comic Book Movie Warner Brothers Studios Won
Best Fantasy Actor Heath Ledger Won
Best Superhero Christian Bale Won
Best Villain Heath Ledger Won
Best Supporting Actor Gary Oldman Won
The Holy Sh!t Scene of the Year Big Rig Flips over Won
Best Line Heath Ledger - I believe that whatever doesn't kill you simply makes you... stranger! Won
Best Fantasy Movie Warner Brothers Studios Nominated
Best Fantasy Actor Christian Bale Nominated
Best Fantasy Actress Maggie Gyllenhaal Nominated
Best Villain Aaron Eckhart Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Michael Caine Nominated
Best Line Heath Ledger - Why So Serious? Nominated
Best Line Heath Ledger - I'm gonna make this pencil disappear Nominated
The Holy Sh!t Scene of the Year The Batmobile/Batpod Chase Nominated
Teen Choice Awards Choice Summer Movie - Action, Adventure Warner Brothers Studios Nominated
Japanese Academy Awards Outstanding Foreign Language Film Warner Brothers Studios Won
Guild Awards[edit]

Award
Category
Winner/Nominee
Result
American Cinema Editors Best Edited Feature Film,Dramatic Lee Smith Nominated
American Society of Cinematographers Outstanding Achievement Award,Theatrical Release Wally Pfister Nominated
Art Directors Guild Excellence in Production Design,Fantasy Films Nathan Crowley Won
Cinema Audio Society Awards Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing Ed Novick,Lora Hirschberg,Gary A. Rizzo Nominated
Costume Designers Guild Excellence in Fantasy Film Lindy Hemming Won
Directors Guild of America Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film Christopher Nolan Nominated
Motion Picture Sound Editors Best Sound Editing: Music in a Feature Film Alex Gibson and Daniel Pinder Won
Best Sound Editing: Dialogue and ADR in a Feature Film Richard King, Hugo Weng, Linda Folk, and Michael Magill Nominated
Best Sound Editing: Sound Effects and Foley in a Feature Film Richard King, Christopher Flick, John Roesch, Alyson Dee Moore, Michael W. Mitchell, Hamilton Sterling and Michael Babcock Won
Producers Guild of America Motion Picture Producer of the Year Award, Theatrical Motion Picture Christopher Nolan, Charles Roven, Emma Thomas Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Awards Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Won
Best Stunt Ensemble Warner Brothers Studios Won
Visual Effects Society Outstanding Models and Miniatures in a Feature Motion Picture(Garbage Truck Crash Models and Miniature) Ian Hunter, Forest Fischer, Branden Seifert, Adam Gelbart Won
Outstanding Created Environment in a Feature Motion Picture(IMAX Gotham City Scapes) Peter Bebb, David Vickery, Philippe Leprince, Andrew Lockley Won
Outstanding Special Effects in a Motion Picture Chris Corbould, Peter Notley, Ian Lowe Won
World Stunt Awards Best Stunt Coordinator and/or 2nd Unit Director Paul Jennings, Rick LeFevour, Tom Struthers Won
Best Fight (Batman fights bad guys in building construction site) Rob Cooper, Richard Hansen, Mark Mottram, Andy Pilgrim, Dominic Preece, Marvin Stewart-Campbell, Buster Reeves, Steen Young Won
Best High Work (Five stunt men are thrown out of a building by Batman) Mark Harper, Luke Kearney, Tom Lowell, Mark Mottram, Brian A. Peters Won
Best Specialty Stunt (Stunt man drives a semi and does a large forward cannon flipping the tractor and trailer end over end) Jim Wilkey Won
Best Work With a Vehicle(Car chase through streets of Gotham) Rick Avery; Richard Burden, Gillie,McKenzie, George Cottle, Tobiasz Daszkiewicz, James Fierro, Terry Jackson, Tom Lowell, Rick Mille, Jean-Pierre Goy, Jim Wilkey Won
Writers Guild of America Best Adapted Screenplay Screenplay by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan; Story by Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer; Batman Created by Bob Kane Nominated
Film Critics Awards[edit]

Award
Category
Winner/Nominee
Result
African-American Film Critics Association Best Picture Warner Brothers Studios Won
Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Won
Australian Film Critics Association Commendation for Best Overseas Film Dark Knight Won
Boston Society of Film Critics Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Won
Austin Film Critics Association Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Won
Best Picture Warner Brothers Studios Won
Best Director Christoper Nolan Won
Best Adapted Screenplay Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan Won
Best Original Score James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer Won
Central Ohio Film Critics Association Top 10 Film of the Year (#4) Warner Brothers Studios Won
Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Won
Best Acting Ensemble Bale, Ledger, Eckhart, Oldman, Caine, Gyllenhaal, and Freeman Won
Best Cinematography Wally Pfister Won
Chicago Film Critics Association Best Picture Warner Brothers Studios Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Won
Best Director Christoper Nolan Nominated
Best Original Score James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer Nominated
Best Cinematography Wally Pfister Won
Best Adapted Screenplay Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan Nominated
Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Top 10 Film of the Year (#3) Warner Brothers Studios Won
Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Won
Best Cinematography Wally Pfister Won
Best Director Christoper Nolan Runner-Up
Houston Film Critics Society Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Won
Florida Film Critics Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Won
Best Cinematography Wally Pfister Won
International Film Music Critics Association Film Score of the Year James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer Nominated
Best Original Score for an Action/Adventure Film James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer Nominated
Iowa Film Critics Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Won
Kansas City Film Critics Circle Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Won
Best Fantasy or Horror Film Warner Brothers Studios Won
Las Vegas Film Critics Society Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Won
London Film Critics' Circle Actor of the Year Heath Ledger Nominated
British Director of the Year Christopher Nolan Nominated
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Won
Best Film Warner Brothers Studios Runner-Up
Best Director Christoper Nolan Runner-Up
Best Production Design Nathan Crowley Runner-Up
National Society of Film Critics Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Runner-Up
New York Film Critics Online Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Won
Oklahoma Film Critics Circle Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Won
Top Ten Film of the Year Warner Brothers Studios Won
Online Film Critics Society Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Won
Best Director Christoper Nolan Won
Best Cinematography Wally Pfister Won
Best Picture Warner Brothers Studios Nominated
Best Score James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer Won
Best Adapted Screenplay Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan Nominated
Best Editing Lee Smith Nominated
San Diego Film Critics Society Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Won
Best Film Warner Brothers Studios Runner-Up
San Francisco Film Critics Circle Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Won
Best Cinematography Wally Pfister Won
Southeastern Film Critics Association Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Won
Top Ten Film of the Year (#4) Warner Brothers Studios Won
St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Won
Best Special Effects Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Tim Webber, Paul Franklin Won
Best Music James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer Nominated
Best Director Christoper Nolan Nominated
Best Picture Warner Brothers Studios Nominated
Best Cinematography Wally Pfister Nominated
Toronto Film Critics Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Won
Utah Film Critics Association Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Won
Best Director Christoper Nolan Runner-Up
Best Picture Warner Brothers Studios Won
Vancouver Film Critics Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Won
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger Won
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ "The Dark Knight (2008)". Box Office Mojo. Amazon.com. Retrieved 2011-12-22.
2.Jump up ^ Gary, Brandon (February 20, 2009). "Billion Dollar Batman". Box Office Mojo. Amazon.com. Retrieved July 25, 2013.
3.Jump up ^ "The Dark Knight". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
4.Jump up ^ "'The Dark Knight' wins big at People's Choice Awards". CNN. January 8, 2009. Retrieved July 25, 2013.
5.Jump up ^ "The 81st Academy Awards (2009) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 2011-11-22.
6.Jump up ^ "Film Awards Winners in 2009". British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Retrieved 2013-07-25.
7.Jump up ^ "66th Annual Golden Globe Award Winners". Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Retrieved 2013-07-25.
  


Categories: Lists of accolades by film





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The Dark Knight (film)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search

This article is about the film. For other uses, see Dark Knight (disambiguation).
Page semi-protected

The Dark Knight
Dark Knight.jpg
Theatrical release poster

Directed by
Christopher Nolan
Produced by
Emma Thomas
Charles Roven
Christopher Nolan

Screenplay by
Jonathan Nolan
Christopher Nolan

Story by
Christopher Nolan
David S. Goyer

Based on
Characters appearing in comic books published
 by DC Comics
Starring
Christian Bale
Michael Caine
Heath Ledger
Gary Oldman
Aaron Eckhart
Maggie Gyllenhaal
Morgan Freeman

Music by
Hans Zimmer
James Newton Howard

Cinematography
Wally Pfister
Edited by
Lee Smith

Production
 companies

Legendary Pictures
DC Comics
Syncopy

Distributed by
Warner Bros. Pictures

Release dates

July 14, 2008 (New York City)
July 18, 2008 (North America)
July 24, 2008 (United Kingdom)


Running time
 152 minutes[1]
Country
United States[2]
United Kingdom[2]

Language
English
Budget
$185 million[3]
Box office
$1.005 billion[3]
The Dark Knight is a 2008 superhero film directed, produced, and co-written by Christopher Nolan. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, the film is the second part of Nolan's Batman film series and a sequel to 2005's Batman Begins. Christian Bale reprises the lead role of Bruce Wayne/Batman, with a returning cast of Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth, Gary Oldman as James Gordon and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox. The film introduces the character of Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), Gotham's newly elected District Attorney and the consort of Bruce Wayne's childhood friend Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal replacing Katie Holmes from the first film), who joins Batman and the police in combating the new rising threat of a criminal mastermind calling himself "The Joker" (Heath Ledger).
Nolan's inspiration for the film was the Joker's comic book debut in 1940, the 1988 graphic novel The Killing Joke, and the 1996 series The Long Halloween, which retold Two-Face's origin. The nickname "the Dark Knight" was first applied to Batman in Batman #1 (1940), in a story written by Bill Finger.[4][5] 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, some months after he had completed filming on The Dark Knight and six months before the film's release, Heath Ledger died from a toxic combination of prescription drugs, leading to intense attention from the press and movie-going public. Warner Bros. initially created a viral marketing campaign for The Dark Knight, developing promotional websites and trailers highlighting screenshots of Ledger as the Joker.
A co-production of the United States and the United Kingdom, The Dark Knight was released on July 16, 2008 in Australia, on July 18, 2008 in North America, and on July 24, 2008 in the United Kingdom. Considered by film critics to be one of the best films of the 2000s and one of the best superhero films ever,[6][7] the film received highly positive reviews and set numerous records during its theatrical run.[8] The Dark Knight appeared on more critics' top ten lists (287) than any other film of 2008 with the exception of WALL-E, and more critics (77) named The Dark Knight the best film of 2008 than any other film released that year.[9] With over $1 billion in revenue worldwide, it is the 19th-highest-grossing film of all time, unadjusted for inflation.[10] The film received eight Academy Award nominations; it won the award for Best Sound Editing and Ledger was posthumously awarded Best Supporting Actor.[11] The Dark Knight Rises, the final film in the trilogy, was released on July 20, 2012.


Contents  [hide]
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Production 3.1 Development
3.2 Filming
3.3 Design
3.4 Effects
3.5 Music
4 Marketing
5 Release 5.1 Reception 5.1.1 Commentary
5.1.2 Themes and analysis
5.1.3 Awards
5.2 Box office
5.3 Home media
6 See also
7 References
8 Further reading
9 External links

Plot
In Gotham City, The Joker and his accomplices rob a mob-owned bank. The accomplices kill each other off one by one in a sequence masterminded by the Joker, who escapes alone with all the money.
Batman and Lt. Jim Gordon decide to include the new district attorney, Harvey Dent, in their plan to eradicate the mob. Although Dent is dating Rachel Dawes, Bruce Wayne is impressed with his idealism and offers to throw him a fundraiser. Mob bosses Sal Maroni, Gambol, and The Chechen hold a videoconference with Lau, a Chinese accountant who has hidden their funds and fled to Hong Kong. The Joker interrupts the meeting, warning that Batman is unhindered by jurisdiction. He offers to kill Batman for half their money, but the mob bosses refuse, and Gambol puts a bounty on him. The Joker kills Gambol and takes control of his men. Batman captures Lau and delivers him back to Gotham to testify against the mob.
The Joker announces that people will die each day unless Batman reveals his identity. He then kills Commissioner Gillian B. Loeb and the judge presiding over the mob trials. He also targets Dent at the fundraiser, but Bruce hides Dent. Gordon foils the Joker's assassination attempt on Mayor Garcia, apparently sacrificing himself in the process. Bruce plans to reveal his identity, but Dent instead names himself as Batman to protect the truth. Dent is taken into protective custody and pursued by the Joker across the city; Batman rushes to Dent's aid. Gordon, who faked his death, helps apprehend the Joker and is promoted to Commissioner.
That night, Dent and Rachel disappear. Batman interrogates the Joker and discovers that Dent and Rachel are held in two separate buildings filled with explosives. The Joker reveals their locations, and Batman goes to Rachel's, only to realize that the Joker has tricked him into finding Dent moments before both buildings explode, killing Rachel and scarring half of Dent's face. The Joker detonates a bomb in the police station and escapes with Lau.
Coleman Reese, an accountant at Wayne Enterprises, deduces Batman's true identity and plans to reveal it. The Joker kills Lau and The Chechen, then threatens to bomb a hospital unless Reese is killed. Gordon and Bruce protect Reese, who changes his mind. The Joker visits Dent in the hospital and convinces him to seek revenge. The Joker then blows up the hospital and escapes with hostages.
Dent starts to go after people responsible for Rachel's death, deciding their fates by flipping a coin. He kills Maroni and a cop who had helped kidnap Rachel. It is revealed that the Joker rigged two ferries with explosives to escalate chaos; one ferry is full of citizens, the other full of prison inmates and guards. He then gives the passengers of each ferry the choice to blow the other up before midnight — otherwise, both ferries will explode. The passengers ultimately refuse, however.
Batman asks a reluctant Lucius Fox to use a city-wide tracking prototype device to find the Joker; Fox agrees, but says he will resign immediately afterward. The Joker dresses up hostages as his men, luring Gordon's SWAT team to strike them. Batman fights off the SWAT team and the Joker's men, then rescues the hostages. Batman apprehends the Joker, but the Joker gloats that he has won, as Gotham will lose hope once Dent's rampage becomes public. The SWAT team arrives to take the Joker into custody.
Dent lures Gordon to the building where Rachel died and holds Gordon's family hostage. Batman confronts Dent, who judges the fates of himself, Batman, and Gordon's son with three coin flips. He shoots Batman, spares himself, then flips again to determine the boy's fate. Batman, who is wearing body armor, tackles Dent off the building, killing him and saving the boy.[12] Batman then convinces Gordon to frame him for the murders so that Dent will remain a symbol of hope for the city. Gordon destroys the Bat-Signal and launches a manhunt for the Batman. Alfred Pennyworth burns a letter written by Rachel to Bruce announcing her engagement to Dent, and Fox watches the signal tracker self-destruct.
Cast



 Cast and crew of The Dark Knight at the European premiere in London. From left to right: Director Christopher Nolan, producers Emma Thomas and Charles Roven, actors Monique Gabriela Curnen, Michael Caine, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Christian Bale.##Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne / Batman:
A billionaire dedicated to protecting Gotham City from the criminal underworld by night. Bale said he was confident in his choice to return in the role because of the positive response to his portrayal in Batman Begins.[13] He continued training in the Keysi Fighting Method and performed many of his own stunts,[13][14] but did not gain as much muscle as in the previous film because the new Batsuit allowed him to move with greater agility.[15] Bale described Batman's dilemma as whether "[his crusade is] something that has an end. Can he quit and have an ordinary life? The kind of manic intensity someone has to have to maintain the passion and the anger that they felt as a child, takes an effort after a while, to keep doing that. At some point, you have to exorcise your demons."[16] He added, "Now you have not just a young man in pain attempting to find some kind of an answer, you have somebody who actually has power, who is burdened by that power, and is having to recognize the difference between attaining that power and holding on to it."[17] Bale felt Batman's personality had been strongly established in the first film, so it was unlikely his character would be overshadowed by the villains, stating: "I have no problem with competing with someone else. And that's going to make a better movie."[18]##Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth:
Bruce's trusted butler and confidant. His supply of useful advice to Bruce and his likeness as a father figure has led to him being labeled "Batman's batman".[19][20]##Heath Ledger as the Joker:
Before Ledger was confirmed to play the Joker in July 2006, Paul Bettany,[21] Lachy Hulme,[22] Adrien Brody,[23] Steve Carell,[24] and Robin Williams[25] publicly expressed interest in the role. However Nolan had wanted to work with Ledger on a number of projects in the past, and was agreeable to Ledger's chaotic interpretation of the character.[26] When Ledger saw Batman Begins, he had realized a way to make the character work that was consistent with the film's tone:[27] he described his Joker as a "psychopathic, mass murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy."[28] Throughout the film, the Joker states his desire to upset social order through crime, and comes to define himself by his conflict with Batman. To prepare for the role, Ledger lived alone in a hotel room for a month, formulating the character's posture, voice, and personality, and kept a diary, in which he recorded the Joker's thoughts and feelings.[18][29] While he initially found it difficult, Ledger eventually generated a voice unlike Jack Nicholson's character in Tim Burton's 1989 Batman film.[28][29] He was also given Batman: The Killing Joke and Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth, which he "really tried to read and put it down."[27] Ledger also cited A Clockwork Orange and Sid Vicious as "a very early starting point for Christian [Bale] and I. But we kind of flew far away from that pretty quickly and into another world altogether."[30][31] "There's a bit of everything in him. There's nothing that consistent," Ledger said, and added, "There are a few more surprises to him."[30] Ledger was allowed to shoot and mostly direct the videos the Joker sends out as warnings. Each take Ledger made was different from the last. Nolan was impressed enough with the first video shoot that he chose to not be present when Ledger shot the video with a kidnapped reporter (Anthony Michael Hall).[32] On January 22, 2008, after he had completed filming The Dark Knight, Ledger died of an accidental prescription drug overdose, leading to intense press attention and memorial tributes. "It was tremendously emotional, right when he passed, having to go back in and look at him every day [during editing]," Nolan recalled. "But the truth is, I feel very lucky to have something productive to do, to have a performance that he was very, very proud of, and that he had entrusted to me to finish."[31] All of Ledger's scenes appear as he completed them in the filming; in editing the film, Nolan added no "digital effects" to alter Ledger's actual performance posthumously.[33] Nolan has dedicated the film in part to Ledger's memory.[34][35]##Gary Oldman as James Gordon:
A lieutenant in the Gotham City Police Department and one of the city's few honest police officers. He forms a tenuous, unofficial alliance with Batman and Dent. When the Joker assassinates Police Commissioner Loeb, Mayor Garcia gives Gordon the position. Oldman described his character as "incorruptible, virtuous, strong, heroic, but understated."[36] Nolan explained that "The Long Halloween has a great, triangular relationship between Harvey Dent and Gordon and Batman, and that's something we very much drew from."[37] Oldman added that "Gordon has a great deal of admiration for him at the end, but [Batman] is more than ever now the dark knight, the outsider. I'm intrigued now to see: If there is a third one, what he's going to do?"[37] On the possibility of another sequel, he said that "returning to [the role] is not dependent on whether the role was bigger than the one before."[38]##Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent / Two-Face:
The district attorney who is hailed as Gotham's "White Knight". His battle with the criminal underworld leaves him disfigured, transforming him into a murderer bent on revenge.[39][40] Wayne sees Dent as his heir, recognizing that Batman's war on crime will be a lifelong mission, which heightens the tragedy of Dent's downfall.[35] Nolan and David S. Goyer had originally considered using Dent in Batman Begins, but they replaced him with the new character Rachel Dawes when they realized they "couldn't do him justice."[41] Before Eckhart was cast in February 2007, Liev Schreiber,[42] Josh Lucas,[43] and Ryan Phillippe[44] had expressed interest in the role,[45] while Mark Ruffalo auditioned.[46] Hugh Jackman was also considered for the part. Nolan chose Eckhart, whom he had considered for the lead role in Memento, citing his "extraordinary" ability as an actor, his embodiment of "that kind of chiselled, American hero quality" projected by Robert Redford, and his subtextual "edge."[47] Eckhart was "interested in good guys gone wrong," and had played corrupt men in films such as The Black Dahlia, Thank You for Smoking, and In the Company of Men. Whereas Two-Face is depicted as a crime boss in most characterizations, Nolan chose to portray him as a twisted vigilante to emphasize his role as Batman's counterpart. Eckhart explained, "[He] is still true to himself. He's a crime fighter, he's not killing good people. He's not a bad guy, not purely."[39][40] For Dent, Eckhart "kept on thinking about the Kennedys," particularly Robert F. Kennedy, who was "idealistic, held a grudge and took on the Mob." He had his hair lightened and styled to make him appear more dashing. Nolan told Eckhart to not make Dent's Two-Face persona "jokey with slurping sounds or ticks."[48]##Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel Dawes:
The Gotham assistant district attorney and Wayne's childhood friend. In Batman Begins, she tells Wayne that if he ever decided to stop being Batman, they would be together. She is one of the few people to know Batman's identity. Gyllenhaal took over the role from Katie Holmes, who played the part in Batman Begins. In August 2005, Holmes was reportedly planning to reprise the role,[49] but she eventually turned it down to do Mad Money with Diane Keaton and Queen Latifah.[50] By March 2007, Gyllenhaal was in "final talks" for the part.[51] Gyllenhaal has acknowledged her character is a damsel in distress to an extent, but says Nolan sought ways to empower her character, so "Rachel's really clear about what's important to her and unwilling to compromise her morals, which made a nice change" from the many conflicted characters whom she has previously portrayed.[52]##Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox:
The recently promoted chief executive officer of Wayne Enterprises who, now fully aware of his employer's double life, serves more directly as Bruce's armorer in addition to his corporate duties.[53]##Eric Roberts as Sal Maroni:
A gangster who has taken over Carmine Falcone's mob. Bob Hoskins and James Gandolfini auditioned for the role.[54]##Chin Han as Lau:
The accountant who handles the money for the mob.##Colin McFarlane as Gillian B. Loeb:
The Police Commissioner of Gotham until his murder at the hands of the Joker.[55]
The film's supporting protagonists include Nestor Carbonell as Mayor Anthony Garcia, Keith Szarabajka as Detective Gerard Stephens, Monique Gabriela Curnen as Anna Ramirez, and Ron Dean as Detective Michael Wuertz. While Stephens is an honest cop, Ramirez and Wuertz are in the pocket of the mob, and betray Harvey Dent and Rachel Dawes to the Joker. (Ramirez is drawn as a somewhat sympathetic character, however; she only started working for the mob because she was desperate to afford to her mother's hospital bills.) The cast also included Anthony Michael Hall as Gotham Cable News reporter Mike Engel, Nydia Rodriguez Terracina as Judge Janet Surrillo, Joshua Harto as Coleman Reese, Melinda McGraw and Nathan Gamble as Gordon's wife and son, and Tom "Tiny" Lister, Jr. as a prison inmate on one of the bomb-rigged ferries. The film's supporting villains include Michael Jai White and Ritchie Coster as mob bosses Gambol and The Chechen, respectively. William Fichtner played the Gotham National Bank manager. David Banner originally auditioned for the role of Gambol.[56] Cillian Murphy returns in a cameo as Dr. Jonathan Crane / Scarecrow, who is apprehended early on in the film by Batman.[57]
Musician Dwight Yoakam was approached for the roles of either the manager or a corrupt cop, but he chose to focus on his album Dwight Sings Buck.[58] Another cameo was made by United States Senator Patrick Leahy, a fan of Batman comics who was previously an extra in the 1997 film Batman & Robin and also was a guest voice actor on Batman: The Animated Series. Leahy appears as a guest who defies the Joker when he and his henchmen attack Bruce's fundraiser, saying "We are not intimidated by thugs."[59] Matt Skiba, lead singer of Chicago punk band Alkaline Trio, made a small appearance in the movie.[60]
Production
Development



As we looked through the comics, there was this fascinating idea that Batman's presence in Gotham actually attracts criminals to Gotham, [it] attracts lunacy. When you're dealing with questionable notions like people taking the law into their own hands, you have to really ask, where does that lead? That's what makes the character so dark, because he expresses a vengeful desire.
—Nolan, on the theme of escalation[17]
Before the release of Batman Begins, screenwriter David S. Goyer wrote a treatment for two sequels which introduced the Joker and Harvey Dent.[61] His original intent was for the Joker to scar Dent during the Joker's trial in the third film, turning Dent into Two-Face.[62] Goyer, who penned the first draft of the film, cited the DC Comics 13-issue comic book limited series Batman: The Long Halloween as the major influence on his storyline.[41] According to veteran Batman artist Neal Adams, he met with David Goyer in Los Angeles, and the story would eventually look to Adams and writer Denny O'Neil's 1971 story "The Joker's Five-Way Revenge" that appeared in Batman #251, in which O'Neil and Adams re-introduced the Joker.[63] While initially uncertain of whether or not he would return to direct the sequel, Nolan did want to reinterpret the Joker on screen.[18] On July 31, 2006, Warner Bros. officially announced initiation of production for the sequel to Batman Begins titled The Dark Knight;[64] it is the first live-action Batman film without the word "Batman" in its title, which Bale noted as signaling that "this take on Batman of mine and Chris' is very different from any of the others."[65]
After much research, Nolan's brother and co-writer, Jonathan, suggested the Joker's first two appearances, published in the first issue of Batman (1940), as the crucial influences.[26] Jerry Robinson, one of the Joker's co-creators, was consulted on the character's portrayal.[66] Nolan decided to avoid divulging an in-depth origin story for the Joker, and instead portray his rise to power so as to not diminish the threat he poses, explaining to MTV News, "the Joker we meet in The Dark Knight is fully formed...To me, the Joker is an absolute. There are no shades of gray to him – maybe shades of purple. He's unbelievably dark. He bursts in just as he did in the comics."[67] Nolan reiterated to IGN, "We never wanted to do an origin story for the Joker in this film," because "the arc of the story is much more Harvey Dent's; the Joker is presented as an absolute. It's a very thrilling element in the film, and a very important element, but we wanted to deal with the rise of the Joker, not the origin of the Joker."[26] Nolan suggested Batman: The Killing Joke influenced a section of the Joker's dialogue in the film, in which he says that anyone can become like him given the right circumstances.[68] Nolan also cited Heat as "sort of an inspiration" for his aim "to tell a very large, city story or the story of a city": "If you want to take on Gotham, you want to give Gotham a kind of weight and breadth and depth in there. So you wind up dealing with the political figures, the media figures. That's part of the whole fabric of how a city is bound together."[26]
According to Nolan, an important theme of the sequel is "escalation," extending the ending of Batman Begins, noting "things having to get worse before they get better."[69] While indicating The Dark Knight would continue the themes of Batman Begins, including justice vs. revenge and Bruce Wayne's issues with his father,[70] Nolan emphasized the sequel would also portray Wayne more as a detective, an aspect of his character not fully developed in Batman Begins.[15] Nolan described the friendly rivalry between Bruce Wayne and Harvey Dent as the "backbone" of the film.[67] He also chose to compress the overall storyline, allowing Dent to become Two-Face in The Dark Knight, thus giving the film an emotional arc the unsympathetic Joker could not offer.[68] Nolan acknowledged the title was not only a reference to Batman, but also the fallen "white knight" Harvey Dent.[71]
Filming
While scouting for shooting locations in October 2006, location manager Robin Higgs visited Liverpool, concentrating mainly along the city's waterfront. Other candidates included Yorkshire, Glasgow, and parts of London.[72] In August 2006, one of the film's producers, Charles Roven, stated that its principal photography would begin in March 2007,[73] but filming was pushed back to April.[74] For its release in IMAX theaters, Nolan shot four major sequences in that format, including the Joker's opening bank robbery and the car chase midway through the film, which marked the first time that a feature film had been even partially shot in the format.[75] The cameras used for non-IMAX 35 mm scenes were Panavision's Panaflex Millennium XL and Platinum.[76]
For fifteen years Nolan had wanted to shoot in the IMAX format, and he also used it for "quiet scenes which pictorially we thought would be interesting."[67] The use of IMAX cameras provided many new challenges for the filmmakers: the cameras were much larger and heavier than standard cameras, and produced noise which made recording dialogue difficult.[77] In addition, the cameras had short film loads ranging from 30 seconds to two minutes[77] and the cost of the film stock was much greater than standard 35mm film.[78] Nevertheless, Nolan said that he wished that it were possible to shoot the entire film in IMAX: "if you could take an IMAX camera to Mount Everest or outer space, you could use it in a feature movie."[79] In addition, Nolan chose to edit some of the IMAX sequences using the original camera negative, which by eliminating generation loss, raised the film resolution of those sequences up to 18 thousand lines.[80]



 Director Christopher Nolan (far left) and actor Heath Ledger (in make-up) filming a scene in The Dark Knight with an IMAX camera
Warner Bros. chose to film in Chicago for 13 weeks, because Nolan had a "truly remarkable experience" filming part of Batman Begins there.[81][82] Instead of using the Chicago Board of Trade Building as the location for the headquarters of Wayne Enterprises, as Batman Begins did,[83] The Dark Knight shows Wayne Enterprises as being headquartered in the Richard J. Daley Center.[84] While filming in Chicago, the film was given the false title Rory's First Kiss to lower the visibility of production, but the local media eventually uncovered the ruse.[85] Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times commented on the absurdity of the technique, "Is there a Bat-fan in the world that doesn't know Rory's First Kiss is actually The Dark Knight, which has been filming in Chicago for weeks?"[86] Production of The Dark Knight in Chicago generated $45 million in the city's economy and created thousands of jobs.[87] For the film's prologue involving the Joker, the crew shot in Chicago from April 18, 2007 to April 24, 2007.[88][89] They returned to shoot from June 9, 2007 to early September.[87] Noticeably, unlike Batman Begins, less CGI was used to disguise Chicago. Many recognizable locations were used in the film, like the Sears Tower, Navy Pier, 330 North Wabash, the James R. Thompson Center, Trump International Hotel and Tower, LaSalle Street, The Berghoff, Randolph Street Station, and Hotel 71. An old Brach's factory was used as Gotham Hospital. The defunct Van Buren Street post office doubles as Gotham National Bank for the opening bank robbery. Several sequences, including one car chase, were shot on the lower level of Wacker Drive.[84][90] The Marina City towers also appear in the background throughout the movie.[84]
Pinewood Studios, near London, was the primary studio space used for the production.[91] While planning a stunt with the Batmobile in a special effects facility near Chertsey, England in September 2007, technician Conway Wickliffe was killed when his car crashed.[92] The film is dedicated to both Ledger and Wickliffe.[34] The following month in London at the defunct Battersea Power Station, a rigged 200-foot fireball was filmed, reportedly for an opening sequence, prompting calls from local residents who feared a terrorist attack on the station.[93] A similar incident occurred during the filming in Chicago, when an abandoned Brach's candy factory (which was Gotham Hospital in the film) was demolished.[94]
Filming took place in Hong Kong from November 6 to 11, 2007, at various locations in Central, including Hong Kong's tallest building at the time, the International Finance Centre, for the scene where Batman captures Lau.[95][96][97] The shoot hired helicopters and C-130 aircraft.[95] Officials expressed concern over possible noise pollution and traffic.[96] In response, letters sent to the city's residents promised that the sound level would approximate noise decibels made by buses.[95] Environmentalists also criticized the filmmakers' request to tenants of the waterfront skyscrapers to keep their lights on all night to enhance the cinematography, describing it as a waste of energy.[96] Cinematographer Wally Pfister found the city officials a "nightmare," and ultimately Nolan had to create Batman's jump from a skyscraper digitally.[33]
Design
Costume designer Lindy Hemming described the Joker's look as reflecting his personality, in that "he doesn't care about himself at all"; she avoided designing him as a vagrant, but still made him appear to be "scruffier, grungier," so that "when you see him move, he's slightly twitchier or edgy."[18][29][29] Nolan noted, "We gave a Francis Bacon spin to [his face]. This corruption, this decay in the texture of the look itself. It's grubby. You can almost imagine what he smells like."[98] In creating the "anarchical" look of the Joker, Hemming drew inspiration from such countercultural pop culture artists as Pete Doherty, Iggy Pop, and Johnny Rotten.[99] Ledger described his "clown" mask, made up of three pieces of stamped silicone, as a "new technology," taking less than an hour for the make-up artists to apply, much faster than more-conventional prosthetics usually requires. Ledger also said that he felt he was barely wearing any make-up.[18][100]
Hemming and Ledger's Joker design has had an impact in popular and political culture in the form of the Barack Obama "Joker" poster, and has since become a meme in its own right.[101]
Designers improved on the design of the Batsuit from Batman Begins, adding wide elastic banding to help bind the costume to Bale, and suggest more sophisticated technology. It was constructed from 200 individual pieces of rubber, fiberglass, metallic mesh, and nylon. The new cowl was modeled after a motorcycle helmet and separated from the neck piece, allowing Bale to turn his head left and right and nod up and down.[102] The cowl is equipped to show white lenses over the eyes when the character turns on his sonar detection, which gives Batman the white eyed look from the comics and animation.[103] The gauntlets have retractable razors which can be fired.[102] Though the new costume is eight pounds heavier, Bale found it more comfortable and not as hot to wear.[15] The depiction of Gotham City is less gritty than in Batman Begins. "I've tried to unclutter the Gotham we created on the last film," said production designer Nathan Crowley. "Gotham is in chaos. We keep blowing up stuff, so we can keep our images clean."[17]
Effects



 Aaron Eckhart with make-up and motion capture markers on set. Below is the finished effect.
The film introduces the Batpod, which is a recreation of the Batcycle. Production designer Nathan Crowley, who designed the Tumbler for Batman Begins, designed six models (built by special effects supervisor Chris Corbould) for use in the film's production, because of necessary crash scenes and possible accidents.[104] Crowley built a prototype in Nolan's garage, before six months of safety tests were conducted.[15] The Batpod is steered by shoulder instead of hand, and the rider's arms are protected by sleeve-like shields. The bike has 508-millimeter (20-inch) front and rear tires, and is made to appear as if it is armed with grappling hooks, cannons, and machine guns. The engines are located in the hubs of the wheels, which are set 31⁄2 feet (1067 mm) apart on either side of the tank. The rider lies belly down on the tank, which can move up and down to dodge any incoming gunfire that Batman may encounter. Stuntman Jean-Pierre Goy doubled for Christian Bale during the riding sequences in The Dark Knight.[104] The Batpod was highly unstable for riding, and Goy was the only stuntman who could manage to balance the bike, even commenting that he had to "nearly un-learn how to ride a motorcycle" to manage riding the Batpod. Bale did insist on doing shots on the Batpod himself, but was prohibited by the team fearing his safety.[105]
Nolan designed Two-Face's appearance in the film as one of the least disturbing, explaining, "When we looked at less extreme versions of it, they were too real and more horrifying. When you look at a film like Pirates of the Caribbean – something like that, there's something about a very fanciful, very detailed visual effect, that I think is more powerful and less repulsive."[106][dead link] Framestore created 120 computer-generated shots of Two-Face's scarred visage. Nolan felt using make-up would look unrealistic, as it adds to the face, unlike real burn victims. Framestore acknowledged they rearranged the positions of bones, muscles and joints to make the character look more dramatic. For each shot, three 720-pixel HD cameras were set up at different angles on set to fully capture Aaron Eckhart's performance. Eckhart wore markers on his face and a prosthetic skullcap, which acted as a lighting reference. A few shots of the skullcap were kept in the film. Framestore also integrated shots of Bale and Eckhart into that of the exploding building where Dent is burned. It was difficult simulating fire on Eckhart because it is inherently unrealistic for only half of something to burn.[107]
Music
Main article: The Dark Knight (soundtrack)
Batman Begins composers Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard returned to score the sequel. Composition began before shooting, and during filming Nolan received an iPod with ten hours of recordings.[108] Their nine-minute suite for the Joker, "Why So Serious?," is based around two notes. Zimmer compared its style to that of Kraftwerk, a band from his native Germany, as well as bands like The Damned.[109] When Ledger died, Zimmer felt like scrapping and composing a new theme, but decided that he could not be sentimental and compromise the "evil [Ledger's performance] projects."[110] Howard composed Dent's "elegant and beautiful" themes,[109] which are brass-focused.[108]
Marketing
"Why So Serious?" redirects here. For the Shinee album and song, see Chapter 2. Why So Serious? – The Misconceptions of Me and Why So Serious? (song).



WhySoSerious.com directed fans to find letters composing the Joker's message "The only sensible way to live in this world is without rules," to send in photographs of these letters, and then featured their photos in a collage.
In May 2007, 42 Entertainment began a viral marketing campaign utilizing the film's "Why So Serious?" tagline with the launch of a website featuring the fictional political campaign of Harvey Dent, with the caption, "I Believe in Harvey Dent."[111] The site aimed to interest fans by having them try to earn what they wanted to see and, on behalf of Warner Bros., 42 Entertainment also established a "vandalized" version of I Believe in Harvey Dent, called "I believe in Harvey Dent too," where e-mails sent by fans slowly removed pixels, revealing the first official image of the Joker; it was ultimately replaced with many "Haha"s and a hidden message that said "see you in December."[112]
During the 2007 San Diego Comic-Con International, 42 Entertainment launched WhySoSerious.com, sending fans on a scavenger hunt to unlock a teaser trailer and a new photo of the Joker.[113] On October 31, 2007, the film's website morphed into another scavenger hunt with hidden messages, instructing fans to uncover clues at certain locations in major cities throughout the United States, and to take photographs of their discoveries. The clues combined to reveal a new photograph of the Joker and an audio clip of him from the film saying "And tonight, you're gonna break your one rule." Completing the scavenger hunt also led to another website called Rory's Death Kiss[114] (referencing the false working title of Rory's First Kiss), where fans could submit photographs of themselves costumed as the Joker. Those who sent photos were mailed a copy of a fictional newspaper called The Gotham Times, whose electronic version led to the discovery of numerous other websites.[115][116]



Toyota Formula One racing car featuring the Batman insignia, at the 2008 British Grand Prix
The Dark Knight's opening sequence, (showing a bank raid by the Joker) and closing montage of other scenes from the film, was screened with selected IMAX screenings of I Am Legend, which was released on December 14, 2007.[67] A theatrical teaser was also released with non-IMAX showings of I Am Legend, and also on the official website.[117] The sequence was released on the Blu-ray Disc edition of Batman Begins on July 8, 2008.[118] Also on July 8, 2008, the studio released Batman: Gotham Knight, a direct-to-DVD animated film, set between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight and featuring six original stories, directed by Bruce Timm, co-creator and producer of Batman: The Animated Series, and starring veteran Batman voice actor Kevin Conroy. Each of these segments, written by Josh Olson, David S. Goyer, Brian Azzarello, Greg Rucka, Jordan Goldberg, and Alan Burnett, presents its own distinctive artistic style, paralleling numerous artists collaborating in the same DC Universe.[119]



Movie poster for The Dark Knight, seen in Paris' Rue Saint-Honoré in August 2008.
After the death of Heath Ledger on January 22, 2008, Warner Bros. adjusted its promotional focus on the Joker,[120] revising some of its websites dedicated to promoting the film and posting a memorial tribute to Ledger on the film's official website[121] and overlaying a black memorial ribbon on the photo collage in WhySoSerious.com.[122] On February 29, 2008, I Believe in Harvey Dent was updated to enable fans to send their e-mail addresses and phone numbers.[123] In March 2008, Harvey Dent's fictional campaign informed fans that actual campaign buses nicknamed "Dentmobiles" would tour various cities to promote Dent's candidacy for district attorney.[124]
On May 15, 2008, Six Flags Great America and Six Flags Great Adventure theme parks opened The Dark Knight roller coaster, which cost US$7.5 million to develop and which simulates being stalked by the Joker.[125] Mattel produced toys and games for The Dark Knight, action figures, role play costumes, board games, puzzles, and a special-edition UNO card game, which began commercial distribution in June 2008.[126]
Warner Bros. devoted six months to an anti-piracy strategy that involved tracking the people who had a pre-release copy of the film at any one time. Shipping and delivery schedules were also staggered and spot checks were carried out both domestically and overseas to ensure illegal copying of the film was not taking place in cinemas.[127] A pirated copy was released on the Web approximately 38 hours after the film's release. BitTorrent search engine The Pirate Bay taunted the movie industry over its ability to provide the movie free, replacing its logo with a taunting message.[128]

Release
Warner Bros. held the world premiere for The Dark Knight in New York City on July 14, 2008, screening in an IMAX theater with the film's composers James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer playing a part of the film score live.[129] Leading up to The Dark Knight's commercial release, the film had drawn "overwhelmingly positive early reviews and buzz on Heath Ledger's turn as the Joker."[130] The Dark Knight was commercially released on July 16, 2008 in Australia, grossing almost $2.3 million in its first day.[131]
In the United States and Canada, The Dark Knight was distributed to 4,366 theaters, breaking the previous record for the highest number of theaters held by Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End in 2007. The number of theaters also included 94 IMAX theaters, with the film estimated to be played on 9,200 screens in the United States and Canada.[131] Online, ticketing services sold enormous numbers of tickets for approximately 3,000 midnight showtimes as well as unusually early showtimes for the film's opening day. All IMAX theaters showing The Dark Knight were sold out for the opening weekend.[132]
Reception



 Heath Ledger's performance was praised and ultimately won him an Academy Award.
Based on 289 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, the film received a 94% approval rating from critics, with an average score of 8.5/10. The site's consensus reads, "Dark, complex and unforgettable, The Dark Knight succeeds not just as an entertaining comic book film, but as a richly thrilling crime saga."[133] By comparison, Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating in the 0–100 range based on reviews from top mainstream critics, calculated an average score of 82, based on 39 reviews.[134] CinemaScore polls reported that the average grade cinemagoers gave the film was "A" on an A+ to F scale, and that audiences skewed slightly male and older.[135]
Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times, awarding four out of four stars, described The Dark Knight as a "haunted film that leaps beyond its origins and becomes an engrossing tragedy." He praised the performances, direction, and writing, saying the film "redefine[s] the possibilities of the comic-book movie." Ebert stated that the "key performance" is by Heath Ledger, and pondered whether he would become the first posthumous Academy Award-winning actor since Peter Finch in 1976. (Ledger ultimately won the Oscar.)[136] Ebert named it one of his twenty favorite films of 2008.[137] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone writes that the film is deeper than its predecessor, with a "deft" script that refuses to scrutinize the Joker with popular psychology, instead pulling the viewer in with an examination of Bruce Wayne's psyche.[138] Travers has praise for all the cast, saying each brings his or her "'A' game" to the film. He says Bale is "electrifying," evoking Al Pacino in The Godfather Part II, that Eckhart's portrayal of Harvey Dent is "scarily moving", and that Oldman "is so skilled that he makes virtue exciting as Jim Gordon".[138] Travers says Ledger moves the Joker away from Jack Nicholson's interpretation into darker territory, and expresses his support for any potential campaign to have Ledger nominated for an Academy Award,[138] Travers says that the filmmakers move the film away from comic book cinema and closer to being a genuine work of art, citing Nolan's direction and the "gritty reality" of Wally Pfister's cinematography as helping to create a universe that has something "raw and elemental" at work within it. In particular, he cites Nolan's action choreography in the IMAX-tailored heist sequence as rivaling that of Heat (1995).[138] Manohla Dargis of The New York Times wrote "Pitched at the divide between art and industry, poetry and entertainment, it goes darker and deeper than any Hollywood movie of its comic-book kind."[139] Entertainment Weekly put it on its end-of-the-decade, "best-of" list, saying, "Every great hero needs a great villain. And in 2008, Christian Bale's Batman found his in Heath Ledger's demented dervish, the Joker."[140] BBC critic Mark Kermode, in a positive review, said that Ledger is "very, very good" but that Oldman's turn is "the best performance in the film, by a mile".[141]
Emanuel Levy wrote Ledger "throws himself completely" into the role,[142] and that the film represents Nolan's "most accomplished and mature" work, and the most technically impressive and resonant of all the Batman films. Levy calls the action sequences some of the most impressive seen in an American film for years, and talks of the Hong Kong-set portion of the film as being particularly visually impressive.[142] Levy and Peter Travers conclude that the film is "haunting and visionary,"[138][142] while Levy goes on to say that The Dark Knight is "nothing short of brilliant."[142] On the other hand, David Denby of The New Yorker said that the story is not coherent enough to properly flesh out the disparities. He said the film's mood is one of "constant climax," and that it feels rushed and far too long. Denby criticized scenes which he argued to be meaningless or are cut short just as they become interesting.[143] Denby remarks that the central conflict is workable, but that "only half the team can act it," saying that Bale's "placid" Bruce Wayne and "dogged but uninteresting" Batman is constantly upstaged by Ledger's "sinister and frightening" performance, which he says is the film's one element of success. Denby concludes that Ledger is "mesmerising" in every scene.[143] The vocalization of Christian Bale's Batman (which was partly altered during post-production) was the subject of particular criticism by some commentators, with David Edelstein from NPR describing Bale delivering his performance with "a voice that's deeper and hammier than ever". Alonso Duralde at MSNBC, however, referred to Bale's voice in The Dark Knight as an "eerie rasp", as opposed to the voice used in the Batman Begins, which according to Duralde "sounded absurdly deep, like a 10-year-old putting on an ‘adult’ voice to make prank phone calls".[144][145]
The Dark Knight was ranked the 15th greatest film in history on Empire's 2008 list of the "500 Greatest Movies of All Time," based upon the weighted votes of 10,000 readers, 150 film directors, and 50 key film critics.[146] Heath Ledger's interpretation of the Joker was also ranked number three on Empire's 2008 list of the "100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time."[147] In June 2010, the Joker was ranked number five on Entertainment Weekly '​s "100 Greatest Characters of the Last 20 Years".[148] Paste magazine named it one of the 50 Best Movies of the Decade (2000–2009), ranking it at number 11.[6] The Dark Knight was included in American Cinematographer's "Best-Shot Film of 1998-2008" list, ranking in the top 10. More than 17,000 people around the world participated in the final vote.[149] In March 2011, the film was voted by BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra listeners as their eight favorite film of all time.[150] In 2012, Total Film ranked The Dark Knight as the sixth most accomplished film of the past 15 years, writing that "Christopher Nolan's psycho-operatic crime drama was its decade's most exciting blockbuster – and its most challenging."[151] In 2014, The Dark Knight was ranked the 3rd greatest film ever made on Empire '​s list of "The 301 Greatest Movies Of All Time" as voted by the magazine's readers.[152]
Commentary
Mystery writer Andrew Klavan, writing in The Wall Street Journal, compared the extreme measures that Batman takes to fight crime with those U.S. President George W. Bush used in the War on Terror. Klavan claims that, "at some level" The Dark Knight is "a paean of praise to the fortitude and moral courage that has been shown by George W. Bush in this time of terror and war." Klavan supports this reading of the film by comparing Batman—like Bush, Klavan argues—"sometimes has to push the boundaries of civil rights to deal with an emergency, certain that he will re-establish those boundaries when the emergency is past."[153] Klavan's article has received criticism on the Internet and in mainstream media outlets, such as in The New Republic's "The Plank."[154] Reviewing the film in The Sunday Times, Cosmo Landesman reached the opposite conclusion to Klavan, arguing that The Dark Knight "offers up a lot of moralistic waffle about how we must hug a terrorist – okay, I exaggerate. At its heart, however, is a long and tedious discussion about how individuals and society must never abandon the rule of law in struggling against the forces of lawlessness. In fighting monsters, we must be careful not to become monsters – that sort of thing. The film champions the anti-war coalition's claim that, in having a war on terror, you create the conditions for more terror. We are shown that innocent people died because of Batman – and he falls for it."[155] Benjamin Kerstein, writing in Azure, says that both Klavan and Landesman "have a point," because "The Dark Knight is a perfect mirror of the society which is watching it: a society so divided on the issues of terror and how to fight it that, for the first time in decades, an American mainstream no longer exists."[156]
Themes and analysis
According to David S. Goyer, the primary theme of The Dark Knight is escalation.[157] Gotham City is weak and the citizens blame Batman for the city's violence and corruption as well as the Joker's threats, and it pushes his limits, making him feel that taking the laws into his own hands is further downgrading the city. Roger Ebert noted, "Throughout the film, [the Joker] devises ingenious situations that force Batman, Commissioner Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent to make impossible ethical decisions. By the end, the whole moral foundation of the Batman legend is threatened."[136]
Other critics have mentioned the theme of the triumph of evil over good. Harvey Dent is seen as Gotham's "White Knight" in the beginning of the film but ends up becoming seduced to evil.[71] The Joker, on the other hand, is seen as the representation of anarchy and chaos. He has no motive, no orders, and no desires but to cause havoc and "watch the world burn." The terrible logic of human error is another theme as well. The ferry scene displays how humans can easily be enticed by iniquity, and how that could lead to potential disaster.[158]
Awards
Main article: List of accolades received by The Dark Knight



 The Tumbler in use at the film's European premiere
Most notable among the nominations were Heath Ledger's almost complete sweep of over twenty awards for acting, including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actor, the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture, and the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. The Dark Knight also received nominations from the Writers Guild of America (for Best Adapted Screenplay), the Producers Guild of America, and the Directors Guild of America, as well as a slew of other guild award nominations and wins. It was nominated for Best Film at the Critics Choice Awards and was named one of the top ten films of 2008 by the American Film Institute.
The Dark Knight was nominated for eight Academy Awards for the 81st Ceremony,[159] breaking the previous record of seven held by Dick Tracy[160] for the most nominations received by a film based on a comic book, comic strip, or graphic novel. The Dark Knight won two awards: Best Supporting Actor for Heath Ledger and Best Sound Editing. It was additionally nominated for six others, these being Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Sound Mixing, Best Visual Effects, Best Makeup, and Best Film Editing. Heath Ledger was the first posthumous winner of the Best Supporting Actor award, and only the second posthumous acting winner ever (Peter Finch posthumously won the Best Actor award for his performance in the 1976 film Network). In addition, Ledger's win marked the first win in any of the major Oscar categories (producing, directing, acting, or writing) for a superhero-based film. Notably, Richard King's win in the Sound Editing category blocked a complete awards sweep of the evening by the eventual Best Picture winner, Slumdog Millionaire. Although it did not receive a Best Picture nomination, the show's opening song paid homage to The Dark Knight along with the five Best Picture nominees, including host Hugh Jackman riding on a mockup of the Batpod made out of garbage. In spite of the film's critical success, the film was noticeably absent from the Best Picture nominee list, prompting controversy and led many to criticize the Academy Awards for "snubbing" the film.[161][162] There was speculation that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences later changed their number of Best Picture nominees to ten, instead of the traditional five, because of the film's omission. In a question-and-answer session that followed the announcement, the Academy's then president Sidney Ganis said; "I would not be telling you the truth if I said the words Dark Knight did not come up."[163]
A British-American production, the film was nominated for the 2009 Goya Award for Best European Film.[164] It had a nomination in Japan for the 2009 Seiun Awards under the Science Fiction category[165] with a Japan Academy Prize Award for Best Foreign Film.[166]
Box office



 A sign of the film's pre-release at Coliseum cinema in Barcelona, Spain
The Dark Knight earned $534.9 million in North America and $469.7 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $1 billion. Worldwide, it is the eighteenth-highest-grossing film, the highest-grossing film of 2008 and the fourth film in history to gross more than $1 billion. It made $199.7 million on its worldwide opening weekend which ranks thirty-fourth on the all-time chart.[167]
In order to increase the film's chances of crossing $1 billion in worldwide gross and of winning Oscars, Warner Bros. re-released the film in traditional and IMAX theaters in the United States and other countries on January 23, 2009.[168][169] Before the re-release, the film's gross remained at $997 million,[170] but following the re-release, the film crossed the $1-billion-mark in February 2009.[171]
North America
The Dark Knight opened on Friday, July 18, 2008. It set a record for midnight showings, by earning $18.5 million from 3,040 theaters[172] (a record first surpassed by Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince).[173] The midnight opening included $640,000 from IMAX screenings.[174] It was then shown on 9,200 screens at a record 4,366 theaters (a record first surpassed by Iron Man 2),[175] also setting an opening- and single-day record gross, with $67.2 million[172][176] (both records first surpassed by The Twilight Saga: New Moon),[177] and an opening weekend record, with $158.4 million[172][178][179] (first surpassed by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2).[180] The weekend per theater average of $36,283 stands as the fifth-largest of all time.[181] It sold an estimated 22.37 million tickets during its first weekend with 2008's average admission of $7.08, meaning the film sold more tickets than Spider-Man 3, which sold 21.96 million with the average price of $6.88 in 2007.[182][183] Additionally, the film set an IMAX opening weekend record, with $6.3 million[172] (a record first surpassed by Star Trek).[184] It achieved the largest Sunday gross, with $43.6 million,[172] and the largest opening week from Friday to Thursday, with $238.6 million (both records surpassed by Marvel's The Avengers).[185][186] It also achieved the largest cumulative gross through its third and fourth day of release (both records first surpassed by Deathly Hallows – Part 2), and so on until its tenth day of release (records surpassed by Marvel's The Avengers).[187] Moreover, it was the fastest film to reach $100 million (a record first surpassed by New Moon), $150 million and each additional $50 million through $450 million (records surpassed by Marvel's The Avengers), and $500 million (a record first surpassed by Avatar).[188] Finally, it achieved the largest second-weekend gross (a record first surpassed by Avatar).[189]
It has grossed the fourth largest Saturday gross ($51,336,732). On its first Monday, it grossed $24.5 million, which stands as the largest non-holiday Monday gross and the 4th largest Monday gross overall, and on its first Tuesday it grossed another $20.9 million, which stands as the largest non-opening Tuesday gross and the second largest Tuesday gross overall.[190] Notably, it topped the box office during the second biggest weekend of all time in North America (aggregated total of $253,586,871)[191] and it was the only 2008 film that remained on top of the box office charts for four consecutive weekends.[192]
The Dark Knight is the highest-grossing 2008 film, the second-highest-grossing superhero film, the second-highest-grossing film based on comics and the fourth highest-grossing film of all time in North America. Adjusted for ticket-price inflation though, it ranks 28th.[193] In contrast to Avatar and Titanic, both which grossed more than The Dark Knight in North America and had slow but steady earnings, The Dark Knight broke records in its opening weekend and slowed down significantly after its first few weekends.[190][194]
Markets outside North America
Overseas, The Dark Knight is the highest-grossing 2008 film[195] and the fourth-highest-grossing superhero film. It premiered in 20 other territories on 4,520 screens, grossing $41.3 million in its first weekend.[196] The film came in second to Hancock, which was in its third weekend, screening in 71 territories. The Dark Knight's biggest territory was Australia, where it grossed $13.7 million over the weekend, setting a record for the largest superhero film opening.[197] It topped the weekend box office outside North America three consecutive times and four in total. Citing cultural sensitivities to some elements in the film, and a reluctance to adhere to pre-release conditions, Warner Bros. declined to release the film in mainland China.[198] Its highest-grossing market after North America was the UK, Ireland and Malta, where it earned $89.1 million. Also, in Australia, it earned of $39.9 million, still remaining in the all-time top 10 of the country.[199] The five highest-grossing markets outside North America also include Germany ($29.7 million), France and the Maghreb region ($27.5 million) and South Korea ($25.0 million).[200]
Home media
The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc in North America on December 9, 2008. Releases include a one-disc edition DVD; a two-disc Special Edition DVD; a two-disc edition BD; and a Special Edition BD package featuring a statuette of the Bat-pod.[201] The BD/iTunes version presents the film in a variable aspect ratio, with the IMAX sequences framed in 1.78:1, while scenes filmed in 35 mm are framed in 2.40:1.[202] The DVD versions feature the entire film framed in a uniform 2.40:1 aspect ratio. Disc 2 of the two-disc Special Edition DVD features the six main IMAX sequences in the original 1.44:1 aspect ratio. Additional IMAX shots throughout the film that are presented in 1.78:1 on the Blu-ray release are not, however, included in the DVD's special features. In addition to the standard DVD releases, some stores released their own exclusive editions of the film.
In the United Kingdom, the film had combined sales of 513,000 units on its first day of release, of which 107,730 (21%) were Blu-ray Discs, the highest number of first-day Blu-ray Discs sold.[203] In the United States, The Dark Knight set a sales record for most DVDs sold in one day, selling 3 million units on its first day of release – 600,000 of which were Blu-ray Discs.[204]
The DVD and Blu-ray Disc editions were released in Australia on December 10, 2008. Releases were in the form of a one-disc edition on DVD; a two-disc edition on DVD; a two-disc edition including a Batmask on DVD and BD; a two-disc Batpod statuette Limited BD Edition; a two-disc BD edition; and a four-disc Batman Begins/The Dark Knight pack on DVD and BD. As of December 19, 2008, the DVD release is the top selling film in the Australian DVD Charts[205] and is expected to break the Australian sales record set by Finding Nemo.[206][dead link]
The movie also sold Blu-ray copies worth 370 million yen (US$4.1 million) in Japan, placing it 3rd out of 10 in the top 10 overall Blu-ray category.[207][208]
In March 2011, Warner Bros. offered The Dark Knight for rent on Facebook, becoming the first movie ever to be released via digital distribution on a social networking site. Users in the United States are able to use Facebook Credits to view the film.[209]
See also

Portal icon Film in the United States portal
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Portal icon 2000s portal
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 Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Dark Knight.
##Vigilante film
##List of films featuring surveillance

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Further reading
##Byrne, Craig (2008). The Dark Knight: Featuring Production Art and Full Shooting Script (Hardcover). Universe. ISBN 0-7893-1812-1.
##Nolan, Christopher; Goyer, David S. (2007). "Introduction". Absolute Batman: The Long Halloween (Hardcover). New York: DC Comics. ISBN 1-4012-1282-4.
##O'Neil, Dennis (2008). The Dark Knight (Paperback). Novelization of the film. Berkley. ISBN 0-425-22286-1.
External links
 Wikiquote has quotations related to: The Dark Knight (film)
##Official website
##The Dark Knight at the Internet Movie Database
##The Dark Knight at the TCM Movie Database
##The Dark Knight at AllMovie
##The Dark Knight at Box Office Mojo
##The Dark Knight at Rotten Tomatoes
##The Dark Knight on Myspace
##The Dark Knight: Blu-ray Disc Review at HD Report


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The Dark Knight (film)
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This article is about the film. For other uses, see Dark Knight (disambiguation).
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The Dark Knight
Dark Knight.jpg
Theatrical release poster

Directed by
Christopher Nolan
Produced by
Emma Thomas
Charles Roven
Christopher Nolan

Screenplay by
Jonathan Nolan
Christopher Nolan

Story by
Christopher Nolan
David S. Goyer

Based on
Characters appearing in comic books published
 by DC Comics
Starring
Christian Bale
Michael Caine
Heath Ledger
Gary Oldman
Aaron Eckhart
Maggie Gyllenhaal
Morgan Freeman

Music by
Hans Zimmer
James Newton Howard

Cinematography
Wally Pfister
Edited by
Lee Smith

Production
 companies

Legendary Pictures
DC Comics
Syncopy

Distributed by
Warner Bros. Pictures

Release dates

July 14, 2008 (New York City)
July 18, 2008 (North America)
July 24, 2008 (United Kingdom)


Running time
 152 minutes[1]
Country
United States[2]
United Kingdom[2]

Language
English
Budget
$185 million[3]
Box office
$1.005 billion[3]
The Dark Knight is a 2008 superhero film directed, produced, and co-written by Christopher Nolan. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, the film is the second part of Nolan's Batman film series and a sequel to 2005's Batman Begins. Christian Bale reprises the lead role of Bruce Wayne/Batman, with a returning cast of Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth, Gary Oldman as James Gordon and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox. The film introduces the character of Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), Gotham's newly elected District Attorney and the consort of Bruce Wayne's childhood friend Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal replacing Katie Holmes from the first film), who joins Batman and the police in combating the new rising threat of a criminal mastermind calling himself "The Joker" (Heath Ledger).
Nolan's inspiration for the film was the Joker's comic book debut in 1940, the 1988 graphic novel The Killing Joke, and the 1996 series The Long Halloween, which retold Two-Face's origin. The nickname "the Dark Knight" was first applied to Batman in Batman #1 (1940), in a story written by Bill Finger.[4][5] 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, some months after he had completed filming on The Dark Knight and six months before the film's release, Heath Ledger died from a toxic combination of prescription drugs, leading to intense attention from the press and movie-going public. Warner Bros. initially created a viral marketing campaign for The Dark Knight, developing promotional websites and trailers highlighting screenshots of Ledger as the Joker.
A co-production of the United States and the United Kingdom, The Dark Knight was released on July 16, 2008 in Australia, on July 18, 2008 in North America, and on July 24, 2008 in the United Kingdom. Considered by film critics to be one of the best films of the 2000s and one of the best superhero films ever,[6][7] the film received highly positive reviews and set numerous records during its theatrical run.[8] The Dark Knight appeared on more critics' top ten lists (287) than any other film of 2008 with the exception of WALL-E, and more critics (77) named The Dark Knight the best film of 2008 than any other film released that year.[9] With over $1 billion in revenue worldwide, it is the 19th-highest-grossing film of all time, unadjusted for inflation.[10] The film received eight Academy Award nominations; it won the award for Best Sound Editing and Ledger was posthumously awarded Best Supporting Actor.[11] The Dark Knight Rises, the final film in the trilogy, was released on July 20, 2012.


Contents  [hide]
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Production 3.1 Development
3.2 Filming
3.3 Design
3.4 Effects
3.5 Music
4 Marketing
5 Release 5.1 Reception 5.1.1 Commentary
5.1.2 Themes and analysis
5.1.3 Awards
5.2 Box office
5.3 Home media
6 See also
7 References
8 Further reading
9 External links

Plot
In Gotham City, The Joker and his accomplices rob a mob-owned bank. The accomplices kill each other off one by one in a sequence masterminded by the Joker, who escapes alone with all the money.
Batman and Lt. Jim Gordon decide to include the new district attorney, Harvey Dent, in their plan to eradicate the mob. Although Dent is dating Rachel Dawes, Bruce Wayne is impressed with his idealism and offers to throw him a fundraiser. Mob bosses Sal Maroni, Gambol, and The Chechen hold a videoconference with Lau, a Chinese accountant who has hidden their funds and fled to Hong Kong. The Joker interrupts the meeting, warning that Batman is unhindered by jurisdiction. He offers to kill Batman for half their money, but the mob bosses refuse, and Gambol puts a bounty on him. The Joker kills Gambol and takes control of his men. Batman captures Lau and delivers him back to Gotham to testify against the mob.
The Joker announces that people will die each day unless Batman reveals his identity. He then kills Commissioner Gillian B. Loeb and the judge presiding over the mob trials. He also targets Dent at the fundraiser, but Bruce hides Dent. Gordon foils the Joker's assassination attempt on Mayor Garcia, apparently sacrificing himself in the process. Bruce plans to reveal his identity, but Dent instead names himself as Batman to protect the truth. Dent is taken into protective custody and pursued by the Joker across the city; Batman rushes to Dent's aid. Gordon, who faked his death, helps apprehend the Joker and is promoted to Commissioner.
That night, Dent and Rachel disappear. Batman interrogates the Joker and discovers that Dent and Rachel are held in two separate buildings filled with explosives. The Joker reveals their locations, and Batman goes to Rachel's, only to realize that the Joker has tricked him into finding Dent moments before both buildings explode, killing Rachel and scarring half of Dent's face. The Joker detonates a bomb in the police station and escapes with Lau.
Coleman Reese, an accountant at Wayne Enterprises, deduces Batman's true identity and plans to reveal it. The Joker kills Lau and The Chechen, then threatens to bomb a hospital unless Reese is killed. Gordon and Bruce protect Reese, who changes his mind. The Joker visits Dent in the hospital and convinces him to seek revenge. The Joker then blows up the hospital and escapes with hostages.
Dent starts to go after people responsible for Rachel's death, deciding their fates by flipping a coin. He kills Maroni and a cop who had helped kidnap Rachel. It is revealed that the Joker rigged two ferries with explosives to escalate chaos; one ferry is full of citizens, the other full of prison inmates and guards. He then gives the passengers of each ferry the choice to blow the other up before midnight — otherwise, both ferries will explode. The passengers ultimately refuse, however.
Batman asks a reluctant Lucius Fox to use a city-wide tracking prototype device to find the Joker; Fox agrees, but says he will resign immediately afterward. The Joker dresses up hostages as his men, luring Gordon's SWAT team to strike them. Batman fights off the SWAT team and the Joker's men, then rescues the hostages. Batman apprehends the Joker, but the Joker gloats that he has won, as Gotham will lose hope once Dent's rampage becomes public. The SWAT team arrives to take the Joker into custody.
Dent lures Gordon to the building where Rachel died and holds Gordon's family hostage. Batman confronts Dent, who judges the fates of himself, Batman, and Gordon's son with three coin flips. He shoots Batman, spares himself, then flips again to determine the boy's fate. Batman, who is wearing body armor, tackles Dent off the building, killing him and saving the boy.[12] Batman then convinces Gordon to frame him for the murders so that Dent will remain a symbol of hope for the city. Gordon destroys the Bat-Signal and launches a manhunt for the Batman. Alfred Pennyworth burns a letter written by Rachel to Bruce announcing her engagement to Dent, and Fox watches the signal tracker self-destruct.
Cast



 Cast and crew of The Dark Knight at the European premiere in London. From left to right: Director Christopher Nolan, producers Emma Thomas and Charles Roven, actors Monique Gabriela Curnen, Michael Caine, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Christian Bale.##Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne / Batman:
A billionaire dedicated to protecting Gotham City from the criminal underworld by night. Bale said he was confident in his choice to return in the role because of the positive response to his portrayal in Batman Begins.[13] He continued training in the Keysi Fighting Method and performed many of his own stunts,[13][14] but did not gain as much muscle as in the previous film because the new Batsuit allowed him to move with greater agility.[15] Bale described Batman's dilemma as whether "[his crusade is] something that has an end. Can he quit and have an ordinary life? The kind of manic intensity someone has to have to maintain the passion and the anger that they felt as a child, takes an effort after a while, to keep doing that. At some point, you have to exorcise your demons."[16] He added, "Now you have not just a young man in pain attempting to find some kind of an answer, you have somebody who actually has power, who is burdened by that power, and is having to recognize the difference between attaining that power and holding on to it."[17] Bale felt Batman's personality had been strongly established in the first film, so it was unlikely his character would be overshadowed by the villains, stating: "I have no problem with competing with someone else. And that's going to make a better movie."[18]##Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth:
Bruce's trusted butler and confidant. His supply of useful advice to Bruce and his likeness as a father figure has led to him being labeled "Batman's batman".[19][20]##Heath Ledger as the Joker:
Before Ledger was confirmed to play the Joker in July 2006, Paul Bettany,[21] Lachy Hulme,[22] Adrien Brody,[23] Steve Carell,[24] and Robin Williams[25] publicly expressed interest in the role. However Nolan had wanted to work with Ledger on a number of projects in the past, and was agreeable to Ledger's chaotic interpretation of the character.[26] When Ledger saw Batman Begins, he had realized a way to make the character work that was consistent with the film's tone:[27] he described his Joker as a "psychopathic, mass murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy."[28] Throughout the film, the Joker states his desire to upset social order through crime, and comes to define himself by his conflict with Batman. To prepare for the role, Ledger lived alone in a hotel room for a month, formulating the character's posture, voice, and personality, and kept a diary, in which he recorded the Joker's thoughts and feelings.[18][29] While he initially found it difficult, Ledger eventually generated a voice unlike Jack Nicholson's character in Tim Burton's 1989 Batman film.[28][29] He was also given Batman: The Killing Joke and Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth, which he "really tried to read and put it down."[27] Ledger also cited A Clockwork Orange and Sid Vicious as "a very early starting point for Christian [Bale] and I. But we kind of flew far away from that pretty quickly and into another world altogether."[30][31] "There's a bit of everything in him. There's nothing that consistent," Ledger said, and added, "There are a few more surprises to him."[30] Ledger was allowed to shoot and mostly direct the videos the Joker sends out as warnings. Each take Ledger made was different from the last. Nolan was impressed enough with the first video shoot that he chose to not be present when Ledger shot the video with a kidnapped reporter (Anthony Michael Hall).[32] On January 22, 2008, after he had completed filming The Dark Knight, Ledger died of an accidental prescription drug overdose, leading to intense press attention and memorial tributes. "It was tremendously emotional, right when he passed, having to go back in and look at him every day [during editing]," Nolan recalled. "But the truth is, I feel very lucky to have something productive to do, to have a performance that he was very, very proud of, and that he had entrusted to me to finish."[31] All of Ledger's scenes appear as he completed them in the filming; in editing the film, Nolan added no "digital effects" to alter Ledger's actual performance posthumously.[33] Nolan has dedicated the film in part to Ledger's memory.[34][35]##Gary Oldman as James Gordon:
A lieutenant in the Gotham City Police Department and one of the city's few honest police officers. He forms a tenuous, unofficial alliance with Batman and Dent. When the Joker assassinates Police Commissioner Loeb, Mayor Garcia gives Gordon the position. Oldman described his character as "incorruptible, virtuous, strong, heroic, but understated."[36] Nolan explained that "The Long Halloween has a great, triangular relationship between Harvey Dent and Gordon and Batman, and that's something we very much drew from."[37] Oldman added that "Gordon has a great deal of admiration for him at the end, but [Batman] is more than ever now the dark knight, the outsider. I'm intrigued now to see: If there is a third one, what he's going to do?"[37] On the possibility of another sequel, he said that "returning to [the role] is not dependent on whether the role was bigger than the one before."[38]##Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent / Two-Face:
The district attorney who is hailed as Gotham's "White Knight". His battle with the criminal underworld leaves him disfigured, transforming him into a murderer bent on revenge.[39][40] Wayne sees Dent as his heir, recognizing that Batman's war on crime will be a lifelong mission, which heightens the tragedy of Dent's downfall.[35] Nolan and David S. Goyer had originally considered using Dent in Batman Begins, but they replaced him with the new character Rachel Dawes when they realized they "couldn't do him justice."[41] Before Eckhart was cast in February 2007, Liev Schreiber,[42] Josh Lucas,[43] and Ryan Phillippe[44] had expressed interest in the role,[45] while Mark Ruffalo auditioned.[46] Hugh Jackman was also considered for the part. Nolan chose Eckhart, whom he had considered for the lead role in Memento, citing his "extraordinary" ability as an actor, his embodiment of "that kind of chiselled, American hero quality" projected by Robert Redford, and his subtextual "edge."[47] Eckhart was "interested in good guys gone wrong," and had played corrupt men in films such as The Black Dahlia, Thank You for Smoking, and In the Company of Men. Whereas Two-Face is depicted as a crime boss in most characterizations, Nolan chose to portray him as a twisted vigilante to emphasize his role as Batman's counterpart. Eckhart explained, "[He] is still true to himself. He's a crime fighter, he's not killing good people. He's not a bad guy, not purely."[39][40] For Dent, Eckhart "kept on thinking about the Kennedys," particularly Robert F. Kennedy, who was "idealistic, held a grudge and took on the Mob." He had his hair lightened and styled to make him appear more dashing. Nolan told Eckhart to not make Dent's Two-Face persona "jokey with slurping sounds or ticks."[48]##Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel Dawes:
The Gotham assistant district attorney and Wayne's childhood friend. In Batman Begins, she tells Wayne that if he ever decided to stop being Batman, they would be together. She is one of the few people to know Batman's identity. Gyllenhaal took over the role from Katie Holmes, who played the part in Batman Begins. In August 2005, Holmes was reportedly planning to reprise the role,[49] but she eventually turned it down to do Mad Money with Diane Keaton and Queen Latifah.[50] By March 2007, Gyllenhaal was in "final talks" for the part.[51] Gyllenhaal has acknowledged her character is a damsel in distress to an extent, but says Nolan sought ways to empower her character, so "Rachel's really clear about what's important to her and unwilling to compromise her morals, which made a nice change" from the many conflicted characters whom she has previously portrayed.[52]##Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox:
The recently promoted chief executive officer of Wayne Enterprises who, now fully aware of his employer's double life, serves more directly as Bruce's armorer in addition to his corporate duties.[53]##Eric Roberts as Sal Maroni:
A gangster who has taken over Carmine Falcone's mob. Bob Hoskins and James Gandolfini auditioned for the role.[54]##Chin Han as Lau:
The accountant who handles the money for the mob.##Colin McFarlane as Gillian B. Loeb:
The Police Commissioner of Gotham until his murder at the hands of the Joker.[55]
The film's supporting protagonists include Nestor Carbonell as Mayor Anthony Garcia, Keith Szarabajka as Detective Gerard Stephens, Monique Gabriela Curnen as Anna Ramirez, and Ron Dean as Detective Michael Wuertz. While Stephens is an honest cop, Ramirez and Wuertz are in the pocket of the mob, and betray Harvey Dent and Rachel Dawes to the Joker. (Ramirez is drawn as a somewhat sympathetic character, however; she only started working for the mob because she was desperate to afford to her mother's hospital bills.) The cast also included Anthony Michael Hall as Gotham Cable News reporter Mike Engel, Nydia Rodriguez Terracina as Judge Janet Surrillo, Joshua Harto as Coleman Reese, Melinda McGraw and Nathan Gamble as Gordon's wife and son, and Tom "Tiny" Lister, Jr. as a prison inmate on one of the bomb-rigged ferries. The film's supporting villains include Michael Jai White and Ritchie Coster as mob bosses Gambol and The Chechen, respectively. William Fichtner played the Gotham National Bank manager. David Banner originally auditioned for the role of Gambol.[56] Cillian Murphy returns in a cameo as Dr. Jonathan Crane / Scarecrow, who is apprehended early on in the film by Batman.[57]
Musician Dwight Yoakam was approached for the roles of either the manager or a corrupt cop, but he chose to focus on his album Dwight Sings Buck.[58] Another cameo was made by United States Senator Patrick Leahy, a fan of Batman comics who was previously an extra in the 1997 film Batman & Robin and also was a guest voice actor on Batman: The Animated Series. Leahy appears as a guest who defies the Joker when he and his henchmen attack Bruce's fundraiser, saying "We are not intimidated by thugs."[59] Matt Skiba, lead singer of Chicago punk band Alkaline Trio, made a small appearance in the movie.[60]
Production
Development



As we looked through the comics, there was this fascinating idea that Batman's presence in Gotham actually attracts criminals to Gotham, [it] attracts lunacy. When you're dealing with questionable notions like people taking the law into their own hands, you have to really ask, where does that lead? That's what makes the character so dark, because he expresses a vengeful desire.
—Nolan, on the theme of escalation[17]
Before the release of Batman Begins, screenwriter David S. Goyer wrote a treatment for two sequels which introduced the Joker and Harvey Dent.[61] His original intent was for the Joker to scar Dent during the Joker's trial in the third film, turning Dent into Two-Face.[62] Goyer, who penned the first draft of the film, cited the DC Comics 13-issue comic book limited series Batman: The Long Halloween as the major influence on his storyline.[41] According to veteran Batman artist Neal Adams, he met with David Goyer in Los Angeles, and the story would eventually look to Adams and writer Denny O'Neil's 1971 story "The Joker's Five-Way Revenge" that appeared in Batman #251, in which O'Neil and Adams re-introduced the Joker.[63] While initially uncertain of whether or not he would return to direct the sequel, Nolan did want to reinterpret the Joker on screen.[18] On July 31, 2006, Warner Bros. officially announced initiation of production for the sequel to Batman Begins titled The Dark Knight;[64] it is the first live-action Batman film without the word "Batman" in its title, which Bale noted as signaling that "this take on Batman of mine and Chris' is very different from any of the others."[65]
After much research, Nolan's brother and co-writer, Jonathan, suggested the Joker's first two appearances, published in the first issue of Batman (1940), as the crucial influences.[26] Jerry Robinson, one of the Joker's co-creators, was consulted on the character's portrayal.[66] Nolan decided to avoid divulging an in-depth origin story for the Joker, and instead portray his rise to power so as to not diminish the threat he poses, explaining to MTV News, "the Joker we meet in The Dark Knight is fully formed...To me, the Joker is an absolute. There are no shades of gray to him – maybe shades of purple. He's unbelievably dark. He bursts in just as he did in the comics."[67] Nolan reiterated to IGN, "We never wanted to do an origin story for the Joker in this film," because "the arc of the story is much more Harvey Dent's; the Joker is presented as an absolute. It's a very thrilling element in the film, and a very important element, but we wanted to deal with the rise of the Joker, not the origin of the Joker."[26] Nolan suggested Batman: The Killing Joke influenced a section of the Joker's dialogue in the film, in which he says that anyone can become like him given the right circumstances.[68] Nolan also cited Heat as "sort of an inspiration" for his aim "to tell a very large, city story or the story of a city": "If you want to take on Gotham, you want to give Gotham a kind of weight and breadth and depth in there. So you wind up dealing with the political figures, the media figures. That's part of the whole fabric of how a city is bound together."[26]
According to Nolan, an important theme of the sequel is "escalation," extending the ending of Batman Begins, noting "things having to get worse before they get better."[69] While indicating The Dark Knight would continue the themes of Batman Begins, including justice vs. revenge and Bruce Wayne's issues with his father,[70] Nolan emphasized the sequel would also portray Wayne more as a detective, an aspect of his character not fully developed in Batman Begins.[15] Nolan described the friendly rivalry between Bruce Wayne and Harvey Dent as the "backbone" of the film.[67] He also chose to compress the overall storyline, allowing Dent to become Two-Face in The Dark Knight, thus giving the film an emotional arc the unsympathetic Joker could not offer.[68] Nolan acknowledged the title was not only a reference to Batman, but also the fallen "white knight" Harvey Dent.[71]
Filming
While scouting for shooting locations in October 2006, location manager Robin Higgs visited Liverpool, concentrating mainly along the city's waterfront. Other candidates included Yorkshire, Glasgow, and parts of London.[72] In August 2006, one of the film's producers, Charles Roven, stated that its principal photography would begin in March 2007,[73] but filming was pushed back to April.[74] For its release in IMAX theaters, Nolan shot four major sequences in that format, including the Joker's opening bank robbery and the car chase midway through the film, which marked the first time that a feature film had been even partially shot in the format.[75] The cameras used for non-IMAX 35 mm scenes were Panavision's Panaflex Millennium XL and Platinum.[76]
For fifteen years Nolan had wanted to shoot in the IMAX format, and he also used it for "quiet scenes which pictorially we thought would be interesting."[67] The use of IMAX cameras provided many new challenges for the filmmakers: the cameras were much larger and heavier than standard cameras, and produced noise which made recording dialogue difficult.[77] In addition, the cameras had short film loads ranging from 30 seconds to two minutes[77] and the cost of the film stock was much greater than standard 35mm film.[78] Nevertheless, Nolan said that he wished that it were possible to shoot the entire film in IMAX: "if you could take an IMAX camera to Mount Everest or outer space, you could use it in a feature movie."[79] In addition, Nolan chose to edit some of the IMAX sequences using the original camera negative, which by eliminating generation loss, raised the film resolution of those sequences up to 18 thousand lines.[80]



 Director Christopher Nolan (far left) and actor Heath Ledger (in make-up) filming a scene in The Dark Knight with an IMAX camera
Warner Bros. chose to film in Chicago for 13 weeks, because Nolan had a "truly remarkable experience" filming part of Batman Begins there.[81][82] Instead of using the Chicago Board of Trade Building as the location for the headquarters of Wayne Enterprises, as Batman Begins did,[83] The Dark Knight shows Wayne Enterprises as being headquartered in the Richard J. Daley Center.[84] While filming in Chicago, the film was given the false title Rory's First Kiss to lower the visibility of production, but the local media eventually uncovered the ruse.[85] Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times commented on the absurdity of the technique, "Is there a Bat-fan in the world that doesn't know Rory's First Kiss is actually The Dark Knight, which has been filming in Chicago for weeks?"[86] Production of The Dark Knight in Chicago generated $45 million in the city's economy and created thousands of jobs.[87] For the film's prologue involving the Joker, the crew shot in Chicago from April 18, 2007 to April 24, 2007.[88][89] They returned to shoot from June 9, 2007 to early September.[87] Noticeably, unlike Batman Begins, less CGI was used to disguise Chicago. Many recognizable locations were used in the film, like the Sears Tower, Navy Pier, 330 North Wabash, the James R. Thompson Center, Trump International Hotel and Tower, LaSalle Street, The Berghoff, Randolph Street Station, and Hotel 71. An old Brach's factory was used as Gotham Hospital. The defunct Van Buren Street post office doubles as Gotham National Bank for the opening bank robbery. Several sequences, including one car chase, were shot on the lower level of Wacker Drive.[84][90] The Marina City towers also appear in the background throughout the movie.[84]
Pinewood Studios, near London, was the primary studio space used for the production.[91] While planning a stunt with the Batmobile in a special effects facility near Chertsey, England in September 2007, technician Conway Wickliffe was killed when his car crashed.[92] The film is dedicated to both Ledger and Wickliffe.[34] The following month in London at the defunct Battersea Power Station, a rigged 200-foot fireball was filmed, reportedly for an opening sequence, prompting calls from local residents who feared a terrorist attack on the station.[93] A similar incident occurred during the filming in Chicago, when an abandoned Brach's candy factory (which was Gotham Hospital in the film) was demolished.[94]
Filming took place in Hong Kong from November 6 to 11, 2007, at various locations in Central, including Hong Kong's tallest building at the time, the International Finance Centre, for the scene where Batman captures Lau.[95][96][97] The shoot hired helicopters and C-130 aircraft.[95] Officials expressed concern over possible noise pollution and traffic.[96] In response, letters sent to the city's residents promised that the sound level would approximate noise decibels made by buses.[95] Environmentalists also criticized the filmmakers' request to tenants of the waterfront skyscrapers to keep their lights on all night to enhance the cinematography, describing it as a waste of energy.[96] Cinematographer Wally Pfister found the city officials a "nightmare," and ultimately Nolan had to create Batman's jump from a skyscraper digitally.[33]
Design
Costume designer Lindy Hemming described the Joker's look as reflecting his personality, in that "he doesn't care about himself at all"; she avoided designing him as a vagrant, but still made him appear to be "scruffier, grungier," so that "when you see him move, he's slightly twitchier or edgy."[18][29][29] Nolan noted, "We gave a Francis Bacon spin to [his face]. This corruption, this decay in the texture of the look itself. It's grubby. You can almost imagine what he smells like."[98] In creating the "anarchical" look of the Joker, Hemming drew inspiration from such countercultural pop culture artists as Pete Doherty, Iggy Pop, and Johnny Rotten.[99] Ledger described his "clown" mask, made up of three pieces of stamped silicone, as a "new technology," taking less than an hour for the make-up artists to apply, much faster than more-conventional prosthetics usually requires. Ledger also said that he felt he was barely wearing any make-up.[18][100]
Hemming and Ledger's Joker design has had an impact in popular and political culture in the form of the Barack Obama "Joker" poster, and has since become a meme in its own right.[101]
Designers improved on the design of the Batsuit from Batman Begins, adding wide elastic banding to help bind the costume to Bale, and suggest more sophisticated technology. It was constructed from 200 individual pieces of rubber, fiberglass, metallic mesh, and nylon. The new cowl was modeled after a motorcycle helmet and separated from the neck piece, allowing Bale to turn his head left and right and nod up and down.[102] The cowl is equipped to show white lenses over the eyes when the character turns on his sonar detection, which gives Batman the white eyed look from the comics and animation.[103] The gauntlets have retractable razors which can be fired.[102] Though the new costume is eight pounds heavier, Bale found it more comfortable and not as hot to wear.[15] The depiction of Gotham City is less gritty than in Batman Begins. "I've tried to unclutter the Gotham we created on the last film," said production designer Nathan Crowley. "Gotham is in chaos. We keep blowing up stuff, so we can keep our images clean."[17]
Effects



 Aaron Eckhart with make-up and motion capture markers on set. Below is the finished effect.
The film introduces the Batpod, which is a recreation of the Batcycle. Production designer Nathan Crowley, who designed the Tumbler for Batman Begins, designed six models (built by special effects supervisor Chris Corbould) for use in the film's production, because of necessary crash scenes and possible accidents.[104] Crowley built a prototype in Nolan's garage, before six months of safety tests were conducted.[15] The Batpod is steered by shoulder instead of hand, and the rider's arms are protected by sleeve-like shields. The bike has 508-millimeter (20-inch) front and rear tires, and is made to appear as if it is armed with grappling hooks, cannons, and machine guns. The engines are located in the hubs of the wheels, which are set 31⁄2 feet (1067 mm) apart on either side of the tank. The rider lies belly down on the tank, which can move up and down to dodge any incoming gunfire that Batman may encounter. Stuntman Jean-Pierre Goy doubled for Christian Bale during the riding sequences in The Dark Knight.[104] The Batpod was highly unstable for riding, and Goy was the only stuntman who could manage to balance the bike, even commenting that he had to "nearly un-learn how to ride a motorcycle" to manage riding the Batpod. Bale did insist on doing shots on the Batpod himself, but was prohibited by the team fearing his safety.[105]
Nolan designed Two-Face's appearance in the film as one of the least disturbing, explaining, "When we looked at less extreme versions of it, they were too real and more horrifying. When you look at a film like Pirates of the Caribbean – something like that, there's something about a very fanciful, very detailed visual effect, that I think is more powerful and less repulsive."[106][dead link] Framestore created 120 computer-generated shots of Two-Face's scarred visage. Nolan felt using make-up would look unrealistic, as it adds to the face, unlike real burn victims. Framestore acknowledged they rearranged the positions of bones, muscles and joints to make the character look more dramatic. For each shot, three 720-pixel HD cameras were set up at different angles on set to fully capture Aaron Eckhart's performance. Eckhart wore markers on his face and a prosthetic skullcap, which acted as a lighting reference. A few shots of the skullcap were kept in the film. Framestore also integrated shots of Bale and Eckhart into that of the exploding building where Dent is burned. It was difficult simulating fire on Eckhart because it is inherently unrealistic for only half of something to burn.[107]
Music
Main article: The Dark Knight (soundtrack)
Batman Begins composers Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard returned to score the sequel. Composition began before shooting, and during filming Nolan received an iPod with ten hours of recordings.[108] Their nine-minute suite for the Joker, "Why So Serious?," is based around two notes. Zimmer compared its style to that of Kraftwerk, a band from his native Germany, as well as bands like The Damned.[109] When Ledger died, Zimmer felt like scrapping and composing a new theme, but decided that he could not be sentimental and compromise the "evil [Ledger's performance] projects."[110] Howard composed Dent's "elegant and beautiful" themes,[109] which are brass-focused.[108]
Marketing
"Why So Serious?" redirects here. For the Shinee album and song, see Chapter 2. Why So Serious? – The Misconceptions of Me and Why So Serious? (song).



WhySoSerious.com directed fans to find letters composing the Joker's message "The only sensible way to live in this world is without rules," to send in photographs of these letters, and then featured their photos in a collage.
In May 2007, 42 Entertainment began a viral marketing campaign utilizing the film's "Why So Serious?" tagline with the launch of a website featuring the fictional political campaign of Harvey Dent, with the caption, "I Believe in Harvey Dent."[111] The site aimed to interest fans by having them try to earn what they wanted to see and, on behalf of Warner Bros., 42 Entertainment also established a "vandalized" version of I Believe in Harvey Dent, called "I believe in Harvey Dent too," where e-mails sent by fans slowly removed pixels, revealing the first official image of the Joker; it was ultimately replaced with many "Haha"s and a hidden message that said "see you in December."[112]
During the 2007 San Diego Comic-Con International, 42 Entertainment launched WhySoSerious.com, sending fans on a scavenger hunt to unlock a teaser trailer and a new photo of the Joker.[113] On October 31, 2007, the film's website morphed into another scavenger hunt with hidden messages, instructing fans to uncover clues at certain locations in major cities throughout the United States, and to take photographs of their discoveries. The clues combined to reveal a new photograph of the Joker and an audio clip of him from the film saying "And tonight, you're gonna break your one rule." Completing the scavenger hunt also led to another website called Rory's Death Kiss[114] (referencing the false working title of Rory's First Kiss), where fans could submit photographs of themselves costumed as the Joker. Those who sent photos were mailed a copy of a fictional newspaper called The Gotham Times, whose electronic version led to the discovery of numerous other websites.[115][116]



Toyota Formula One racing car featuring the Batman insignia, at the 2008 British Grand Prix
The Dark Knight's opening sequence, (showing a bank raid by the Joker) and closing montage of other scenes from the film, was screened with selected IMAX screenings of I Am Legend, which was released on December 14, 2007.[67] A theatrical teaser was also released with non-IMAX showings of I Am Legend, and also on the official website.[117] The sequence was released on the Blu-ray Disc edition of Batman Begins on July 8, 2008.[118] Also on July 8, 2008, the studio released Batman: Gotham Knight, a direct-to-DVD animated film, set between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight and featuring six original stories, directed by Bruce Timm, co-creator and producer of Batman: The Animated Series, and starring veteran Batman voice actor Kevin Conroy. Each of these segments, written by Josh Olson, David S. Goyer, Brian Azzarello, Greg Rucka, Jordan Goldberg, and Alan Burnett, presents its own distinctive artistic style, paralleling numerous artists collaborating in the same DC Universe.[119]



Movie poster for The Dark Knight, seen in Paris' Rue Saint-Honoré in August 2008.
After the death of Heath Ledger on January 22, 2008, Warner Bros. adjusted its promotional focus on the Joker,[120] revising some of its websites dedicated to promoting the film and posting a memorial tribute to Ledger on the film's official website[121] and overlaying a black memorial ribbon on the photo collage in WhySoSerious.com.[122] On February 29, 2008, I Believe in Harvey Dent was updated to enable fans to send their e-mail addresses and phone numbers.[123] In March 2008, Harvey Dent's fictional campaign informed fans that actual campaign buses nicknamed "Dentmobiles" would tour various cities to promote Dent's candidacy for district attorney.[124]
On May 15, 2008, Six Flags Great America and Six Flags Great Adventure theme parks opened The Dark Knight roller coaster, which cost US$7.5 million to develop and which simulates being stalked by the Joker.[125] Mattel produced toys and games for The Dark Knight, action figures, role play costumes, board games, puzzles, and a special-edition UNO card game, which began commercial distribution in June 2008.[126]
Warner Bros. devoted six months to an anti-piracy strategy that involved tracking the people who had a pre-release copy of the film at any one time. Shipping and delivery schedules were also staggered and spot checks were carried out both domestically and overseas to ensure illegal copying of the film was not taking place in cinemas.[127] A pirated copy was released on the Web approximately 38 hours after the film's release. BitTorrent search engine The Pirate Bay taunted the movie industry over its ability to provide the movie free, replacing its logo with a taunting message.[128]

Release
Warner Bros. held the world premiere for The Dark Knight in New York City on July 14, 2008, screening in an IMAX theater with the film's composers James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer playing a part of the film score live.[129] Leading up to The Dark Knight's commercial release, the film had drawn "overwhelmingly positive early reviews and buzz on Heath Ledger's turn as the Joker."[130] The Dark Knight was commercially released on July 16, 2008 in Australia, grossing almost $2.3 million in its first day.[131]
In the United States and Canada, The Dark Knight was distributed to 4,366 theaters, breaking the previous record for the highest number of theaters held by Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End in 2007. The number of theaters also included 94 IMAX theaters, with the film estimated to be played on 9,200 screens in the United States and Canada.[131] Online, ticketing services sold enormous numbers of tickets for approximately 3,000 midnight showtimes as well as unusually early showtimes for the film's opening day. All IMAX theaters showing The Dark Knight were sold out for the opening weekend.[132]
Reception



 Heath Ledger's performance was praised and ultimately won him an Academy Award.
Based on 289 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, the film received a 94% approval rating from critics, with an average score of 8.5/10. The site's consensus reads, "Dark, complex and unforgettable, The Dark Knight succeeds not just as an entertaining comic book film, but as a richly thrilling crime saga."[133] By comparison, Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating in the 0–100 range based on reviews from top mainstream critics, calculated an average score of 82, based on 39 reviews.[134] CinemaScore polls reported that the average grade cinemagoers gave the film was "A" on an A+ to F scale, and that audiences skewed slightly male and older.[135]
Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times, awarding four out of four stars, described The Dark Knight as a "haunted film that leaps beyond its origins and becomes an engrossing tragedy." He praised the performances, direction, and writing, saying the film "redefine[s] the possibilities of the comic-book movie." Ebert stated that the "key performance" is by Heath Ledger, and pondered whether he would become the first posthumous Academy Award-winning actor since Peter Finch in 1976. (Ledger ultimately won the Oscar.)[136] Ebert named it one of his twenty favorite films of 2008.[137] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone writes that the film is deeper than its predecessor, with a "deft" script that refuses to scrutinize the Joker with popular psychology, instead pulling the viewer in with an examination of Bruce Wayne's psyche.[138] Travers has praise for all the cast, saying each brings his or her "'A' game" to the film. He says Bale is "electrifying," evoking Al Pacino in The Godfather Part II, that Eckhart's portrayal of Harvey Dent is "scarily moving", and that Oldman "is so skilled that he makes virtue exciting as Jim Gordon".[138] Travers says Ledger moves the Joker away from Jack Nicholson's interpretation into darker territory, and expresses his support for any potential campaign to have Ledger nominated for an Academy Award,[138] Travers says that the filmmakers move the film away from comic book cinema and closer to being a genuine work of art, citing Nolan's direction and the "gritty reality" of Wally Pfister's cinematography as helping to create a universe that has something "raw and elemental" at work within it. In particular, he cites Nolan's action choreography in the IMAX-tailored heist sequence as rivaling that of Heat (1995).[138] Manohla Dargis of The New York Times wrote "Pitched at the divide between art and industry, poetry and entertainment, it goes darker and deeper than any Hollywood movie of its comic-book kind."[139] Entertainment Weekly put it on its end-of-the-decade, "best-of" list, saying, "Every great hero needs a great villain. And in 2008, Christian Bale's Batman found his in Heath Ledger's demented dervish, the Joker."[140] BBC critic Mark Kermode, in a positive review, said that Ledger is "very, very good" but that Oldman's turn is "the best performance in the film, by a mile".[141]
Emanuel Levy wrote Ledger "throws himself completely" into the role,[142] and that the film represents Nolan's "most accomplished and mature" work, and the most technically impressive and resonant of all the Batman films. Levy calls the action sequences some of the most impressive seen in an American film for years, and talks of the Hong Kong-set portion of the film as being particularly visually impressive.[142] Levy and Peter Travers conclude that the film is "haunting and visionary,"[138][142] while Levy goes on to say that The Dark Knight is "nothing short of brilliant."[142] On the other hand, David Denby of The New Yorker said that the story is not coherent enough to properly flesh out the disparities. He said the film's mood is one of "constant climax," and that it feels rushed and far too long. Denby criticized scenes which he argued to be meaningless or are cut short just as they become interesting.[143] Denby remarks that the central conflict is workable, but that "only half the team can act it," saying that Bale's "placid" Bruce Wayne and "dogged but uninteresting" Batman is constantly upstaged by Ledger's "sinister and frightening" performance, which he says is the film's one element of success. Denby concludes that Ledger is "mesmerising" in every scene.[143] The vocalization of Christian Bale's Batman (which was partly altered during post-production) was the subject of particular criticism by some commentators, with David Edelstein from NPR describing Bale delivering his performance with "a voice that's deeper and hammier than ever". Alonso Duralde at MSNBC, however, referred to Bale's voice in The Dark Knight as an "eerie rasp", as opposed to the voice used in the Batman Begins, which according to Duralde "sounded absurdly deep, like a 10-year-old putting on an ‘adult’ voice to make prank phone calls".[144][145]
The Dark Knight was ranked the 15th greatest film in history on Empire's 2008 list of the "500 Greatest Movies of All Time," based upon the weighted votes of 10,000 readers, 150 film directors, and 50 key film critics.[146] Heath Ledger's interpretation of the Joker was also ranked number three on Empire's 2008 list of the "100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time."[147] In June 2010, the Joker was ranked number five on Entertainment Weekly '​s "100 Greatest Characters of the Last 20 Years".[148] Paste magazine named it one of the 50 Best Movies of the Decade (2000–2009), ranking it at number 11.[6] The Dark Knight was included in American Cinematographer's "Best-Shot Film of 1998-2008" list, ranking in the top 10. More than 17,000 people around the world participated in the final vote.[149] In March 2011, the film was voted by BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra listeners as their eight favorite film of all time.[150] In 2012, Total Film ranked The Dark Knight as the sixth most accomplished film of the past 15 years, writing that "Christopher Nolan's psycho-operatic crime drama was its decade's most exciting blockbuster – and its most challenging."[151] In 2014, The Dark Knight was ranked the 3rd greatest film ever made on Empire '​s list of "The 301 Greatest Movies Of All Time" as voted by the magazine's readers.[152]
Commentary
Mystery writer Andrew Klavan, writing in The Wall Street Journal, compared the extreme measures that Batman takes to fight crime with those U.S. President George W. Bush used in the War on Terror. Klavan claims that, "at some level" The Dark Knight is "a paean of praise to the fortitude and moral courage that has been shown by George W. Bush in this time of terror and war." Klavan supports this reading of the film by comparing Batman—like Bush, Klavan argues—"sometimes has to push the boundaries of civil rights to deal with an emergency, certain that he will re-establish those boundaries when the emergency is past."[153] Klavan's article has received criticism on the Internet and in mainstream media outlets, such as in The New Republic's "The Plank."[154] Reviewing the film in The Sunday Times, Cosmo Landesman reached the opposite conclusion to Klavan, arguing that The Dark Knight "offers up a lot of moralistic waffle about how we must hug a terrorist – okay, I exaggerate. At its heart, however, is a long and tedious discussion about how individuals and society must never abandon the rule of law in struggling against the forces of lawlessness. In fighting monsters, we must be careful not to become monsters – that sort of thing. The film champions the anti-war coalition's claim that, in having a war on terror, you create the conditions for more terror. We are shown that innocent people died because of Batman – and he falls for it."[155] Benjamin Kerstein, writing in Azure, says that both Klavan and Landesman "have a point," because "The Dark Knight is a perfect mirror of the society which is watching it: a society so divided on the issues of terror and how to fight it that, for the first time in decades, an American mainstream no longer exists."[156]
Themes and analysis
According to David S. Goyer, the primary theme of The Dark Knight is escalation.[157] Gotham City is weak and the citizens blame Batman for the city's violence and corruption as well as the Joker's threats, and it pushes his limits, making him feel that taking the laws into his own hands is further downgrading the city. Roger Ebert noted, "Throughout the film, [the Joker] devises ingenious situations that force Batman, Commissioner Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent to make impossible ethical decisions. By the end, the whole moral foundation of the Batman legend is threatened."[136]
Other critics have mentioned the theme of the triumph of evil over good. Harvey Dent is seen as Gotham's "White Knight" in the beginning of the film but ends up becoming seduced to evil.[71] The Joker, on the other hand, is seen as the representation of anarchy and chaos. He has no motive, no orders, and no desires but to cause havoc and "watch the world burn." The terrible logic of human error is another theme as well. The ferry scene displays how humans can easily be enticed by iniquity, and how that could lead to potential disaster.[158]
Awards
Main article: List of accolades received by The Dark Knight



 The Tumbler in use at the film's European premiere
Most notable among the nominations were Heath Ledger's almost complete sweep of over twenty awards for acting, including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actor, the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture, and the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. The Dark Knight also received nominations from the Writers Guild of America (for Best Adapted Screenplay), the Producers Guild of America, and the Directors Guild of America, as well as a slew of other guild award nominations and wins. It was nominated for Best Film at the Critics Choice Awards and was named one of the top ten films of 2008 by the American Film Institute.
The Dark Knight was nominated for eight Academy Awards for the 81st Ceremony,[159] breaking the previous record of seven held by Dick Tracy[160] for the most nominations received by a film based on a comic book, comic strip, or graphic novel. The Dark Knight won two awards: Best Supporting Actor for Heath Ledger and Best Sound Editing. It was additionally nominated for six others, these being Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Sound Mixing, Best Visual Effects, Best Makeup, and Best Film Editing. Heath Ledger was the first posthumous winner of the Best Supporting Actor award, and only the second posthumous acting winner ever (Peter Finch posthumously won the Best Actor award for his performance in the 1976 film Network). In addition, Ledger's win marked the first win in any of the major Oscar categories (producing, directing, acting, or writing) for a superhero-based film. Notably, Richard King's win in the Sound Editing category blocked a complete awards sweep of the evening by the eventual Best Picture winner, Slumdog Millionaire. Although it did not receive a Best Picture nomination, the show's opening song paid homage to The Dark Knight along with the five Best Picture nominees, including host Hugh Jackman riding on a mockup of the Batpod made out of garbage. In spite of the film's critical success, the film was noticeably absent from the Best Picture nominee list, prompting controversy and led many to criticize the Academy Awards for "snubbing" the film.[161][162] There was speculation that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences later changed their number of Best Picture nominees to ten, instead of the traditional five, because of the film's omission. In a question-and-answer session that followed the announcement, the Academy's then president Sidney Ganis said; "I would not be telling you the truth if I said the words Dark Knight did not come up."[163]
A British-American production, the film was nominated for the 2009 Goya Award for Best European Film.[164] It had a nomination in Japan for the 2009 Seiun Awards under the Science Fiction category[165] with a Japan Academy Prize Award for Best Foreign Film.[166]
Box office



 A sign of the film's pre-release at Coliseum cinema in Barcelona, Spain
The Dark Knight earned $534.9 million in North America and $469.7 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $1 billion. Worldwide, it is the eighteenth-highest-grossing film, the highest-grossing film of 2008 and the fourth film in history to gross more than $1 billion. It made $199.7 million on its worldwide opening weekend which ranks thirty-fourth on the all-time chart.[167]
In order to increase the film's chances of crossing $1 billion in worldwide gross and of winning Oscars, Warner Bros. re-released the film in traditional and IMAX theaters in the United States and other countries on January 23, 2009.[168][169] Before the re-release, the film's gross remained at $997 million,[170] but following the re-release, the film crossed the $1-billion-mark in February 2009.[171]
North America
The Dark Knight opened on Friday, July 18, 2008. It set a record for midnight showings, by earning $18.5 million from 3,040 theaters[172] (a record first surpassed by Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince).[173] The midnight opening included $640,000 from IMAX screenings.[174] It was then shown on 9,200 screens at a record 4,366 theaters (a record first surpassed by Iron Man 2),[175] also setting an opening- and single-day record gross, with $67.2 million[172][176] (both records first surpassed by The Twilight Saga: New Moon),[177] and an opening weekend record, with $158.4 million[172][178][179] (first surpassed by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2).[180] The weekend per theater average of $36,283 stands as the fifth-largest of all time.[181] It sold an estimated 22.37 million tickets during its first weekend with 2008's average admission of $7.08, meaning the film sold more tickets than Spider-Man 3, which sold 21.96 million with the average price of $6.88 in 2007.[182][183] Additionally, the film set an IMAX opening weekend record, with $6.3 million[172] (a record first surpassed by Star Trek).[184] It achieved the largest Sunday gross, with $43.6 million,[172] and the largest opening week from Friday to Thursday, with $238.6 million (both records surpassed by Marvel's The Avengers).[185][186] It also achieved the largest cumulative gross through its third and fourth day of release (both records first surpassed by Deathly Hallows – Part 2), and so on until its tenth day of release (records surpassed by Marvel's The Avengers).[187] Moreover, it was the fastest film to reach $100 million (a record first surpassed by New Moon), $150 million and each additional $50 million through $450 million (records surpassed by Marvel's The Avengers), and $500 million (a record first surpassed by Avatar).[188] Finally, it achieved the largest second-weekend gross (a record first surpassed by Avatar).[189]
It has grossed the fourth largest Saturday gross ($51,336,732). On its first Monday, it grossed $24.5 million, which stands as the largest non-holiday Monday gross and the 4th largest Monday gross overall, and on its first Tuesday it grossed another $20.9 million, which stands as the largest non-opening Tuesday gross and the second largest Tuesday gross overall.[190] Notably, it topped the box office during the second biggest weekend of all time in North America (aggregated total of $253,586,871)[191] and it was the only 2008 film that remained on top of the box office charts for four consecutive weekends.[192]
The Dark Knight is the highest-grossing 2008 film, the second-highest-grossing superhero film, the second-highest-grossing film based on comics and the fourth highest-grossing film of all time in North America. Adjusted for ticket-price inflation though, it ranks 28th.[193] In contrast to Avatar and Titanic, both which grossed more than The Dark Knight in North America and had slow but steady earnings, The Dark Knight broke records in its opening weekend and slowed down significantly after its first few weekends.[190][194]
Markets outside North America
Overseas, The Dark Knight is the highest-grossing 2008 film[195] and the fourth-highest-grossing superhero film. It premiered in 20 other territories on 4,520 screens, grossing $41.3 million in its first weekend.[196] The film came in second to Hancock, which was in its third weekend, screening in 71 territories. The Dark Knight's biggest territory was Australia, where it grossed $13.7 million over the weekend, setting a record for the largest superhero film opening.[197] It topped the weekend box office outside North America three consecutive times and four in total. Citing cultural sensitivities to some elements in the film, and a reluctance to adhere to pre-release conditions, Warner Bros. declined to release the film in mainland China.[198] Its highest-grossing market after North America was the UK, Ireland and Malta, where it earned $89.1 million. Also, in Australia, it earned of $39.9 million, still remaining in the all-time top 10 of the country.[199] The five highest-grossing markets outside North America also include Germany ($29.7 million), France and the Maghreb region ($27.5 million) and South Korea ($25.0 million).[200]
Home media
The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc in North America on December 9, 2008. Releases include a one-disc edition DVD; a two-disc Special Edition DVD; a two-disc edition BD; and a Special Edition BD package featuring a statuette of the Bat-pod.[201] The BD/iTunes version presents the film in a variable aspect ratio, with the IMAX sequences framed in 1.78:1, while scenes filmed in 35 mm are framed in 2.40:1.[202] The DVD versions feature the entire film framed in a uniform 2.40:1 aspect ratio. Disc 2 of the two-disc Special Edition DVD features the six main IMAX sequences in the original 1.44:1 aspect ratio. Additional IMAX shots throughout the film that are presented in 1.78:1 on the Blu-ray release are not, however, included in the DVD's special features. In addition to the standard DVD releases, some stores released their own exclusive editions of the film.
In the United Kingdom, the film had combined sales of 513,000 units on its first day of release, of which 107,730 (21%) were Blu-ray Discs, the highest number of first-day Blu-ray Discs sold.[203] In the United States, The Dark Knight set a sales record for most DVDs sold in one day, selling 3 million units on its first day of release – 600,000 of which were Blu-ray Discs.[204]
The DVD and Blu-ray Disc editions were released in Australia on December 10, 2008. Releases were in the form of a one-disc edition on DVD; a two-disc edition on DVD; a two-disc edition including a Batmask on DVD and BD; a two-disc Batpod statuette Limited BD Edition; a two-disc BD edition; and a four-disc Batman Begins/The Dark Knight pack on DVD and BD. As of December 19, 2008, the DVD release is the top selling film in the Australian DVD Charts[205] and is expected to break the Australian sales record set by Finding Nemo.[206][dead link]
The movie also sold Blu-ray copies worth 370 million yen (US$4.1 million) in Japan, placing it 3rd out of 10 in the top 10 overall Blu-ray category.[207][208]
In March 2011, Warner Bros. offered The Dark Knight for rent on Facebook, becoming the first movie ever to be released via digital distribution on a social networking site. Users in the United States are able to use Facebook Credits to view the film.[209]
See also

Portal icon Film in the United States portal
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Portal icon 2000s portal
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 Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Dark Knight.
##Vigilante film
##List of films featuring surveillance

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Further reading
##Byrne, Craig (2008). The Dark Knight: Featuring Production Art and Full Shooting Script (Hardcover). Universe. ISBN 0-7893-1812-1.
##Nolan, Christopher; Goyer, David S. (2007). "Introduction". Absolute Batman: The Long Halloween (Hardcover). New York: DC Comics. ISBN 1-4012-1282-4.
##O'Neil, Dennis (2008). The Dark Knight (Paperback). Novelization of the film. Berkley. ISBN 0-425-22286-1.
External links
 Wikiquote has quotations related to: The Dark Knight (film)
##Official website
##The Dark Knight at the Internet Movie Database
##The Dark Knight at the TCM Movie Database
##The Dark Knight at AllMovie
##The Dark Knight at Box Office Mojo
##The Dark Knight at Rotten Tomatoes
##The Dark Knight on Myspace
##The Dark Knight: Blu-ray Disc Review at HD Report


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The Dark Knight Rises
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The Dark Knight Rises
Dark knight rises poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster

Directed by
Christopher Nolan
Produced by
Emma Thomas
Christopher Nolan
Charles Roven

Screenplay by
Jonathan Nolan
Christopher Nolan

Story by
Christopher Nolan
David S. Goyer

Based on
Characters appearing in comic books published
 by DC Comics
Starring
Christian Bale
Michael Caine
Gary Oldman
Anne Hathaway
Tom Hardy
Marion Cotillard
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Morgan Freeman

Music by
Hans Zimmer
Cinematography
Wally Pfister
Edited by
Lee Smith

Production
 companies

Legendary Pictures
DC Entertainment
Syncopy

Distributed by
Warner Bros. Pictures

Release dates

July 16, 2012 (New York City)
July 20, 2012 (United Kingdom)
July 20, 2012 (United States)


Running time
 165 minutes[1]
Country
United States[2]
United Kingdom[2]

Language
English
Budget
$230 million[3]
Box office
$1.084 billion[4]
The Dark Knight Rises is a 2012 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan, who co-wrote the screenplay with his brother Jonathan Nolan, and the story with David S. Goyer. Featuring the DC Comics character Batman, the film is the final installment in Nolan's Batman film trilogy, and the sequel to Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight (2008). Christian Bale reprises the lead role of Bruce Wayne/Batman, with a returning cast of allies: Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth, Gary Oldman as James Gordon, and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox. The film introduces Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway), a sly, morally ambiguous cat burglar, and Bane (Tom Hardy), a mercenary bent on destroying Gotham City who forces an older Bruce Wayne to come out of retirement and become Batman again.
Christopher Nolan was hesitant about returning to the series for a second time, but agreed after developing a story with his brother and Goyer that he felt would conclude the series on a satisfactory note. Nolan drew inspiration from Bane's comic book debut in the 1993 "Knightfall" storyline, the 1986 series The Dark Knight Returns, and the 1999 storyline "No Man's Land". Filming took place in locations including Jodhpur,[5] London, Nottingham, Glasgow, Los Angeles, New York City, Newark, and Pittsburgh. Nolan used IMAX cameras for much of the filming, including the first six minutes of the film, to optimize the quality of the picture. A vehicle variation of the Batplane and Batcopter termed the "Bat", an underground prison set, and a new Batcave set were created specifically for the film. As with The Dark Knight, viral marketing campaigns began early during production. When filming concluded, Warner Bros. refocused its campaign: developing promotional websites, releasing the first six minutes of the film, screening theatrical trailers, and sending out information regarding the film's plot.
The Dark Knight Rises premiered in New York City on July 16, 2012. The film was released in Australia and New Zealand on July 19, 2012, and in North America and the United Kingdom on July 20, 2012. Upon release it received critical acclaim and is widely considered by publications to be one of the best films of 2012.[6][7][8][9] Like its predecessor, the film grossed over $1 billion worldwide at the box office, making it the second film in the Batman film series, and by extension the second film based on a DC Comics character, to earn $1 billion. It is currently the eleventh-highest-grossing film of all time, the third-highest-grossing film of 2012, and the third-highest-grossing superhero film of all time.


Contents  [hide]
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Production 3.1 Development
3.2 Filming
3.3 Design 3.3.1 Costume design
3.3.2 Production design
3.4 Music
4 Marketing
5 Shooting in Aurora, Colorado
6 Release 6.1 Reception 6.1.1 Commentary
6.1.2 Accolades
6.1.3 Box office
6.2 Home media
7 References
8 External links

Plot
Eight years after Harvey Dent's (Aaron Eckhart) death, the Dent Act grants the Gotham City Police Department powers which nearly eradicate organized crime. Feeling guilty for covering up Dent's crimes, Police Commissioner James Gordon (Gary Oldman) writes a resignation speech confessing the truth but decides not to use it. Batman has disappeared, and Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) has become a recluse. Cat burglar Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway) obtains Bruce's fingerprints from his home, kidnaps a congressman, then disappears. Selina hands Bruce's fingerprints to Phillip Stryver (Burn Gorman), an assistant to Bruce's business rival John Daggett (Ben Mendelsohn), in hope of having her criminal record erased. Stryver double-crosses Selina, but she uses the congressman's stolen phone to alert the police to their location. Gordon and the police arrive to find the congressman, and then pursue Stryver's men into the sewers while Selina flees. A masked man called Bane (Tom Hardy) captures Gordon. Gordon escapes and is found by John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a once-orphaned patrol officer who has deduced Batman's true identity from their similar backgrounds. Gordon promotes Blake to detective, with Blake reporting directly to him.
Wayne Enterprises is unprofitable after Bruce discontinued his fusion reactor project when he learned that the core could be weaponized. Later, Bane attacks the Gotham Stock Exchange, using Bruce's fingerprints in a transaction that bankrupts Bruce. Alfred Pennyworth (Michael Caine), concerned that Bruce has not moved on from being Batman, reveals to him that Rachel Dawes had intended to marry Dent before she died. Alfred then resigns in an attempt to dissuade Bruce. Fearing that Daggett, Bane's employer, would gain access to the reactor, Bruce asks Wayne Enterprises board member Miranda Tate (Marion Cotillard) to take over his company. After being promised the software to erase her criminal record, Selina agrees to take Batman to Bane but instead leads him into Bane's trap. Bane reveals that he intends to fulfill Ra's al Ghul's (Liam Neeson) mission to destroy Gotham with the League of Shadows remnant. He engages Batman and delivers a crippling blow to his back, before taking him to a foreign, well-like prison where escape is virtually impossible. The inmates tell Bruce the story of Ra's al Ghul's child, born in the prison and cared for by a fellow prisoner before escaping—the only prisoner to have ever done so. Bruce assumes the child to be Bane.
Meanwhile, Bane lures Gotham police underground and collapses the exits with them in it. He kills Mayor Anthony Garcia (Nestor Carbonell) and forces an abducted physicist, Dr. Leonid Pavel (Alon Abutbul), to convert the reactor core into a nuclear bomb. Bane uses the bomb to hold the city hostage and isolate Gotham from the world. Using Gordon's stolen speech, Bane reveals the cover-up of Dent's crimes and releases the prisoners of Blackgate Penitentiary, initiating a revolution. The wealthy and powerful have their property expropriated, are dragged from their homes, and were given show trials presided over by Dr. Jonathan Crane (Cillian Murphy), where any sentence means likely death.
After months of recovery from his injury and re-training, Bruce escapes from the prison and enlists Selina, Blake, Tate, Gordon, and Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman) to help stop the bomb's detonation. While the police and Bane's forces clash, Batman defeats Bane, but Tate intervenes and stabs Batman, revealing herself to be Talia al Ghul, Ra's al Ghul's daughter. Talia escaped the prison aided by her fellow prisoner and protector, Bane. She plans to complete her father's work by detonating the bomb and destroying Gotham, but Gordon blocks her signal, preventing remote detonation. Talia leaves to find the bomb while Bane prepares to kill Batman, but Selina kills Bane using the Batpod. Batman pursues Talia with the Bat, an aircraft developed by Fox, hoping to bring the bomb back to the reactor where it can be stabilized. Talia's truck crashes, but she remotely destroys the reactor before dying. With no way to stop the detonation, Batman uses the Bat to haul the bomb over the bay, where it detonates.
In the aftermath, Batman is presumed dead and is honored as a hero. With Bruce also presumed dead, Wayne Manor is left to the city to become an orphanage, and Wayne's remaining estate is left to Alfred. Fox discovers that Bruce had fixed the Bat's autopilot, and Gordon finds the Bat-Signal refurbished. While visiting Florence, Alfred witnesses Bruce and Selina together. Blake resigns from the police force and inherits the Batcave.
Cast
Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne / Batman:
A billionaire socialite dedicated to protecting Gotham City from the criminal underworld. Nolan has stated that, due to the eight-year gap between the events of The Dark Knight and those of The Dark Knight Rises, "he's an older Bruce Wayne; he's not in a great state."[10] Bale employed a mixed-martial-arts discipline called the Keysi Fighting Method, but due to Bruce's current state and Bane's style, the method had to be modified.[11] Bale has stated that The Dark Knight Rises will be the final film in which he plays Batman.[12] He describes the character's arc as finally confronting the pain of loss that he has deferred for years by fighting criminals balanced against the need to internalize that pain lest he give into his emotions and become the killer the city already believes him to be. Bale also acknowledged that Batman is not a flawless individual, that "he's not a healthy individual, this is somebody that is doing good, but he's right on the verge of doing bad. He's got that killer within him that he's desperately trying to not let off his leash. And that's what I always return to."[13] Bale clarifies that "He doesn't want to forget [his parents' deaths]. He wants to maintain that anger he felt at that injustice. But equally he wants to present this very vacuous, soulless persona to Gotham, so that hopefully no-one will suspect him but will just think he's a spoiled bastard."[14] Bale felt bittersweet about leaving the franchise, saying that it was like "saying goodbye to an old friend."[15]Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth:[16]
Bruce's trusted butler and confidant. Alfred has acted as a father figure to Bruce, and continues to aid Bruce on his missions as well as supplying him with useful advice. Alfred is unable to accept Bruce's desire to revive his Batman persona, even going so far as to resign from his position to impress the seriousness of Bruce's position upon him. Christopher Nolan emphasized the emotional bond between Alfred and Bruce, stressing its importance in the previous films and predicting that the relationship will be strained as it never has before.[11]Gary Oldman as James Gordon:[16]
Commissioner of the Gotham City Police Department, and one of the city's few honest police officers. Gary Oldman described the character's work in cleaning up Gotham City as having left him world-weary and slightly bored,[17] likening Gordon to a soldier who leaps at the chance to be on the front lines.[11] His life has taken a turn for the worse since The Dark Knight; his wife has left him and taken their children, and the mayor is planning to dismiss him from his job. Gordon feels guilty over his role in covering up Harvey Dent's crimes to the point where he is prepared to resign from his position as Commissioner over it, but refrains from doing so when he senses that Gotham is about to come under threat.Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle:[18][19]
Selina Kyle is a cat burglar, grifter, and femme fatale who establishes a playful, teasing relationship with Bruce Wayne that "takes some of the somberness away from his character."[11] Kyle is pursuing a "clean slate", a computer program rumored to be able to erase a person's criminal history, when she crosses paths with both Bruce and Batman. Hathaway auditioned not knowing what role she was being considered for, admitting that she had one character in mind, but only learned that the role was Selina Kyle after talking with Christopher Nolan for an hour.[20] Hathaway described the role as being the most physically demanding she had ever played, and confessed that while she thought of herself as being fit she had to redouble her efforts in the gym to keep up with the demands of the role. Hathaway worked out five days a week for the role, including rigorous exercise and stunt training followed by an hour and a half of dance. She explained, "I've always thought that skinny was the goal, but with this job I also have to be strong."[21][22][23] Hathaway trained extensively in martial arts for the role, and looked to Hedy Lamarr—who was the inspiration for the Catwoman character—in developing her performance.[24]Tom Hardy as Bane:[18]
A militant revolutionary portraying himself as a "liberator", Bane is intent on destroying Gotham City. He was originally a member of the League of Shadows, before being excommunicated. The character was chosen by Christopher Nolan because of his desire to see Batman tested on both a physical and mental level.[10][25] According to costume designer Lindy Hemming, the character wears a mask that supplies him with an analgesic gas to relieve pain he suffers from an injury sustained "early in his story".[10] Bane has been described as "a terrorist in both thought and action"[10] and is "florid in his speech, [with] the physicality of a gorilla".[11] Hardy intended to portray the character as "more menacing" than Robert Swenson's version of the character in Joel Schumacher's Batman & Robin and that in order to do so, his portrayal entailed creating a contradiction between his voice and body. Hardy gained 30 pounds (14 kg) for the role,[26] increasing his weight to 198 pounds (90 kg).[26] Hardy based Bane's voice on several influences, which include Bartley Gorman as well as a desire to honor the character's intellect and Caribbean heritage.[27][28] Hardy describes Bane's fighting style as "Brutal. He's a big dude who's incredibly clinical, in the fact that he has a result-based and oriented fighting style. It's not about fighting. It's about carnage. The style is heavy-handed, heavy-footed, it's nasty. Anything from small-joint manipulation to crushing skulls, crushing rib cages, stamping on shins and knees and necks."[10] Bane proclaims that his revolution's enemies are the rich and the corrupt, who he contends are oppressing "the people", and fooling them with myths of opportunity. Political theorist and cultural critic Slavoj Žižek likens Bane to a modern day Che Guevara, counter-intuitively driven to violence out of a sense of love, while others have called him a "high-tech Robespierre on steroids," a melded triad of Lenin, bin Laden and Steve Austin set on fomenting "proletarian retribution," and "the one thing that's worse than the second film's raving anarchist: a demagogue."[29]Marion Cotillard as Miranda Tate / Talia al Ghul:
A member of the Wayne Enterprises executive board who encourages a still-grieving Bruce Wayne to rejoin with society and continue his father's philanthropic works.[30] Cotillard denied speculation that she would be playing a dual role as Miranda and Talia al Ghul, stating that her character is a completely original creation,[31] though the final cut of the film revealed this to be misdirection. Tate was described as providing Bruce with a much-needed sense of hope at the behest of Alfred and Lucius Fox.[11] Child actress Joey King portrays a young Talia in flashbacks.Joseph Gordon-Levitt as John Blake:
A young police officer whose instincts lead him to believe that there is trouble on the horizon. Seeing something of himself in Blake, Commissioner Gordon promotes him to detective.[30] Blake represents the idealism that Gordon and Bruce Wayne once held, but soon lost in their battle against crime in the city.[11] The film reveals his legal name to be Robin John Blake, an homage to Batman's sidekick in the comics, Robin.[32]Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox:[16]
Fox runs Wayne Enterprises on behalf of Bruce Wayne and serves as his armorer, providing him with high-tech equipment. His position as President of Wayne Enterprises allows him to discreetly develop cutting-edge technology and weaponry, even as Wayne Enterprises starts losing money.
Cillian Murphy reprises his role as Dr. Jonathan Crane / Scarecrow from the previous films.[33] Josh Pence and Liam Neeson both appear as Ra's al Ghul, leader of the League of Shadows; Pence plays a younger version of the character in scenes set thirty years before the events of Batman Begins,[34] while Neeson briefly appears to the imprisoned Bruce Wayne. Neeson stated that he was unaware of his role or if he would actually be in the movie, due to its secrecy.[35][36][37] Other cast members include Nestor Carbonell reprising his role as Mayor Anthony Garcia;[38] Alon Abutbul as Dr. Leonid Pavel, a Russian nuclear physicist;[39][40] Juno Temple as Jen, friend and accomplice of Selina Kyle;[41] Matthew Modine as Deputy Commissioner Peter Foley;[42] Ben Mendelsohn as Bruce Wayne's business rival John Daggett with Burn Gorman playing his assistant Philip Stryver; Brett Cullen as a congressman;[43] Chris Ellis as a priest;[43] Aidan Gillen as the CIA agent;[44][45] Rob Brown and Desmond Harrington as police officers;[46] Josh Stewart as Bane's right-hand man Barsad,[47] Christopher Judge as one of Bane's henchmen[48] and Tom Conti as a prisoner. William Devane portrays the President of the United States. Aaron Eckhart expressed enthusiasm in returning for a sequel if asked, although he later stated Nolan verified that his character, Harvey Dent / Two-Face, is dead,[49] and only archive footage of Eckhart from The Dark Knight appears in the film.[50]
Several members of the Pittsburgh Steelers have cameo appearances as members of the fictional Gotham Rogues football team in the film, including Ben Roethlisberger, Hines Ward, Troy Polamalu, Willie Colon, Maurkice Pouncey, Mike Wallace, Heath Miller, Aaron Smith, Ryan Clark, James Farrior, LaMarr Woodley, and Casey Hampton,[51][52] and former Steelers head coach Bill Cowher as the head coach of the Rogues.[53] Pittsburgh mayor Luke Ravenstahl, a kicker in college, appears as the kicker for the Rogues' opponents, the Rapid City Monuments.[54] In 2008, the Rooney family sold a minority stake in the team to Thomas Tull, the CEO and president of Legendary Pictures, which produced The Dark Knight Rises.[55] United States Senator Patrick Leahy, who had made a cameo appearance in The Dark Knight, returned in The Dark Knight Rises,[56] as a Wayne Enterprises board member. Thomas Lennon, who had appeared as a doctor in Memento, once again plays a doctor. India Wadsworth plays the wife of Ra's al Ghul and the mother of Talia.[57]
Production
Development



"The key thing that makes the third film a great possibility for us is that we want to finish our story [...] rather than infinitely blowing up the balloon and expanding the story [...] Unlike the comics, these things don't go on forever in film and viewing it as a story with an end is useful. Viewing it as an ending, that sets you very much on the right track about the appropriate conclusion."
—Christopher Nolan, confirming his involvement in The Dark Knight Rises.[58]
Warner Bros. president of production Jeff Robinov had hoped a third film would be released in 2011 or 2012.[59] Nolan wanted the story for the third installment to keep him emotionally invested. "On a more superficial level, I have to ask the question," he reasoned, "how many good third movies in a franchise can people name?"[60] Nolan said that he never even thought a third film was possible in the foreword for his book The Art and Making of the Dark Knight Trilogy.[61] Nolan only agreed to a third film on the basis of finding a worthwhile story, fearing that he would become bored halfway through production if he discovered the film to be unnecessary.[62] By December 2008, Nolan completed a rough story outline, before he committed himself to Inception.[63] Later in December, Alan F. Horn confirmed that while discussions with Nolan about a third film were ongoing, no casting had been done, and Horn denied all such rumors.[64] Before Nolan confirmed his involvement, Gary Oldman had said he was confident Nolan would return.[65] Following the success of the Joker in The Dark Knight, studio executives wished for The Riddler to be included as the primary villain as he was considered a similar character and encouraged the casting of Leonardo DiCaprio.[66] However, Nolan wanted the antagonist to be vastly different from the previous incarnations and committed to using Bane instead,[66] citing the need for a character with a physical presence within the film.[67] He was initially unfamiliar with the character's back-story,[25] but pointed out the appeal of an archetype, labelling it as "the extreme of some type of villainy". When comparing the choice of Bane with the Joker, Nolan highlighted the Joker as an example of "diabolical, chaotic anarchy and has a devilish sense of humor", juxtaposing him against Bane, who he likened to "a classic movie monster [...] with a terrific brain."[67]
It was not until February 9, 2010, that it was announced that Nolan had "cracked" the story of a sequel to The Dark Knight and was committed to return to the project.[68] Shortly afterward, it was announced David S. Goyer and Jonathan Nolan were working on a screenplay.[69] Goyer would leave the project during pre-production to begin work on Man of Steel; Jonathan continued writing the script based on the story by his brother Chris and Goyer.[16] Chris Nolan said that his brother's original draft was about 400 pages.[70] The film's storyline has been compared with the Batman comic book series' story arc "Knightfall" (1993), which showcased Bane; the mini-series The Dark Knight Returns (1986), in which Batman returns to Gotham City after a ten-year absence; and the story arc "No Man's Land" (1999), which depicts a Gotham cut off from the rest of the world and overrun by gangs.[71][72] The nickname "the Dark Knight" was first applied to Batman in Batman #1 (1940), in a story written by Bill Finger.[73][74] Nolan confirmed the Joker would not return in the third film, and dismissed rumors that he considered using unused footage of Heath Ledger from The Dark Knight.[75] The Dark Knight Rises reunited Nolan with many of his past collaborators, including cinematographer Wally Pfister, production designer Nathan Crowley, editor Lee Smith, costume designer Lindy Hemming, special effects supervisors Paul Franklin and Chris Corbould, and composer Hans Zimmer.[76]
Filming



 A Tumbler on the set of The Dark Knight Rises in Pittsburgh
During location scouting in December 2010, Nolan began searching for locations such as India, Romania, and Michigan.[77][78][79] According to the Romania Insider, Nolan was interested in Bucharest's historical centers, Edgar Quinet Street, the Palace of the Parliament, and the Turda salt mine.[77] The film had an estimated budget of $250–300 million, coming down to about $230 million after tax credits.[3] Nolan elected not to film in 3-D, but instead stated that he intended to focus on improving image quality and scale using the IMAX format.[80] The Dark Knight Rises featured over an hour of footage shot in IMAX (by comparison, The Dark Knight contained 28 minutes).[81][82] Nolan had several meetings with IMAX Vice-President David Keighley to work on the logistics of projecting films in digital IMAX venues.[82] Wally Pfister had expressed interest in shooting the film entirely in IMAX,[83] but because of the considerable noise made by IMAX cameras, 35mm and 70mm cameras had to be used for shooting the film's dialogue scenes,[82][84] as dialogue had to be dubbed when shot with IMAX cameras.[85] Chairman and president of the IMAX Corporation Greg Foster stated that IMAX plans to run the film in its theatres for two months, despite only being contractually committed to run the film for two weeks.[86] Nolan also bypassed the use of a digital intermediate for the film, resulting in less manipulation of the filmed image and higher film resolution.[87]
Filming was scheduled to start in May and conclude in November 2011.[88] Principal photography commenced on May 6, 2011, in Jodhpur, India at the Mehrangarh Fort[89][90] before moving to Pittsburgh, where it operated under the working title Magnus Rex to reduce the visibility of the production.[91][92] Shooting locations within the city included Heinz Field, the site of an American football game,[93] with members of the Pittsburgh Steelers playing the Gotham Rogues football team. More than 11,000 extras were used to depict the shot sequence.[11][51][52] Filming in Pittsburgh also took place at the Mellon Institute and Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon University.[92] A letter sent out to residents and business owners detailing road closures revealed that the streets of the city would be featured "as the start of [the] film".[94] 9-1-1 operators were told to expect an increase in calls related to gunshots and explosions in the film's production.[95] The Pittsburgh leg of production wrapped after three weeks on August 21, 2011.[96] The next portion of the filming began in Los Angeles in late August and finished up on October 23 after nine weeks of filming. New York and New Jersey were the next places of filming. The Trump Tower replaced the Richard J. Daley Center as the location for the headquarters of Wayne Enterprises.[97] In November 2011, shooting shifted to Newark, New Jersey.[98][99] Newark City Hall and Military Park were among the locations used for filming.[100] Other shooting locations include London and Glasgow, the latter of which was used for "additional exterior filming".[101] Principal photography concluded on November 14, 2011.[102] The external waterfall scene at the end of the film was shot at Sgwd Henrhyd falls, on the edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park in Wales.
Production photos from filming in Pittsburgh showed a second Tumbler chassis after the first was destroyed, indicating that a new Batmobile would be in the film, following the destruction of the first in The Dark Knight.[103] Further set photos revealed a "new vehicle" being transported to Wabash Tunnel, prompting speculation as to its nature.[104] In June 2011, Autoblog confirmed the presence of the new Lamborghini Aventador on the film set.[105]



Wollaton Hall in Nottingham was used as Wayne Manor, Bruce Wayne's residence.
Several accidents occurred during the production of the film. While filming at Wollaton Hall, Nottingham, a tractor-trailer crashed into the main entrance, though no one was injured.[106] A stuntman parachutist later crashed through the roof of a home in Cairngorm Gliding Club, Feshiebridge in Scotland, and became wedged there after a failed landing during a skydiving stunt; he was not seriously injured.[107] While filming scenes in Pittsburgh, Hathaway's stunt double crashed into an IMAX camera while filming a sequence that required her to ride a Batpod down a flight of stairs during a riot. There were no injuries, but the camera was destroyed.[108] A second accident took place in Pittsburgh when the truck carrying the then-unidentified vehicle later termed "the Bat" went off-course and crashed into a lighting array, damaging the model of the aircraft. Production was delayed while the model was repaired.[109]
Shortly before Christmas of 2011, Christopher Nolan invited several prominent directors, including Edgar Wright, Michael Bay, Bryan Singer, Jon Favreau, Eli Roth, Duncan Jones and Stephen Daldry, to Universal CityWalk's IMAX theatre for a private screening of the first six minutes of The Dark Knight Rises, which had been shot on IMAX film and edited from the original camera negative. Nolan, feeling that the use of film stock in cinema is currently being phased out due to the introduction of digital cinematography and projection, used this screening to make a case for the continued use of film, which he asserts still offers superior image quality to any digital format, and warned the filmmakers that unless they continued to assert their choice to use film in their productions, they may eventually lose it as an option.[110][111] Nolan explained; "I wanted to give them a chance to see the potential, because I think IMAX is the best film format that was ever invented. It's the gold standard and what any other technology has to match up to, but none have, in my opinion. The message I wanted to put out there was that no one is taking anyone's digital cameras away. But if we want film to continue as an option, and someone is working on a big studio movie with the resources and the power to insist [on] film, they should say so. I felt as if I didn't say anything, and then we started to lose that option, it would be a shame. When I look at a digitally acquired and projected image, it looks inferior against an original negative anamorphic print or an IMAX one."[110]
Design
Costume design



 A digitally mapped model of Tom Hardy's face and skull was used to design and construct Bane's mask.
Costume designer Lindy Hemming explained that Bane uses a mask to inhale an analgesic gas, which, in director Christopher Nolan's words, "keeps his pain just below the threshold so he can function." In designing Bane's costume, Hemming needed it to look "like an amalgam of all sorts of bits and pieces he cobbled together, as he passed through some very remote places. We made parts of his vest, for example, from fragments of an old military tent. His clothes are militaristic, but are not in any way a uniform." Hemming also designed Bane's mask to look "animalistic".[11][112][113] Costume effects supervisor Graham Churchyard created a three-dimensional model of actor Tom Hardy's face and skull to design the mask, allowing the mask to perfectly conform to the contours of Hardy's face.[11] Hemming personally designed Bane's coat, which she admitted took two years to complete. Taking inspiration from a Swedish army jacket and a frock coat from the French Revolution, it was designed to make Bane look like equal parts dictatorial and revolutionary.[11] The design was difficult as Hemming struggled to find a tailor in Los Angeles who could work with shearling.[114]
The Batsuit consisted of 110 separate pieces, each of which had to be replicated dozens of times over the course of the production. The base layer was made of a polyester mesh that is utilized by the military and high-tech sports manufacturers because of its breathability and moisture-wicking properties. Molded pieces of flexible urethane were then attached to the mesh, to form the overall body armor plating. Carbon fiber panels were placed inside the sections on the legs, chest and abdomen. The cowl was sculpted from a cast of Bale's face and head to become a perfect fit for Christian Bale. The suit remained unchanged for the film since The Dark Knight.[11]
In creating Selina Kyle's catsuit, two layers of material were used, with the outer layer being polyurethane coated spandex, embossed with a hexagonal pattern. The catsuit also consisted of elbow-length gloves, a utility belt, and thigh-high boots with spike heels.[11]
Production design
Concept artist Tully Summers commented on Nolan's style of cinematography when asked about the difference between his designs for this film and fantasy-based designs for Men in Black 3: "The difference for me was Christopher Nolan's visual style. One of the things that makes his Batman movies so compelling is their tone of plausibility. He will often prefer a raw, grittier design over one that is very sleek and product design pretty. It's sort of a practical military aesthetic. This stuff is made to work, not impress shoppers. The Dark Knight Rises is a war film."[115] Producer Emma Thomas stated this Batman film has a different visual aesthetic from the first two Nolan-directed features, explaining that "it's meant to be winter in Gotham, so that right there is going to lend a whole different look to the film."[116]
The film introduces a vehicle that has been compared with the Batplane and the Batcopter, dubbed "the Bat". In designing the Bat, Nathan Crowley approached it as if it were an actual military project, emphasising the need for it to "fit into the same family" as the Tumbler and the Batpod. The final version of the Bat takes its design cues from the Harrier Jump Jet, Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey and the Boeing AH-64 Apache.[11] Chris Corbould described the Bat's size and shape as presenting a major challenge for filming given Christopher Nolan's emphasis on practical effects over computer-generated imagery. In order to make the Bat "fly", it was variously supported by wires, suspended from cranes and helicopters, and mounted on a purpose-built vehicle with hydraulic controls to simulate movement.[11][117][118]
When designing the Batcave set, Crowley and fellow production designer Kevin Kavanaugh hit upon the idea of flooding the Batcave and having Batman's equipment, the Batsuit and a supercomputer rise from the water.[11] Another set was designed at Cardington as an "underground prison", a rough-hewn labyrinth of stone cells in a vast abyss with a 120 foot (37 m) vertical shaft leading to the surface. Exteriors above the prison were filmed in Jodhpur, India, chosen because the "forbidding landscape added to the desolation".[11]
Music
Main article: The Dark Knight Rises (soundtrack)
In an interview in October 2010, composer Hans Zimmer confirmed that he would be returning to score The Dark Knight Rises. James Newton Howard was offered to return and write the score with Zimmer as he did for Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, but he chose not to because he noted that the chemistry established between Zimmer and Nolan during the making of Inception would make him seem like a "third wheel".[119] Zimmer included several cues from the earlier scores, but explains that he wanted to go in a "completely different direction" for Bane's theme. While the theme accompanying Selina Kyle is deliberately ambiguous, the musical thread spanning throughout the trilogy was composed exclusively for Bruce Wayne.[11]
The film features a prevalent Moroccan chant of the phrase deshi basara (proper transliteration: teeji basra) (Arabic: تيجي بسرعة), which translates to "rise up" (literally: "come quickly").[120][121] In November 2011, Zimmer crowdsourced online audio recordings of the chant to be used in the film's score.[122][123] When asked about the chant for clarification, Zimmer said, "The chant became a very complicated thing because I wanted hundreds of thousands of voices, and it's not so easy to get hundreds of thousands of voices. So, we tweeted and we posted on the internet, for people who wanted to be part of it. It seemed like an interesting thing. We've created this world, over these last two movies, and somehow I think the audience and the fans have been part of this world. We do keep them in mind."[124]
Marketing
The official website launched in May 2011 introducing a viral marketing campaign similar to the one used to promote The Dark Knight. The website streamed an encrypted audio file described by users as chanting. Users decrypted the audio to the Twitter hashtag, "#TheFireRises". Warner Bros. removed a pixel from the webpage for every tweet using the hashtag. The website revealed the first official image of Bane.[125]



TheDarkKnightRises.com was replaced with a dossier of an "anonymous vigilante", presenting information on the suspect—as well as several accusations, and depicting a warning claiming that the "suspect should be considered armed and dangerous".
In July 2011, a teaser trailer leaked online before its official release with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2.[126] The studio released the teaser three days after the leak. The trailer received mixed responses; Stephen Spencer Davis of Slate wrote it successfully built hype,[126] while Kofi Outlaw of ScreenRant showed disappointment, claiming it was more of an "announcement trailer" than an actual teaser trailer. Outlaw criticized the quality, writing that a scene depicting Commissioner Gordon in a hospital bed was overly dramatic, had "hammy" dialogue, and was difficult to understand due to Gordon's labored breathing. Outlaw wrote that the sweeping shot of Gotham City had poor CGI and was too reminiscent of the Inception trailer.[127] The theatrical trailer leaked online, like the teaser trailer, before being released the following week attached to theatrical prints of Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.[128][129][130] Critics noted political undertones with dialogue foreshadowing the theme of income inequality and an "Occupy Gotham" campaign within the world of the story.[131][132][133] Receiving more than 12.5 million views in the first 24 hours after its release, the trailer set the record for most combined downloads from iTunes, beating the previous record held by The Avengers.[134] However, the second trailer for The Avengers again set the record with 13.7 million downloads.[135] Warner Bros. attached a second theatrical trailer for The Dark Knight Rises to theatrical prints of The Avengers. An "unnamed" Warner Brothers executive clarified that "We see this placement as a good strategic decision. We always want our trailers to be seen with films that people want to see—and a lot of people will be going to The Avengers!" The executive also commented that the trailer will "provide the best potential exposure for TDKR."[136] Warner Bros. released the trailer online on April 30, 2012, approximately four days before they attached it to theatrical prints of The Avengers.[137]
Continuing a method used with The Dark Knight whereby the opening sequence of the film was attached to IMAX prints of I Am Legend seven months before release,[138] a six-minute prologue of The Dark Knight Rises was attached to 70mm IMAX prints of Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, again approximately seven months before release.[139] Critical reaction to the prologue was positive,[140][141][142] with one critic commenting that "no one gets to make a film on this kind of scale anymore. Except for Christopher Nolan," though a round-up of reviews highlighted the way many critics found Tom Hardy's dialogue very difficult to hear.[143] Addressing the issue in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Nolan said "I think when people see the film, things will come into focus. Bane is very complex and very interesting and when people see the finished film people will be very entertained by him."[144]



 The bat-signal projected against the Fifth Avenue Place during filming in Pittsburgh.
Viral marketing campaigns for the film continued as magazine companies Empire and Wired received "CIA documents" concerning a "Dr. Leonid Pavel", with its mugshot connected to actor Alon Abutbul. According to the first document, Pavel is a missing Russian nuclear physicist, while the second document appears to be an edited transcript of a conversation discussing the handover of Dr. Pavel to the CIA by Georgian separatists, but with most of the conversation redacted.[40] These were later shown to be plot elements of the six-minute prologue.[140] The official Twitter account later linked to another censored document, this time, referencing "Operation Early Bird". A website of the same name was discovered, revealing a countdown timer. When the countdown finished, the site presented a map showing all available theaters that would be screening the film's prologue earlier than its release.[145][146] Various websites received a package that included a cylinder map of "strike zones", and a "fire rises" T-shirt.[147] In April 2012, the film's official website was updated with a "dossier" on a suspect named "John Doe" also known as "the Batman" for an arrest, with a list of several accusations. The premise of the campaign starts when the mayor of Gotham City "redoubles" the effort to capture Batman and anyone supporting his return in preparation for the upcoming "Harvey Dent Day". The site also includes an extensive list of real-world locations where "graffiti related to movement in support of the vigilante's return" is located. For each tweet of a specific location marked on the list, a frame of the second theatrical trailer for the film was released on a separate website.[148]
In January 2012, six months prior to the film's release, tickets for midnight IMAX showings in New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles went on sale and sold out immediately. Purchased tickets surfaced for sale online for over $100, compared with their original price of $17.50.[149]



 Formula One team Lotus F1 carried a special livery to promote The Dark Knight Rises at the 2012 British Grand Prix.
At the American International Toy Fair, Mattel unveiled figures for Batman, Bane, and Catwoman, and Batman's flying vehicle, the Bat. The Mattel figures will also be released in the "Movie Masters" line, featuring more highly detailed and articulated presentation, and Quiktek versions that feature interchangeable accessories. Lego is set to release building sets and mini-figures based on the film and incorporating other DC Comic characters. Additionally, Funko is releasing a series of plush toys, Mezco Toyz are releasing vinyl figures, and Hornby are releasing the Batman Tumbler car.[150] Other partners include Jakks Pacific who are creating novelty and large-scale figures and plush toys,[151] and PPW Toys, who are creating a Batman themed Mr. Potato Head.[152] Various clothing items including shoes, T-shirts, hats and wallets are also being produced.[153]
A video game of the same name was released on the same day as the release of the film for the iOS and Android devices for promoting the movie. The game features open world with primary focus on stealth and combat. The combat system of the game is inspired from Arkham Asylum and Arkham City. It takes place in Gotham City, with a somewhat similar but still significantly different plot from that of the movie. IGN gave it a mediocre score of 5.5/10.[154]
The film novelization, written by author Greg Cox and published by Titan Books, was released alongside the film on July 24, 2012.[155]
Warner Bros. partnered with Mountain Dew to do a cross-promotion that included a special paint scheme on the number 88 Chevrolet Impala owned by Hendrick Motorsports and driven by Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.[156] On June 17, 2012, the car won the 2012 Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan International Speedway.[157] On July 4, 2012, the studio signed a deal with Formula One team Lotus F1 to have the film's logos appear on the Lotus E20s driven by Kimi Räikkönen and Romain Grosjean at the 2012 British Grand Prix.[158] Räikkönen and Grosjean went on to finish the race in fifth and sixth place respectively.[159] Warner Bros. had previously followed a similar promotion at the 2008 British Grand Prix, when the now-defunct Toyota F1 carried a livery to promote The Dark Knight.[160]
Two digital comic books entitled Batman Origins[161] and The Dark Knight: Prologue[162] were released exclusively for Nokia Lumia devices. A special movie application has also been released, featuring trailers, wallpapers, movie schedules and Batman trivias.[163] Limited editions of the Lumia 710, Lumia 800 and Lumia 900 were also released featuring a laser-etched Batman logo.[164][165][166]
Shooting in Aurora, Colorado
Main article: 2012 Aurora shooting



"I would not presume to know anything about the victims of the shooting but that they were there last night to watch a movie. I believe movies are one of the great American art forms and the shared experience of watching a story unfold on screen is an important and joyful pastime. The movie theatre is my home, and the idea that someone would violate that innocent and hopeful place in such an unbearably savage way is devastating to me. Nothing any of us can say could ever adequately express our feelings for the innocent victims of this appalling crime, but our thoughts are with them and their families."
—Director Christopher Nolan's reaction to the theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado.[167]
On July 20, 2012, during a midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises at the Century 16 cinema in Aurora, Colorado, a gunman wearing a gas mask opened fire inside the theater,[168] killing 12 people and injuring 70 others.[169][170][171] Police responding to the shooting apprehended a suspect later identified as 24-year-old James Eagan Holmes[172] shortly after arriving on the scene.[173] Initial reports stated that Holmes identified himself as "the Joker" at the time of his arrest.[174][175] This claim was later retracted by police.[176]
Warner Bros. cancelled the Paris, Mexico, and Japan premieres of The Dark Knight Rises,[177][178] and suspended the film's marketing campaign in Finland.[179] Several broadcast networks also suspended television ads for the film in the United States.[180] The trailer for Gangster Squad, another Warner Bros. movie included in the screening of The Dark Knight Rises, was removed as it contains a scene which shows gangsters shooting submachine guns at moviegoers through the screen, similar to the shooting in Aurora.[181]
Director Christopher Nolan released a public statement calling the shooting "unbearably savage".[167] Other stars of the film released statements expressing their condolences, with star Christian Bale paying a personal visit to the survivors and the memorial in Aurora.[182]
Release
On July 6, 2012, Warner Bros. held a special IMAX screening of The Dark Knight Rises for more than one hundred reporters and critics. However, technical issues with the computer device synchronising the sound and picture forced the studio to postpone the screening by a day.[183] The film later premiered on July 16 at the AMC Lincoln Square Theater in New York City, New York,[184] followed by a European premiere on July 18 at Leicester Square in London, England.[185] The film was released in Australia and New Zealand on July 19,[186] and was later released in North America and the United Kingdom on July 20.[187][188]
Reception
Film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave The Dark Knight Rises a score of 88% based on 305 reviews and a rating average of 8/10. The site's consensus reads, "The Dark Knight Rises is an ambitious, thoughtful, and potent action film that concludes Christopher Nolan's franchise in spectacular fashion."[189] Metacritic, another review aggregator, assigned the film a weighted score of 78 out of 100, based on 45 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[190] CinemaScore reported that audiences gave the film an A grade.[191]
The Telegraph granted the film a maximum score of five stars, stating that it is "a superhero film without a superhero," comparing it with The Godfather Part II and praising Hardy's performance as well as the film's intricate plot and narrative.[192] Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times thought the film was "potent, persuasive and hypnotic" and that it was "more than an exceptional superhero movie, it is masterful filmmaking by any standard."[193] The Playlists Todd Gilchrist wrote "A cinematic, cultural and personal triumph, The Dark Knight Rises is emotionally inspiring, aesthetically significant and critically important for America itself – as a mirror of both sober reflection and resilient hope."[194] IGN gave it a 9 out of 10, noting similarities in tone and theme to Batman Begins over the trilogy's second installment The Dark Knight, but also describing Bane as "that bit less interesting to watch" than Ledger's Joker, despite praising his "menacing voice" and "body language-driven performance".[195] The Guardian scored the film four out of five stars, calling it a film of "granite, monolithic intensity", yet also calling it a "hammy, portentous affair".[196] Andrew O'Hehir of Salon writes "if The Dark Knight Rises is a fascist film, it's a great fascist film, and arguably the biggest, darkest, most thrilling and disturbing and utterly balls-out spectacle ever created for the screen".[197] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three out of four stars, stating "the film begins slowly with a murky plot and too many new characters, but builds to a sensational climax."[198] Film critic Richard Roeper gave the film an "A", calling it "a majestic, gorgeous, brutal and richly satisfying epic", and citing the final scenes of the picture as "the best five minutes of any film this year."[199] The London Film Review gave the film a B and said "Nolan's film is a reminder that superheroes aren't merely a frivolous distraction, but an embodiment of our best selves."[200] The film was crowned by Forbes as the best modern comic book superhero adaption on screen, outranking both its main summer blockbuster competitor, Marvel's The Avengers, and the trilogy's previous installment The Dark Knight.[201] In 2014, Empire ranked The Dark Knight Rises the 72nd greatest film ever made on their list of "The 301 Greatest Movies Of All Time" as voted by the magazine's readers.[202]
The Daily Mail '​s Chris Tookey said that the film was bloated and overly long, and criticized the sombre tone and lack of humor, despite praising the film's visually-impressive set pieces.[203] CNN's Tom Charity said the film was a "disappointingly clunky and bombastic conclusion to a superior series" and called it Nolan's worst film.[204] Anthony Lane of The New Yorker says that the "story is dense, overlong, and studded with references that will make sense only to those intimate with Nolan's previous excursions into Batmanhood".[205]
In reaction to fan backlash to some of the negative reviews, Rotten Tomatoes chose to disable user commentary for the film leading up to its release.[206] Some fans had threatened violence against critics while others threatened to take down the websites of movie critics who had given the film a negative review.[207]
Commentary
Writing in Salon, David Sirota, a progressive[208] political commentator compared The Dark Knight Rises and the game Call of Duty to 1980s popular culture reflecting the political period of the time, accusing them of perpetuating a conservative agenda: "Just as so many 1980s pop culture products reflected the spirit of the Reagan Revolution's conservative backlash, we are now seeing two blockbuster, genre-shaping products not-so-subtly reflect the Tea Party's rhetorical backlash to the powerful Occupy Wall Street zeitgeist."[209] An article in Variety reported Chuck Dixon, the co-creator of the Bane character, as saying that Bane is "far more akin to an Occupy Wall Street type if you're looking to cast him politically."[210] Catherine Shoard of the center-left[211] British publication The Guardian claimed the film "is a quite audaciously capitalist vision, radically conservative, radically vigilante, that advances a serious, stirring proposal that the wish-fulfilment of the wealthy is to be championed if they say they want to do good."[212] In contrast, liberal commentator Jonathan Chait opined in New York that "What passes for a right-wing movie these days is The Dark Knight Rises, which submits the rather modest premise that, irritating though the rich may be, actually killing them and taking all their stuff might be excessive."[213] Writing in USA Today, Bryan Alexander called Bane "the ultimate occupier" and reported that Christian Bale was amazed that the script had "foreseen" the Occupy movement.[214]
Nolan has denied the film criticizes the Occupy movement and insists that none of his Batman films are intended to be political: "I've had as many conversations with people who have seen the film the other way round. We throw a lot of things against the wall to see if it sticks. We put a lot of interesting questions in the air, but that's simply a backdrop for the story. What we're really trying to do is show the cracks of society, show the conflicts that somebody would try to wedge open. We're going to get wildly different interpretations of what the film is supporting and not supporting, but it's not doing any of those things. It's just telling a story. If you're saying, 'Have you made a film that's supposed to be criticizing the Occupy Wall Street movement?' – well, obviously, that's not true."[215]
Alternatively, politically-conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh alleged that the film was biased against 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney due to Bane's name being a homophone for Bain Capital, the financial service company Romney used to head, despite the fact that the character has existed as a major Batman foe since 1993.[216][217] In response, Nolan said that the comments were "bizarre",[218] while Dixon and Freeman said that the comments were "ridiculous".[217][219] Similarly, comparisons between Bane and Bain have also been made by bloggers on both sides of the political spectrum,[217] with Democratic adviser Christopher Lehane noting the similarities between the narratives of the film and the presidential campaign.[217][220]
Accolades
List of awards and nominations

Award
Category
Recipients and nominees
Result
AFI Awards 2012 Movies of the Year Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan and Charles Roven Won
British Academy of Film and Television Arts[221] Special Visual Effects Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Peter Bebb, Andrew Lockley Nominated
Broadcast Film Critics Association[222] Best Visual Effects
Nominated
Best Action Film
Nominated
Best Actor in an Action Movie Christian Bale Nominated
Best Actress in an Action Movie Anne Hathaway Nominated
Golden Trailer Awards[223] Best in Show "Chant" Won
Summer 2012 Blockbuster Trailer "Chant" Won
Best International Poster "UK Quad" Won
Best Summer 2012 Blockbuster Poster "Teaser One Sheet – City" Won
Best Teaser Poster "Teaser One Sheet City" Nominated
Grammy Awards[224] Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media
Nominated
Kids Choice Awards[225] Favorite Female Buttkicker Anne Hathaway Nominated
Los Angeles Film Critics Association[226] Best Supporting Actress Anne Hathaway (Also for Les Misérables) Runner-up
MTV Movie Awards[227] Best Movie
Nominated
Best Hero Christian Bale Nominated
Best Hero Anne Hathaway Nominated
Best Villain Marion Cotillard Nominated
Best Villain Tom Hardy Nominated
Best Fight Christian Bale & Tom Hardy Nominated
Best Shirtless Performance Christian Bale Nominated
People's Choice Awards[228] Favorite Face of Heroism Anne Hathaway Nominated
Favorite Movie
Nominated
Favorite Action Movie
Nominated
Favorite Movie Franchise
Nominated
Phoenix Film Critics Society[229] Best Film Editing  Nominated
Satellite Awards[230] Best Visual Effects Chris Corbould, Paul Franklin Nominated
Best Art Direction & Production Design Nathan Crowley, Kevin Kavanaugh, James Hambidge, Naaman Marshall Nominated
Saturn Awards[231][232][233] Best Action of Adventure Film
Nominated
Best Director Christopher Nolan Nominated
Best Actor Christian Bale Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Anne Hathaway Won
Best Music Hans Zimmer Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Awards[234] Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
Nominated
St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association[235][236] Best Music
Nominated
Teen Choice Awards[237][238][239] Choice Movie: Action
Nominated
Choice Movie: Actor Action Christian Bale Nominated
Choice Movie: Actress Action Anne Hathaway Won
Choice Movie: Scene Stealer Joseph Gordon-Levitt Nominated
Choice Movie: Best Villain Tom Hardy Nominated
Young Artist Award[240] Best Performance in a Feature Film - Supporting Young Actress Joey King Nominated
Box office
Hours before the midnight release, several box office analysts suggested as much as a $198 million domestic opening weekend.[241][242][243] However, in the wake of the mass shooting during a midnight screening of the film, Warner Bros. decided to not report further box office figures for the movie until Monday, July 23, 2012.[244][245] As a result, other distributors also delayed the release of their official estimates as well.[246] The shooting is also speculated to have hurt the ticket sales as E! Online reported that a North Carolina audience member had stated that "this theater was kinda empty".[247] Some reports released on July 21, 2012 said that rival studios estimated that the film grossed $75 million to $77 million on its opening day.[248][249][250] Warner Brothers shortly after released a statement to ABC News stating that they delayed the release of their estimates for the opening day total of the film "out of respect for the victims and their families," and added "Warner Bros. Pictures will not be reporting box office numbers for The Dark Knight Rises throughout the weekend. Box office numbers will be released on Monday."[251]
Worldwide
The Dark Knight Rises earned $448 million in North America, and $636 million in other countries, summing up to a worldwide total of $1 billion.[4] Worldwide, it is the tenth-highest-grossing film of all time[252] and the third-highest-grossing film of 2012.[253] It had a worldwide opening weekend of $248.9 million.[254] The film set a worldwide IMAX opening-weekend record with $23.8 million (previously held by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2)[255] and also broke the record for the fastest movie to make over $50 million in IMAX theatres. IMAX CEO Richard L. Gelfond explained this by claiming, "Audiences are clearly seeking out and embracing the film the way it was meant to be seen – in IMAX."[256] On the 2012 Labor Day weekend, it became the third film distributed by Warner Bros. and the thirteenth film in cinematic history to cross the $1 billion mark.[257] The film also became the second movie (after Avatar) to reach $100 million in worldwide IMAX grosses.[258]
North America
The Dark Knight Rises opened on Friday, July 20, 2012. It earned an estimated $30.6 million in midnight showings, which is the second-highest midnight gross behind Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 ($43.5 million).[259][260] It did, however, set an IMAX midnight-gross record with $2.3 million (previously held by Deathly Hallows – Part 2).[261][262] The film made $75.8 million during its opening day, which is the third-highest single and opening day tally of all time.[263] On July 23, 2012, it was announced that the film grossed $160.9 million for its debut weekend, which was the third-highest opening weekend ever, at the time, behind Marvel's The Avengers ($207.4 million) and Deathly Hallows – Part 2 ($169.2 million).[264] However, it did set an opening-weekend record for a 2D film (previously held by The Dark Knight)[265] and an IMAX opening-weekend record with $19.0 million (previously held by Marvel's The Avengers).[266] The film also held the top spot at the box office for its second and third weekends.[267][268] In North America, it is the seventh-highest-grossing film,[269] the second-highest-grossing 2012 film,[270] and the third-highest-grossing superhero film,[271] and film based on comics.[272]
Markets outside North America
Outside North America, the film opened with $88.0 million from 7,173 theaters in just 17 markets.[273] It was in first place at the box office outside North America for four consecutive weekends.[274][275] Its three largest markets are the UK, Ireland and Malta ($90.3 million), where it is the highest-grossing superhero film,[276] China ($52.8 million) and Australia ($44.2 million).[277]
Home media
The Dark Knight Rises was released on November 28, 2012 in Hong Kong and New Zealand. On December 3, it was released in the United Kingdom, and on December 4, it was released in the United States. It is available on Blu-ray, DVD, and as a Digital download.[278] Coinciding with the release of this film, a box set of The Dark Knight trilogy was released.[279]
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The Dark Knight Rises
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The Dark Knight Rises
Dark knight rises poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster

Directed by
Christopher Nolan
Produced by
Emma Thomas
Christopher Nolan
Charles Roven

Screenplay by
Jonathan Nolan
Christopher Nolan

Story by
Christopher Nolan
David S. Goyer

Based on
Characters appearing in comic books published
 by DC Comics
Starring
Christian Bale
Michael Caine
Gary Oldman
Anne Hathaway
Tom Hardy
Marion Cotillard
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Morgan Freeman

Music by
Hans Zimmer
Cinematography
Wally Pfister
Edited by
Lee Smith

Production
 companies

Legendary Pictures
DC Entertainment
Syncopy

Distributed by
Warner Bros. Pictures

Release dates

July 16, 2012 (New York City)
July 20, 2012 (United Kingdom)
July 20, 2012 (United States)


Running time
 165 minutes[1]
Country
United States[2]
United Kingdom[2]

Language
English
Budget
$230 million[3]
Box office
$1.084 billion[4]
The Dark Knight Rises is a 2012 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan, who co-wrote the screenplay with his brother Jonathan Nolan, and the story with David S. Goyer. Featuring the DC Comics character Batman, the film is the final installment in Nolan's Batman film trilogy, and the sequel to Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight (2008). Christian Bale reprises the lead role of Bruce Wayne/Batman, with a returning cast of allies: Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth, Gary Oldman as James Gordon, and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox. The film introduces Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway), a sly, morally ambiguous cat burglar, and Bane (Tom Hardy), a mercenary bent on destroying Gotham City who forces an older Bruce Wayne to come out of retirement and become Batman again.
Christopher Nolan was hesitant about returning to the series for a second time, but agreed after developing a story with his brother and Goyer that he felt would conclude the series on a satisfactory note. Nolan drew inspiration from Bane's comic book debut in the 1993 "Knightfall" storyline, the 1986 series The Dark Knight Returns, and the 1999 storyline "No Man's Land". Filming took place in locations including Jodhpur,[5] London, Nottingham, Glasgow, Los Angeles, New York City, Newark, and Pittsburgh. Nolan used IMAX cameras for much of the filming, including the first six minutes of the film, to optimize the quality of the picture. A vehicle variation of the Batplane and Batcopter termed the "Bat", an underground prison set, and a new Batcave set were created specifically for the film. As with The Dark Knight, viral marketing campaigns began early during production. When filming concluded, Warner Bros. refocused its campaign: developing promotional websites, releasing the first six minutes of the film, screening theatrical trailers, and sending out information regarding the film's plot.
The Dark Knight Rises premiered in New York City on July 16, 2012. The film was released in Australia and New Zealand on July 19, 2012, and in North America and the United Kingdom on July 20, 2012. Upon release it received critical acclaim and is widely considered by publications to be one of the best films of 2012.[6][7][8][9] Like its predecessor, the film grossed over $1 billion worldwide at the box office, making it the second film in the Batman film series, and by extension the second film based on a DC Comics character, to earn $1 billion. It is currently the eleventh-highest-grossing film of all time, the third-highest-grossing film of 2012, and the third-highest-grossing superhero film of all time.


Contents  [hide]
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Production 3.1 Development
3.2 Filming
3.3 Design 3.3.1 Costume design
3.3.2 Production design
3.4 Music
4 Marketing
5 Shooting in Aurora, Colorado
6 Release 6.1 Reception 6.1.1 Commentary
6.1.2 Accolades
6.1.3 Box office
6.2 Home media
7 References
8 External links

Plot
Eight years after Harvey Dent's (Aaron Eckhart) death, the Dent Act grants the Gotham City Police Department powers which nearly eradicate organized crime. Feeling guilty for covering up Dent's crimes, Police Commissioner James Gordon (Gary Oldman) writes a resignation speech confessing the truth but decides not to use it. Batman has disappeared, and Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) has become a recluse. Cat burglar Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway) obtains Bruce's fingerprints from his home, kidnaps a congressman, then disappears. Selina hands Bruce's fingerprints to Phillip Stryver (Burn Gorman), an assistant to Bruce's business rival John Daggett (Ben Mendelsohn), in hope of having her criminal record erased. Stryver double-crosses Selina, but she uses the congressman's stolen phone to alert the police to their location. Gordon and the police arrive to find the congressman, and then pursue Stryver's men into the sewers while Selina flees. A masked man called Bane (Tom Hardy) captures Gordon. Gordon escapes and is found by John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a once-orphaned patrol officer who has deduced Batman's true identity from their similar backgrounds. Gordon promotes Blake to detective, with Blake reporting directly to him.
Wayne Enterprises is unprofitable after Bruce discontinued his fusion reactor project when he learned that the core could be weaponized. Later, Bane attacks the Gotham Stock Exchange, using Bruce's fingerprints in a transaction that bankrupts Bruce. Alfred Pennyworth (Michael Caine), concerned that Bruce has not moved on from being Batman, reveals to him that Rachel Dawes had intended to marry Dent before she died. Alfred then resigns in an attempt to dissuade Bruce. Fearing that Daggett, Bane's employer, would gain access to the reactor, Bruce asks Wayne Enterprises board member Miranda Tate (Marion Cotillard) to take over his company. After being promised the software to erase her criminal record, Selina agrees to take Batman to Bane but instead leads him into Bane's trap. Bane reveals that he intends to fulfill Ra's al Ghul's (Liam Neeson) mission to destroy Gotham with the League of Shadows remnant. He engages Batman and delivers a crippling blow to his back, before taking him to a foreign, well-like prison where escape is virtually impossible. The inmates tell Bruce the story of Ra's al Ghul's child, born in the prison and cared for by a fellow prisoner before escaping—the only prisoner to have ever done so. Bruce assumes the child to be Bane.
Meanwhile, Bane lures Gotham police underground and collapses the exits with them in it. He kills Mayor Anthony Garcia (Nestor Carbonell) and forces an abducted physicist, Dr. Leonid Pavel (Alon Abutbul), to convert the reactor core into a nuclear bomb. Bane uses the bomb to hold the city hostage and isolate Gotham from the world. Using Gordon's stolen speech, Bane reveals the cover-up of Dent's crimes and releases the prisoners of Blackgate Penitentiary, initiating a revolution. The wealthy and powerful have their property expropriated, are dragged from their homes, and were given show trials presided over by Dr. Jonathan Crane (Cillian Murphy), where any sentence means likely death.
After months of recovery from his injury and re-training, Bruce escapes from the prison and enlists Selina, Blake, Tate, Gordon, and Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman) to help stop the bomb's detonation. While the police and Bane's forces clash, Batman defeats Bane, but Tate intervenes and stabs Batman, revealing herself to be Talia al Ghul, Ra's al Ghul's daughter. Talia escaped the prison aided by her fellow prisoner and protector, Bane. She plans to complete her father's work by detonating the bomb and destroying Gotham, but Gordon blocks her signal, preventing remote detonation. Talia leaves to find the bomb while Bane prepares to kill Batman, but Selina kills Bane using the Batpod. Batman pursues Talia with the Bat, an aircraft developed by Fox, hoping to bring the bomb back to the reactor where it can be stabilized. Talia's truck crashes, but she remotely destroys the reactor before dying. With no way to stop the detonation, Batman uses the Bat to haul the bomb over the bay, where it detonates.
In the aftermath, Batman is presumed dead and is honored as a hero. With Bruce also presumed dead, Wayne Manor is left to the city to become an orphanage, and Wayne's remaining estate is left to Alfred. Fox discovers that Bruce had fixed the Bat's autopilot, and Gordon finds the Bat-Signal refurbished. While visiting Florence, Alfred witnesses Bruce and Selina together. Blake resigns from the police force and inherits the Batcave.
Cast
Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne / Batman:
A billionaire socialite dedicated to protecting Gotham City from the criminal underworld. Nolan has stated that, due to the eight-year gap between the events of The Dark Knight and those of The Dark Knight Rises, "he's an older Bruce Wayne; he's not in a great state."[10] Bale employed a mixed-martial-arts discipline called the Keysi Fighting Method, but due to Bruce's current state and Bane's style, the method had to be modified.[11] Bale has stated that The Dark Knight Rises will be the final film in which he plays Batman.[12] He describes the character's arc as finally confronting the pain of loss that he has deferred for years by fighting criminals balanced against the need to internalize that pain lest he give into his emotions and become the killer the city already believes him to be. Bale also acknowledged that Batman is not a flawless individual, that "he's not a healthy individual, this is somebody that is doing good, but he's right on the verge of doing bad. He's got that killer within him that he's desperately trying to not let off his leash. And that's what I always return to."[13] Bale clarifies that "He doesn't want to forget [his parents' deaths]. He wants to maintain that anger he felt at that injustice. But equally he wants to present this very vacuous, soulless persona to Gotham, so that hopefully no-one will suspect him but will just think he's a spoiled bastard."[14] Bale felt bittersweet about leaving the franchise, saying that it was like "saying goodbye to an old friend."[15]Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth:[16]
Bruce's trusted butler and confidant. Alfred has acted as a father figure to Bruce, and continues to aid Bruce on his missions as well as supplying him with useful advice. Alfred is unable to accept Bruce's desire to revive his Batman persona, even going so far as to resign from his position to impress the seriousness of Bruce's position upon him. Christopher Nolan emphasized the emotional bond between Alfred and Bruce, stressing its importance in the previous films and predicting that the relationship will be strained as it never has before.[11]Gary Oldman as James Gordon:[16]
Commissioner of the Gotham City Police Department, and one of the city's few honest police officers. Gary Oldman described the character's work in cleaning up Gotham City as having left him world-weary and slightly bored,[17] likening Gordon to a soldier who leaps at the chance to be on the front lines.[11] His life has taken a turn for the worse since The Dark Knight; his wife has left him and taken their children, and the mayor is planning to dismiss him from his job. Gordon feels guilty over his role in covering up Harvey Dent's crimes to the point where he is prepared to resign from his position as Commissioner over it, but refrains from doing so when he senses that Gotham is about to come under threat.Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle:[18][19]
Selina Kyle is a cat burglar, grifter, and femme fatale who establishes a playful, teasing relationship with Bruce Wayne that "takes some of the somberness away from his character."[11] Kyle is pursuing a "clean slate", a computer program rumored to be able to erase a person's criminal history, when she crosses paths with both Bruce and Batman. Hathaway auditioned not knowing what role she was being considered for, admitting that she had one character in mind, but only learned that the role was Selina Kyle after talking with Christopher Nolan for an hour.[20] Hathaway described the role as being the most physically demanding she had ever played, and confessed that while she thought of herself as being fit she had to redouble her efforts in the gym to keep up with the demands of the role. Hathaway worked out five days a week for the role, including rigorous exercise and stunt training followed by an hour and a half of dance. She explained, "I've always thought that skinny was the goal, but with this job I also have to be strong."[21][22][23] Hathaway trained extensively in martial arts for the role, and looked to Hedy Lamarr—who was the inspiration for the Catwoman character—in developing her performance.[24]Tom Hardy as Bane:[18]
A militant revolutionary portraying himself as a "liberator", Bane is intent on destroying Gotham City. He was originally a member of the League of Shadows, before being excommunicated. The character was chosen by Christopher Nolan because of his desire to see Batman tested on both a physical and mental level.[10][25] According to costume designer Lindy Hemming, the character wears a mask that supplies him with an analgesic gas to relieve pain he suffers from an injury sustained "early in his story".[10] Bane has been described as "a terrorist in both thought and action"[10] and is "florid in his speech, [with] the physicality of a gorilla".[11] Hardy intended to portray the character as "more menacing" than Robert Swenson's version of the character in Joel Schumacher's Batman & Robin and that in order to do so, his portrayal entailed creating a contradiction between his voice and body. Hardy gained 30 pounds (14 kg) for the role,[26] increasing his weight to 198 pounds (90 kg).[26] Hardy based Bane's voice on several influences, which include Bartley Gorman as well as a desire to honor the character's intellect and Caribbean heritage.[27][28] Hardy describes Bane's fighting style as "Brutal. He's a big dude who's incredibly clinical, in the fact that he has a result-based and oriented fighting style. It's not about fighting. It's about carnage. The style is heavy-handed, heavy-footed, it's nasty. Anything from small-joint manipulation to crushing skulls, crushing rib cages, stamping on shins and knees and necks."[10] Bane proclaims that his revolution's enemies are the rich and the corrupt, who he contends are oppressing "the people", and fooling them with myths of opportunity. Political theorist and cultural critic Slavoj Žižek likens Bane to a modern day Che Guevara, counter-intuitively driven to violence out of a sense of love, while others have called him a "high-tech Robespierre on steroids," a melded triad of Lenin, bin Laden and Steve Austin set on fomenting "proletarian retribution," and "the one thing that's worse than the second film's raving anarchist: a demagogue."[29]Marion Cotillard as Miranda Tate / Talia al Ghul:
A member of the Wayne Enterprises executive board who encourages a still-grieving Bruce Wayne to rejoin with society and continue his father's philanthropic works.[30] Cotillard denied speculation that she would be playing a dual role as Miranda and Talia al Ghul, stating that her character is a completely original creation,[31] though the final cut of the film revealed this to be misdirection. Tate was described as providing Bruce with a much-needed sense of hope at the behest of Alfred and Lucius Fox.[11] Child actress Joey King portrays a young Talia in flashbacks.Joseph Gordon-Levitt as John Blake:
A young police officer whose instincts lead him to believe that there is trouble on the horizon. Seeing something of himself in Blake, Commissioner Gordon promotes him to detective.[30] Blake represents the idealism that Gordon and Bruce Wayne once held, but soon lost in their battle against crime in the city.[11] The film reveals his legal name to be Robin John Blake, an homage to Batman's sidekick in the comics, Robin.[32]Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox:[16]
Fox runs Wayne Enterprises on behalf of Bruce Wayne and serves as his armorer, providing him with high-tech equipment. His position as President of Wayne Enterprises allows him to discreetly develop cutting-edge technology and weaponry, even as Wayne Enterprises starts losing money.
Cillian Murphy reprises his role as Dr. Jonathan Crane / Scarecrow from the previous films.[33] Josh Pence and Liam Neeson both appear as Ra's al Ghul, leader of the League of Shadows; Pence plays a younger version of the character in scenes set thirty years before the events of Batman Begins,[34] while Neeson briefly appears to the imprisoned Bruce Wayne. Neeson stated that he was unaware of his role or if he would actually be in the movie, due to its secrecy.[35][36][37] Other cast members include Nestor Carbonell reprising his role as Mayor Anthony Garcia;[38] Alon Abutbul as Dr. Leonid Pavel, a Russian nuclear physicist;[39][40] Juno Temple as Jen, friend and accomplice of Selina Kyle;[41] Matthew Modine as Deputy Commissioner Peter Foley;[42] Ben Mendelsohn as Bruce Wayne's business rival John Daggett with Burn Gorman playing his assistant Philip Stryver; Brett Cullen as a congressman;[43] Chris Ellis as a priest;[43] Aidan Gillen as the CIA agent;[44][45] Rob Brown and Desmond Harrington as police officers;[46] Josh Stewart as Bane's right-hand man Barsad,[47] Christopher Judge as one of Bane's henchmen[48] and Tom Conti as a prisoner. William Devane portrays the President of the United States. Aaron Eckhart expressed enthusiasm in returning for a sequel if asked, although he later stated Nolan verified that his character, Harvey Dent / Two-Face, is dead,[49] and only archive footage of Eckhart from The Dark Knight appears in the film.[50]
Several members of the Pittsburgh Steelers have cameo appearances as members of the fictional Gotham Rogues football team in the film, including Ben Roethlisberger, Hines Ward, Troy Polamalu, Willie Colon, Maurkice Pouncey, Mike Wallace, Heath Miller, Aaron Smith, Ryan Clark, James Farrior, LaMarr Woodley, and Casey Hampton,[51][52] and former Steelers head coach Bill Cowher as the head coach of the Rogues.[53] Pittsburgh mayor Luke Ravenstahl, a kicker in college, appears as the kicker for the Rogues' opponents, the Rapid City Monuments.[54] In 2008, the Rooney family sold a minority stake in the team to Thomas Tull, the CEO and president of Legendary Pictures, which produced The Dark Knight Rises.[55] United States Senator Patrick Leahy, who had made a cameo appearance in The Dark Knight, returned in The Dark Knight Rises,[56] as a Wayne Enterprises board member. Thomas Lennon, who had appeared as a doctor in Memento, once again plays a doctor. India Wadsworth plays the wife of Ra's al Ghul and the mother of Talia.[57]
Production
Development



"The key thing that makes the third film a great possibility for us is that we want to finish our story [...] rather than infinitely blowing up the balloon and expanding the story [...] Unlike the comics, these things don't go on forever in film and viewing it as a story with an end is useful. Viewing it as an ending, that sets you very much on the right track about the appropriate conclusion."
—Christopher Nolan, confirming his involvement in The Dark Knight Rises.[58]
Warner Bros. president of production Jeff Robinov had hoped a third film would be released in 2011 or 2012.[59] Nolan wanted the story for the third installment to keep him emotionally invested. "On a more superficial level, I have to ask the question," he reasoned, "how many good third movies in a franchise can people name?"[60] Nolan said that he never even thought a third film was possible in the foreword for his book The Art and Making of the Dark Knight Trilogy.[61] Nolan only agreed to a third film on the basis of finding a worthwhile story, fearing that he would become bored halfway through production if he discovered the film to be unnecessary.[62] By December 2008, Nolan completed a rough story outline, before he committed himself to Inception.[63] Later in December, Alan F. Horn confirmed that while discussions with Nolan about a third film were ongoing, no casting had been done, and Horn denied all such rumors.[64] Before Nolan confirmed his involvement, Gary Oldman had said he was confident Nolan would return.[65] Following the success of the Joker in The Dark Knight, studio executives wished for The Riddler to be included as the primary villain as he was considered a similar character and encouraged the casting of Leonardo DiCaprio.[66] However, Nolan wanted the antagonist to be vastly different from the previous incarnations and committed to using Bane instead,[66] citing the need for a character with a physical presence within the film.[67] He was initially unfamiliar with the character's back-story,[25] but pointed out the appeal of an archetype, labelling it as "the extreme of some type of villainy". When comparing the choice of Bane with the Joker, Nolan highlighted the Joker as an example of "diabolical, chaotic anarchy and has a devilish sense of humor", juxtaposing him against Bane, who he likened to "a classic movie monster [...] with a terrific brain."[67]
It was not until February 9, 2010, that it was announced that Nolan had "cracked" the story of a sequel to The Dark Knight and was committed to return to the project.[68] Shortly afterward, it was announced David S. Goyer and Jonathan Nolan were working on a screenplay.[69] Goyer would leave the project during pre-production to begin work on Man of Steel; Jonathan continued writing the script based on the story by his brother Chris and Goyer.[16] Chris Nolan said that his brother's original draft was about 400 pages.[70] The film's storyline has been compared with the Batman comic book series' story arc "Knightfall" (1993), which showcased Bane; the mini-series The Dark Knight Returns (1986), in which Batman returns to Gotham City after a ten-year absence; and the story arc "No Man's Land" (1999), which depicts a Gotham cut off from the rest of the world and overrun by gangs.[71][72] The nickname "the Dark Knight" was first applied to Batman in Batman #1 (1940), in a story written by Bill Finger.[73][74] Nolan confirmed the Joker would not return in the third film, and dismissed rumors that he considered using unused footage of Heath Ledger from The Dark Knight.[75] The Dark Knight Rises reunited Nolan with many of his past collaborators, including cinematographer Wally Pfister, production designer Nathan Crowley, editor Lee Smith, costume designer Lindy Hemming, special effects supervisors Paul Franklin and Chris Corbould, and composer Hans Zimmer.[76]
Filming



 A Tumbler on the set of The Dark Knight Rises in Pittsburgh
During location scouting in December 2010, Nolan began searching for locations such as India, Romania, and Michigan.[77][78][79] According to the Romania Insider, Nolan was interested in Bucharest's historical centers, Edgar Quinet Street, the Palace of the Parliament, and the Turda salt mine.[77] The film had an estimated budget of $250–300 million, coming down to about $230 million after tax credits.[3] Nolan elected not to film in 3-D, but instead stated that he intended to focus on improving image quality and scale using the IMAX format.[80] The Dark Knight Rises featured over an hour of footage shot in IMAX (by comparison, The Dark Knight contained 28 minutes).[81][82] Nolan had several meetings with IMAX Vice-President David Keighley to work on the logistics of projecting films in digital IMAX venues.[82] Wally Pfister had expressed interest in shooting the film entirely in IMAX,[83] but because of the considerable noise made by IMAX cameras, 35mm and 70mm cameras had to be used for shooting the film's dialogue scenes,[82][84] as dialogue had to be dubbed when shot with IMAX cameras.[85] Chairman and president of the IMAX Corporation Greg Foster stated that IMAX plans to run the film in its theatres for two months, despite only being contractually committed to run the film for two weeks.[86] Nolan also bypassed the use of a digital intermediate for the film, resulting in less manipulation of the filmed image and higher film resolution.[87]
Filming was scheduled to start in May and conclude in November 2011.[88] Principal photography commenced on May 6, 2011, in Jodhpur, India at the Mehrangarh Fort[89][90] before moving to Pittsburgh, where it operated under the working title Magnus Rex to reduce the visibility of the production.[91][92] Shooting locations within the city included Heinz Field, the site of an American football game,[93] with members of the Pittsburgh Steelers playing the Gotham Rogues football team. More than 11,000 extras were used to depict the shot sequence.[11][51][52] Filming in Pittsburgh also took place at the Mellon Institute and Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon University.[92] A letter sent out to residents and business owners detailing road closures revealed that the streets of the city would be featured "as the start of [the] film".[94] 9-1-1 operators were told to expect an increase in calls related to gunshots and explosions in the film's production.[95] The Pittsburgh leg of production wrapped after three weeks on August 21, 2011.[96] The next portion of the filming began in Los Angeles in late August and finished up on October 23 after nine weeks of filming. New York and New Jersey were the next places of filming. The Trump Tower replaced the Richard J. Daley Center as the location for the headquarters of Wayne Enterprises.[97] In November 2011, shooting shifted to Newark, New Jersey.[98][99] Newark City Hall and Military Park were among the locations used for filming.[100] Other shooting locations include London and Glasgow, the latter of which was used for "additional exterior filming".[101] Principal photography concluded on November 14, 2011.[102] The external waterfall scene at the end of the film was shot at Sgwd Henrhyd falls, on the edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park in Wales.
Production photos from filming in Pittsburgh showed a second Tumbler chassis after the first was destroyed, indicating that a new Batmobile would be in the film, following the destruction of the first in The Dark Knight.[103] Further set photos revealed a "new vehicle" being transported to Wabash Tunnel, prompting speculation as to its nature.[104] In June 2011, Autoblog confirmed the presence of the new Lamborghini Aventador on the film set.[105]



Wollaton Hall in Nottingham was used as Wayne Manor, Bruce Wayne's residence.
Several accidents occurred during the production of the film. While filming at Wollaton Hall, Nottingham, a tractor-trailer crashed into the main entrance, though no one was injured.[106] A stuntman parachutist later crashed through the roof of a home in Cairngorm Gliding Club, Feshiebridge in Scotland, and became wedged there after a failed landing during a skydiving stunt; he was not seriously injured.[107] While filming scenes in Pittsburgh, Hathaway's stunt double crashed into an IMAX camera while filming a sequence that required her to ride a Batpod down a flight of stairs during a riot. There were no injuries, but the camera was destroyed.[108] A second accident took place in Pittsburgh when the truck carrying the then-unidentified vehicle later termed "the Bat" went off-course and crashed into a lighting array, damaging the model of the aircraft. Production was delayed while the model was repaired.[109]
Shortly before Christmas of 2011, Christopher Nolan invited several prominent directors, including Edgar Wright, Michael Bay, Bryan Singer, Jon Favreau, Eli Roth, Duncan Jones and Stephen Daldry, to Universal CityWalk's IMAX theatre for a private screening of the first six minutes of The Dark Knight Rises, which had been shot on IMAX film and edited from the original camera negative. Nolan, feeling that the use of film stock in cinema is currently being phased out due to the introduction of digital cinematography and projection, used this screening to make a case for the continued use of film, which he asserts still offers superior image quality to any digital format, and warned the filmmakers that unless they continued to assert their choice to use film in their productions, they may eventually lose it as an option.[110][111] Nolan explained; "I wanted to give them a chance to see the potential, because I think IMAX is the best film format that was ever invented. It's the gold standard and what any other technology has to match up to, but none have, in my opinion. The message I wanted to put out there was that no one is taking anyone's digital cameras away. But if we want film to continue as an option, and someone is working on a big studio movie with the resources and the power to insist [on] film, they should say so. I felt as if I didn't say anything, and then we started to lose that option, it would be a shame. When I look at a digitally acquired and projected image, it looks inferior against an original negative anamorphic print or an IMAX one."[110]
Design
Costume design



 A digitally mapped model of Tom Hardy's face and skull was used to design and construct Bane's mask.
Costume designer Lindy Hemming explained that Bane uses a mask to inhale an analgesic gas, which, in director Christopher Nolan's words, "keeps his pain just below the threshold so he can function." In designing Bane's costume, Hemming needed it to look "like an amalgam of all sorts of bits and pieces he cobbled together, as he passed through some very remote places. We made parts of his vest, for example, from fragments of an old military tent. His clothes are militaristic, but are not in any way a uniform." Hemming also designed Bane's mask to look "animalistic".[11][112][113] Costume effects supervisor Graham Churchyard created a three-dimensional model of actor Tom Hardy's face and skull to design the mask, allowing the mask to perfectly conform to the contours of Hardy's face.[11] Hemming personally designed Bane's coat, which she admitted took two years to complete. Taking inspiration from a Swedish army jacket and a frock coat from the French Revolution, it was designed to make Bane look like equal parts dictatorial and revolutionary.[11] The design was difficult as Hemming struggled to find a tailor in Los Angeles who could work with shearling.[114]
The Batsuit consisted of 110 separate pieces, each of which had to be replicated dozens of times over the course of the production. The base layer was made of a polyester mesh that is utilized by the military and high-tech sports manufacturers because of its breathability and moisture-wicking properties. Molded pieces of flexible urethane were then attached to the mesh, to form the overall body armor plating. Carbon fiber panels were placed inside the sections on the legs, chest and abdomen. The cowl was sculpted from a cast of Bale's face and head to become a perfect fit for Christian Bale. The suit remained unchanged for the film since The Dark Knight.[11]
In creating Selina Kyle's catsuit, two layers of material were used, with the outer layer being polyurethane coated spandex, embossed with a hexagonal pattern. The catsuit also consisted of elbow-length gloves, a utility belt, and thigh-high boots with spike heels.[11]
Production design
Concept artist Tully Summers commented on Nolan's style of cinematography when asked about the difference between his designs for this film and fantasy-based designs for Men in Black 3: "The difference for me was Christopher Nolan's visual style. One of the things that makes his Batman movies so compelling is their tone of plausibility. He will often prefer a raw, grittier design over one that is very sleek and product design pretty. It's sort of a practical military aesthetic. This stuff is made to work, not impress shoppers. The Dark Knight Rises is a war film."[115] Producer Emma Thomas stated this Batman film has a different visual aesthetic from the first two Nolan-directed features, explaining that "it's meant to be winter in Gotham, so that right there is going to lend a whole different look to the film."[116]
The film introduces a vehicle that has been compared with the Batplane and the Batcopter, dubbed "the Bat". In designing the Bat, Nathan Crowley approached it as if it were an actual military project, emphasising the need for it to "fit into the same family" as the Tumbler and the Batpod. The final version of the Bat takes its design cues from the Harrier Jump Jet, Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey and the Boeing AH-64 Apache.[11] Chris Corbould described the Bat's size and shape as presenting a major challenge for filming given Christopher Nolan's emphasis on practical effects over computer-generated imagery. In order to make the Bat "fly", it was variously supported by wires, suspended from cranes and helicopters, and mounted on a purpose-built vehicle with hydraulic controls to simulate movement.[11][117][118]
When designing the Batcave set, Crowley and fellow production designer Kevin Kavanaugh hit upon the idea of flooding the Batcave and having Batman's equipment, the Batsuit and a supercomputer rise from the water.[11] Another set was designed at Cardington as an "underground prison", a rough-hewn labyrinth of stone cells in a vast abyss with a 120 foot (37 m) vertical shaft leading to the surface. Exteriors above the prison were filmed in Jodhpur, India, chosen because the "forbidding landscape added to the desolation".[11]
Music
Main article: The Dark Knight Rises (soundtrack)
In an interview in October 2010, composer Hans Zimmer confirmed that he would be returning to score The Dark Knight Rises. James Newton Howard was offered to return and write the score with Zimmer as he did for Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, but he chose not to because he noted that the chemistry established between Zimmer and Nolan during the making of Inception would make him seem like a "third wheel".[119] Zimmer included several cues from the earlier scores, but explains that he wanted to go in a "completely different direction" for Bane's theme. While the theme accompanying Selina Kyle is deliberately ambiguous, the musical thread spanning throughout the trilogy was composed exclusively for Bruce Wayne.[11]
The film features a prevalent Moroccan chant of the phrase deshi basara (proper transliteration: teeji basra) (Arabic: تيجي بسرعة), which translates to "rise up" (literally: "come quickly").[120][121] In November 2011, Zimmer crowdsourced online audio recordings of the chant to be used in the film's score.[122][123] When asked about the chant for clarification, Zimmer said, "The chant became a very complicated thing because I wanted hundreds of thousands of voices, and it's not so easy to get hundreds of thousands of voices. So, we tweeted and we posted on the internet, for people who wanted to be part of it. It seemed like an interesting thing. We've created this world, over these last two movies, and somehow I think the audience and the fans have been part of this world. We do keep them in mind."[124]
Marketing
The official website launched in May 2011 introducing a viral marketing campaign similar to the one used to promote The Dark Knight. The website streamed an encrypted audio file described by users as chanting. Users decrypted the audio to the Twitter hashtag, "#TheFireRises". Warner Bros. removed a pixel from the webpage for every tweet using the hashtag. The website revealed the first official image of Bane.[125]



TheDarkKnightRises.com was replaced with a dossier of an "anonymous vigilante", presenting information on the suspect—as well as several accusations, and depicting a warning claiming that the "suspect should be considered armed and dangerous".
In July 2011, a teaser trailer leaked online before its official release with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2.[126] The studio released the teaser three days after the leak. The trailer received mixed responses; Stephen Spencer Davis of Slate wrote it successfully built hype,[126] while Kofi Outlaw of ScreenRant showed disappointment, claiming it was more of an "announcement trailer" than an actual teaser trailer. Outlaw criticized the quality, writing that a scene depicting Commissioner Gordon in a hospital bed was overly dramatic, had "hammy" dialogue, and was difficult to understand due to Gordon's labored breathing. Outlaw wrote that the sweeping shot of Gotham City had poor CGI and was too reminiscent of the Inception trailer.[127] The theatrical trailer leaked online, like the teaser trailer, before being released the following week attached to theatrical prints of Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.[128][129][130] Critics noted political undertones with dialogue foreshadowing the theme of income inequality and an "Occupy Gotham" campaign within the world of the story.[131][132][133] Receiving more than 12.5 million views in the first 24 hours after its release, the trailer set the record for most combined downloads from iTunes, beating the previous record held by The Avengers.[134] However, the second trailer for The Avengers again set the record with 13.7 million downloads.[135] Warner Bros. attached a second theatrical trailer for The Dark Knight Rises to theatrical prints of The Avengers. An "unnamed" Warner Brothers executive clarified that "We see this placement as a good strategic decision. We always want our trailers to be seen with films that people want to see—and a lot of people will be going to The Avengers!" The executive also commented that the trailer will "provide the best potential exposure for TDKR."[136] Warner Bros. released the trailer online on April 30, 2012, approximately four days before they attached it to theatrical prints of The Avengers.[137]
Continuing a method used with The Dark Knight whereby the opening sequence of the film was attached to IMAX prints of I Am Legend seven months before release,[138] a six-minute prologue of The Dark Knight Rises was attached to 70mm IMAX prints of Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, again approximately seven months before release.[139] Critical reaction to the prologue was positive,[140][141][142] with one critic commenting that "no one gets to make a film on this kind of scale anymore. Except for Christopher Nolan," though a round-up of reviews highlighted the way many critics found Tom Hardy's dialogue very difficult to hear.[143] Addressing the issue in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Nolan said "I think when people see the film, things will come into focus. Bane is very complex and very interesting and when people see the finished film people will be very entertained by him."[144]



 The bat-signal projected against the Fifth Avenue Place during filming in Pittsburgh.
Viral marketing campaigns for the film continued as magazine companies Empire and Wired received "CIA documents" concerning a "Dr. Leonid Pavel", with its mugshot connected to actor Alon Abutbul. According to the first document, Pavel is a missing Russian nuclear physicist, while the second document appears to be an edited transcript of a conversation discussing the handover of Dr. Pavel to the CIA by Georgian separatists, but with most of the conversation redacted.[40] These were later shown to be plot elements of the six-minute prologue.[140] The official Twitter account later linked to another censored document, this time, referencing "Operation Early Bird". A website of the same name was discovered, revealing a countdown timer. When the countdown finished, the site presented a map showing all available theaters that would be screening the film's prologue earlier than its release.[145][146] Various websites received a package that included a cylinder map of "strike zones", and a "fire rises" T-shirt.[147] In April 2012, the film's official website was updated with a "dossier" on a suspect named "John Doe" also known as "the Batman" for an arrest, with a list of several accusations. The premise of the campaign starts when the mayor of Gotham City "redoubles" the effort to capture Batman and anyone supporting his return in preparation for the upcoming "Harvey Dent Day". The site also includes an extensive list of real-world locations where "graffiti related to movement in support of the vigilante's return" is located. For each tweet of a specific location marked on the list, a frame of the second theatrical trailer for the film was released on a separate website.[148]
In January 2012, six months prior to the film's release, tickets for midnight IMAX showings in New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles went on sale and sold out immediately. Purchased tickets surfaced for sale online for over $100, compared with their original price of $17.50.[149]



 Formula One team Lotus F1 carried a special livery to promote The Dark Knight Rises at the 2012 British Grand Prix.
At the American International Toy Fair, Mattel unveiled figures for Batman, Bane, and Catwoman, and Batman's flying vehicle, the Bat. The Mattel figures will also be released in the "Movie Masters" line, featuring more highly detailed and articulated presentation, and Quiktek versions that feature interchangeable accessories. Lego is set to release building sets and mini-figures based on the film and incorporating other DC Comic characters. Additionally, Funko is releasing a series of plush toys, Mezco Toyz are releasing vinyl figures, and Hornby are releasing the Batman Tumbler car.[150] Other partners include Jakks Pacific who are creating novelty and large-scale figures and plush toys,[151] and PPW Toys, who are creating a Batman themed Mr. Potato Head.[152] Various clothing items including shoes, T-shirts, hats and wallets are also being produced.[153]
A video game of the same name was released on the same day as the release of the film for the iOS and Android devices for promoting the movie. The game features open world with primary focus on stealth and combat. The combat system of the game is inspired from Arkham Asylum and Arkham City. It takes place in Gotham City, with a somewhat similar but still significantly different plot from that of the movie. IGN gave it a mediocre score of 5.5/10.[154]
The film novelization, written by author Greg Cox and published by Titan Books, was released alongside the film on July 24, 2012.[155]
Warner Bros. partnered with Mountain Dew to do a cross-promotion that included a special paint scheme on the number 88 Chevrolet Impala owned by Hendrick Motorsports and driven by Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.[156] On June 17, 2012, the car won the 2012 Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan International Speedway.[157] On July 4, 2012, the studio signed a deal with Formula One team Lotus F1 to have the film's logos appear on the Lotus E20s driven by Kimi Räikkönen and Romain Grosjean at the 2012 British Grand Prix.[158] Räikkönen and Grosjean went on to finish the race in fifth and sixth place respectively.[159] Warner Bros. had previously followed a similar promotion at the 2008 British Grand Prix, when the now-defunct Toyota F1 carried a livery to promote The Dark Knight.[160]
Two digital comic books entitled Batman Origins[161] and The Dark Knight: Prologue[162] were released exclusively for Nokia Lumia devices. A special movie application has also been released, featuring trailers, wallpapers, movie schedules and Batman trivias.[163] Limited editions of the Lumia 710, Lumia 800 and Lumia 900 were also released featuring a laser-etched Batman logo.[164][165][166]
Shooting in Aurora, Colorado
Main article: 2012 Aurora shooting



"I would not presume to know anything about the victims of the shooting but that they were there last night to watch a movie. I believe movies are one of the great American art forms and the shared experience of watching a story unfold on screen is an important and joyful pastime. The movie theatre is my home, and the idea that someone would violate that innocent and hopeful place in such an unbearably savage way is devastating to me. Nothing any of us can say could ever adequately express our feelings for the innocent victims of this appalling crime, but our thoughts are with them and their families."
—Director Christopher Nolan's reaction to the theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado.[167]
On July 20, 2012, during a midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises at the Century 16 cinema in Aurora, Colorado, a gunman wearing a gas mask opened fire inside the theater,[168] killing 12 people and injuring 70 others.[169][170][171] Police responding to the shooting apprehended a suspect later identified as 24-year-old James Eagan Holmes[172] shortly after arriving on the scene.[173] Initial reports stated that Holmes identified himself as "the Joker" at the time of his arrest.[174][175] This claim was later retracted by police.[176]
Warner Bros. cancelled the Paris, Mexico, and Japan premieres of The Dark Knight Rises,[177][178] and suspended the film's marketing campaign in Finland.[179] Several broadcast networks also suspended television ads for the film in the United States.[180] The trailer for Gangster Squad, another Warner Bros. movie included in the screening of The Dark Knight Rises, was removed as it contains a scene which shows gangsters shooting submachine guns at moviegoers through the screen, similar to the shooting in Aurora.[181]
Director Christopher Nolan released a public statement calling the shooting "unbearably savage".[167] Other stars of the film released statements expressing their condolences, with star Christian Bale paying a personal visit to the survivors and the memorial in Aurora.[182]
Release
On July 6, 2012, Warner Bros. held a special IMAX screening of The Dark Knight Rises for more than one hundred reporters and critics. However, technical issues with the computer device synchronising the sound and picture forced the studio to postpone the screening by a day.[183] The film later premiered on July 16 at the AMC Lincoln Square Theater in New York City, New York,[184] followed by a European premiere on July 18 at Leicester Square in London, England.[185] The film was released in Australia and New Zealand on July 19,[186] and was later released in North America and the United Kingdom on July 20.[187][188]
Reception
Film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave The Dark Knight Rises a score of 88% based on 305 reviews and a rating average of 8/10. The site's consensus reads, "The Dark Knight Rises is an ambitious, thoughtful, and potent action film that concludes Christopher Nolan's franchise in spectacular fashion."[189] Metacritic, another review aggregator, assigned the film a weighted score of 78 out of 100, based on 45 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[190] CinemaScore reported that audiences gave the film an A grade.[191]
The Telegraph granted the film a maximum score of five stars, stating that it is "a superhero film without a superhero," comparing it with The Godfather Part II and praising Hardy's performance as well as the film's intricate plot and narrative.[192] Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times thought the film was "potent, persuasive and hypnotic" and that it was "more than an exceptional superhero movie, it is masterful filmmaking by any standard."[193] The Playlists Todd Gilchrist wrote "A cinematic, cultural and personal triumph, The Dark Knight Rises is emotionally inspiring, aesthetically significant and critically important for America itself – as a mirror of both sober reflection and resilient hope."[194] IGN gave it a 9 out of 10, noting similarities in tone and theme to Batman Begins over the trilogy's second installment The Dark Knight, but also describing Bane as "that bit less interesting to watch" than Ledger's Joker, despite praising his "menacing voice" and "body language-driven performance".[195] The Guardian scored the film four out of five stars, calling it a film of "granite, monolithic intensity", yet also calling it a "hammy, portentous affair".[196] Andrew O'Hehir of Salon writes "if The Dark Knight Rises is a fascist film, it's a great fascist film, and arguably the biggest, darkest, most thrilling and disturbing and utterly balls-out spectacle ever created for the screen".[197] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three out of four stars, stating "the film begins slowly with a murky plot and too many new characters, but builds to a sensational climax."[198] Film critic Richard Roeper gave the film an "A", calling it "a majestic, gorgeous, brutal and richly satisfying epic", and citing the final scenes of the picture as "the best five minutes of any film this year."[199] The London Film Review gave the film a B and said "Nolan's film is a reminder that superheroes aren't merely a frivolous distraction, but an embodiment of our best selves."[200] The film was crowned by Forbes as the best modern comic book superhero adaption on screen, outranking both its main summer blockbuster competitor, Marvel's The Avengers, and the trilogy's previous installment The Dark Knight.[201] In 2014, Empire ranked The Dark Knight Rises the 72nd greatest film ever made on their list of "The 301 Greatest Movies Of All Time" as voted by the magazine's readers.[202]
The Daily Mail '​s Chris Tookey said that the film was bloated and overly long, and criticized the sombre tone and lack of humor, despite praising the film's visually-impressive set pieces.[203] CNN's Tom Charity said the film was a "disappointingly clunky and bombastic conclusion to a superior series" and called it Nolan's worst film.[204] Anthony Lane of The New Yorker says that the "story is dense, overlong, and studded with references that will make sense only to those intimate with Nolan's previous excursions into Batmanhood".[205]
In reaction to fan backlash to some of the negative reviews, Rotten Tomatoes chose to disable user commentary for the film leading up to its release.[206] Some fans had threatened violence against critics while others threatened to take down the websites of movie critics who had given the film a negative review.[207]
Commentary
Writing in Salon, David Sirota, a progressive[208] political commentator compared The Dark Knight Rises and the game Call of Duty to 1980s popular culture reflecting the political period of the time, accusing them of perpetuating a conservative agenda: "Just as so many 1980s pop culture products reflected the spirit of the Reagan Revolution's conservative backlash, we are now seeing two blockbuster, genre-shaping products not-so-subtly reflect the Tea Party's rhetorical backlash to the powerful Occupy Wall Street zeitgeist."[209] An article in Variety reported Chuck Dixon, the co-creator of the Bane character, as saying that Bane is "far more akin to an Occupy Wall Street type if you're looking to cast him politically."[210] Catherine Shoard of the center-left[211] British publication The Guardian claimed the film "is a quite audaciously capitalist vision, radically conservative, radically vigilante, that advances a serious, stirring proposal that the wish-fulfilment of the wealthy is to be championed if they say they want to do good."[212] In contrast, liberal commentator Jonathan Chait opined in New York that "What passes for a right-wing movie these days is The Dark Knight Rises, which submits the rather modest premise that, irritating though the rich may be, actually killing them and taking all their stuff might be excessive."[213] Writing in USA Today, Bryan Alexander called Bane "the ultimate occupier" and reported that Christian Bale was amazed that the script had "foreseen" the Occupy movement.[214]
Nolan has denied the film criticizes the Occupy movement and insists that none of his Batman films are intended to be political: "I've had as many conversations with people who have seen the film the other way round. We throw a lot of things against the wall to see if it sticks. We put a lot of interesting questions in the air, but that's simply a backdrop for the story. What we're really trying to do is show the cracks of society, show the conflicts that somebody would try to wedge open. We're going to get wildly different interpretations of what the film is supporting and not supporting, but it's not doing any of those things. It's just telling a story. If you're saying, 'Have you made a film that's supposed to be criticizing the Occupy Wall Street movement?' – well, obviously, that's not true."[215]
Alternatively, politically-conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh alleged that the film was biased against 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney due to Bane's name being a homophone for Bain Capital, the financial service company Romney used to head, despite the fact that the character has existed as a major Batman foe since 1993.[216][217] In response, Nolan said that the comments were "bizarre",[218] while Dixon and Freeman said that the comments were "ridiculous".[217][219] Similarly, comparisons between Bane and Bain have also been made by bloggers on both sides of the political spectrum,[217] with Democratic adviser Christopher Lehane noting the similarities between the narratives of the film and the presidential campaign.[217][220]
Accolades
List of awards and nominations

Award
Category
Recipients and nominees
Result
AFI Awards 2012 Movies of the Year Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan and Charles Roven Won
British Academy of Film and Television Arts[221] Special Visual Effects Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Peter Bebb, Andrew Lockley Nominated
Broadcast Film Critics Association[222] Best Visual Effects
Nominated
Best Action Film
Nominated
Best Actor in an Action Movie Christian Bale Nominated
Best Actress in an Action Movie Anne Hathaway Nominated
Golden Trailer Awards[223] Best in Show "Chant" Won
Summer 2012 Blockbuster Trailer "Chant" Won
Best International Poster "UK Quad" Won
Best Summer 2012 Blockbuster Poster "Teaser One Sheet – City" Won
Best Teaser Poster "Teaser One Sheet City" Nominated
Grammy Awards[224] Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media
Nominated
Kids Choice Awards[225] Favorite Female Buttkicker Anne Hathaway Nominated
Los Angeles Film Critics Association[226] Best Supporting Actress Anne Hathaway (Also for Les Misérables) Runner-up
MTV Movie Awards[227] Best Movie
Nominated
Best Hero Christian Bale Nominated
Best Hero Anne Hathaway Nominated
Best Villain Marion Cotillard Nominated
Best Villain Tom Hardy Nominated
Best Fight Christian Bale & Tom Hardy Nominated
Best Shirtless Performance Christian Bale Nominated
People's Choice Awards[228] Favorite Face of Heroism Anne Hathaway Nominated
Favorite Movie
Nominated
Favorite Action Movie
Nominated
Favorite Movie Franchise
Nominated
Phoenix Film Critics Society[229] Best Film Editing  Nominated
Satellite Awards[230] Best Visual Effects Chris Corbould, Paul Franklin Nominated
Best Art Direction & Production Design Nathan Crowley, Kevin Kavanaugh, James Hambidge, Naaman Marshall Nominated
Saturn Awards[231][232][233] Best Action of Adventure Film
Nominated
Best Director Christopher Nolan Nominated
Best Actor Christian Bale Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Anne Hathaway Won
Best Music Hans Zimmer Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Awards[234] Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
Nominated
St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association[235][236] Best Music
Nominated
Teen Choice Awards[237][238][239] Choice Movie: Action
Nominated
Choice Movie: Actor Action Christian Bale Nominated
Choice Movie: Actress Action Anne Hathaway Won
Choice Movie: Scene Stealer Joseph Gordon-Levitt Nominated
Choice Movie: Best Villain Tom Hardy Nominated
Young Artist Award[240] Best Performance in a Feature Film - Supporting Young Actress Joey King Nominated
Box office
Hours before the midnight release, several box office analysts suggested as much as a $198 million domestic opening weekend.[241][242][243] However, in the wake of the mass shooting during a midnight screening of the film, Warner Bros. decided to not report further box office figures for the movie until Monday, July 23, 2012.[244][245] As a result, other distributors also delayed the release of their official estimates as well.[246] The shooting is also speculated to have hurt the ticket sales as E! Online reported that a North Carolina audience member had stated that "this theater was kinda empty".[247] Some reports released on July 21, 2012 said that rival studios estimated that the film grossed $75 million to $77 million on its opening day.[248][249][250] Warner Brothers shortly after released a statement to ABC News stating that they delayed the release of their estimates for the opening day total of the film "out of respect for the victims and their families," and added "Warner Bros. Pictures will not be reporting box office numbers for The Dark Knight Rises throughout the weekend. Box office numbers will be released on Monday."[251]
Worldwide
The Dark Knight Rises earned $448 million in North America, and $636 million in other countries, summing up to a worldwide total of $1 billion.[4] Worldwide, it is the tenth-highest-grossing film of all time[252] and the third-highest-grossing film of 2012.[253] It had a worldwide opening weekend of $248.9 million.[254] The film set a worldwide IMAX opening-weekend record with $23.8 million (previously held by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2)[255] and also broke the record for the fastest movie to make over $50 million in IMAX theatres. IMAX CEO Richard L. Gelfond explained this by claiming, "Audiences are clearly seeking out and embracing the film the way it was meant to be seen – in IMAX."[256] On the 2012 Labor Day weekend, it became the third film distributed by Warner Bros. and the thirteenth film in cinematic history to cross the $1 billion mark.[257] The film also became the second movie (after Avatar) to reach $100 million in worldwide IMAX grosses.[258]
North America
The Dark Knight Rises opened on Friday, July 20, 2012. It earned an estimated $30.6 million in midnight showings, which is the second-highest midnight gross behind Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 ($43.5 million).[259][260] It did, however, set an IMAX midnight-gross record with $2.3 million (previously held by Deathly Hallows – Part 2).[261][262] The film made $75.8 million during its opening day, which is the third-highest single and opening day tally of all time.[263] On July 23, 2012, it was announced that the film grossed $160.9 million for its debut weekend, which was the third-highest opening weekend ever, at the time, behind Marvel's The Avengers ($207.4 million) and Deathly Hallows – Part 2 ($169.2 million).[264] However, it did set an opening-weekend record for a 2D film (previously held by The Dark Knight)[265] and an IMAX opening-weekend record with $19.0 million (previously held by Marvel's The Avengers).[266] The film also held the top spot at the box office for its second and third weekends.[267][268] In North America, it is the seventh-highest-grossing film,[269] the second-highest-grossing 2012 film,[270] and the third-highest-grossing superhero film,[271] and film based on comics.[272]
Markets outside North America
Outside North America, the film opened with $88.0 million from 7,173 theaters in just 17 markets.[273] It was in first place at the box office outside North America for four consecutive weekends.[274][275] Its three largest markets are the UK, Ireland and Malta ($90.3 million), where it is the highest-grossing superhero film,[276] China ($52.8 million) and Australia ($44.2 million).[277]
Home media
The Dark Knight Rises was released on November 28, 2012 in Hong Kong and New Zealand. On December 3, it was released in the United Kingdom, and on December 4, it was released in the United States. It is available on Blu-ray, DVD, and as a Digital download.[278] Coinciding with the release of this film, a box set of The Dark Knight trilogy was released.[279]
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Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search

"Dawn of Justice" redirects here. For the Colombian film "Dawn of Justice", see Garras de oro.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Batman v Superman logo.jpg
Official film logo

Directed by
Zack Snyder
Produced by
Deborah Snyder
Charles Roven

Screenplay by
Chris Terrio
Story by
Zack Snyder
David S. Goyer

Based on
Characters published
 by DC Comics
Starring
Henry Cavill
Ben Affleck
Gal Gadot
Amy Adams
Diane Lane
Laurence Fishburne
Jesse Eisenberg
Jeremy Irons
Holly Hunter

Music by
Hans Zimmer
Junkie XL

Cinematography
Larry Fong

Production
 company

DC Entertainment
Dune Entertainment
Atlas Entertainment

Distributed by
Warner Bros. Pictures

Release dates

March 25, 2016 (United States)

Country
United States
Language
English
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is an upcoming American superhero film featuring the DC Comics characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. It is intended to be the sequel to 2013's Man of Steel and the second installment of the DC Comics' shared universe films. The film is written by Chris Terrio, from a story by Zack Snyder and David S. Goyer, and directed by Snyder. The cast includes Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Amy Adams, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Jesse Eisenberg and Jeremy Irons.
The sequel was announced at 2013 San Diego Comic-Con International, after the release of Man of Steel. Snyder and Goyer were both brought back in June 2013. Pre-production began at East Los Angeles College in October 2013, with principal photography starting in May 2014 in Detroit, Michigan and concluding in December 2014.
The film is scheduled to be released in the United States on March 25, 2016 in IMAX 3D.


Contents  [hide]
1 Cast
2 Production 2.1 Development
2.2 Casting
2.3 Design
2.4 Filming
3 Release
4 Future
5 References
6 External links

Cast[edit]
Henry Cavill as Clark Kent / Superman,[1] a Kryptonian sent by his parents to Earth as an infant to escape the destruction of his home planet, who now serves as a reporter for the Daily Planet and the indestructible protector of Metropolis.[2][3]
Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne / Batman, a multi-billionaire industrialist from Gotham City who is secretly a costumed crime-fighting vigilante.[4]
Gal Gadot as Diana Prince / Wonder Woman,[5] an Amazon princess and demigoddess daughter of Zeus.[6]
Amy Adams as Lois Lane, a reporter for the Daily Planet and love interest of Clark Kent.[2]
Diane Lane as Martha Kent, Clark’s adoptive mother.[2]
Laurence Fishburne as Perry White, the editor-in-chief of the Daily Planet and the boss of both Clark and Lois.[2]
Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, a complicated and sophisticated businessman whose intellect, wealth, and prominence positions him as one of the few mortals able to challenge the incredible might of Superman.[7]
Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce Wayne's butler, best friend, and mentor.[7]
Tao Okamoto was cast as Lex Luthor's assistant Mercy Graves.[8] Ray Fisher and Jason Momoa were cast as Victor Stone / Cyborg and Arthur Curry / Aquaman respectively, in minor roles.[9][10][11] Christina Wren will reprise her role as Major Carrie Farris.[12] Scoot McNairy, Callan Mulvey, Jena Malone, and Holly Hunter have been cast in unspecified roles.[13][14][15][16]
Production[edit]
Further information: Batman in film § Batman vs. Superman and Superman in film § Batman vs. Superman
Development[edit]



 From left: Chris Hardwick (host), Zack Snyder, Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill and Gal Gadot at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con.


"... after Man of Steel finished and we started talking about what would be in the next movie, I started subtly mentioning that it would be cool if he faced Batman... You're in a story meeting talking about, like, who should [Superman] fight if he fought this giant alien threat Zod who was basically his equal physically, from his planet, fighting on our turf... You know, who to fight next?... But I'm not gonna say at all that when I took the job to do Man of Steel that I did it in a subversive way to get to Batman. I really believe that only after contemplating who could face [Superman] did Batman come into the picture."
— Snyder, on how Batman came into the film[17]
In June 2013, it was announced that director Zack Snyder and screenwriter David S. Goyer would both be returning for a Man of Steel sequel, which was being fast tracked by Warner Bros.[18] with the studio considering a 2014 release for the film.[19] The following month, Snyder confirmed at San Diego Comic-Con International that the sequel to Man of Steel, now set for release in 2015, would feature Superman and Batman meeting for the first time in a cinematic format. Goyer and Snyder would co-write the story, with Goyer writing the script, and[2][3] Christopher Nolan involved in an advisory role as executive producer.[20] Snyder stated that Batman v Superman would take inspiration from the comic The Dark Knight Returns.[21] In November 2013, however, Snyder clarified that the film would not be based on the graphic novel. "If you were going to do that, you would need a different Superman. We’re bringing Batman into the universe that now this Superman lives in."[22] Batman v Superman marks the first appearance of Wonder Woman in a live-action, theatrical film,[5] which Warner Bros. had been developing as far back as 1996.[23] In December 2013, Chris Terrio was hired to rewrite the script, due to Goyer's commitments in other projects. Terrio had previously collaborated with Affleck on Argo.[24] The film's official title Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was revealed in May 2014.[25] Snyder stated that having the "v" in the title instead of "vs." was a way "to keep it from being a straight 'versus' movie, even in the most subtle way."[26]
Hans Zimmer will return to compose the film score,[18] emphasizing a challenge to not reuse the themes he established with the Batman character from Christopher Nolan's trilogy.[27] Junkie XL will also collaborate on the score and compose the theme for Batman.[28]
Casting[edit]
Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne,[1] and Christina Wren reprise their roles from Man of Steel.[12] Joining the cast are Ben Affleck as Batman, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth,[1] Ray Fisher as Cyborg,[9] Jason Momoa as Aquaman,[10][11] and Tao Okamoto as Lex Luthor's assistant Mercy Graves.[8] Scoot McNairy, Callan Mulvey, Jena Malone, and Holly Hunter have been cast in unspecified roles.[13][14][15][16]
Dawn of Justice is Affleck's second film as a comic book superhero; he earlier played Daredevil in the 2003 film of the same name,[29] and was initially reluctant to accept playing Batman, citing that he "felt [I] didn't fit the traditional mold. But once Zack showed me the concept, and that it would be both different from the great movies that Chris[topher Nolan] and Christian [Bale] made, but still in keeping with tradition, I was excited."[30] Affleck previously stated in 2006 that Daredevil had "inoculated myself from ever playing another superhero".[31] Snyder felt that casting an older Batman would be a layered juxtaposition to a younger Superman, while "bear[ing] the scars of a seasoned crime fighter, but retain the charm that the world sees in billionaire Bruce Wayne."[4] Nolan was involved with the casting of Affleck and he was the first actor Snyder approached for the part.[20] The director has also discussed the part with Josh Brolin.[32]
Snyder commented on casting Eisenberg as Luthor, "Having Jesse in the role allows us to explore that interesting dynamic, and also take the character in some new and unexpected directions".[7] Olga Kurylenko was considered for the role of Wonder Woman before Gadot was cast.[33] Producer Charles Roven revealed that this incarnation of Wonder Woman would use the character's origins in The New 52, wherein the character would be a demigoddess, and the daughter of Zeus. This deviates from the character's original origins, where she was "a clay figure brought to life by the gods".[6] Dawn of Justice is Ray Fisher's feature film debut,[34] and the first live-action film to feature Cyborg,[35] whose role will become more significant in future DC comics films.[36] It is also the live-action theatrical debut of Aquaman.[37]
Affleck's casting caused significant backlash from comic book fans, with several online petitions demanding his removal from the role; unlike previous Batman actors, he was not considered intimidating enough for the role by the protestors.[38] Via social media, many fans criticized Gadot's small frame in contrast to Wonder Woman's warrior-like build in the comics.[39] Responding to this, Gadot has stated that she has been participating in various training regimens to achieve a body that stays closer to the source material.[40] Fans criticized Eisenberg's casting as Luthor, feeling that the then-30-year old was too young for the role, and not physically imposing enough.[41]
Design[edit]
Michael Wilkinson is reprising his duties as costume designer. He updated the Superman suit from Man of Steel slightly so that it "feels fresh and right for this installment of Zack Snyder's comic-book universe."[42] The first Batsuit featured in the film is influenced by the one seen in The Dark Knight Returns;[43] unlike the suits seen in previous live-action Batman films, it is made of cloth instead of armor.[44] An image of the Wonder Woman costume was revealed at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con, in which the costume saturates the red, blue, and gold colors that make up the costume of most versions of the character.[45] A second Batsuit was also unveiled at Comic-Con, and unlike the first, it is armored.[46] Aquaman's look in this film, unlike most versions of the character which show him in a bright orange and green wetsuit, shows him "tattooed in Maori-like patterns," and wearing a suit "decked out in shades of gold, black and silver armor".[47]
Filming[edit]
In September 2013, Larry Fong joined the crew as cinematographer after previously having worked with Zack Snyder in 300, Watchmen, and Sucker Punch.[48] Initial filming commenced on October 19, 2013, at East Los Angeles College to shoot an American football game between Gotham City University and rival Metropolis State University.[49] At the end of the month, construction began on the Kent farm seen in Man of Steel for the film.[50] The principal photography involving the main cast of the film began on May 19, 2014 in Detroit, Michigan,[51] with scenes featuring Gal Gadot as Diana Prince being filmed early on May 16.[52] Additional filming began in Chicago, Illinois in November 2014.[53] Other locations included the Michigan Motion Picture Studios, Yorkville, Illinois, and New Mexico.[54][55][56] Sequences of the film, including a scene depicting the murder of Bruce Wayne's parents, were filmed using IMAX cameras.[57] The planned shoot in Morocco were shifted to New Mexico due to incidents related to the 2014 Ebola outbreak.[58] Principal photography wrapped in December 2014.[59]
Release[edit]
Dawn of Justice is scheduled to released in the United States and in the United Kingdom on March 25, 2016 in 3D.[60][61] In January 2014, the film was delayed from its original July 17, 2015 release date, and moved to May 6, 2016, in order to give the filmmakers "time to realize fully their vision, given the complex visual nature of the story".[62] The release date was moved once again in August 2014 from May 6, 2016 to March 25, 2016, with a Warner Bros. insider saying the studio was "not flinching" regarding the film previously opening on the same day as Marvel Studios' Captain America: Civil War, but that March 2016 was a "fantastic corridor" for them.[61]
Future[edit]
Dawn of Justice will accelerate a shared film universe featuring DC Comics characters.[11] Warner Bros. had previously planned a Justice League film in 2008 with George Miller as director, but it was canceled and the studio decided to reboot with Man of Steel instead. Shortly after filming for Man of Steel finished in June 2012, Warner Bros. hired Will Beall to script a new Justice League film.[63] Beall was replaced by Goyer following Man of Steel '​s release[64] and in April 2014 it was announced that Zack Snyder would be following up Dawn of Justice as director for Justice League for release in 2017.[65] Chris Terrio replaced Goyer as screenwriter.[66] Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, and Ray Fisher are expected to reprise their roles.[67] In October 2014, it was announced that Justice League would be a two-part film, with Snyder directing both parts. The second film is set to be released in 2019.[68]
References[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b c Warner Bros. (May 21, 2013). "Cameras Roll on Director Zack Snyders "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" from Warner Bros. Pictures". DC Comics. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
2.^ Jump up to: a b c d e Kit, Borys (July 20, 2013). "Superman and Batman Film Set for Comic-Con Reveal". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 21, 2013.
3.^ Jump up to: a b Sperling, Nicole (July 20, 2013). "Comic-Con 2013: 'Superman & Batman' movie will follow 'Man of Steel'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 21, 2013.
4.^ Jump up to: a b Warner Bros. (August 22, 2013). "Ben Affleck Revealed As Batman in Warner Bros. Picture' New Super Hero Feature Film, Now Slated to Open July 17, 2015". DC Comics. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
5.^ Jump up to: a b DCE Editorial (December 4, 2013). "Upcoming Superman and Batman Film Casts Its Wonder Woman". DC Comics. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
6.^ Jump up to: a b "Batman vs Superman: Wonder Woman's origin revealed for Dawn of Justice film". Metro.co.uk. October 14, 2014. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
7.^ Jump up to: a b c "Breaking News: Lex Luthor and Alfred Pennyworth Cast in Upcoming Man of Steel Sequel". DC Comics. January 31, 2014.
8.^ Jump up to: a b Bussey, Ben (April 20, 2011). "Wolverine Actress Joins Batman V Superman - Yahoo Movies UK". Yahoo. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
9.^ Jump up to: a b Lee, Chris (October 21, 2014). "DC's 'Cyborg,' Ray Fisher, didn't know he was getting his own movie". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 22, 2014.
10.^ Jump up to: a b McWeeney, Drew (June 14, 2014). "Jason Momoa will play Aquaman in 'Dawn Of Justice,' and we know how it will happen". HitFix. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
11.^ Jump up to: a b c "'Game Of Thrones' Actor Will Play Aquaman In New Movie". Business Insider. October 16, 2014. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
12.^ Jump up to: a b Collier, Sean (February 9, 2015). "Exclusive: Pittsburgh Native Christina Wren to Appear in "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice"". Pittsburgh Magazine. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
13.^ Jump up to: a b Breznican, Anthony (April 3, 2014). "Superman/Batman: Holly Hunter, Callan Mulvey, Tao Okamoto join cast". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
14.^ Jump up to: a b  Tartaglione, Nancy (June 26, 2014). "Scoot McNairy Taking Sides In 'Batman V. Superman'". Deadline. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
15.^ Jump up to: a b Kit, Borys (October 17, 2014). "Jena Malone to Appear in 'Batman v. Superman' in Mystery Role". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
16.^ Jump up to: a b Andrew Dyce (November 5, 2014). "Holly Hunter Talks 'Batman V Superman'; Confirms Scenes With Henry Cavill". Screen Rant.
17.Jump up ^ "Zack Snyder Explains How Batman Ended Up in the 'Man of Steel' Sequel - The Moviefone Blog". News.moviefone.com. April 18, 2014. Retrieved May 25, 2014.
18.^ Jump up to: a b Reynolds, Simon (April 15, 2014). "Exclusive: Hans Zimmer poised to return for Batman vs Superman score". Digital Spy. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
19.Jump up ^ Fritz, Ben (June 16, 2013). "'Man of Steel' Movie May Give DC Comics More Superpowers". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
20.^ Jump up to: a b Abid Rahman (October 13, 2014). "Charles Roven: Ben Affleck "Was the First Guy We Went to" for Batman Role". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 13, 2014.
21.Jump up ^ Anders, Charlie Jane (July 20, 2013). "They're doing a Superman/Batman movie... but that's not the big news". io9. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
22.Jump up ^ Johnson, Scott (November 12, 2013). "Zack Snyder Clarifies Batman Vs. Superman Is Not An Adaptation Of Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns". Comicbook.com. Retrieved November 13, 2013.
23.Jump up ^ Ty Bur (April 19, 1996). "Comic movies". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
24.Jump up ^ "Batman-Superman Film Enlists 'Argo' Writer (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. December 18, 2013. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
25.Jump up ^ "Batman-Superman Titled 'Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice'". Variety. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
26.Jump up ^ Brian Truitt, USA TODAY (3 July 2014). "'Justice' is served with another helping of Superman". USATODAY. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
27.Jump up ^ Buchanan, Kyle (October 16, 2013). "Hans Zimmer Hasn't Been Asked to Score the Man of Steel Sequel Yet". Vulture. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
28.Jump up ^ "Hans Zimmer on His 'Interstellar' Leap of Faith and Scoring a New Batman". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
29.Jump up ^ Fleming, Mike. "Ben Affleck On Playing Batman, And How Not To Accept An Academy Award". Deadline.com. Retrieved June 3, 2014.
30.Jump up ^ "Ben Affleck: 'Initially, I Was Reluctant' to Play Batman". Variety. October 25, 2013. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
31.Jump up ^ Peter Sciretta (November 2, 2006). "Ben Affleck says No to Daredevil sequel". UGO. Archived from the original on August 11, 2008. Retrieved July 15, 2008.
32.Jump up ^ Parfitt, Orlando (September 8, 2013). "Josh Brolin hints at why he turned down Batman". Yahoo! Movies. Retrieved May 21, 2014.
33.Jump up ^ "'Batman vs. Superman' Movie Update: Olga Kurylenko Opens Up About Losing Role Of Wonder Woman To Gal Gadot". Headlines & Global News. Retrieved October 5, 2014.
34.Jump up ^ "Ray Fisher Didn't Know About Cyborg Solo Movie". October 22, 2014. Retrieved December 28, 2014.
35.Jump up ^ "Batman v Superman: What We Know So Far About Dawn Of Justice". Retrieved December 28, 2014.
36.Jump up ^ Kroll, Justin (April 24, 2014). "Ray Fisher to Play Cyborg In Batman-Superman Movie (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
37.Jump up ^ http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/aquaman-surfaces-jason-momoa-super-hero-costume-reveal-article-1.2122713
38.Jump up ^ "Fans Petition Warner Bros. to Remove Ben Affleck as Batman". Variety. August 23, 2013. Retrieved August 8, 2014.
39.Jump up ^ Kase Wickman (December 19, 2013). "Amy Adams Talks Back About Wonder Woman Body Shaming". MTV.com. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
40.Jump up ^ Malkin, Marc (March 31, 2014). "Wonder Woman's Hot Body: Gal Gadot Reveals How She Stays in Superhero Shape". E!. Retrieved May 24, 2014.
41.Jump up ^ "Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor? A debate on Batman-Superman's Villain". Variety. January 31, 2014. Retrieved May 25, 2014.
42.Jump up ^ Zemler, Emily (March 12, 2014). "Inside the Evolution of Superman's Look". Esquire. Retrieved June 21, 2014.
43.Jump up ^ Ben Child (May 22, 2014). "Batman's new costume returns to classic colours, says Kevin Smith | Film". theguardian.com. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
44.Jump up ^ "'Batman vs. Superman' Movie Batsuit Made Of Cloth Not Armor, Kevin Smith Says : Entertainment : Headlines & Global News". Hngn.com. July 7, 2014. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
45.Jump up ^ Reyes, Mike (July 26, 2014). "Don't Get Too Excited About Wonder Woman's New Costume, It'll Probably Change". Cinema Blend. Archived from the original on July 28, 2014. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
46.Jump up ^ Buchanan, Kyle (July 26, 2014). "Comic-Con: We Just Saw Ben Affleck As Batman". Vulture. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
47.Jump up ^ "‘Batman Vs. Superman’ Director Zack Snyder Releases First Look At Jason Momoa’s Aquaman Suit [PHOTO]". International Business Times. February 20, 2015. Retrieved February 26, 2015.
48.Jump up ^ Taylor, Drew (September 10, 2013). "Comic Book Issues: Larry Fong To Photograph 'Man Of Steel' Sequel, Wolverine Was Almost In 'Spider-Man'". The Playlist. Retrieved May 19, 2014.
49.Jump up ^ Vasquez, Danny (October 15, 2013). "Batman, Superman step onto the field". East Los Angeles College Campus News. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
50.Jump up ^ "Photos of the Kent Farm Construction for Batman vs. Superman". ComingSoon.net. November 30, 2013. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
51.Jump up ^ "'Batman Vs. Superman' filming location in Birmingham, MI & first set photos of Gal Gadot & Zack Snyder!". Retrieved May 19, 2014.
52.Jump up ^ Derek (May 18, 2014). "Batman Vs Superman Gal Gadot Seen Filming Wonder Woman,Diana Prince Scenes Other Day". On the Flix. Retrieved May 19, 2014.
53.Jump up ^ "World's Greatest Superheroes Returning to Chicago". My Fox Chicago.com. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
54.Jump up ^ Gomez, Luis (March 20, 2014). "Batman-Superman movie expected to film in Illinois in mid May". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 24, 2014.
55.Jump up ^ Derschowitz, Jessica (May 21, 2014). "Batman vs. Superman film gets a title, new logo". CBS News. Retrieved May 21, 2014.
56.Jump up ^ "Man of Steel 2 Production Departs Vancouver For Toronto". Vancitybuzz.com. July 2013. Retrieved September 22, 2013.
57.Jump up ^ "UPDATE: 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice' Filming With IMAX Cameras". /Film. November 14, 2014. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
58.Jump up ^ "Because of Ebola Batman vs. Superman to Relocate from Morocco to New Mexico Desert". Morocco World News. Retrieved December 28, 2014.
59.Jump up ^ "'Batman Vs Superman' ('Man Of Steel 2') Wraps Filming, Cinematographer Hints At 'Dark Knight Returns' Clash?". Design & Trend. Retrieved December 28, 2014.
60.Jump up ^ "Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice". Film Dates.co.uk. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
61.^ Jump up to: a b Sneider, Jeff; Cunningham, Todd (August 6, 2014). "Warner Bros. Blinks in Marvel Showdown: 'Batman v Superman' Avoids 'Captain America 3'". TheWrap. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
62.Jump up ^ "Warner Bros. Pictures Pushes Batman vs. Superman Back to 2016". ComingSoon.net. January 17, 2014.
63.Jump up ^ Jeff Sneider (June 5, 2012). "Beall writing 'Justice League' for Warner Bros.". Variety. Retrieved September 8, 2014.
64.Jump up ^ Nikki Finke (June 10, 2013). "'Man Of Steel' Sequel Underway With Zack Snyder And David S. Goyer". Deadline.com. Retrieved September 8, 2014.
65.Jump up ^ Alex Stedman (April 27, 2014). "Zack Snyder to Direct 'Justice League' Movie". Variety. Retrieved September 8, 2014.
66.Jump up ^ Mike Fleming (July 25, 2014). "'Batman V Superman' Scribe Chris Terrio For 'Justice League'". Deadline.com. Retrieved September 8, 2014.
67.Jump up ^ Hughes, Mark (April 28, 2014). "'Justice League' Movie Confirmed, Starts Filming After 'Superman Vs. Batman'". Forbes. Retrieved May 29, 2014.
68.Jump up ^ Fischer, Russ (October 15, 2014). "Zack Snyder Confirmed to Direct Two-Part 'Justice League'". Slash Film. Retrieved October 20, 2014.
External links[edit]
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Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search

"Dawn of Justice" redirects here. For the Colombian film "Dawn of Justice", see Garras de oro.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Batman v Superman logo.jpg
Official film logo

Directed by
Zack Snyder
Produced by
Deborah Snyder
Charles Roven

Screenplay by
Chris Terrio
Story by
Zack Snyder
David S. Goyer

Based on
Characters published
 by DC Comics
Starring
Henry Cavill
Ben Affleck
Gal Gadot
Amy Adams
Diane Lane
Laurence Fishburne
Jesse Eisenberg
Jeremy Irons
Holly Hunter

Music by
Hans Zimmer
Junkie XL

Cinematography
Larry Fong

Production
 company

DC Entertainment
Dune Entertainment
Atlas Entertainment

Distributed by
Warner Bros. Pictures

Release dates

March 25, 2016 (United States)

Country
United States
Language
English
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is an upcoming American superhero film featuring the DC Comics characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. It is intended to be the sequel to 2013's Man of Steel and the second installment of the DC Comics' shared universe films. The film is written by Chris Terrio, from a story by Zack Snyder and David S. Goyer, and directed by Snyder. The cast includes Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Amy Adams, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Jesse Eisenberg and Jeremy Irons.
The sequel was announced at 2013 San Diego Comic-Con International, after the release of Man of Steel. Snyder and Goyer were both brought back in June 2013. Pre-production began at East Los Angeles College in October 2013, with principal photography starting in May 2014 in Detroit, Michigan and concluding in December 2014.
The film is scheduled to be released in the United States on March 25, 2016 in IMAX 3D.


Contents  [hide]
1 Cast
2 Production 2.1 Development
2.2 Casting
2.3 Design
2.4 Filming
3 Release
4 Future
5 References
6 External links

Cast[edit]
Henry Cavill as Clark Kent / Superman,[1] a Kryptonian sent by his parents to Earth as an infant to escape the destruction of his home planet, who now serves as a reporter for the Daily Planet and the indestructible protector of Metropolis.[2][3]
Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne / Batman, a multi-billionaire industrialist from Gotham City who is secretly a costumed crime-fighting vigilante.[4]
Gal Gadot as Diana Prince / Wonder Woman,[5] an Amazon princess and demigoddess daughter of Zeus.[6]
Amy Adams as Lois Lane, a reporter for the Daily Planet and love interest of Clark Kent.[2]
Diane Lane as Martha Kent, Clark’s adoptive mother.[2]
Laurence Fishburne as Perry White, the editor-in-chief of the Daily Planet and the boss of both Clark and Lois.[2]
Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, a complicated and sophisticated businessman whose intellect, wealth, and prominence positions him as one of the few mortals able to challenge the incredible might of Superman.[7]
Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce Wayne's butler, best friend, and mentor.[7]
Tao Okamoto was cast as Lex Luthor's assistant Mercy Graves.[8] Ray Fisher and Jason Momoa were cast as Victor Stone / Cyborg and Arthur Curry / Aquaman respectively, in minor roles.[9][10][11] Christina Wren will reprise her role as Major Carrie Farris.[12] Scoot McNairy, Callan Mulvey, Jena Malone, and Holly Hunter have been cast in unspecified roles.[13][14][15][16]
Production[edit]
Further information: Batman in film § Batman vs. Superman and Superman in film § Batman vs. Superman
Development[edit]



 From left: Chris Hardwick (host), Zack Snyder, Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill and Gal Gadot at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con.


"... after Man of Steel finished and we started talking about what would be in the next movie, I started subtly mentioning that it would be cool if he faced Batman... You're in a story meeting talking about, like, who should [Superman] fight if he fought this giant alien threat Zod who was basically his equal physically, from his planet, fighting on our turf... You know, who to fight next?... But I'm not gonna say at all that when I took the job to do Man of Steel that I did it in a subversive way to get to Batman. I really believe that only after contemplating who could face [Superman] did Batman come into the picture."
— Snyder, on how Batman came into the film[17]
In June 2013, it was announced that director Zack Snyder and screenwriter David S. Goyer would both be returning for a Man of Steel sequel, which was being fast tracked by Warner Bros.[18] with the studio considering a 2014 release for the film.[19] The following month, Snyder confirmed at San Diego Comic-Con International that the sequel to Man of Steel, now set for release in 2015, would feature Superman and Batman meeting for the first time in a cinematic format. Goyer and Snyder would co-write the story, with Goyer writing the script, and[2][3] Christopher Nolan involved in an advisory role as executive producer.[20] Snyder stated that Batman v Superman would take inspiration from the comic The Dark Knight Returns.[21] In November 2013, however, Snyder clarified that the film would not be based on the graphic novel. "If you were going to do that, you would need a different Superman. We’re bringing Batman into the universe that now this Superman lives in."[22] Batman v Superman marks the first appearance of Wonder Woman in a live-action, theatrical film,[5] which Warner Bros. had been developing as far back as 1996.[23] In December 2013, Chris Terrio was hired to rewrite the script, due to Goyer's commitments in other projects. Terrio had previously collaborated with Affleck on Argo.[24] The film's official title Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was revealed in May 2014.[25] Snyder stated that having the "v" in the title instead of "vs." was a way "to keep it from being a straight 'versus' movie, even in the most subtle way."[26]
Hans Zimmer will return to compose the film score,[18] emphasizing a challenge to not reuse the themes he established with the Batman character from Christopher Nolan's trilogy.[27] Junkie XL will also collaborate on the score and compose the theme for Batman.[28]
Casting[edit]
Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne,[1] and Christina Wren reprise their roles from Man of Steel.[12] Joining the cast are Ben Affleck as Batman, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth,[1] Ray Fisher as Cyborg,[9] Jason Momoa as Aquaman,[10][11] and Tao Okamoto as Lex Luthor's assistant Mercy Graves.[8] Scoot McNairy, Callan Mulvey, Jena Malone, and Holly Hunter have been cast in unspecified roles.[13][14][15][16]
Dawn of Justice is Affleck's second film as a comic book superhero; he earlier played Daredevil in the 2003 film of the same name,[29] and was initially reluctant to accept playing Batman, citing that he "felt [I] didn't fit the traditional mold. But once Zack showed me the concept, and that it would be both different from the great movies that Chris[topher Nolan] and Christian [Bale] made, but still in keeping with tradition, I was excited."[30] Affleck previously stated in 2006 that Daredevil had "inoculated myself from ever playing another superhero".[31] Snyder felt that casting an older Batman would be a layered juxtaposition to a younger Superman, while "bear[ing] the scars of a seasoned crime fighter, but retain the charm that the world sees in billionaire Bruce Wayne."[4] Nolan was involved with the casting of Affleck and he was the first actor Snyder approached for the part.[20] The director has also discussed the part with Josh Brolin.[32]
Snyder commented on casting Eisenberg as Luthor, "Having Jesse in the role allows us to explore that interesting dynamic, and also take the character in some new and unexpected directions".[7] Olga Kurylenko was considered for the role of Wonder Woman before Gadot was cast.[33] Producer Charles Roven revealed that this incarnation of Wonder Woman would use the character's origins in The New 52, wherein the character would be a demigoddess, and the daughter of Zeus. This deviates from the character's original origins, where she was "a clay figure brought to life by the gods".[6] Dawn of Justice is Ray Fisher's feature film debut,[34] and the first live-action film to feature Cyborg,[35] whose role will become more significant in future DC comics films.[36] It is also the live-action theatrical debut of Aquaman.[37]
Affleck's casting caused significant backlash from comic book fans, with several online petitions demanding his removal from the role; unlike previous Batman actors, he was not considered intimidating enough for the role by the protestors.[38] Via social media, many fans criticized Gadot's small frame in contrast to Wonder Woman's warrior-like build in the comics.[39] Responding to this, Gadot has stated that she has been participating in various training regimens to achieve a body that stays closer to the source material.[40] Fans criticized Eisenberg's casting as Luthor, feeling that the then-30-year old was too young for the role, and not physically imposing enough.[41]
Design[edit]
Michael Wilkinson is reprising his duties as costume designer. He updated the Superman suit from Man of Steel slightly so that it "feels fresh and right for this installment of Zack Snyder's comic-book universe."[42] The first Batsuit featured in the film is influenced by the one seen in The Dark Knight Returns;[43] unlike the suits seen in previous live-action Batman films, it is made of cloth instead of armor.[44] An image of the Wonder Woman costume was revealed at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con, in which the costume saturates the red, blue, and gold colors that make up the costume of most versions of the character.[45] A second Batsuit was also unveiled at Comic-Con, and unlike the first, it is armored.[46] Aquaman's look in this film, unlike most versions of the character which show him in a bright orange and green wetsuit, shows him "tattooed in Maori-like patterns," and wearing a suit "decked out in shades of gold, black and silver armor".[47]
Filming[edit]
In September 2013, Larry Fong joined the crew as cinematographer after previously having worked with Zack Snyder in 300, Watchmen, and Sucker Punch.[48] Initial filming commenced on October 19, 2013, at East Los Angeles College to shoot an American football game between Gotham City University and rival Metropolis State University.[49] At the end of the month, construction began on the Kent farm seen in Man of Steel for the film.[50] The principal photography involving the main cast of the film began on May 19, 2014 in Detroit, Michigan,[51] with scenes featuring Gal Gadot as Diana Prince being filmed early on May 16.[52] Additional filming began in Chicago, Illinois in November 2014.[53] Other locations included the Michigan Motion Picture Studios, Yorkville, Illinois, and New Mexico.[54][55][56] Sequences of the film, including a scene depicting the murder of Bruce Wayne's parents, were filmed using IMAX cameras.[57] The planned shoot in Morocco were shifted to New Mexico due to incidents related to the 2014 Ebola outbreak.[58] Principal photography wrapped in December 2014.[59]
Release[edit]
Dawn of Justice is scheduled to released in the United States and in the United Kingdom on March 25, 2016 in 3D.[60][61] In January 2014, the film was delayed from its original July 17, 2015 release date, and moved to May 6, 2016, in order to give the filmmakers "time to realize fully their vision, given the complex visual nature of the story".[62] The release date was moved once again in August 2014 from May 6, 2016 to March 25, 2016, with a Warner Bros. insider saying the studio was "not flinching" regarding the film previously opening on the same day as Marvel Studios' Captain America: Civil War, but that March 2016 was a "fantastic corridor" for them.[61]
Future[edit]
Dawn of Justice will accelerate a shared film universe featuring DC Comics characters.[11] Warner Bros. had previously planned a Justice League film in 2008 with George Miller as director, but it was canceled and the studio decided to reboot with Man of Steel instead. Shortly after filming for Man of Steel finished in June 2012, Warner Bros. hired Will Beall to script a new Justice League film.[63] Beall was replaced by Goyer following Man of Steel '​s release[64] and in April 2014 it was announced that Zack Snyder would be following up Dawn of Justice as director for Justice League for release in 2017.[65] Chris Terrio replaced Goyer as screenwriter.[66] Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, and Ray Fisher are expected to reprise their roles.[67] In October 2014, it was announced that Justice League would be a two-part film, with Snyder directing both parts. The second film is set to be released in 2019.[68]
References[edit]
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External links[edit]
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