[l] Christopher was confident in the casting because discussions between himself and Ledger had demonstrated they shared similar ideas regarding the Joker's portrayal. [218] The film has a score of 84 out of 100 on Metacritic based on 39 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". Based on the DC Comics supervillain of the same name, the Joker is depicted as a psychopathic criminal mastermind with a warped, sadistic sense of humor. [10][66] Eckhart's performance was influenced by the Kennedy family, particularly Robert F. Kennedy, who fought organized crime with a similarly idealistic view of the law. ", "Heath Ledger Golden Globe Nod Boosts Oscar Momentum", "No Joke: Ledger Earns Posthumous Oscar Nod", "The History Of Comic Book Movies at the Oscars", "Everyone Who Has Won A Posthumous Oscar", "Why So Serious? ", "Critics Pick The Best And Worst Films Of 2008", "Dark Knight Honoured in AFI Best-of-year List", "Critics' Choice Movie Awards Winners (Archive)", "The 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards", "British Academy Film Television Award (BAFTA)", British Academy of Film and Television Arts, "Exactly 1 Year After Death, Ledger's Legacy Grows", "Heath Ledger Wins Best Supporting Actor Oscar", "Would Heath Ledger Win If He Were Alive? [123][124] The 127-day shoot concluded on November 15, on time and under budget. ", "Huge Bat-Signals Projected Over NYC + Chicago", "Warner Bros. Moves Against Web Copies Of, "For Movies, A Summer That's Shy On Sequels", "Top Single Day Grosses By Day of the Week", "Top Single Day Non-opening Grosses By Day of the Week (Tuesday)", "Top Single Day Non-opening Grosses By Day of the Week (Wednesday)", "Warner Bros. Entertainment Wraps Record-Breaking Year", "Review: Heath Ledger's Joker Inflames A Despairing, "The Best Films Of 2008 And There Were A Lot Of Them", "Film Critics' Top 10 Lists All Over The Map", "Editor's Picks: The Ten Best Movies Of 2008", "Harry's Picks for the Top Ten Films Of 2008!!! WebBatman Portrayed by: Aaron Eckhart Appearances: The Dark Knight The Dark Knight Rises (archive footage and picture only) "It's not about what I want, it's about what's fair! I was absolutely wrecked. Christopher wanted several Rottweiler dogs in the scene but locating a dog-handler willing to simultaneously manage several dogs was difficult. [aw] In 2011, it also became the first major-studio film to be released for rent via digital distribution on Facebook. [253][254][255] At the 14th Empire Awards, The Dark Knight received awards for Best Film, Best Director (Christopher Nolan), and Best Actor (Bale). The very first live-action version of the Dark Knight came in the 1943 film serial and he was portrayed by Lewis Wilson. [z], Warner Bros. dedicated six months to anti-piracy methods; the film industry lost an estimated $6.1billion to piracy in 2005. Batman and Gordon apprehend the Joker, and Gordon is promoted to commissioner. The world is cruel. [81][94] To avoid attention, filming in Chicago took place under the working title Rory's First Kiss but the production's true nature was quickly uncovered by media publications. Pennyworth burns an undelivered message to Wayne from Rachel, who said she chose Dent, and Fox destroys the invasive surveillance network that helped Batman find the Joker. [35] They wanted to explore the theme of escalation and the idea that Batman's extraordinary efforts to combat common crimes would lead to an opposing escalation by criminals, attracting the Joker, who uses terrorism as a weapon. [108] A former Brach's candy factory on Cicero Avenue scheduled for demolition was used to film the Gotham General Hospital explosion in August 2007. [175][176][184], The Dark Knight broke more records, including for the highest-grossing opening week ($238.6million), and for three-, four-, five-, six-, seven-, eight-, nine-, and ten-day cumulative grosses, including the highest-grossing non-holiday Monday ($24.5million) and non-opening Tuesday ($20.9million, as well as the second-highest-grossing non-opening Wednesday ($18.4million), behind Transformers ($29.1million). [34][36] Goyer and Christopher did not intentionally include real-world parallels to terrorism, the war on terror, and laws enacted to combat terrorists by the United States government because they believed making overtly political statements would detract from the story. Ledger always applied the lipstick himself, believing it was essential to his characterization. [294] A 4K resolution remaster, which was overseen by Christopher, was released in December 2017 as a set containing a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray disc, and digital download, as well as special features from earlier releases. [33][34] Christopher, alongside his wife and longtime producer Emma Thomas, had never worked on a sequel film[35] but he and co-writer David Goyer discussed ideas for a sequel during filming. [310][318] Although the Joker wears disguising makeup, he is not hiding behind a mask and is the same person with or without makeup. [68][69] Maggie Gyllenhaal replaced Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes, as Holmes chose to star in the crime comedy Mad Money (2008) instead. [ao] Zacharek, however, lamented that the performance was not in service of a better film. While the police evacuate hospitals and Gordon struggles to keep Reese alive, the Joker meets with a disillusioned Dent, persuading him to take justice into his own hands and avenge Rachel. The city mourns Dent as a hero, and the police launch a manhunt for Batman. [302], A direct-to-DVD animated film, Batman: Gotham Knight, was released in July 2008. [x], The Dark Knight's marketing campaign was developed by alternate reality game (ARG) development company 42 Entertainment. [bk], The Dark Knight remains popular with entertainment industry professionals, including directors, actors, critics, and stunt actors, being ranked 57th on The Hollywood Reporter's poll of the best films ever made,[357] 18th on Time Out's list of the best action films,[388] and 96th on the BBC's list of the 100 Greatest American Films. Freeze) and Uma Thurman (Poison Ivy) fell [101][112] A scene of Batman surveying the city from a rooftop edge was filmed atop Willis Tower, Chicago's tallest building. The plot follows the vigilante Batman, police lieutenant James Gordon, and district attorney Harvey Dent, who form an alliance to dismantle organized crime in Gotham City. Anthony Ruivivar: The "Southland" star is the latest actor to voice Batman in the newest animated series, "Beware the Batman," which began airing on Cartoon WebThe Joker is a fictional character in Christopher Nolan 's 2008 superhero film The Dark Knight, in which he is portrayed by Heath Ledger. [256] Ledger received the award for Best Villain at the 2009 MTV Movie Awards,[257] and at the 35th Saturn Awards, The Dark Knight won awards for Best Action or Adventure Film, Best Supporting Actor (Ledger), Best Writing (Christopher and Jonathan Nolan), Best Music (Howard and Zimmer), and Best Special Effects (Corbould, Nick Davis, Paul J. Franklin, Timothy Webber). Believing Dent is the hero the city needs and the truth of his corruption will harm Gotham, Batman takes the blame for his death and actions and persuades Gordon to conceal the truth. Dark Knight: Heath Ledger Was Considered To Play Batman When Batman Begins was in its early stages of development, Heath Ledger was considered for the role It was so [v] Christopher said editing the film became "tremendously emotional, right when he passed, having to go back in and look at him every day [during editing] 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". Fair."[321]. The GCPD headquarters was rebuilt in the Farmiloe Building. It earned about $40million combined, making it second to Hancock ($44.8million), which was playing in nearly four times as many countries. [59], Christopher wanted to cast an actor with an all-American "heroic presence" for Harvey Dent, something he likened to Robert Redford but with an undercurrent of anger or darkness. The Memories", "Thor's Cartoon, Stan Lee's Medal And Dick Tracy's Fate All in Everyday Hero Headlines", "A Director Confronts Darkness And Death", "World Exclusive: The Joker Speaks: He's A Cold-blooded Mass-murdering Clown", "Movies: In Stetson or Wig, He's Hard To Pin Down", "Heath Ledger Says His Joker Has 'Zero Empathy', "In Stetson Or Wig, He's Hard To Pin Down", "Movie File: Brad Pitt, Chevy Chase, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Josh Lucas & More", "Mark Ruffalo Discusses His Try-Out For Harvey Dent/Two-Face Role In, "Matt Damon Confirms He Was Up For Two-Face Role In, "Aaron Eckhart Puts On His Best Acting Face", "Dwight Yoakam Pays Tribute to Buck Owens", "Exclusive: David Keighley (Head Of Re-Mastering IMAX) Talks, "First Look: Enter the Joker In The IMAX Format", "Every Major Batman Movie, Ranked According To Budget", "Film: Chicago Journalists Smell A Bat in, "Heath Ledger Really Wanted Christian Bale To Hit Him on the Set Of, "New Batman Movie Completes High Profile Shooting in Hong Kong", "Autopsy Report Says Heath Ledger Death Was Not Suicide", "Making The Cut with the Editor Of 'The Dark Knight,' 'Inception,' 'Dunkirk' And '1917', "Advertising: Will Marketing Change After Star's Death? [af][ag] Rereleases have further raised its box-office take to $1.006billion. "[57] In a November 2007 interview, Ledger said when committing himself to any role, he had difficulty sleeping because he could not relax his mind, and often slept only two hours a night during filming. Their efforts are derailed by the Joker, an anarchistic mastermind who seeks to test how far Batman will go to save the city from chaos. [99] A Randolph Street parking garage is where Batman captures Scarecrow and Batman impersonators. [157] Following Ledger's death, Zimmer considered discarding the theme for a more traditional one but he and Howard believed they should honor Ledger's performance. [be] The film has been referenced in a variety of media including television shows such as Robot Chicken, South Park, and The Simpsons. The vigilante Batman, district attorney Harvey Dent, and police lieutenant Jim Gordon ally to eliminate Gotham's organized crime. Batman races to save Rachel while Gordon and the other officers go after Dent, but they discover the Joker has switched their positions. [al], Ledger's performance received near-unanimous praise with the caveat that his death made the role both highly-anticipated and difficult to watch. Industry professionals considered the campaign innovative and successful. [bm] The "pencil trick" scene, in which Joker makes a pencil disappear by slamming a mobster's head on it, is considered an iconic scene and among the film's most famous. [175][176] The Dark Knight's premiere took place on July 14, in IMAX in New York City. Nezha got his hooks into Batman when Black [318] Although Batman holds to his morals and does not kill the Joker, he is forced to break his code by pushing Dent to his death to save an innocent person. Having deduced Batman's feelings for Rachel, the Joker reveals she and Dent are being held separately in buildings rigged to explode. [ac] It retained the number-one position in its second weekend with a total gross of $75.2million, ahead of the debuting Step Brothers ($31million), giving it the highest-grossing second weekend. [261][270][271] The Dark Knight also won an award for Best Sound Editing (King), and received six nominations for Best Art Direction (Crowley and Peter Lando), Best Cinematography (Pfister), Best Film Editing (Smith), Best Makeup (Caglione Jr. and O'Sullivan), Best Sound Mixing (Hirschberg, Rizzo, and Ed Novick), and Best Visual Effects (Davis, Corbould, Webber, and Franklin). [122], The final nine days of production took place in Hong Kong and included aerial footage from atop the International Finance Centre, as well as filming at Central to Mid-Levels escalator, The Center, Central, The Peninsula Hong Kong, and Queen's Road; and a stunt involving Batman catching an in-flight C-130 aircraft. [2][27] The Dark Knight features several cameo appearances, including Cillian Murphy, who reprises his role as Jonathan Crane / Scarecrow from Batman Begins;[28][29] musical performer Matt Skiba;[30] as well as United States Senator and life-long Batman fan Patrick Leahy, who has appeared in or voiced characters in other Batman media. Shortly after, Gunn confirmed that Ben Affleck - who had previously played the Dark Knight in Zack Snyder's films and was originally going to direct the movie that [61][127] Christopher disputed a report that said a scene of Batman leaping into Victoria Harbour was canceled because of pollution concerns, saying it was a script decision. [261][262][263] Ledger won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, making him only the second performer to win an award posthumously (after Peter Finch in 1977), and The Dark Knight the first comic book adaptation to win an Academy acting award. [258], Before The Dark Knight's release, film industry discourse focused on Ledger potentially earning an Academy Award nomination at the 81st Academy Awards in 2009, making him only the seventh person to be nominated posthumously, and if the decision would be influenced by his passing or performance. [51], Christopher was aware Nicholson's popular portrayal of the Joker would invite comparisons to his version, and wanted an actor who could cope with the associated scrutiny. [150] Prosthetics supervisor Conor O'Sullivan created Joker's scars, which he partly based on a scarred delivery man he met, and used his own technique to create and apply the supple, skin-like prosthesis. Christopher said cameras that could be used on Mount Everest could be used for The Dark Knight, and had cinematographer Wally Pfister and his crew begin training to use the equipment in January 2007 to test its feasibility. Goyer developed an outline for two sequels, but Christopher remained unsure how to continue the Batman Begins narrative while keeping it consistent and relevant, though he was interested in utilizing the Joker in Begins's grounded, realistic style. [179][194][195] The film was playing in fewer than 100 theaters when it received a 300-theater relaunch in late January 2009 to raise its profile during nominations for the 81st Academy Awards. [154][156], Zimmer wanted to use a single note for the Joker's theme; he said, "imagine one note that starts off slightly agitated and then goes to serious aggravation and finally rips your head off at the end". The Dark Knight was the first major motion picture to be filmed with high-resolution IMAX cameras. [au] This change is seen as responsible for the first Best Picture nomination of a comic book adaptation, Black Panther (2018). When Dent ineffectually attempts to torture Joker's henchman, Batman does not condemn the act, only being concerned about public perception if people discover the truth. Ledger's appearance in the prologue was well-received and positively changed the discourse around his casting. The film, however, leaves open the option to dismiss his insights because his chaos ultimately leads to death and injustice. [d] The GCPD cast includes Colin McFarlane as commissioner Gillian B. Loeb, Keith Szarabajka and Ron Dean as detectives Stephens and Wuertz, Monique Gabriela Curnen as rookie detective Anna Ramirez[2][21][22] and Philip Bulcock as Murphy. [117][118], After returning to England in the middle of September, scenes were filmed for the ferry, hospital, and Gotham Prewitt building interiors. [66][147] Hemming designed Joker's overall appearance, which he based on fashion-and-music celebrities to create a modern and trendy look. Scouts spent over a month searching for suitable vessels but were unsuccessful, so construction coordinator Joe Ondrejko and his team built ferry facades atop barges. [2][25][26] Melinda McGraw, Nathan Gamble, and Hannah Gunn portray Gordon's wife Barbara, his son James Jr., and his daughter, respectively. [s][t] For The Dark Knight, Pfister chose to combine the "rust-style" visuals of Batman Begins with the "dusk"-like color scheme of The Prestige (cobalt blues, greens, blacks, and whites), in part to address over-dark scenes in Batman Begins. [w] Christopher said no scenes were deleted because he believed every scene was essential, and that unnecessary material had been cut before filming. "[aj] Others criticized the dark, grim, intense, and self-serious tone as lacking any elements of fun or fantasy. Wayne Enterprises accountant Coleman Reese deduces Batman's identity and attempts to expose it, but the Joker threatens to blow up a hospital unless Reese is killed. The new Joker is played by Irish actor Barry Keoghan, best known for his recent portrayal of Druig in Marvels Eternals. Emanuel Levy and Manohla Dargis praised the depiction of the characters as possessing both positive and negative aspects, such as Batman's efforts to end crime provoking unintended consequences and a greater response from criminals; Dargis believed The Dark Knight's exploration of chaos, fear, and death, following the September 11 attacks in 2001, represented "that American movies have entered a new era of ambivalence when it comes to their heroes or maybe just superness. [277][285][329] Some publications said studios took the wrong lessons from The Dark Knight, treating source material too seriously and mistaking a dark, gritty tone for narrative depth and intelligent writing. Based on the DC Comics superhero, Batman, it is the sequel to Batman Begins (2005) and the second installment in The Dark Knight Trilogy. Christopher had deliberately obscured combat in the previous film because it was intended to portray Batman from the criminals' point of view. [34][148][149] The outfit consists of a purple coat, a green vest, an antique shirt, and a thin, 1960s-style tie that Ledger suggested. Since its release, The Dark Knight has been assessed as one of the greatest superhero films ever made, one of the best films of the 2000s, and one of the best films ever made.