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The Unofficial Christopher Nolan Website / Movies / Batman Begins / News |
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Batman Begins - News Note: Theses are the archived news. To see what is currently going on go to the main batman page. July 29, 2004 Batman Teaser, ComiCon Report Big news! The Batman Begins teaser trailer is online at the official website. It matches the description of last week exactly. 
ComiCon report: As you might know David Goyer and Cillian Murphy were at the ComiCon in San Diego. Altough they did not bring the trailer, there was a short video with a greeting from Chris Nolan and Christian Bale: 
"We're just having a great time telling the story of Bruce Wayne's journey to becoming Batman," Nolan said. "It's something that hasn't been seen before, and we're very excited about addressing an aspect of this great character that hasn't been done on film before." "It is a great character," Bale said. "And Chris and David have done a fantstic job of transferring from comic book to screen and giving the character the complexity it deserves." Comics Continuum & and SSH have a full description of the event including a transcript of the Goyer/Murphy panel discussion. 
Excerpt: Goyer: Well, first of all thank God we were doing an origin story. We were telling a story that took place well before the other films and we were telling a story that in large part had never been told before, there was in the comics Batman: Year One but aside from that, it was very elliptical and there are definitely segments of our film that have never been addressed even in the comic books so we were sort of in uncharted territory. It was interesting when we were meeting with DC and Paul Levitz and when we were proposing to fill in some of these gaps I was very curious as to how they were going to react, but they embraced everything we were proposing because it seemed to fit in with everything that had been set before. It was exciting to do an origin story because we weren't beholding to any of the other films or to the TV series, we could really in comic book terms it was sort of a re-boot in a way. The notion was after our film finished we could then go off and if Chris or Warner Brothers wanted to play with subsequent films they could sort of reintroduce the pantheon of villains and what-not. Many thanks to NickSanAndreas, -Vash99- & Darryl! July 20, 2004  Batmobile pics, new trailer date & description, Cardington shoot IGN has got a couple of "spy pics of Batman's new ride that were apparently taken while preparations were being made for a promotional photo shoot for a major retailer." IGN also mentions a possible release date for the Batman Begins trailer which "will most likely be attached to Fox's Alien vs. Predator when it releases on August 13." (Thanks to Nick for the heads-up!) This comes from a scooper for Ain't it cool, who has seen a rough cut of the Batman Begins trailer. He says that the it's look is "raw & bleak," much like Insomnia. This is a shot by shot description of the trailer: The silvery Warner Brothers Logo appears (like the HARRY POTTER one). 
Local newspaper "Bedfordshire Sunday" has a little report from the Cardington shoot. HOLLYWOOD has arrived in Bedford and this week council officials got a taste of the bright lights. July 16, 2004 Where is the Batman Begins trailer? As Cinescape reports the Batman Begins trailer is not playing in front of I, Robot today. Instead Warner seems to have decided to have theaters play either a trailer for Catwoman or Exorcist: The Beginning with I, Robot. The Batman trailer will also not play with Catwoman, as Cinescape reports further. It remains unclear why Warner decided no to screen the Batman Begins trailer just yet. July 15, 2004 Various Batman Begins news As you might already know, the first Batman Begins trailer (probably more of a teaser - with a running time a little over a minute) will be screened together with I, Robot which is coming out on the 16th in the US. But I am sure for all the others who can not see it, it'll be available online in a couple of days. 
Begins filming is on its way in Chicago right now, this is from BoF: [...] they are shooting in Waukegan on a stretch of highway that he said begins nowhere and ends nowhere and it is all going to be shut down. I am going to try to get some pics for you as Waukegan is far up the lake more by Evanston. The other place they are shooting (and I think I gave this to you before) is Lower Wacker Drive. They at night are going to be shutting it down between Michigan and Harrison the first week of August. After the Chicago shoot the production will return to England, Middlesex near at the Shepperton Studios. Further site-updates: Batman Begins Photos, Begins Facts (int'l release dates) and new Begins Trivia. June 17, 2004 Short update: Batmobile Unveiled video clip UGO has a video clip from the Toy Fair New York showing the presentation of the new Batmobile. Stay tuned for more updates from now on, sorry there have been so few on cn.net in the last time... May 3, 2004 Official Batman Photos, Setphotos & New Batman Fanart Warner Bros. has finally released the first pictures of Christian Bale in the Batsuit which can be seen at the official website. Over at BoF you can see what the Bat-symbol on the suit will look like. There is also a lot of new Batman Begins fan-art (Thanks to all the many contributers!): 
April 24, 2004 Batman Begins Bale & Nolan Interviews Filmrotation has some excerpts from TV & Radio interviews with Christian Bale and Christopher Nolan which were allegedly aired on British television and radio (Thanks to Hank!): Bale: "We're making a film based on a much loved graphic novel. I think to use the term 'comic book' really under values the source material! [...] It is a cross between Serpico and The French Connection mixed with a really fucking cool samurai, kung fu movie, and there's like some really strong 70s conspiracy movie vibes in their too! It is definitely not a Batman that you've seen on screen before. Chris Nolan stated that photos leaked of Bale "in costume" would have to be fakes, seeing as the ones that are out there show a costume similar to the style of previous movies -- and he confirmed that the batsuit for Batman Begins is "fresh, unseen by an audience and really just Batman in his experimental, early stage!" April 23, 2004 Batman Begins Set Photos SuperheroHype has got a bunch of photos the set at the National Institute for Medical Research. On these photos you can see what will be the "Arkham Asylum". Thanks once again to MedicalMogul! 
April 17, 2004 Batman Begins Cast Addition & Fanart This comes from Leyland Today (thanks to the Medical Mogul! Attention: possible minor spoiler ahead): A Leyland martial arts expert turned movie star is set to appear on the silver screen after filming the new Batman movie. Mark Strange, who has been practicing martial arts for 20 years, has spent the last few weeks working on the new Batman Begins film at Shepperton Studios in Middlesex, taking the role of a Shadow Fighter. He said: "Working on the Batman film was a great experience and I made plenty of great contacts while I was working. "I was in the role of a Shadow Warrior, part of an elite team sent to combat Batman, who is played by Christian Bale. "I really enjoy working on the movies and hope to be involved in quite a few new projects in the future." 
Batman on Film has some sketches which are apparently very close to what the Batsuit will look like. Click only if you are sure you want to know... This fan-art by Michael Kornstein comes also very close. You can find more new posters and sketches here (Thanks to all the contributers: Michael, Mark, Paul, Michael & Bruce.) 
April 8, 2004 New Batman Begins Fanart I have uploaded some new contributions to the fan art section. Teaser posters, a DVD cover, a Batsuit design... Many thanks to Ted, Dave, Paul, Jeff and M.Ali! I also made some corrections to the Batman Begins Cast & Crew page (thanks to fox from the forum)
April 5, 2004 First pictures of Christian Bale and Chris Nolan at the Batman Begins set The Z review has posted a bunch of pictures from the set at a restaurant at Canary Wharf. Christian Bale can be seen as Bruce Wayne getting out of/into a car with two gorgeous babes - and there is even one picture with Chris Nolan... (Thanks to the MedicalMogul for the hint.) 
April 2, 2004 Batman Begins News There have been a couple of additions to the cast including Tom Wilkinson as a Gotham crime-boss. Take a look at it at the Cast & Crew page (there is also a little bit Christian Bale said about his character there) In the meanwhile Rutger Hauer has made another addition to his diary including some words about the Batman Begins shoot and working with Chris Nolan: 
"All week the hours were spent in the excited "acting the part" fashion last few days. The cameo has a good solid structure but lacks character and I was able to drift to a horizon I saw in the back of my head because the director pushed me to explore and go there. Which is always exciting & scary. Exciting because you are allowd to go there and scary because your are not that secure. I found the "key" to my position/part at the end of the second day. That is so great as well. It's one of the things I enjoy with vigour. "The key" is all you need, after that it is about balance and refinement. Big,sensational grand sets. Moody, art deco, impressive. "Art department worked miracles for the great visual richness. Had some smirkyness going with Christian Bale. We have one big problem that occurs. Noise. It interferes. It seems to be coming from a natural cause and I'm not talking about rain/hail/or broken limbs. We are inside. On the studio sound stage in Shepperton. It's a beautiful day outside. About to become spring here. That's what it is. We'd try shooting with the noise but the sound department has problems. It's too loud. Seems to come from high up somewhere. Stage-hands climb up to the ceiling, between cables, lights and set-pieces. I turns out that way above us, under the same roof, pigeons are having a little foreplay. This can stretch into days as thousands of dollars keep "flying" away. One of the boys figures that a blast of the loud heaters may bring a momentary halt in "loverslane". At least long enough to get a few takes! We try and finally we get what we need in the can. The pigeons may have heard the producers prayers."
According to HSX, Batman Begins will now open on June 17, 2005 and not on July 1st as originally thought. Also, be sure to check out the new fan-art (thanks to Alex, Shawn & Mike and also to everyone who sent in news, its really appreciated). 
March 23, 2004 Rutger Hauer in Batman Begins? Well, there is a post from Rutger Hauer in his official guestbook. He mentions that he will do a cameo for Batman Begins. It has been confirmed by a long-time reader that this was definitely Rutger Hauer who posted this message. And remember: Chris Nolan is a big Blade Runner fan, so it would make sense if he tried to get "Roy Batty" for his film. This is the relevant part of the message in the guestbook: Could i fly over to London quickly to meet a director who might or might not offer me the job.It took a while to get the higly secretive script under my eyballs.It read great.I flew.And got the job from a very nice & young director.The project here is called:THE ITIMIDATION GAME."On the above site you'll find more.Great cast.Innovative script.Reinventing a character who's hald man/half bat.Sound famliar.Good.That's it.My cameo is intense and needs some more wit/grit/humanity.Not unlike trump/gates but hope top secure some whizzzbits. Nonetheless, take this all with a grain of salt until there is some official confirmation for this... (Many thanks to Dan!) And don't forget to send me your questions for the Larry Holden interview! 
March 21, 2004 Batman Begins roundup part 2 - fan art Well, just take a look at these pictures: it's fan-created teaser posters and more. You can find all the new images at the Batman Begins fan-art section. Thanks for the contributions to Jas, Barney, Rizwan & Ricardo! March 19, 2004 Batman Begins news roundup part 1 - shooting info Now, finally a sum-up of the latest Batman news. I am going to do this step-by-step over the next couple of days. For today I will concentrate on all the news concerning the current filming process (latest news on top): 
Shooting in London has begun and according to this page the Batmobile was filmed racing around ExCel. Filming will also take place at the Canada-Square restaurant Plateau over a weekend in March or April for a hotel restaurant scene starring Bale and Katie Holmes. This is Essex reports that "Hollywood moguls are going batty for South Essex. Movie giant Warner Bros. has selected East Tilbury as a key location for the next multi million pound blockbuster 'Batman' film. Today engineers are busy transforming the 140 year old Coalhouse Fort into a ninja's secret lair." A scooper from BoF reports on current filming (March, 13): "Just to confirm that filming at Canary Wharf has begun. I have a friend down in London who lives ten minutes from where they're filming, and has told me that you can't even get close to the site, since it's being filmed on private land and is off limits. He doesn't know exactly what they're doing down there, but the site is extremely busy. I don't know if you know this, but Michael Caine apparently has an apartment in this area too, which is convenient, since he's playing a certain Mr Pennyworth." By the way, if you would like to be a part of Batman Begins you could try your luck as an extra for the London shoot (apply until May, 3 - good luck).  Set report from Iceland (from darkhorizons.com) "Day 1 - They've set up about ten small huts and apparently it's supposed to be a village in Tibet, with more huts to be added by CGI. Yesterday Batman and someone were fighting with swords on the glacier. Tomorrow a magnificent scene will be filmed with Batman and the bad guy fighting while crashing down a steep hill toward a very high cliff. Of course this will be done with some elaborate wire work". Day 2 - Liam Neeson has been spotted, he is sporting an Asian looking mustache with a one inch gap in the mustache under his nose. Also Christian Bale has a "one month beard". As far as I know he has not yet begun wearing the batsuit. He is wearing some leather clothes with a string belt. In one scene Christian Bale was being carried over the shoulder by someone. The buzz is that this is supposed to be the beginning of the movie. Oh and there is an buddist looking temple also" March 06, 2004 Batman Begins script review IGN has a very positive three-page script review of Batman Begins, containing only very minor spoilers: [...] There are two main reasons why Batman Begins is such a vast improvement over the Batman films that have come before. First, Bruce Wayne is actually the protagonist this time! He drives the narrative forward; it's all about him. The supporting characters, villains included, are there to serve his story not vice-versa. Bruce's transformation into Batman not only covers the nuts-and-bolts aspect of his origin (the physical training, etc.) but it also forces Bruce (and the audience) to ponder the ethical implications of what he's after. [...] Read the complete script review at IGN. March 04, 2004 
Batman: title / new cast members / official synopsis I already changed the title of the Batman pages on this site a while ago to what will be the films final title: Batman Begins. Indeed a nice choice to strengthen the fact that this film is a new beginning for the franchise. There had been rumors that Larry Holden ("Jimmy" from Memento - visit his site at http://www.holdenautomotive.com) would have a part in Batman Begins. At last he finally has a part in the film; he is going to be District Attorney Fisk (and as BoF states Harvey Dent will most probably not be in the film). In the meanwhile there has been another great casting choice: Gary Oldman has been cast as Lieutenant Jim Gordon as IGN found out. 
The reports on when filming will begin are contradictory. Some sources say that filming has already begun in Iceland others say it will start on March 16th... There has also been a press release from Warner Bros. containing a cast list and a very short synopsis of the film: Batman Begins," director Christopher Nolan's highly anticipated film, has commenced production in Iceland, with Gary Oldman joining the all-star cast. The announcement was made today by Jeff Robinov, President of Production, Warner Bros. Pictures. In "Batman Begins," Oldman will play Lieutenant James Gordon, a detective on the Gotham police force. The film stars Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman; Michael Caine as his trusted butler Alfred; Katie Holmes as Rachel, a childhood friend of Wayne's; Liam Neeson as Wayne's mentor, Henri Ducard; Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox, a former board member and sidelined employee of Wayne Enterprises; and Ken Watanabe as the villainous Ra's Al Ghul. Directed by Christopher Nolan from a screenplay by David Goyer and Christopher Nolan, "Batman Begins" is produced by Emma Thomas, Charles Roven and Larry Franco. The executive producers are Ben Melniker and Michael Uslan. The film is based on characters created by Bob Kane and published by DC Comics. 
"Batman Begins" is scheduled to film in Iceland, London and Chicago. The film, which explores the origins of the Batman legend and the Dark Knight's emergence as a force for good in Gotham, will be released worldwide in Summer 2005 by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company. There is also some new Batman fanart available (thanks to Shaun and David for these, and to Medical Mogul & MLRJR16 for sending in the news!) 
February 25, 2004 Batman: WB Press Release / Goyer Interview / Fanart This is from an official Warner Bros. press release: Oscar-nominated actor Ken Watanabe has joined the cast of director Christopher Nolan's highly anticipated film about the origins of the Batman legend. The announcement was made today by Jeff Robinov, President of Production, Warner Bros. Pictures. Watanabe, who is nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance in "The Last Samurai," will play the villainous Ra's Al Ghul, alongside stars Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman; Michael Caine as his trusted butler Alfred; Katie Holmes as a childhood friend of Wayne's; Liam Neeson as Wayne's mentor, Henri Ducard; and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox, a former board member and sidelined employee of Wayne Enterprises. Directed by Christopher Nolan from a screenplay by David Goyer, the film is produced by Emma Thomas, Charles Roven and Larry Franco. The executive producers are Ben Melniker and Michael Uslan. The project is scheduled to start production in London in March. The film, which explores the origins of the Batman legend and the Dark Knight's emergence as a force for good in Gotham, will be released worldwide in 2005 by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company. Ain't it cool news has a long interview with David Goyer (Part 1, Part 2). Here is just a little excerpt: We were torn between Bale and Jake Gyllenhaal, because we wanted to go in a different direction. But I think Bale at the end… I loved Jake, but Bale just seemed the right way. Knowing the story that we’re telling… it’s hard for everyone else because they don’t know the story that we’re telling, but it ultimately was the right way to go. And Michael Caine… I was just freaking out when we got Michael Caine. And all of the other casting has been… you know, I had a very schizophrenic experience on the project, because I was a professional doing a job crafting, sort of reinventing Batman with Chris, being very aware of how fucked up the previous movies were. And being very conscious of the fact that we didn’t want to let the fans down. But at the same time, I was like a fan going, “Holy shit, I can’t believe they’re going to let us do this.” 
[...] There were parts of the first and second films that I liked, but it was not, taking nothing away from Burton, there’s never been Batman on film or t.v. that would be the Batman that I wanted. Except for the movie that we’re doing. That’s the Batman I want. Batman on Film - which has been a reliable source so far - speculates that Guy Pearce may star as Harvey Dent, if he wants to do it. And, last but not least there is a new very nice Batman manipulation image by Jesse Kwe. Thanks! 
February 24, 2004 Batman Casting: Watanabe as Al Ghul? / Bale Interview "Ken Watanabe revealed that he is up for one of two roles in the next 'Batman' film, one a major villain," writes USA TODAY in a report about the Screen Actors Guild Awards. The "Last Samurai" star will be probably play Ra's Al Ghul although there has been no official confirmation concerning for which role Watanabe is up. Dennis Quaid is apparently "close" to being signed for the part of Jim Gordon, the Gotham City beat cop that will one day become police Commissioner. Gordon has an important role to play in the picture. One might even say that fate will deal him -- and subsequently the Dark Knight -- a card that sets the course for their future and that of Gotham City. Also note worthy is the fact that - according to BOF the role of a young, pre-Two-Face Harvey Dent is in the script and at present is being cast. Two names being tossed around for that role are both known for working with Chris Nolan.....Guy Pearce (who was once himself touted as being the Dark Knight) and Larry Holden. Christian Bale has spoken about Batman in an interview with the German magazine Bunte (Audio Stream): 
"I think Batman is probably more aggressive than most everybody I've ever played, you know. I wanted to take it, because, firstly, when I heard that there was a consideration of doing more of the movies, I just felt like I hadn't been quite satisfied with what I'd seen in the other movies. Certainly in the last two. And it seemed as though there was actually a real character here, that it wasn't just a bland kind of superhero, one-dimensional. With him there really was an interesting character to be played. I loved the kind of fantastical notion of the superhero, but at the same time being able to bring a psychologically interesting element to that. And then Chris Nolan is directing who, you know, is not a director I would have expected to do this movie. So that was ideal to me, I liked the fact that the people hiring Chris, hiring myself, were going with people who did want to reinvent the story and have it not just be a continuation." There is also talk about a changing the title of the project to Batman Begins (batman-begins.com has been registered by producer Emma Thomas). 
February 20, 2004 Batman Casting update: Neeson not Ra's Today Variety issued a correction regarding their BATMAN casting article from yesterday. Neeson isn't playing a Ra's al Ghul he isn't playing a bad guy at all; instead, the Irish actor has been cast as Henri Ducard, a French investigator who trains Bruce in the art of Man hunting amongst his travels to become Batman. That once again leaves the role of Ghul open... (Thanks again to Vash99!) February 19, 2004 Another Batman: Intimidation news roundup I'm sorry for the few updates in the last weeks but I just returned from the Berlin International Film Festival and was too busy enjoying the atmosphere and meeting interesting people (unfortunately I missed Christian Bale who attended a screening of The Machinist with Q&A to ask him about Batman). Anyway, onto the news: Today Variety confirmed that Liam Neeson as well as Morgan Freeman will join the Batman cast. While Freeman will play Lucius Fox, a respected businessman and the CEO of billionaire Bruce Wayne's mega-conglom, based in Gotham City, Liam Neeson will star as the villain, Ra's al Ghul, a wealthy international terrorist. Filming will begin February 25th in Iceland for about 10 days. There are also some new Batman Fan-posters. Thanks for sending in news and images to Mickey, Alan, Mike & Vash99! February 4, 2004 Batman: Intimidation Script Review Latino Review has a nice script review which has only some small spoilers and goes until about the middle of the film/script. (Thanks once again to Stefano!) January 23, 2004 Batman: Intimidation news roundup First of all, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter Michael Uslan (executive produced all of the "Batman" movies for Warner Bros.) confirmed that the title of the upcoming film will be Batman: Intimidation (and not Intimidation Game). Batman casting: Morgan Freeman & Laurence Fishburn both have been rumored for the small, but important role of Waynecorp exec Lucius Fox. Filming locations: Dark Horizons reports that U.K. Filming will include 6 days of shooting in London--which will double for Gotham. Plot Details (WARNING! contains possible spoilers!): a scooper for Dark Horizons has read the script and offers massive details: * All the characters mentioned so far are in it - Bruce Wayne/Batman, Alfred, Jim Gordon, DA asst. prosecutor Rachel, Jonathan Crane, and Ra's Al Ghul.
January 7, 2004 Batman: Intimidation shooting in Iceland (story including possible spoilers) Hope everybody of you had a good start in the new year. On to the news: As a scooper for Superherohype reported that filming will take place for two weeks in Iceland in the near future. An Icelandic production company "Saga Film" is already making preparations so it can't be long until the whole crew get here. Later on, a little bit about what will be filmed there was revealed, but beware of spoilers: Batman, played by Christian Bale, will be fighting on ice with Ra's Al Ghul's #1 pupil (who that is, you'll have to figure out). They won't be fighting for real, however, as it is more of a training exercise. We're also told by our source that Batman: Intimidation is a cross between Year One and Year Two and that it's interwoven very creatively. So start thinking about which characters appeared in each and you might get an idea. The film is also said to be very story-driven. Of course you want to hear about the costume. Let's just say that the costume concept the production is using is awesome! Just wait and see... December 31, 2003 Batman Casting / Website News A scooper for LatinoReview reported some news which came apparently from Chris Nolan's former manager at the UTA. There's two villains. There's one love interest. There's a young Comm. Gordon. There's a young Harvey Dent. The cast are Christian Bale [Batman], Michael Caine [Alfred], Judson Caspian [Viggo Mortensen], Cillian Murphy [Harvey Dent], Katie Holmes [Rachel Caspian], Chris Cooper [Gordon], Elle Fanning [Barbara], Noah Emmerich, as of 11/29/03 They apparently are still finalising the two main villain roles, but everyone from Robert De Niro to Dennis Quaid has tried out, and they should have their man-times two, in a week or two. (Thanks to Eloy for the heads-up!) In other news SuperHeroHype reported that WB has registered some new batman domains confirming the Batman: Intimidation title (these are BatmanIntimidation.net, Batman-Intimidation.com and Batman-Intimidation.net.) December 27, 2003 Cillian Murphy / Batman Crew Additions Well there hasn't been much to report over the last days... Most importantly it has been confirmed that Cillian Murphy (28 Days Later) will have a part in Batman although it remains unclear as which villain he will star. There have also been some additions to the crew (discovered by LatinoReview). So, happy holidays to you all - see you in the next year...! December 12, 2003 Lots of Bat-news I am sorry that I couldn't keep this site quite up do date in the last days. I was busy filming a documentary on the Turkish musician DJ Arkin Allen/Mercan Dede and will direct a short film in the next week. I hope I can dedicate more time again to this site in the next year. But now onto the news: There have been a lot of casting rumors in the last couple of days, the most believable for me seems to be about Katie Holmes being cast as 'Rachel' (a possible Bruce Wayne love interest?). Variety reported that: "while Nolan considered many young actresses to play Batman's love interest Rachel, Holmes is the only actress who will do a screen test. It is considered likely that a deal will follow shortly after." There were also a couple of rumors about Viggo Mortensen and Cillian Murphy getting cast as villains (I have summed up all these rumors at Batman Cast & Crew). Michael Caine has given some interviews on Batman you can find some excerpts at Batman Quotes or read the full interviews here (About.com) and here (chud). I also started to collect assorted Batman facts and there is also some new fan-art (thanks to Arief Leuvenardi). November 25, 2003 Michael Caine cast as Alfred  Variety reports that British actor Sir Michael Caine (who most recently starred in The Quiet American) has officially been cast as Alfred. This is an interesting choice regarding that Caine is 70 years old and some recent reports claimed that the studio was looking for someone a little younger. In the meanwhile Batman on Film mentioned the rumor of Daniel Day-Lewis being associated with Ra's Al Ghul... November 23, 2003 Batman:IG - Restart or sequel? A source from BoF reports that Batman: Intimidation Game might just not be the big restart of the franchise it seemed to be a while a go (there were also recent rumors about Pat Hingle and Michael Gough returning as Gordon and Alfred repectively): I don't know about Gough and Hingle returning for this film--I wouldn't put too much stock into that one. But I wouldn't be shocked if they did return....Remember when I told you that this film wouldn't scream restart? That is looking more and more the case. If people want to go view this film as a sequel, they can. If they want to go watch the movie and believe that they are seeing a restart, they can do that as well. The film is going to look different than the previous four, no doubt. But it is my opinion that fans will be able to view this either way. There won't be a big disclaimer at the beginning saying "This is a restart" or "This is a sequel." It's just going to be Nolan's BATMAN film. November 20, 2003 The Batman villains: A cameo for the Scarecrow? The news come from a scooper for Cinescape that although Ra's Al Ghul will be the main villain in Batman: Intimidation Game there will be probably be a short appearance by The Scarecrow, maybe portrait by British Christopher Eccleston who was most recently seen in Danny Boyle's post-apocalyptic zombie movie 28 Days Later as Major West.. [...] the idea is to introduce the Scarecrow early in the film to show audiences that this Batmanmovie is different than its predecessors; namely, that it's darker and scarier, and that the rogues that Batman face in Nolan's vision of Gotham City are far more dangerous than the ones seen in Joel Schumacher's Batman movies. [...] the idea is to show the Scarecrow terrorizing Gotham so Nolan's version of Batman (played by Christopher Bale) can be introduced. After bringing down Scarecrow the plot would then move on to Batman having to leave Gotham City, possibly as a result of the actions of this opening segment, and travelling to London where al Ghul is located. There the majority of the film's story takes place. The part is small and isn't like the previous three Batman films which have seen the Dark Knight face two villains throughout the picture. There may be a possibility that Scarecrow could return in a future Batman movie but for now it's meant to be a one-time appearance and that's all. The production is also looking to cast the role of R'as al Ghul sooner rather than later and have been considering actors from around the world. [...] the talk is "of people like a younger Anthony Hopkins-type". November 19, 2003 Costume Designer Lindy Hemming officially on Batman According to Latino Review Lindy Hemming is now officially hired for Batman: Intimidation Game. The Welsh-born costume designer attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, studying stage management and design. In 1983, Hemming began working in feature films for directors Richard Eyre (Loose Connections, Laughterhouse) and Mike Leigh (Meantime, High Hopes, Life is Sweet and Naked). In 1985, she worked on Stephen Frear’s highly acclaimed My Beautiful Launderette and on 84 Charing Cross Road. In 1999 she won the Academy Award for the costume design for the Mike Leigh film Topsy-Turvy. Other credits include the recent films of the Bond franchise, the Tomb Raider films and the second Harry Potter movie. There is an interview with Lindy Hemming available over at DVDTimes. November 10, 2003 No Egghead in Batman According to a BoF site reader pro-wrestler Edge, who was rumored to act in Batman as Egghead, denied that rumor in an online chat session. November 5, 2003 Studio confirmation of Batman Intimidation Game / A wrestler in Batman? Now first of all, the official website of the Shepperton Studios lists "Intimidation Game" as being "in pre-production, shooting, in production or post production at Shepperton Studios". In other news ProWreslting.com writes in an article that a wrestler called Edge is "rumored to be playing 'Egghead', a villain in the upcoming 'Batman: Intimidation Game'". I suspect - no - I hope this turns out to be not more then a silly rumor. (Thanks anyway to "bransunwolf" for the heads-up!) November 1, 2003 Batman casting news: Morgan Freeman? Anthony Hopkins? While the news is that Warner Bros wont probably release any official casting news untill the year. A scooper for AICN send in some inofficial ones: "[...] the producers are looking at a few high level actors for a few of the supporting roles. It looks like they are focused on Morgan Freeman for a "Dr./Scientist" role. What this role is, I don't know for sure...but it's possibly one of the main villian roles. And get this.....they are considering Anthony Hopkins for "Alfred". [...]" Now these two names sound really nice and Harry from AICN says that this is a very reliable source - but of course nothing has been decided yet. For the omnious Dr. role - Jett from BoF assumes that this would be indeed the Scarecrow...  I also added some Batman fan-art and the BBC caricature above. Again I am sorry that the updates to this site are a little rare these days... September 27, 2003 Various Batman News Various additional crew members have been confirmed to be on board in the last couple of days: First of all Nolan-regular Director of Photography Wally Pfister and Lindy Hemming as costume designer. According to BoF "one of Nolan's mandates was the end of the "rubber-armour" Bat-suit". As further casting might be right ahead (or is even done right now) Kurt Russels name has been rumored quite a lot as a potential canidate for the role of Gordon 
September 16, 2003 More Fan Art Thanks to Matt Peck who send this poster in. As I mentioned before I am not sure when I will be able to do the next update... So long, Johannes September 14, 2003 Fan Bat-Poster & some personal notes 
In one of these emails I received over the last days there was a beautifully designed fan poster for Batman 5 made by Bruno Vergauwen (click on the thumbnail to the right for a bigger version). I'm sorry I couldn't respond to every single email in the last couple of days (but I try to catch up with these)... Well, to make a long story short: beginning from next Tuesday I will go to Istanbul, Turkey for at least three months to do an internship with a German-Turkish film director. As I do not know yet how often I will be able to access the internet, I just want to let you all know that there probably won't be that frequent updates to this site until the next year. Thanks for all the support so far. Take care and don't stop sending in your emails, Johannes 
September 11, 2003 Christian Bale is Batman "What I see in Christian is the ultimate embodiment of Bruce Wayne. He has exactly the balance of darkness and light that we were looking for." That's what Chris Nolan said, when the announcement was made today by Jeff Robinov, President of production for Warner Bros. Pictures: "Now that we've found the best person to play Batman, we are really looking forward to moving ahead with the rest of our casting, and are excited about the exceptional group we are assembling." (Thanks to all the people who cared to nofify me; thanks to John, Wildfire06, Jamie & Eloy and also to David!). According to Harry Knowles from AICN "Ras Al Ghul will definitely be a villain in the film, though there may be a possibility of a small part to be played by the Scarecrow." September 7, 2003 Various Batman News A scooper for AICN reported from the sets that are being build in Shepperton village, England: "[...] sets are being constructed including a giant lair in the shape of a spiders web. [...] There is also supposed to be a few of the sets with a strong egyptian theme but he was fuzzy on the detials as they are only head height in order to make room for the remainder of them to be computer generated." Now Harry from AICN began spaculating that now Ra's Al Ghul will be the films villan, but as my source Wildfire06 reports: Regarding the villains, I can almost confirm, 99.9% that the villain IS Scarecrow, and the sets in question are being created for the feargas induced nightmares/hallucinations. One of Batman on Film's sources also confirmed this. More about the casting came from Dark Horizons: "One of the workshops at Shepperton has 'Dark Knight Films' on the sign. [...] Its expected to begin production in Feb 2004 with either Christian Bale, Josh Hartnett or Cillian Murphy from '28 Days Later'. Murphy seems the most likely to get it as Hartnett doesn't seem to be interested and Bale is stalling because if he takes on Batman he knows he can kiss goodbye to a future chance at the Bond role. Whilst all this talk is running rampant about the hero, a piece out of left field came today about the villain - 'Kate' went to see Russell Crowe's band '30 Odd Foot of Grunts' when they were recently on tour and Crowe apparently mentioned he's been offered a "damn bad guy role thing that the guy from Memento's doing". Could he be referring to this?." ...while my source Wildfire06 said about the casting that... "[...] I hear that virtually all of the actors who tested did extremely well, and Nolan is confident. So that's good news for the Bat-fans out there." Then from Latino Review there were a couple of assorted tidbits conercing Batman (Thanks to TRI4YQ!): 1- The title is 'Intimidation Game'. Thats it for now! September 3, 2003 - II Preproduction title: Batman: Intimidation ? In an article from aicn a scooper reports that some test work is being done on "a" Batman film at Shepperton Studios under the name of Batman: Intimidation. I am working at Shepperton Studios in England and staff from other productions are all talking about a new Batman movie gearing up for production here. They are calling it Batman: Intimidation, apparently they are doing test shots at the moment. A colleague knows someone on the production and I shall get the name of the director... I did a little research and discovered that batman-intimidation.net & .com are indeed registered to Warner Bros. AICN also confirms this story and the title of the film as well: They've begun crewing up there with special effects guys, set designer and modelmakers... and the riggers and carpenters are lined up with the start of the main bulk of construction beginning around the start of October. The Art Department has been going at full swing for quite a bit now and they've been working on "quite extensive concepts" that have been shared only with personel that "need to know." Batman on Film reports that one of their very reliable sources says that "there may in fact be some validity" to this report and also mentions that The Scarecrow will be the villain for this film while it may be prove to be true that Goyer's script may have certain elements from The Frightening script. September 3, 2003 A potential Batman actors list surfaces According to Hollywood Reporter there is a short list of actors that Nolan will apparently test in the next 3 days (according to aintitcool.com). These actors are:
Eion Bailey (Band of Brothers, Seven and a Match) Also notice which names are not listed. No Kutcher, no Pearce, no Ledger... Check an article at Aintitcool for an in depth discussion of these actors a possible Batman. 
August 22, 2003 Batman casting: Hugh Dancy - Signed, Sealed, and Delivered? I just returned from my vacation and was happy to find an email by Wildfire06 in my Inbox concerning the Batman casting. This is Wildfire06. I have reported to you before, and hopefully my validity was proven by my accuracy. Anyways, on to the news: 1) Dark Horizon's has reported that Hugh Dancy (An English Actor of Age 28, hailing from Staffordshire, England) is in talks to play BATMAN. I can confirm that this is not only accurate, but he is almost and I quote: "Signed, Sealed, and Delivered"...... 2) Of course, as I indicated to you in my last report, Kutcher will NOT, I repeat, will NOT be BATMAN, nor will any other major name in Hollywood. Nolan of course (As again I mentioned before) Has had until the end of Summer to find his "Kutcher Killer", and he has. His name IS Hugh Dancy. This is Nolan's number one guy for the role. If it falls through, I hear Nolan still has the infamous list of over 20 names of unknowns he wants to screen test if this situation does not play out as expected. I am actually quite surprised this info was leaked as fast as it was. Someone has ALOT of balls to leak that that quickly. Hopefully, whoever it is knows who they are dealing with, and hopefully this won't cause a certain Production/Distribution company to suddenly make casting changes. Since it's already out there, I might as well mention it. So, for all of the Bat fans, look this guy up, he'll probably be the Bat. Also, in case you were wondering, Superman will be almost definitely be played by Matthew Bomer (A fan favorite from I what I can tell). WILDFIRE06 I have to admit that Hugh Dancy is not a name that I heard before (which might be a good thing) and I had to look up the info on him. The 28 year old actor starred most noticeably in the romance "The Sleeping Dictionary" and had a supporting role in "Black Hawk Down". For more about him check out his unofficial website at www.hughdancyonline.com. July 30, 2003 Nolan on Batman In an interview with Metro Chris Nolan talked a little about Batman although he couldn't say much because "it's absolutely, excruciatingly top secret." "How is Batman coming along?" "Fantastic. I'm having the time of my life." "What stage are you at?" "Very early stages, which is where it's tremendous fun. I'm getting to watch my vision of the world of Batman. To do that and get paid for it is brilliant." "Can you pitch your vision to me?" "Er, bloody marvellous? I can't, it's absolutely, excruciatingly top secret." 
July 22, 2003 Pearce is no Batman As you might know there is a new Australian film starring Guy Pearce called "The Hard Word". In an interview with Movie Poop Shoot concerning this film, the interviewer also asked if Guy Pearce was interested in Batman and has talked about it with Chris Nolan: Have you two talked about you possibly trying on that character. Would that hold any interest for you? GP: I don't think so. (laughs) Not in your nature to do a superhero movie? GP: Not at this stage in my life. If I was ever going to do it, Chris Nolan would be the person I would do it with. But no we haven't had any of those discussions. July 17, 2003 Goyer talks about Batman & some Batman insider news In a long article over at Weekly Dig screenwriter David Goyer talks about adapting Comics:  "You can make mistakes being too slavish to the source. You have to change things, collapse certain characters. We got a free pass with Blade. There's less of a burden to adhere to the mythology, since he didn't even have his own comic at the time. But then with Batman there's been TV shows and movies, so in terms of public consciousness the canon was already set. Chris Nolan and I had to meet with [DC President] Paul Levitz and other high-ups, to make sure we didn't break the core rules of the character.” Over at Batman on Film an insider reports in detail about some of the Batman pre-production aspects: Costume-Look for the new bat-rig to be more faithful to the comics, as in not all black. Also, look for the sculpted "rubber" look to go away, a la Spiderman. Batmobile: smaller, sleeker; think dodge viper crossed with a small dragster. "Villain: Scarecrow is the front-runner; he may not be the one, or the only one. There is talk of introducing a NEW villain via the movie! [...] "Whoever gets the nod for both roles is hoped for a 3 picture deal. This will mean a 25-30 something star for each film. THIS ALSO means younger versions of Alfred, Commissioner Gordon, & Harvey Dent, than in the previous films. Alfred will be in his fifties; Commissioner Gordon will be in his forties, & more along the lines of Miller's "YEAR ONE" Gordon. A teen-age Barbara Gordon, Gordon's niece, may make a non-Batgirl cameo. (not Alicia Silverstone's Barbara PENNYWORTH from Batman & Robin). "Logic would dictate that the same treatment would be given to the Flying Grayson's Although all involved say Robin WILL NOT be part of the plot. Harvey Dent WILL NOT be Two-face, solidifying the thought that this is a restart to the franchise. This is significant, as this opens the door for an appearance by The Joker, either in this or future films. Dent will be a contemporary of Wayne's; look for him to be in his mid thirties. Names for the part include Noah Wiley from ER, David Duchovney, & Dougray Scott (also mentioned for Bruce Wayne)! Gordon has no names attached, but agents for Dennis Quaid, Sam Neil, Patrick Swayze (?!) & Dylan McDermott(?!) have all been contacted. WB/Nolan want Gordon to be a significant role in the upcoming franchise. Look for him to be a grizzled, hard as nails cop that begrudgingly befriends Batman."  And in a second statement the souce adds some more information: "Design: this movie is particularly challenging as Batman has a solid "look" in place for both the films AND comics. The challenge here is to make Batman look fresh & different, yet remain faithful to the look of the character. So, to wit, the comments on the costume, Batmobile, etc., are the strongest elements that come to pass, either from us or another designer, will most likely happen. "Casting: as in any conversation, talk will drift to all parts of a subject. The names we got were from WB employees. Any "Fanboy Wishing" is coming from them. As you know, a casting agency will handle the bulk of the casting beyond the leads; to my knowledge there is not one yet in place, and if there is we don't know who it is. It's because of that that suggestions are springing up. It's an open field, & WB staff are as hopeful as anyone to see this movie get made. The names mentioned were mentioned, and that is all. I'm not privy to how these people are signed up. "Ashton Kutcher: our impression was, at first they loved him, now they want him gone. I'm sure you have noticed how much he has been in the news of late. [...] "The McCoughnehay/Bale thing was mentioned, again, as a possible example of this; hence the unofficial title. I know nothing of any actual attempt to contact these actors. Of the possible supporting roles, the impression WAS given that some of these actors would be contacted. But, It also could have just been a list as to who would fit where. "Our biggest impression is that a lot of behind the scenes stuff is going on; meaning, they are evaluating the script. After that, If Nolan is happy, & stays w/ the project, the film will get made." Be sure to check out Batman on Film for a little more information on this (and its of course a reliable source for Batman News in general) July 14, 2003 Short update: Pfister, Julyan and Dorn on Batman? The IMDb has added Batman 5 to their database and lists David Julyan for Original Music, Wally Pfister for Cinematography and Dody Dorn for Editing. This could be just an assumption made by the IMDb people, because all the three have worked with Nolan since Memento. But if it turns out to be true... 
July 7, 2003 Kutcher is out! It seems like I can confirm the latest rumors about Kutcher. As DarkHorizons reports Ashton Kutcher has signed on for two more years of "That 70's Show". This rules him out of doing Batman. (Thanks to Jamie for the heads-up!) Guess we are back where we started - concerning the Batman lead rumors... I'm curious about who will be the next "front runner"... July 6, 2003  Rumors say Kutcher is definitely not Batman This one comes again from Batman on Film - but since Jett from BoF says he hasn't been able to confirm this source the information should be considered strictly as a rumor. Although it seems consistent to the recent bits of information. The source reports that: "Kutcher will NOT be Cast as Bruce Wayne. Nolan want's an unknown, He thinks Kutcher comes with too much baggage (Dude Where's My Car?, That 70's Show). "He thinks Kutchers antics as of late to try and gain publicity nods and attention (dating Demi) is uncalled for and pathetic. "Apparently Nolan told Kutchers camp that he would consider him for the part if he started acting like Mature Hollywood and less like the idiot he plays on That 70's Show. He doesn't think that Kutcher would suit the needs of the BATMAN audience, the way that Clooney/Kilmer did, and even though Nolan wants "Young Hollywood" in the next Batman flick, he said that Kutcher just doesn't fit the part, nor will he ever. "When Nolan told Ashton's camp he needed to be more mature, he didn't mean to grab an older more respected Actress in Hollywood and try to "Date" her. The Demi Moore/Ashton Kutcher "Romance" is a publicity stunt, One which will not score Kutcher the part in the new Batman Flick. "Other Batman News: Al Gough will be the only Original cast member to Return (Gough of course plays the part of Alfred Pennyworth). Christopher Lloyd has been chosen to play the part of the evil villain Dr. Jonathan Crane (AKA "The Scarecrow"). These are the only two cast members attached to the project thus far, and I can guarantee that Ash[t]on Kutchers name will not be included in the credits when the film finally does hit theaters. Collin, who?" Great news for everybody who thought that Ahston wasn't quite right for the part - if this rumor turns out to be true. Again I like that Chris Nolan really seems to have a strong opinion and that he seems able to stand up to the studios preferences for casting the lead. July 2, 2003 A bunch of Batman casting news Mostly confirmations of older rumors though... Dark Horizons reports: "Ashton Kutcher. We all know he is the front runner in the Bat-mix. But he is only the WB's front runner. Nolan does not want Kutcher (at least he is definitely not his first choice), as far as Nolan's first choice; he has a lengthy list of unknowns/semi-established actors that will be screen tested in late Summer. Nolan has until the end of August/early September to find a replacement; and from the buzz around the office, it looks like he will do just that (I think someone mentioned about 20 different names in mind?). As far as Nolan wanting Guy Pearce, I wouldn't hold my breath. I think that was mostly rumor that he was going to pull a "Burton" and cast an actor he recently worked with and has a good relationship with. He's looking in the 25-30 range as far as actors go. (As opposed to 18-22). "Chris Lloyd as Scarecrow. Yes, he has been spotted around the backlots. No, we don't know for sure what for. "Al Gough as Alfred again? You're on the money. He is both Nolan's and WB's first choice, and will most likely get the role, even though the film is a restart of the franchise. (This is just a way to pay homage to the previous films and keep some familiarity with audiences, because almost nobody else from previous films will be cast)." In the meantime Cinescape has put up a nice roundup of all the recent Batman actors rumors. (Thanks for the heads-up to Drew Douglas of the brand-new christophernolan.cjb.net). One of Cinescape's own sources says about the role of Bruce Wayne: "...is still anyone's to grab. Supposedly the decision about who will play the new Batman i[s] contingent on the director and senior WB personnel, which makes sense." June 29, 2003 Batman rumors and Warner Bros' answers... well sort of From E! online comes a report that kind of confirms what was reported here and at BoF last week: So, we called Warner Bros. and asked them if Ashton Kutcher was Batman, and they said, "No." Naturally, we're hearing from everybody else that he is. We also asked if the Batman 5 is about to happen and whether screenwriter David Goyer was, in fact, flying up to Vancouver, British Columbia--where Goyer's shooting Blade 3 this summer--to hang with director Christopher Nolan and talk about preproduction. Again, the answer was, "No." So, we asked the basic "Is the movie shooting in Vancouver?" question. And, as they say, we were "met with static." So, when are these big announcements going to happen? When will we get that splashy pronouncement about the next Batman and the fact that it will likely roll out some time in 2004 or 2005? ('Nuff Said has already pieced this together.) When will it be too late in the summer to start shooting the movie? Our sources report that the script is great, actually, and that everything is smooth sailing, except for the disagreement between the studio and Nolan over the casting of Bruce Wayne. The studio wants Kutcher, Nolan wants Guy Pearce or somebody who could actually play the role. Not always a bad thing. When Sony and Sam Raimi went to war in the Leonardo DiCaprio versus Wes Bentley Spidey fight, we got Tobey Maguire out of the deal, so why not? As long as Kutcher gets punk'd in the equation, we could[n't] care less. To add just another name to the confusion, Batman on Film reports that they have received conflicting reports about Christian Bale (American Psycho, Equilibrium) being attached to the Batman project. While one source says that: "Bale is NOT in the running. His name associated with the role is nothing more than fanboy wishing." the other one "keeps the fire burning" - although I personally think that this is really just another rumor... To tell you something about Guy Pearce, there is an interview with him at the imdb where he was asked what he was doing next. Pearce answered: [Musician] Nick Cave actually has written a film that I may do but we don't know when it's going to happen - it will be September or March. I think he's worked on other screenplays before but this is his first full screenplay. They actually came to me over a year ago. But right now, I plan to just go home to Melbourne and write some more music. Doesn't really sound like he is pretty involved in any way regarding Batman... June 28, 2003 Christopher Lloyd in Batman 5?
While Lloyd would probably make a good counterpart, I advise you that this again is just a rumor - it hasn't even been fully confirmed that The Scarecrow is in the script. An insider mailed me some additional information, but said it would be best to hold them back for a couple of days due to the uncertainty of the current situation. June 26, 2003 - II Site readers comment: The Batman Lead - Ashton is not (yet) Batman by "WildFire06"
Hello, I know I am not one of your main sources, but in the state of turmoil we are in regarding the Batman/Ashton Kutcher situation and the outrage of Batman fans, I felt I had to let someone know the real situation. You are one of the most viewed Nolan sites out there, so I decided to come to you. I check your site frequently and would like to comment on the Ashton Kutcher situation. Ashton is not Batman. He is WB's #1 candidate for the picture, but not Nolan's. Nolan has several unknown/semi-stablished actors in mind and will most likely end up with one of those as a compromise to the Ashton/Guy Pearce situation. Luckily, WB are indeed letting Nolan have a little more control with this project as they are very pleased with his ideas and views for the movie. Notice how WB let Nolan hire his own writer (Goyer due to his comic experience) and have almost complete control. The good thing is, what we see on the screen will most likely be Nolan's true, full vision, without too many compromises, this includes actors. Nobody wants another Superman situation. Batman is now on the fast track my friend, and WB wants it done right to compete with Marvel and bring DC back in a big way. The new DC comics movies are going to be darker and more loyal to the source material then before. They are looking for a mature audience believe it or not, and Batman, the darkest character, is the way to establish it right. And what do you know, Batman-On-Film is already on the right track with their recent report (6/25) on a 2005 Summer release and the fact that there are several names in the running for Batman. We wont know for sure until screen tests are done. If Kutcher has the best test, then he'll be Batman. But right now, he has a long way to go yet. Theres a big obstacle for him to overcome, Nolan. Sure everybody gets along on the project, but that doesnt mean they cant have creative differences. WB hired Nolan for a reason. So again, hold your horses. Kutcher is not Batman and may never be, Nolan will probably go with an unknown as a compromise, unless Kutcher blows everybody away, and while he tested well for Superman, it was just that...decent. June 26, 2003 A 2005 release for Batman / Edward McDonnell as a producer / The Guy Pearce rumor A source from Batman on Film reports: "I feel pretty confident saying that the studio is shooting for a 2005 release for the Chris Nolan 'Batman' film. I'm sure it would get a holiday or summer slot, most likely the latter. Look for pre-production and filming to start in 2004." "Frosteey" from aronofsky.net adds that while Kutcher is indeed a serious contender for the role--perhaps even the front-runner, there are other actors in the mix. He also comments that he has seen a re-run of the Daily Show with Guy Pearce as a guest and says that Pearce did not mention anything regarding the Batman film. And various sources again from BoF report that Edward McDonnell has been choosen to produce Batman the Frightening. Along McDonnell's credits as a producer are Three Kings and Nolan's Insomnia. Greg Silverman has been named as the executive producer for Batman. June 23, 2003 The Batman lead: It's Kutcher then - apparently contrary to Nolan's plans
An insider from DarkHorizons confirms the recent rumors about Kutcher as being cast for the Batman lead and elaborates a bit more on the situation "Christopher Nolan wants Guy Pearce. I think that's about the extent of it. Essentially, the studio has had another 'Ratner' situation on their hands, because the director wants someone, and the studio wants someone else. That someone the studio wants is Ashton Kutcher. Thankfully, it's not as big a deal as the whole Superman thing [which has been madness], because in this place everyone gets along - and from what I hear Kutcher is the new Batman. Done deal." Personally I think that it is a shame that Nolan is not in a position to choose his lead actor - being forced by the studio to work together will probably not help the actor-director relationship. But then, maybe it isn't really such a big deal - just as the so-called insider states. And just to remind you all: Guy Pearce wasn't Nolan's first choice for Memento either - although with this independent film the situation was a little different. The actor Chris Nolan considered first (rumored to have been Alec Baldwin) simply wanted a bigger salary... June 20, 2003 The Batman lead - just another rumor™? First it was "That '70s Show" then "Dude, Where Is My Car?" and "Just Married" and now it will be "Batman"? Yes you heard right I'm talking about Ashton Kutcher. It seems he is the next one to be rumored for the leading role in "The Frightening". Well this could be just another rumor™ - but it would go along with Chris Nolan's intention of casting an "absolute newcomer". While Kutcher is no newcomer per se - regarding dramatic material he probably is. I see a lot of you (including me) raising an eyebrow here. Depending on what I saw of Kutch to date (some 70s episodes and the trailers for the features her starred in) I would think he is a questionable choice for Batman. But you never know. When former Superman director Brett Ratner tested Kutcher for the lead last year, he apparently did well and Ratner came close to casting Kutcher. And keep in mind that Michael Keaton had been considered a comic actor before Batman, too... June 19, 2003 Doodlebug & Cinema16 - and a new old Batman actor rumor Sorry that there have been so few updates in the last time - there have not been many news to announce... So now I have added some information for Nolan's short film Doodlebug and the Cinema16 DVD on which it has been released. I will add more information shortly after. Just found something new to report: The rumor of Guy Pearce to be cast as Batman has been around for quite some time. I always turned that down as the typical rumor that just arose because Pearce starred in Memento and has the stature to play Batman. But now Dark Horizons has the following quote from The Daily Show were Pearce
Guy Pearce: "Chris Nolan seems to think I'd make a good Batman.", Jon Stewart: "When did you turn that down?", Guy Pearce: "I haven't yet". That sounds to me like Chris Nolan has talked with Guy Pearce about Batman, but not directly asked him. Contrary to these news a recent report stated that Nolan would like to go with a newcomer for the role of the caped crusader - but to the mayor audiences Guy Pearce is probably just that (although I doubt that Chris Nolan really meant it that way). June 2, 2003: Batman: Short Actors Update - Nolan to cast an absolute newcomer? Batman on Film reports of some rumors saying that Chris Nolan would like to cast someone real young and unknown for the role of the dark knight. According to BoF Nolan "seems to be looking to go as unknown as humanly possible". May 21, 2003: Heath Ledger in Batman? A guy who reported to aintitcool.com saw Christopher Nolan and Heath Ledger sitting together talking for over 2 hours at the Chateau Marmont Hotel in Los Angeles just recently. This could mean, that Nolan considers to Cast Heat Ledger in the Batman film, probably even as Batman. I have to say that this evokes some mixed feelings for me, although I would not want to judge Heath Ledger, since I did not have the ambition yet to see most of the films he starred in (Knights Tale, 10 Things...). May 19, 2003: Christopher Nolan at the UCLA; news about Batman A couple of days ago Chris Nolan took part on a series called "The Movie That Inspired Me" which is hosted by Curtis Hanson and the UCLA. For an in depth take on the evening click here April 16, 2003: Further confirmation for Batman The Australian website news.com.au mentions in an article that Warner Brothers plans to release the new Batman film around the same time as the new Superman movie - in early 2004. April 4, 2003: It's Batman: The Frightening It seems like Chris Nolan will go with the script for Batman: The Frightening, that got loose all over the net some time ago. The script will be rewritten by Goyer and some mayor parts will be changed but at times Goyer will probably stay close to the original Frightening script. April 1, 2003: Goyer on Batman Variety reports, that Warner Brothers hired David Goyer, writer of Dark City and Blade. He will write an entirely new version of the Caped Crusader based on a take by Christopher Nolan unrelated to non-starters like "Batman vs. Superman" and "Batman: Year One." March 26, 2003: Batman Update Batman On Film has an unconfirmed report that Chris Nolan intends to have the script completed for his Batman film by the end of the summer. Pre-production would then follow. January 28, 2003: Chris Nolan to direct a Batman film? According to an article from Variety Warner Brothers has hired Nolan to direct a Batman film for them.
The Frightening Script The original script for Batman: The Frightening got loose all over the internet some time ago. At first there was much confusion if this was a professional script or a fan project. The latest rumors confirm that it is indeed a legit Warner Brothers project and that it will be used as a basis for the script that David Goyer is writing for Christopher Nolan. Terry Hayes and Rafael Yglesias ("From Hell") were mentioned as the authors of the original version. Comics2Film reported although that Yglesias' representatives denied that their client had worked on or is working on any such project. Script Review If you do not have the time to read the entire script than read this script review from aicn.com of the first draft of the script supposedly by Hayes and Yglesias instead. The first part of the review focuses on aspects such as characters and atmosphere while the second part (spoiler warning) discusses the story of Batman: The Frightening. Download: batman-the_frightening.txt (189kB) |
              
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Over at WB's 
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