176-657: The Dark Knight is a 2008 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan , from a screenplay co-written with his brother Jonathan . Based on the DC Comics superhero Batman , it is the sequel to Batman Begins (2005), and the second installment in The Dark Knight trilogy . 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 . Their efforts are derailed by
352-555: A nickname for New York City that first became popular in the 19th century; Washington Irving had first attached it to New York in the November 11, 1807, edition of his Salmagundi , a periodical which lampooned New York culture and politics. Irving took the name from the English village of Gotham, Nottinghamshire , which was known for the Wise Men of Gotham story, a legendary incident where
528-466: A ransom note . A U.S.-centric effort involved people recovering cellphones made by Nokia —a brand partner to the film—from a cake, which led to an early screening of the film's bank-heist prologue before its public release in December. Ledger's appearance in the prologue was well-received and positively changed the discourse around his casting. Following Ledger's death, the campaign continued unchanged with
704-472: A sequel , Barb Wire (1996), The Phantom (1996), Black Mask (1996), Chouriki Sentai Ohranger: Ole vs. Kakuranger (1996), Revive! Ultraman (1996), Gekisou Sentai Carranger vs. Ohranger (1997) and Steel (1997). Marvel Comics ' Captain America (1991) did not have a theatrical release , and Roger Corman 's The Fantastic Four (1994) was produced solely for the legal maintenance of
880-529: A Gotham City in 2039, referred to as "Neo-Gotham". Gotham City was first shown in the Arrowverse as part of " Elseworlds ", a 2018 crossover storyline among the shows, which introduced Batwoman , although it had been referred to several times previously. In The Flash episode "Marathon", a map shows Gotham City in place of Chicago, Illinois. Themed lands meant to represent Gotham City have been physically constructed in several different theme parks around
1056-514: A Gotham area resident's hometown as "Gotham Estates, NY ". In the episode "Avatar" , when Bruce Wayne leaves for England, a map shows Gotham City, at the joining of Long Island and the Hudson River. The episode "Fire from Olympus" shows a character's address in a police file indicating that Gotham City is located in New York state. The episode "The Mechanic" , however, implies that Gotham resides in
1232-534: A Norwegian mercenary, before subsequently being taken over by the English; this parallels the history of New York City , which was founded by the Dutch as New Amsterdam before being conquered by England and renamed New York . During the American Revolutionary War , Gotham City was the site of a major battle between American and British forces (paralleling the real-life Battle of Long Island ). This
1408-754: A bank manager, Nydia Rodriguez Terracina as Judge Surrillo, Tom "Tiny" Lister Jr. as a prisoner, Beatrice Rosen as Wayne's Russian ballerina date, and David Dastmalchian as the Joker's paranoid schizophrenic henchman Thomas Schiff. Melinda McGraw , Nathan Gamble , and Hannah Gunn portray Gordon's wife Barbara, his son James Jr. , and his daughter, respectively. The Dark Knight features several cameo appearances from Cillian Murphy , who reprises his role as Jonathan Crane / Scarecrow from Batman Begins ; musical performer Matt Skiba ; as well as United States Senator and Batman fan Patrick Leahy , who has appeared in or voiced characters in other Batman media. Following
1584-580: A cross between 1930s Manhattan and the "Neo-Tokyo" of Akira . Ling cited " neon-ridden Tokyo and the Machine Age as her influences, describing her Gotham as "like a World's Fair on ecstasy ." When Batman is pursuing Two-Face in Batman Forever , the chase ends at Lady Gotham, the fictional equivalent of the Statue of Liberty . During Mr. Freeze's attempt to freeze Gotham in the film Batman & Robin ,
1760-556: A focus on Dent's election, which was influenced by the ongoing 2008 United States presidential election . Warner Bros. was concerned public knowledge of Dent's character was poor; the campaign included signs, stickers, and "Dentmobiles" visiting U.S. cities to raise his profile. The campaign concluded in July with displays of the Bat-Signal in Chicago and New York City that were eventually defaced by
1936-546: A further two months refining it until Christopher had finished directing The Prestige . The pair collaborated on the final script over the next six months during pre-production for The Dark Knight . Jonathan found the "poignant" ending the script's most interesting aspect; it had always depicted Batman fleeing from police but was changed from him leaping across rooftops to escaping on the Batpod , his motorcycle-like vehicle. The dialogue Jonathan considered most important, "you either die
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#17328545543092112-432: A gross of $ 16.4 million, behind the debuting Tropic Thunder ($ 25.8 million). The Dark Knight remained in the top-ten highest-grossing films for ten weeks, and became the film to surpass $ 400 million soonest (18 days) and $ 500 million (45 days). 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
2288-409: A hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain", came late in development. Influenced by films such as The Godfather (1972) and Heat (1995), and maintaining Batman Begins 's tone, their finished script bore more resemblance to a crime drama than a traditional superhero film . Comic-book influences included writer Frank Miller 's 1980s works, which portray characters in
2464-507: A man named Atkins. In the wake of Bane's takeover of the city, a man named Dunch served as mayor, and in the aftermath of the Joker War, anti-vigilante mayoral candidate Christopher Nakano wins election in a landslide. In multiple episodes of the 1960s live-action Batman television series , Batman is seen consulting a transparent lucite map of Gotham, which was actually an inverted map of St. Louis . The live-action TV series Gotham
2640-423: A modern and trendy look. Influence also came from the 1953 painting Study after Velázquez's Portrait of Pope Innocent X by Francis Bacon —suggested by Christopher—and the character's comic-book appearances. The outfit consists of a purple coat, a green vest, an antique shirt, and a thin, 1960s-style tie that Ledger suggested. Prosthetics supervisor Conor O'Sullivan created Joker's scars, which he partly based on
2816-418: A more realistic, slightly burnt, neutral-toned suit. Describing his role as GCPD Lieutenant James Gordon, Oldman said Gordon is the "moral center" of The Dark Knight , an honest and incorruptible character struggling with the limits of his morality. Maggie Gyllenhaal replaced Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes, as Holmes chose to star in the crime comedy Mad Money (2008) instead. Gyllenhaal approached Rachel as
2992-416: A new character and did not reference Holmes's previous performance. Christopher described Rachel as the emotional connection between Wayne and Dent, ultimately serving as a further personal loss to fuel Wayne's character. Gyllenhaal collaborated with Christopher on the character's depiction because she wanted Rachel to be important and meaningful in her relatively minor role. Musician Dwight Yoakam turned down
3168-625: A period of rising living costs and election fatigue in the U.S. Fewer sequels, which generally performed well, were scheduled and only four— The Dark Knight , The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian , The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor , and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull —were predicted to be blockbusters . Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was the only film expected to easily earn over $ 300 million. The Dark Knight
3344-401: A record 4,366 theaters on an estimated 9,200 screens. It earned $ 158.4 million during the weekend, a per-theater average of $ 36,282, breaking Spider-Man 3 ' s record and making it the number-one film ahead of Mamma Mia! ($ 27.8 million) and Hancock ($ 14 million) in its third weekend. It set further records for the highest-grossing single-day ($ 67.2 million on
3520-505: A role as the bank manager or a corrupt police officer because he was recording his album Dwight Sings Buck (2007). Hong Kong actor Edison Chen had a role in the film, but this was mostly cut following his involvement in a sex photo scandal . In October 2006, location scouting for Gotham City took place in the UK in Liverpool , Glasgow , London, and parts of Yorkshire , and in several cities in
3696-425: A scarred delivery man he met, and used his own technique to create and apply the supple, skin-like prosthesis. John Caglione Jr designed Joker's "organic" makeup to look as though it had been worn for days; this idea was partly based on more of Bacon's works. Caglione Jr used a theatrical makeup technique for the application; he instructed Ledger to scrunch up his face so different cracks and textures were created once
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#17328545543093872-519: A scene involving one video because of Ledger's "stunning" performance. The first scene filmed was the bank heist, which was shot in the Old Chicago Main Post Office over five days. It was scheduled early to test the IMAX procedure, allowing it to be refilmed with traditional cameras if needed, and it was intended to be publicly released as part of the marketing campaign. Pfister described it as
4048-470: A scene of Batman leaping into Victoria Harbour was canceled because of pollution concerns, saying it was a script decision. The 127-day shoot concluded on November 15, on time and under budget. Editing was underway in January 2008 when Ledger, aged 28, died from an accidental overdose of a prescription drug. A rumor his commitment to his performance as the Joker had affected his mental state circulated, but this
4224-657: A section themed after Gotham City, including rides based on Batman, the Riddler and the Scarecrow as well as a walk-through attraction called "The Joker's Funhouse." The park and its Gotham City section were designed by Thinkwell Group . DC characters as they appear in both the attractions themselves as well as through live performers feature costumes based on The New 52 comic book relaunch from 2011. The Gotham City section neighbors another section themed after Metropolis , home of Superman . Batman (1989) director Tim Burton wanted
4400-542: A sequel but to convey the diametrically opposed pair were in an endless conflict because they will not kill each other. Describing how his character had evolved from Batman Begins , Christian Bale said Wayne had changed from a young, naive, and angry man seeking purpose to a hero who is burdened by the realization his war against crime is seemingly endless. Because the new Batsuit allowed him to be more agile, Bale did not increase his muscle mass as much as he had for Batman Begins . Christopher had deliberately obscured combat in
4576-609: A sequel film but he and co-writer David Goyer discussed ideas for a sequel during filming. 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. Discussions between Warner Bros. Pictures and Christopher began shortly after Batman Begins ' s theatrical release, and development began following
4752-411: A serious tone, and the limited series Batman: The Long Halloween (1996–1997), which explores the relationship between Batman, Dent, and Gordon. Dent was written as The Dark Knight 's central character, serving as the center of the battle between Batman, who believes Dent is the hero the city needs, and the Joker, who wants to prove even the most righteous people can be corrupted. Christopher said
4928-500: A state of the same name; a prison workshop is shown stamping license plates that read "Gotham: The Dark Deco State" (as a reference to the artistic style of the series). The episode " Harlequinade " states that Gotham City has a population of approximately 10 million people. This figure was also given in the 1960s Batman TV series episode Egg Grows in Gotham, the thirteenth episode of the second season. Batman Beyond (1999–2001) envisions
5104-459: A stunt involving Batman catching an in-flight C-130 aircraft. Despite extensive rehearsals of Reeves jumping from the McClurg Building in Chicago, a planned stunt to depict Batman leaping from one Hong Kong skyscraper to another was canceled because local authorities refused permission for helicopter use; Pfister described the officials as a "nightmare". Christopher disputed a report that said
5280-465: A timeless alternative to New York and described it as "hell burst through the pavement and grew". The look of Gotham was overseen by production designer Anton Furst , who won an Oscar for supervising the art department. Furst stated Batman was "definitely based in many ways on the worst aspects of New York City" and was inspired by Andreas Feininger 's photographs of 1940s New York. Furst's draftsman Nigel Phelps created numerous charcoal drawings of
5456-468: A visual expression of corruption and greed? That got me thinking about the fascistic architecture employed at world's fairs... That feels corrupt because it's evocative of oppressive bureaucracies and dictatorships... So I looked at a lot of [Third Reich] art and images from world's fairs". To physically make the city seem darker, he designed tall "oppressively overbuilt" cityscape that physically blocked out light. When Joel Schumacher took over directing
The Dark Knight - Misplaced Pages Continue
5632-491: A week of patience and learning because of the four-day wait for the IMAX footage to be processed. Filming moved to England throughout May, returning to Chicago in June. Filming took place in the lobby of One Illinois Center , which served as Wayne's penthouse apartment; bookcases were built to hide the elevators. A floor of Two Illinois Center was decorated for Wayne's fundraiser. The crew was described as excited as this scene depicted
5808-600: Is a fictional city in the Eastern United States that serves as the primary city appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics . It is best known as the home of the superhero Batman and his allies and foes . Created by writer Bill Finger and artist Bob Kane , the city was first identified as Batman's place of residence in Batman #4 (December 1940) and has since been the primary setting for stories featuring
5984-632: Is also Catwoman , Batgirl (Barbara Gordon) , Batgirl (Cassandra Cain) , Signal , Batwing , Batwoman , and Huntress . Other DC characters have also been depicted to be living in Gotham, such as mercenary Tommy Monaghan and renowned demonologist Jason Blood . Within modern DC Universe continuity, Batman is not the first hero in Gotham. Stories featuring Alan Scott , the Golden Age Green Lantern , set before and during World War II depict Scott living in Gotham, and later depictions show him running his Gotham Broadcasting Corporation. Also,
6160-404: Is based on a prototype Crowley and Christopher built by combining different commercial model components . The unwieldy, wide-tired vehicle could only be ridden by stuntman Jean Pierre Goy after months of training. The Gotham General Hospital explosion was not in the script but added during filming because Corbould believed it could be done. Hemming, Crowley, Christopher, and Jamie Rama re-designed
6336-538: Is based primarily on the original radio series and its 1960s television adaptation . Anime superhero films are often based on manga and television shows . Some superhero films, like the RoboCop series, The Meteor Man , the Unbreakable film series , Hancock , Darkman and They Call Me Jeeg , were developed as original projects for the screen. According to box office income figures from Box Office Mojo ,
6512-487: Is considered the "blueprint" for many modern superhero films, particularly for its rejection of a typical comic-book movie style in favor of a crime film that features comic-book characters. Many filmmakers sought to repeat its success by emulating its gritty, realistic tone to varying degrees of success. The Dark Knight has been analyzed for its themes of terrorism and the limitations of morality and ethics. The United States Library of Congress selected it for preservation in
6688-580: Is located in New Jersey. In The World's Greatest Super Heroes (August 13, 1978) comic strip, a map is shown placing Gotham City in New Jersey and Metropolis in Delaware. World's Finest Comics #259 (November 1979) also confirms that Gotham is in New Jersey. The New Adventures of Superboy #22 (October 1981) and the 1990 Atlas of the DC Universe both show maps of Gotham City in New Jersey and Metropolis in
6864-590: Is set in Gotham City, was filmed in Chicago . The 2024 series The Penguin is set in Gotham City. Gotham City is featured heavily in Batman: The Animated Series . When describing Gotham City Paul Dini , a writer and director of the show, stated "In my mind, it was sort of like what if the 1939 World's Fair had gone on another 60 years or so". ' In the episode " Joker's Favor ", a driver's license lists
7040-541: 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. Pennyworth burns an undelivered letter from Rachel to Wayne that says she chose Dent, and Fox destroys the invasive surveillance network that helped Batman find the Joker. The city mourns Dent as a hero, and the police launch a manhunt for Batman. Additionally, Eric Roberts , Michael Jai White , and Ritchie Coster appear as crime bosses Sal Maroni , Gambol, and
7216-438: Is titled The State of New York vs. Arthur Fleck . Gotham City is the home of Batman , just as Metropolis is home to Superman , and the two heroes often work together in both cities. In comic book depictions, the exact distance between Gotham and Metropolis has varied over the years, with the cities usually being within driving distance of each other. The two cities are sometimes portrayed as twin cities on opposite sides of
The Dark Knight - Misplaced Pages Continue
7392-428: Is where Batman captures Scarecrow and Batman impersonators. Christopher wanted several Rottweiler dogs in the scene but locating a dog-handler willing to simultaneously manage several dogs was difficult. A scene of Batman surveying the city from a rooftop edge was filmed atop Willis Tower , Chicago's tallest building. Stuntman Buster Reeves was due to double as Batman, but Bale persuaded the filmmakers to let him perform
7568-528: The Batman film series from Tim Burton, Barbara Ling handled the production design for both of Schumacher's films, Batman Forever (1995) and 1997's Batman & Robin . Ling's vision of Gotham City was a luminous and outlandish evocation of modern Expressionism and Constructivism . Its futuristic design, which Washington Post critic Desson Howe felt evoked the 1982 film Blade Runner , were described by Ling in her book, Bigger, Bolder, Brighter: The Production Design of Batman & Robin as
7744-616: The Ultraman Tiga TV series led to several films based on it and later installments, including Ultraman Tiga & Ultraman Dyna: Warriors of the Star of Light (1998), Ultraman Gaia: The Battle in Hyperspace (1999) and Ultraman Tiga: The Final Odyssey (2000). Adam Sternbergh of Vulture.com has stated that The Matrix (1999) was influenced by comic books, cyberpunk fiction, Japanese anime , and Hong Kong action films , reinvented
7920-400: The 81st Academy Awards . This raised its total box office to $ 533.3 million before it left theaters on March 5 after 33 weeks, making it the highest-grossing comic-book, superhero, and Batman film; the highest-grossing film of 2008; and the second-highest-grossing film ever (unadjusted for inflation), behind the 1997 romantic drama Titanic ($ 600.8 million). The Dark Knight
8096-758: The Caribbean Sea where Wayne boards a seaplane; Richard J. Daley Center (Wayne Enterprises exteriors and a courtroom); The Berghoff restaurant (GCPD arresting mobsters); Twin Anchors restaurant; the Sound Bar; McCormick Place (Wayne Enterprises interiors); and Chicago Theatre . 330 North Wabash served as offices used by Dent, mayor Garcia, and commissioner Loeb; and its thirteenth floor appears as Wayne Enterprises' boardroom; Pfister enhanced its large, panoramic windows and natural light with an 80-foot (24 m) glass table and reflective bulbs. A Randolph Street parking garage
8272-523: The Delaware Bay , with Gotham in New Jersey and Metropolis in Delaware. The Atlas of the DC Universe from the 1990s places Metropolis in Delaware and Gotham City in New Jersey. New York has also garnered the nickname Metropolis to describe the city in the daytime in popular culture, contrasting with Gotham , sometimes used to describe New York City at night. During the Bronze Age of Comic Books ,
8448-549: The French political satire film Mr. Freedom (1969), the Polish parody Hydrozagadka (1970), and the American B movies Rat Pfink a Boo Boo (1966) and The Wild World of Batwoman (1966). Following the success of Star Wars which increased interest in fantasy and science fiction films, Richard Donner 's Superman (1978), the first major big-budget DC feature film,
8624-525: The Himalayas and caverns for a modern, structured environment the Joker could disassemble. Production designer Nathan Crowley said the clean, neat lines of Chicagoan architecture enhanced the urban-crime drama they wanted to make, and that Batman had helped improve the city. The destruction of Wayne Manor in Batman Begins provided an opportunity to move Wayne to a modern, sparse penthouse, reflecting his loneliness. Sets were still used for some interiors such as
8800-515: The Joker , an anarchistic mastermind who seeks to test how far Batman will go to save the city from chaos. The ensemble cast includes Christian Bale , Michael Caine , Heath Ledger , Gary Oldman , Aaron Eckhart , Maggie Gyllenhaal , and Morgan Freeman . Warner Bros. Pictures prioritized a sequel following the successful reinvention of the Batman film series with Batman Begins . Christopher and Batman Begins co-writer David S. Goyer developed
8976-622: The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), and the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). The MCU alone has earned over $ 31 billion. The MCU film Avengers: Endgame (2019) is the highest-grossing superhero film to date, grossing $ 2,797,501,328 worldwide. It briefly held the record for highest-grossing film of all time before being surpassed by Avatar . Superhero stories gained popularity through comic books and were later adapted into film serials . Early examples include Mandrake
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#17328545543099152-548: The National Film Registry in 2020. A sequel, The Dark Knight Rises , concluded The Dark Knight trilogy in 2012. A gang of masked criminals rob a mafia -owned bank in Gotham City , betraying and killing each other until the sole survivor, the Joker , reveals himself as the mastermind and escapes with the money. The vigilante Batman , district attorney Harvey Dent , and police lieutenant Jim Gordon ally to eliminate Gotham's organized crime. Batman's true identity,
9328-469: The Tim Burton films' "otherworldly timelessness," incorporating period features such as black-and-white title cards , police airships (although no such thing existed, Timm has stated that he found it to fit the show's style), and a "vintage" color scheme with film noir flourishes. Police airships have since been incorporated into Batman comic books and are a recurring element in Gotham City. Concerning
9504-464: The roaring 20s , and then there's this other really kind of heavy Blade Runner vibe floating around. There are elements of it that are completely contemporary and there are pieces of it that are very old-fashioned...There were a couple of examples of modern technology, but maybe an antiquated version of it, that gave me a little bit of sense that it's certainly not the 50s and the 60s...But it's not high tech and it's not futuristic, by any means." In
9680-447: The "dark and often cursed character" of the city was influenced by the being who now uses the name "Doctor Gotham." In Gotham Underground #2 by Frank Tieri , Tobias Whale claims that 19th century Gotham was run by five rival gangs, until the first "masks" appeared, eventually forming a gang of their own. It is not clear whether these were vigilantes or costumed criminals. Many storylines have added more events to Gotham's history, at
9856-427: The "dusk"-like color scheme of The Prestige (cobalt blues, greens, blacks, and whites), in part to address over-dark scenes in Batman Begins . 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. The Joker's homemade videos were filmed and mainly directed by Ledger. Caine said he forgot his lines during
10032-837: The 1980s include Denshi Sentai Denziman: The Movie (1980), Flash Gordon (1980), Taiyo Sentai Sun Vulcan: The Movie (1981), Dai Sentai Goggle V: The Movie (1982), Swamp Thing (1982), Kagaku Sentai Dynaman: The Movie (1983), its sequel , Superman III (1983), Choudenshi Bioman: The Movie (1984), Supergirl (1984), Ultraman Zoffy: Ultra Warriors vs. the Giant Monster Army (1984), Ultraman Story (1984), Dengeki Sentai Changeman: The Movie and Dengeki Sentai Changeman: Shuttle Base! The Critical Moment! (1985), The Toxic Avenger (1985), Choushinsei Flashman: The Movie (1986), Choushinsei Flashman: Big Rally! Titan Boy! (1987), Hikari Sentai Maskman: The Movie (1987), Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987), Masters of
10208-430: The 2012 summer film market, with three films occupying the top three positions of the box office chart. These were Marvel's The Avengers (May 2012), which broke box office records as the highest-grossing superhero film of all time, The Dark Knight Rises (July 20, 2012), and The Amazing Spider-Man (July 12, 2012). Gotham City Gotham City ( / ˈ ɡ ɒ θ əm / GOTH -əm ), or simply Gotham ,
10384-507: The 700 effect shots Double Negative and Framestore produced; there were relatively few effects compared to equivalent films because Christopher only used computer-generated imaging where practical effects would not suffice. Production designer Nathan Crowley designed the Batpod ( Batcycle ) because Christopher did not want to extensively re-use the Tumbler. Corbould's team built the Batpod, which
10560-771: The Bat Annual #1 (June 1993) further establishes that Gotham City is in New Jersey. Sal E. Jordan's driver's license in the comic shows his address as "72 Faxcol Dr Gotham City, NJ 12345", although the ZIP Code is actually in Schenectady, New York . The 2016 film Suicide Squad reveals Gotham City to be in the state of New Jersey within the DC Extended Universe . Both 2021's The Batman , and its 2024 TV spinoff The Penguin have Gotham City in New Jersey as can be seen with in-universe drivers licenses. However, 2024's Joker: Folie à Deux places Gotham City in New York as Joker's trial
10736-531: The Bat Bunker, the replacement for the Batcave , on the outskirts of the city. The production team considered placing it in the penthouse basement but believed it was too unrealistic a solution. Much of The Dark Knight was filmed using Panavision's Panaflex Millennium XL and Platinum cameras but Christopher wanted to film about 40 minutes with IMAX cameras, a high-resolution technology using 70 mm film rather than
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#173285455430910912-575: The Batsuit to make it more comfortable and flexible, developing a costume made from a stretchy material covered in over 100 urethane armor pieces. Sculptor Julian Murray developed Dent's burnt-facial design, which is based on Christopher's request for a skeletal appearance. Murray went through designs that were "too real and more horrifying" before settling on a more "fanciful" and detailed but less-repulsive version. Hemming designed Joker's overall appearance, which he based on fashion-and-music celebrities to create
11088-671: The Chechen, respectively; while Chin Han portrays Lau, a Chinese criminal banker. 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 and Philip Bulcock as Murphy. The cast also features Joshua Harto as Wayne Enterprises employee Coleman Reese, Anthony Michael Hall as news reporter Mike Engel, Néstor Carbonell as mayor Anthony Garcia, William Fichtner as
11264-509: The Clench virus after leaving office. A woman, Marion Grange, became mayor with the backing of Bruce Wayne but was assassinated in Washington, D.C. , while trying to secure federal aid for Gotham after an earthquake. In the wake of No Man's Land , Daniel Danforth Dickerson III served as mayor only to be killed by a sniper, after which he was replaced by David Hull. Seamus McGreevy served as mayor in
11440-518: The Comics , writer Bill Finger , on the naming of the city, said, "Originally I was going to call Gotham City ' Civic City .' Then I tried 'Capital City,' then ' Coast City .' Then I flipped through the New York City phone book and spotted the name 'Gotham Jewelers' and said, 'That's it,' Gotham City. We didn't call it New York because we wanted anybody in any city to identify with it." "Gotham" has been
11616-501: The Friday), Sunday ($ 43.6 million), midnight opening ($ 18.5 million, from 3,000 midnight screenings), and IMAX opening ($ 6.3 million from about 94 locations), as well as the second-highest-grossing Saturday ($ 47.7 million) behind Spider-Man 3 , and contributed to the highest-grossing weekend on record ($ 253.6 million). The film benefited from repeat viewings by younger audiences and had broad appeal, with 52% of
11792-515: The GCPD to turn a blind eye to Batman's activities after Batman saved his daughter. Mayor Hill was in office when the Joker debuted, and a man named Gill was mayor early in Batman's career, as was former police commissioner Grogan. An unnamed bald mayor was killed by a villain known as Midnight. Men named Carfax, Bradley Stokes, Sheppard, Taylor, and Hayes all served as mayor. Mayor Charles Chesterfield
11968-569: The Gates of Gotham, each bearing one of their last names. Edward Elliot became increasingly jealous of the Wayne family's popularity and wealth during this period, jealousy that would spread to his great-great-grandson, Thomas Elliot or Hush. The occult origins of Gotham are further delved into by Peter Milligan 's 1990 story arc "Dark Knight, Dark City", which reveals that some of the Founding Fathers of
12144-635: The Gotham City Police Department is the focus of the series Gotham Central , as well as the mini-series Gordon's Law , Bullock's Law , and Batman: GCPD . The first Gotham mayor depicted in comics was in Detective Comics #68 (October 1942). Theodore Cobblepot, great grandfather of the Penguin , was mayor in the late 19th century. An unnamed mayor ran afoul of the Court of Owls in 1914 and
12320-407: The Joker gave their positions in reverse. The explosives detonate, killing Rachel and severely burning Dent's face on one side. The Joker escapes custody, extracts the fortune's location from Lau, and burns it, killing Lau in the process. Wayne Enterprises accountant Coleman Reese deduces and tries to expose Batman's identity, but the Joker threatens to blow up a hospital unless Reese is killed. While
12496-415: The Joker's corrosion, recklessness, and "otherworldliness" by combining electronic and orchestral music, and modifying almost every note after recording to emulate sounds including thunder and razors. He attempted to develop original sounds with synthesizers, trying to create an "offputting" result by instructing musicians to start with a single note and gradually shift to the second over a three-minute period;
12672-534: The Joker's image and the phrase "Why So Serious?" that led finders to a location. 42 Entertainment's initial plan to throw the bills from a balcony was canceled due to safety concerns, so the bills were covertly distributed to attendees. Although the event was expected to attract a few thousand people, 650,000 arrived and participated in activities that included calling a number taken from a plane flying overhead and wearing Joker makeup to commit disruptive acts with actors. Globally, fans photographed letters on signs to form
12848-509: The Joker's narrative in response. Christopher added a dedication to Ledger and stuntman Conway Wickliffe, who died during rehearsals for a Tumbler ( Batmobile ) stunt. Alongside lead editor Lee Smith , Christopher took an "aggressive editorial approach" to editing The Dark Knight to achieve its 152-minute running time. Christopher said no scenes were deleted because he believed every scene was essential, and that unnecessary material had been cut before filming. The Nolans had difficulties refining
13024-412: The Joker, and Gordon is promoted to commissioner. At the police station, Batman interrogates the Joker, who says he finds Batman entertaining and has no intention of killing him. Having deduced Batman's feelings for Rachel, the Joker reveals she and Dent are being held separately in buildings rigged to explode. Batman races to rescue Rachel while Gordon and the other officers go after Dent, but they discover
13200-443: The Joker. Industry professionals considered the campaign innovative and successful. Warner Bros. dedicated six months to anti-piracy methods ; the film industry lost an estimated $ 6.1 billion to piracy in 2005. Delivery methods of film reels were randomized and copies had a chain of custody to track who had access. Some theater staff were given night-vision goggles to identify people recording The Dark Knight , and one person
13376-558: The Magician (1939), The Shadow (1940), Adventures of Captain Marvel (1941), Batman (1943), The Phantom (1943), Captain America (1944), and Superman (1948). Between 1941 and 1943, Fleischer Studios produced a series of animated short films based on the Superman comic book . In the following decades, the decline of Saturday matinee showings of serials along with turmoil in
13552-552: The Metro-Narrows Bridge was depicted as the main route connecting the twin cities of Metropolis and Gotham City. It has been described as being the longest suspension bridge in the world. A map appeared in The New Adventures of Superboy #22 (October 1981), that showed Smallville within driving distance of both Metropolis and Gotham City; Smallville was relocated to Kansas in post-Crisis continuity. A map of
13728-630: The Pinkney structures they had hidden; the editorial purpose behind this was to transform the city depicted in the comics to resemble the designs created by Anton Furst for the 1989 Batman film. Batman Begins features a CGI-augmented version of Chicago while The Dark Knight more directly features Chicago infrastructure and architecture such as Navy Pier . The Dark Knight Rises forgoes Chicago, instead shooting in Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, New York City, Newark, New Jersey, London, and Glasgow. Over
13904-502: The TV series Smallville , Gotham City is mentioned by the character Linda Lake in the episode "Hydro", who jokes she can see Gotham from her view. In "Reunion", one of Oliver Queen's friends mentions having to get back to Gotham. The fifth episode of Young Justice , entitled "Schooled", indicates that Gotham is located in Connecticut , near Bridgeport . The 2019 series Batwoman , which
14080-571: The Three-Headed Monster (1964). By the 1970s, Godzilla came to be viewed as a superhero, with the magazine King of the Monsters in 1977 describing Godzilla as "Superhero of the '70s". Donald F. Glut wrote that Godzilla was "the most universally popular superhero of 1977." The year 1966 saw the debut of the Ultra Series with the kaiju TV show Ultra Q . However, with the release of
14256-452: The U.S. Christopher chose Chicago because he liked the area and believed it offered interesting architectural features without being as recognizable as locations in better-known cities such as New York City. Chicagoan authorities had been supportive during filming of Batman Begins , allowing the production to shut stretches of roads, freeways, and bridges. Christopher wanted to exchange the more natural, scenic settings of Batman Begins such as
14432-531: The UK also include Criterion Restaurant , where Rachel, Dent, and Wayne share dinner, and a Gotham News scene that was filmed at the University of Westminster . The GCPD headquarters was rebuilt in the Farmiloe Building . During the interrogation scene, Ledger asked Bale to physically hit him and, although he declined, Ledger cracked and dented the walls by throwing himself around. After returning to England in
14608-478: The United States are involved in summoning a bat-demon which becomes trapped beneath old "Gotham Town", its dark influence spreading as Gotham City evolves. A similar trend is followed in 2005's Shadowpact #5 by Bill Willingham , which expands upon Gotham's occult heritage by revealing a being who has slept for 40,000 years beneath the land upon which Gotham City was built. Strega, the being's servant, says that
14784-653: The United States in The Secret Files & Origins Guide to the DC Universe 2000 #1 (March 2000) depicts Metropolis and Gotham City as being somewhere in the Tri-state Area alongside Blüdhaven . Within the DC Extended Universe, the 2016 film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice depicts Gotham City as being located across a bay from Metropolis. Gotham City was founded in 1635 by Captain Jon Logerquist,
14960-765: The Universe (1987), Bollywood 's Mr. India (1987), Ultraman: The Adventure Begins (1987), Kousoku Sentai Turboranger: The Movie (1989), and The Punisher (1989). The success of Tim Burton 's Batman (1989) and its direct follow-up, Batman Returns (1992), spawned the DC Animated Universe . Superhero movies from the 1990s include Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) and its two sequels , RoboCop 2 (1990), Darkman (1990), Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D. (1990), The Rocketeer (1991), Shin Kamen Rider: Prologue (1992), RoboCop 3 (1993),
15136-405: The all-American charm and "aura ... of a good man pushed too far". Eckhart found portraying conflicted characters to be interesting; he said the difference between Dent and Batman is the distance they are willing to go for their causes, and that after Dent's corruption he remains a crime fighter but he takes this to an extreme because he dislikes the restrictions of the law. Eckhart's performance
15312-545: The animated Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993), Kamen Rider ZO (1993), Kamen Rider J (1994), Gosei Sentai Dairanger: The Movie , The Shadow (1994), The Mask (1994), Ninja Sentai Kakuranger: The Movie (1994), Blankman (1994), Chouriki Sentai Ohranger: The Movie (1995), Batman Forever (1995), Judge Dredd (1995), Tank Girl (1995), Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (1995) and
15488-433: The audience being male and an equal number of those under 25 years old, and those of 25 or older. The Dark Knight broke more records, including for the highest-grossing opening week ($ 238.6 million), and for three-, four-, five-, six-, seven-, eight-, nine-, and ten-day cumulative grosses, including the highest-grossing non-holiday Monday ($ 24.5 million) and non-opening Tuesday ($ 20.9 million, as well as
15664-440: The billionaire Bruce Wayne, publicly supports Dent as Gotham's legitimate protector, as Wayne believes Dent's success will allow Batman to retire, allowing him to romantically pursue his childhood friend Rachel Dawes , despite her relationship with Dent. Gotham's mafia bosses gather to discuss protecting their organizations from the Joker, the police, and Batman. The Joker interrupts the meeting and offers to kill Batman for half of
15840-558: The buildings and interior sets for the production. Following the death of Furst, Burton tapped Bo Welch to oversee production design for Batman Returns (1992). Burton wanted Welch to re-imagine Gotham, stating " Batman didn't feel big to me – it didn't have the power an old American city has". Welch wanted to expand on the same basic concept for the sequel but moved away from European influences to show more American Art Deco / world's fair elements. When asked what inspired his interpretation of Gotham, Welch stated "[H]ow can I create
16016-407: The character scarier; Christopher described their film as the "rise of the Joker". They felt the threat of cinematic villains such as Hannibal Lecter and Darth Vader had been undermined by subsequent films depicting their origins. With Christopher's help, his brother Jonathan spent six months developing the story into a draft screenplay. After submitting the draft to Warner Bros., Jonathan spent
16192-539: The character's comic-book appearances as well as the villain Dr. Mabuse from the films of Fritz Lang . Writer Alan Moore 's graphic novel , Batman: The Killing Joke (1988), did not influence the main narrative but Christopher believed his interpretation of the Joker as someone partially driven to prove anyone can become like him when pushed far enough helped the Nolans give purpose to an "inherently purposeless" character. The Joker
16368-405: The character's voice by mixing a high-pitch and low-pitch, which was inspired by ventriloquist performances. His fighting style was designed to appear improvised and erratic. Ledger spent a further four months creating a "Joker diary" containing images and elements he believed would resonate with his character, such as finding the disease AIDS humorous. Describing his performance, Ledger said: "It's
16544-512: The character. In most of its incarnations, Gotham is depicted as one of the most crime-ridden cities in the world. Gotham City is traditionally depicted as being located in the U.S. state of New Jersey . Gotham's look and atmosphere were primarily influenced by New York City , but also drew inspiration from Chicago and London . Architect Hugh Ferriss ' designs also influenced the look and emotional feel of Gotham City, particularly in its later depictions. Bill Finger said that he chose
16720-604: The coldest night in November". Batman artist Neal Adams has long believed that Chicago has been the basis for Gotham, stating "one of the things about Chicago is Chicago has alleys (which are virtually nonexistent in New York). Back alleys, that's where Batman fights all the bad guys." The statement "Metropolis is New York by day; Gotham City is New York by night" has been variously attributed to comics creators Frank Miller and John Byrne . In designing Batman: The Animated Series , creators Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski emulated
16896-496: The comic book industry slowed superhero motion picture production, with the exception of Superman and the Mole Men (1951) starring George Reeves , and Batman (1966), a big-screen extension of the Batman television series starring Adam West . Superman and the Mole Men served as a pilot for the TV series Adventures of Superman . Compilations of the series were later released theatrically. In 1957, Shintoho produced
17072-553: The concept of " faster than a speeding bullet " on-screen. Inspector Gadget and Mystery Men would then follow to close out the decade for the sub-genre. Following the success of the Kamen Rider Kuuga television series, a new era of the Kamen Rider franchise began. This led to the production of annual Kamen Rider movies, starting with Kamen Rider Agito: Project G4 in 2001. The release of Iron Man in 2008 laid
17248-493: The critical and financial success of Batman Begins (2005), the film studio Warner Bros. Pictures prioritized a sequel. Although Batman Begins ends with a scene in which Batman is presented with a joker playing card , teasing the introduction of his archenemy, the Joker, Christopher Nolan did not intend to make a sequel and was unsure Batman Begins would be successful enough to warrant one. Christopher, alongside his wife and longtime producer Emma Thomas , had never worked on
17424-411: The equipment in January 2007 to test its feasibility. Christopher particularly wanted to film the bank heist prologue in IMAX to immediately convey the difference in scope between The Dark Knight and Batman Begins . Principal photography began on April 18, 2007, in Chicago on a $ 185 million budget. For The Dark Knight , Pfister chose to combine the "rust-style" visuals of Batman Begins with
17600-436: The evolution of Gotham throughout the years, former Batman editor Paul Levitz has stated, "Each guy adds their own vision. That's the fun of comics, rebuilding a city each time". In Batman: Gothic , Gotham Cathedral plays a central role in the story since it is built by Mr. Whisper, the story's antagonist. In a 1992 storyline, a man obsessed with Pinkney's architecture blew up several Gotham buildings in order to reveal
17776-677: The explosion was a terrorist attack. Filming in England concluded at the end of October with a variety of green-screen shots for the truck-chase sequence, and shots of Rachel being thrown from a window were filmed on a set at Cardington. 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
17952-469: The federal government cutting Gotham off from the rest of the United States in the 1999 storyline " No Man's Land ", the city's remaining residents forced to engage in gang warfare, either as active participants or paying for protection from groups ranging from the GCPD to the Penguin, just to stay alive. Eventually, Gotham was rebuilt and returned to the U.S. as part of a campaign mounted by Lex Luthor , who used
18128-410: The film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale. Superhero film A superhero film is a genre centered on superheroes and their adventures, with characters often possessing superhuman abilities or exceptional skills. Superhero films typically blend elements of action , adventure , fantasy , or science fiction . The first film about a particular superhero character often focuses on
18304-442: The film holds a 94% approval rating from the aggregated reviews of 347 critics, with an average score of 8.6/10. The 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." On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 84 out of 100 based on 39 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave
18480-420: The film rights to the property and was therefore not released theatrically or on home video . Alex Proyas ' The Crow (1994) became the first independent comic superhero film to establish a franchise. The film introduced a level of violence not seen in previous superhero films targeted at younger audiences and bridged a gap to the more modern action film . The success of The Crow may have influenced
18656-470: The film". The Dark Knight earned about $ 469.7 million outside the U.S. and Canada, its highest grosses coming from the United Kingdom ($ 89.1 million), Australia ($ 39.9 million), Germany ($ 29.7 million), France ($ 27.5 million), Mexico ($ 25 million), South Korea ($ 24.7 million), and Brazil ($ 20.2 million). This made it the second-highest-grossing film of
18832-563: The first film serial featuring the tokusatsu superhero character, Super Giant , signaling a shift in Japanese popular culture toward masked superheroes in tokusatsu . Along with Astro Boy , the Super Giant film series greatly influenced later Japanese tokusatsu superhero films. Moonlight Mask also became popular around that time, with six films retelling the story of the TV series were made. Another early Japanese superhero film
19008-411: The first comic-book film to receive major industry awards. It broke several box-office records and became the highest-grossing 2008 film , the fourth-highest-grossing film to that time , and the highest-grossing superhero film. Since its release, The Dark Knight has been assessed as one of the greatest superhero films ever, one of the best movies of the 2000s, and one of the best films ever made . It
19184-457: The first meeting between Batman and the Joker. The windows in both settings were covered in green screen material, allowing Gotham City visuals to be added later. In July, three weeks were spent filming the truck chase scene, mainly on Wacker Drive , a multi-level street that had to be closed overnight. During filming, Christopher added a set-piece of a SWAT van crashing through a concrete barricade. The sequence continued on LaSalle Street , which
19360-449: The fortune their accountant, Lau, concealed before fleeing to Hong Kong to avoid extradition. With the help of Wayne Enterprises CEO Lucius Fox , Batman finds Lau in Hong Kong and returns him to the custody of Gotham police. His testimony enables Dent to apprehend the crime families. The bosses accept the Joker's offer, and he kills high-profile targets involved in the trial, including the judge and police commissioner. Although Gordon saves
19536-577: The fourth-highest-grossing film of its time behind Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest ($ 1.066 billion), The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King ($ 1.119 billion), and Titanic ($ 1.842 billion). As of September 2022, rereleases have further raised its box-office take to $ 1.006 billion. The Dark Knight received critical acclaim. On Rotten Tomatoes ,
19712-405: The groundwork for the Marvel Cinematic Universe . A few months later, The Dark Knight released to widespread critical acclaim and became the first superhero movie to make over $ 1 billion at the worldwide box office. 2009 saw the release of Watchmen and X-Men Origins: Wolverine . The 2010s saw a continuation and expansion of the box-office success of superhero films from the 2000s, taking
19888-605: The hero's origin story , and typically introduces the hero's nemesis. Many superhero films are adaptations of existing works. Superhero comics from publishers such as Marvel , DC , and Dark Horse ( The Umbrella Academy universe) have frequently been adapted into film. Others are based on television properties, such as films from the Japanese Ultraman , Kamen Rider , and Super Sentai franchises. Both Underdog and The Powerpuff Girls are based on their respective animated television series. The Green Hornet
20064-487: The highest-grossing superhero film franchises since 1967 include Tsuburaya Productions ' Ultra Series , Toei Company 's Kamen Rider and Super Sentai , New Line Cinema 's Blade , 20th Century Fox 's X-Men , Sony Pictures ' Spider-Man trilogy directed by Sam Raimi , the Amazing Spider-Man duology directed by Marc Webb , Pixar 's The Incredibles , Christopher Nolan 's Dark Knight Trilogy ,
20240-433: The makeup was applied and Ledger relaxed. Ledger always applied the lipstick himself, believing it was essential to his characterization. Composers James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer , who had also worked on Batman Begins , scored The Dark Knight because Christopher believed it was important to bridge the musical-narrative gap between the films. The score was recorded at Air Studios , London. Howard and Zimmer composed
20416-458: The mayor, the Joker threatens that his attacks will continue until Batman reveals his identity. He targets Dent at a fundraising dinner and throws Rachel out of a window, but Batman rescues her. Wayne struggles to understand the Joker's motives, but his butler Alfred Pennyworth says "some men just want to watch the world burn." Dent claims he is Batman to lure out the Joker, who attacks the police convoy transporting him. Batman and Gordon apprehend
20592-436: The middle of September, scenes were filmed for the ferry, hospital, and Gotham Prewitt building interiors. By mid-October, interior and exterior scenes of Rachel being held hostage surrounded by barrels of gasoline were filmed at Battersea Power Station . To avoid damaging the power station, a listed building , a false wall was built in front of it and lined with explosives. Nearby residents contacted emergency services believing
20768-545: The midst of a criminal conspiracy known as "The Body". An unnamed woman was mayor when Batman returned to Gotham a year after the Infinite Crisis . Sebastian Hady was a corrupt mayor who was eventually killed by the League of Shadows. Councilwoman Muir served as interim mayor when the city was in the grip of a virus that only affected men. Michael Akins , former commissioner of police, was appointed mayor, and later replaced by
20944-619: The more-commonly used format 35 mm ; the finished film includes 15–20% IMAX footage, running for about 28 minutes. This made it the first major motion picture to use IMAX technology, which was generally employed for documentaries. Warner Bros. was reluctant to endorse the use of the technology because the cameras were large and unwieldy, and purchasing and processing the film stock cost up to four times as much as typical 35 mm film. 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
21120-752: The most fun I've had with a character and probably will ever have ... It was an exhausting process. At the end of the day, I couldn't move. I couldn't talk. I was absolutely wrecked." 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. 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. Josh Lucas , Ryan Phillippe , and Mark Ruffalo were considered, as well as Matt Damon , who could not commit due to scheduling conflicts. According to Christopher, Eckhart had
21296-453: The musicians found this difficult because it was the opposite of their training. It took several months to achieve Zimmer's desired result. 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. The Dark Knight ' s marketing campaign was developed by alternate reality game (ARG) development company 42 Entertainment . Christopher wanted
21472-419: The name "Gotham", and not New York, so that all readers in any city could identify with it. Locations used as inspiration or filming locations for Gotham City in the live-action Batman films and television series have included St. Louis , Chicago , Pittsburgh , Los Angeles , New York City , Newark , London , Glasgow , Hong Kong , Detroit , and Liverpool . In Jim Steranko 's History of
21648-471: The number of screenings per day, and counter-programming from the romantic comedy Mamma Mia! —which surveyed well with women—and the family comedy Space Chimps . There was also a perceived limit on financial success for Batman films; the 1989 installment remained the franchise's highest-grossing release. The Dark Knight ' s premiere took place on July 14, in IMAX in New York City. A block in Broadway
21824-604: The original Ultraman , the franchise started focusing on superheroes. The series was met with a 36.8% average audience rate, a success. In 1967, Ultraman started expanding to films. Early films, such as Ultraman: Monster Movie Feature , were compilations or theatrical releases of TV shows' episodes. The first original Ultraman film was The 6 Ultra Brothers vs. the Monster Army , a co-production with Thailand . This rise in popularity of television superheroes in Japan led to
22000-640: The original Golden Age Spectre and his sidekick, Percival Popp, live in Gotham City as does Black Canary , Starman, and the Grey Ghost. DC's 2011 reboot of All Star Western takes place in an Old West-styled Gotham. Jonah Hex and Amadeus Arkham are among this version of Gotham's inhabitants. Apart from Gotham's superhero residents, the residents of the city feature in a back-up series in Detective Comics called Tales of Gotham City and in two limited series called Gotham Nights . Additionally,
22176-545: The other prisoners, are rigged to explode at midnight unless one group sacrifices the other. To the Joker's disbelief, the passengers refuse to kill one another. Batman subdues the Joker but refuses to kill him. Before the police arrest the Joker, he says although Batman proved incorruptible, his plan to corrupt Dent has succeeded. Dent takes Gordon's family hostage, blaming his negligence for Rachel's death. He flips his coin to decide their fates, but Batman tackles him to save Gordon's son, and Dent falls to his death. Believing Dent
22352-462: The phrase "I believe in Harvey Dent" were hidden inside comic books at stores around the U.S. This led people to a website where they could submit their e-mail addresses to reveal a pixel of a concealed Joker image; about 97,000 e-mail addresses and 20 hours were required to reveal the image in full, which was well received. At San Diego Comic-Con , 42 Entertainment modified 11,000 one-dollar bills with
22528-471: The police evacuate hospitals and Gordon struggles to keep Reese alive, the Joker meets with a disillusioned Dent, persuading him to take the law into his own hands and avenge Rachel. Dent defers his decision-making to his now half-scarred, two-headed coin, killing the corrupt officers and the mafia involved in Rachel's death. As panic grips the city, the Joker reveals two evacuation ferries, one carrying civilians and
22704-536: The positive publicity of his role to make a successful bid for the position of President of the United States. Suggestions of other Gotham City histories include a founding date of 1820 seen in a city seal in Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders . Batman writer and editor Dennis O'Neil has said that, figuratively, Batman's Gotham City is akin to "Manhattan below 14th Street at eleven minutes past midnight on
22880-502: The previous film because it was intended to portray Batman from the criminals' point of view. The improved Batsuit design let him show more of Bale's Keysi-fighting method training. Christopher was aware that Nicholson's popular portrayal of the Joker would invite comparisons to his version, and wanted an actor who could cope with the associated scrutiny. Ledger's casting in August 2006 was criticized by some industry professionals and members of
23056-437: The production of Christopher's The Prestige (2006). Goyer and Christopher collaborated for three months to develop The Dark Knight 's core plot points. 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. The joker playing card scene in Batman Begins
23232-460: The public who considered him inappropriate for the role; executive producer Charles Roven said Ledger was the only person seriously considered, and that Batman Begins 's positive reception would help alleviate any concerns. Christopher was confident in the casting because discussions between himself and Ledger had demonstrated they shared similar ideas regarding the Joker's portrayal. Ledger said he had some trepidation in succeeding Nicholson in
23408-563: The release of a film version of Spawn (1997), Image Comics ' leading character. After Marvel bought Malibu Comics (the company that owned The Men in Black comic series), Marvel and Columbia Pictures released the Men in Black film in 1997. This film was the first Marvel property to win an Academy Award and, at the time, was the highest-grossing comic book adaptation. While commercially successful, Joel Schumacher 's Batman & Robin (1997)
23584-428: The role but that the challenge excited him. He described his interpretation as a "psychopathic, mass-murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy", and avoided humanizing him. He was influenced by Alex from the crime film A Clockwork Orange (1971), and British musicians Johnny Rotten and Sid Vicious . Ledger spent about a month secluding himself in a hotel room while reading relevant comic books. He developed
23760-478: The same time greatly affecting the city and its people. Perhaps the greatest in effect was a long set of serial storylines, which started with Ra's al Ghul releasing a debilitating virus called the "Clench" during the " Contagion " storyline. As that arc concluded, the city was beginning to recover, only to suffer an earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter Scale in the 1998 " Cataclysm " storyline. This resulted in
23936-424: The scene himself. The thirteen weeks of filming in Chicago was estimated to have generated $ 45 million for the city's economy and thousands of local jobs. Many interior locations for The Dark Knight were filmed on sets at Pinewood Studios , Buckinghamshire , and Cardington Airfield , Bedfordshire ; these locations include the Bat Bunker, which took six weeks to build in a Cardington hangar. The Bat Bunker
24112-597: The score without seeing the film because Christopher wanted them to be influenced by the characters and story rather than fitting specific on-screen elements. Howard and Zimmer separated their duties by character; Howard focused on Dent and Zimmer focused on Batman and the Joker. Zimmer did not consider Batman to be strictly noble and wrote the theme to not seem "super". Howard wrote about ten minutes of music for Dent, wanting to portray him as an American who represents hope, but undergoes an emotional extreme and moral corruption. He used brass instruments for both moral ends but warped
24288-415: The script to reduce the running time. After removing so much material they believed the story had become incomprehensible, they added more scenes. Unlike the design process of Batman Begins , which was restrained by a need to represent Batman iconography, audience acceptance of its realistic setting gave The Dark Knight more design freedom. Chris Corbould , the film's special effects supervisor , oversaw
24464-498: The second-highest-grossing non-opening Wednesday ($ 18.4 million), behind Transformers ($ 29.1 million). It retained the number-one position in its second weekend with a total gross of $ 75.2 million, ahead of the debuting Step Brothers ($ 31 million), giving it the highest-grossing second weekend. It retained the number-one position in its third ($ 42.7 million) and fourth ($ 26.1 million) weekends, before falling to second place in its fifth, with
24640-439: The sequel titled Ultraman Zearth 2: Superhuman Big Battle - Light and Shadow premiered. In 1998, Marvel released Blade , a darker superhero film blended with traditional action elements, featuring a title character with the powers of a vampire and an arsenal of weaponry. The success of Blade is considered the beginning of Marvel's film success, and a catalyst for further comic book film adaptations. The popularity of
24816-487: The sound as Dent is corrupted. 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". He could not make it work, however, and used two notes with alternating tempos and a " punk " influence. The theme was influenced by electronic music innovators Kraftwerk and Zimmer's work with rock band The Damned . He wanted to convey elements of
24992-523: The start of the Kamen Rider and Super Sentai franchises by famous manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori in 1971 and 1975, respectively. Similarly to Ultraman , many early Kamen Rider and Super Sentai episodes were released as films. Original Kamen Rider films released before 1978 include Kamen Rider vs. Shocker , Kamen Rider vs. Ambassador Hell , Kamen Rider V3 vs. Destron Mutants, and Five Riders vs. King Dark . Original superhero characters emerged in other, more comedy-oriented films , such as
25168-494: The state of Delaware . Detective Comics #503 (June 1983) includes several references suggesting Gotham City is in New Jersey. A location on the Jersey Shore is described as "20 miles north of Gotham". Within the same issue, Robin and Batgirl drive from a "secret New Jersey airfield" to Gotham City and then drive on the "Hudson County Highway", a reference to the real-life Hudson County in New Jersey. Batman: Shadow of
25344-435: The story elements, making Dent the central protagonist caught up in the battle between Batman and the Joker. In writing the screenplay, the Nolans were influenced by 1980s Batman comics and crime drama films, and sought to continue Batman Begins ' heightened sense of realism. From April to November 2007, filming took place with a $ 185 million budget in Chicago and Hong Kong, and on sets in England. The Dark Knight
25520-705: The sub-genre's success and ubiquity to new heights. Matthew Vaughn 's adaptation of Kick-Ass was released in 2010, followed by Iron Man 2 a month later. 2011 releases included The Green Hornet , Green Lantern , and X-Men: First Class . After referencing the " Avengers Initiative " in the Iron Man films and The Incredible Hulk , Marvel released Thor on May 6, 2011, followed by Captain America: The First Avenger on July 22, 2011. While Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (February 17, 2012) had little audience interest, superhero films dominated
25696-548: The superhero film, setting the template for modern superhero blockbusters and inspiring the superhero renaissance in the early 21st century. John Kenneth Muir , in The Encyclopedia of Superheroes on Film and Television , describes The Matrix as a revolutionary re-imagination of movie visuals, paving the way for the visuals of later superhero films. He credits it with helping to "make comic-book superheroes hip", and notes that its bullet-time effect effectively demonstrated
25872-589: The targeting screen for his giant laser locates it somewhere on the New England shoreline, possibly as far north as Maine . The soundtrack for Batman & Robin features a song named after the city and sung by R. Kelly , later included on international editions of his 1998 double album R. Director Christopher Nolan has stated that Chicago inspired his portrayal of Gotham, and the majority of both Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight (2008) were filmed there. However, Christopher Nolan's Gotham City
26048-735: The team to focus on countering the negative reaction to Ledger's casting and controlling the revelation of the Joker's appearance. Influenced by the script and the comic books The Killing Joke , The Long Halloween , and Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth (1989), 42 Entertainment paced the ARG over annual events, although Warner Bros. rejected their ideas to use Jokerized Santas at Christmas, coffins filled with chattering teeth on Mother's Day (mocking Wayne's late mother), and Batman actors on rooftops due to safety concerns. The ARG began in May 2007 with campaign posters for Dent and Joker playing cards bearing
26224-532: The theming elements primarily having been inspired by the Batman films directed by Tim Burton. Both the ride and the Gotham City Backlot opened on March 26, 1994. The Magic Mountain section closed at the end of the park's 2010 season and was later rethemed and rebranded as the "DC Universe," featuring characters and attractions outside of just Batman. It reopened in 2011. Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi features
26400-445: The title refers to Dent as much as Batman. He considered Dent as having a duality similar to Batman's, providing interesting dramatic potential. Focusing on Dent meant Bruce Wayne / Batman was written as a generally static character who did not undergo drastic character development. Christopher found writing the Joker the easiest aspect of the script. The Nolans identified the traits common to his media incarnations and were influenced by
26576-491: The village's residents feigned idiocy to prevent a royal visit from John, King of England . Gotham City, like other cities in the DC Universe, has varied in its portrayals over the decades, but the city's location is traditionally depicted as being in the state of New Jersey . In Amazing World of DC Comics #14 (March 1977), writer Mark Gruenwald discusses the history of the Justice League and indicates that Gotham City
26752-469: The world around him." Although he was a fan of Batman (1989), starring Jack Nicholson as the Joker, Goyer did not consider Nicholson's portrayal scary and wanted The Dark Knight ' s Joker to be an unknowable, already-formed character, similar to the shark in Jaws (1975), without a "cliché" origin story. Christopher and Goyer did not give their Joker an origin story or a narrative arc, believing it made
26928-536: The world. WB Movie World in Germany featured a Gotham City section that housed Batman Adventure – The Ride , and Six Flags Magic Mountain opened a section called the "Gotham City Backlot" that featured Batman: The Ride . The section featured at Magic Mountain was designed by park designer Kevin Barbee, and alongside the opening of Batman: The Ride coincided with the largest expansion the park had ever undergone in 23 years, with
27104-545: The year behind Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull . The film had grossed $ 997 million worldwide by January 2009. Its reissue in the run-up to the Oscars enabled the film to exceed $ 1 billion in February, and it ultimately earned $ 1.003 billion. It was the first superhero film to gross over $ 1 billion, the highest-grossing film of 2008 worldwide, the fourth film to earn more than $ 1 billion, and
27280-536: The years, in various Batman-related titles in the chronological DC Comics continuity, the Caped Crusader enlists the help of numerous characters, the first being his trusty sidekick, Robin . Although a singular title, many have donned the mantle over the years. The first being Nightwing , then came Red Hood , Red Robin , Spoiler and finally Batman's son Damian Wayne . In addition to the Robins or former Robins, there
27456-420: Was Ōgon Bat (1966), starring Sonny Chiba and based on the 1931 Kamishibai superhero Ōgon Bat . The kaiju monster Godzilla , originally a villain, began to transition into a superhero role in subsequent films. He has been described as "the original radioactive superhero," due to his nuclear origin story predating Spider-Man's 1962 debut, although Godzilla did not become a hero until Ghidorah,
27632-670: Was a critical and commercial success. The same year, Toei Company 's Spider-Man reimagining and the first Super Sentai crossover film, JAKQ Dengekitai vs. Gorenger , were released. Other successful entries emerged throughout the 1980s, including Eight Riders vs. Galaxy King (1980), Kamen Rider Super-1: The Movie (1981), Richard Lester 's Superman II (1981), Spider-Man: The Dragon's Challenge (1981), and Paul Verhoeven 's RoboCop (1987). These were followed by Kamen Rider Black: Hurry to Onigashima and Kamen Rider Black: Terrifying! The Phantom House of Devil Pass , both released in 1988. Other superhero films released during
27808-498: Was a poor choice to portray the Joker. Ledger died from an accidental prescription drug overdose in January 2008, leading to widespread interest from the press and public regarding his performance. When it was released in July, The Dark Knight received acclaim for its mature tone and themes, visual style, and performances—particularly that of Ledger, who received many posthumous awards including Academy , BAFTA , and Golden Globe awards for Best Supporting Actor, making The Dark Knight
27984-500: Was also used for the GCPD funeral procession, for a practical truck-flip stunt and helicopter sequence. Additional segments were filmed on Monroe Street and Randolph Street , and at Randolph Street Station . Navy Pier , along the shore of Lake Michigan , served as Gotham Harbor in a climactic ferry scene. 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. The entire sequence
28160-401: Was based on 1960s Chicago building designs, and was integrated into existing concrete floor, and used the 200-foot (61 m) long, 8 ft (2.4 m) tall ceiling to create a broad perspective. The 160-foot (49 m) tall hangar was unsuitable for suspending the bunker roof, and an encompassing gantry was built to hold it and the lighting. After moving from Chicago in May, scenes filmed in
28336-554: Was caught in Kansas City . Warner Bros. considered its strategy a success, delaying the appearance of the first "poorly-lit" camcorder version until 38–48 hours after its earliest global release in Australia. Compared to 2007's $ 9.7 billion box-office take, in 2008, lower revenues were expected due to the large number of comedies competing against each other and the release of films with dark tones, such as The Dark Knight , during
28512-408: Was closed for the event, which included a live performance of the film score by Howard and Zimmer. The Hollywood Reporter said Ledger received several ovations, and that during the after-party, Warner Bros. executives struggled to maintain a balance between celebrating the successful response and commemorating Ledger. On July 18, 2008, The Dark Knight was widely released in the U.S. and Canada in
28688-432: Was critically panned for its campiness and deviation from the darker style of the series' first two films directed by Tim Burton. Some have cited it as a factor in the temporary decline of the superhero film sub-genre. Starting with the 1990s, original Ultraman films became more common. In 1996, Tsuburaya released Ultraman Zearth , which parodied the original TV series and later installments. The following year,
28864-514: Was detailed in Rick Veitch 's Swamp Thing #85 featuring Tomahawk . Rumors held it to be the site of various occult rites. The 2011 comic book series Batman: Gates of Gotham details a history of Gotham City in which Alan Wayne (Bruce Wayne's ancestor), Theodore Cobblepot ( Oswald Cobblepot 's ancestor), and Edward Elliot ( Thomas Elliot 's ancestor), are considered as the founding fathers of Gotham. In 1881, they constructed three bridges called
29040-412: Was expected to sell well based on high audience anticipation, positive pre-release reviews, and a record $ 3.5 million in IMAX pre-sales. Predictions placed its opening-weekend take above that of Iron Man ' s $ 102.1 million but below that of Spider-Man 3 ' s (2007) record $ 151.1 million. Analysts said its success would be influenced by the lengthy running time that limited
29216-510: Was filmed from the fortieth floor of a separate building site. A former Brach's candy factory on Cicero Avenue scheduled for demolition was used to film the Gotham General Hospital explosion in August 2007. Filming in Chicago concluded on September 1, ending with scenes of Wayne driving and crashing his car, before the production returned to England. The Dark Knight includes Chicago locations such as Lake Michigan, which doubled as
29392-587: Was filmed in New York City and was an important requirement of the show's creative team. According to executive producer Danny Cannon , its atmosphere was inspired by the look of the city itself in the 1970s films of Sidney Lumet and William Friedkin . Clues to this include and signs showing phone numbers bearing the area code 212 . Donal Logue , who portrayed Harvey Bullock in the series Gotham , described different aspects of that series' design of Gotham City as exhibiting different sensibilities, explaining, "for me, you can step into things that almost feel like
29568-470: Was filmed in one day and involved 800 extras , who were moved through makeup and clothing departments in shifts. Exterior footage of the Gotham Prewitt Building, the site of Batman's and the Joker's final confrontation, was filmed at the in-construction Trump International Hotel and Tower . The owners refused permission to film a stunt in which Batman suspends a SWAT team from the building, so this
29744-519: Was influenced by the Kennedy family , particularly Robert F. Kennedy , who fought organized crime with a similarly idealistic view of the law. During discussions on the portrayal of Dent's transformation into Two-Face, Eckhart and Christopher agreed to ignore Tommy Lee Jones 's "colorful" portrayal in Batman Forever (1995), in which the character has pink hair and wears a split designer suit, in favor of
29920-570: Was intended to convey the fallacy of Batman's belief his war on crime would be temporary. 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. They wanted it to resonate with and reflect contemporary audiences. Christopher described The Dark Knight as representative of his own "fear of anarchy" and Joker represents "somebody who wants to just tear down
30096-470: Was killed by a sentient fat-eating blob of grease. Hamilton Hill became mayor through the backing of crime boss Rupert Thorne but was ultimately ousted from office and replaced by George P. Skowcroft. An unnamed mayor is killed by Deacon Blackfire's followers and replaced by Donald Webster. Mayor Julius Lieberman is killed by a Predator . Mayor Goode served briefly before being replaced by an African American man. Armand Krol became mayor and died of
30272-527: Was killed by them. Archibald Brewster was mayor during the Great Depression . Mayor Thorndike was killed by the Made of Wood killer in 1948. Mayor Aubrey James was a contemporary of Thomas Wayne who was stabbed to death. Mayor Jessop was in office shortly after the Wayne murders. A man named Falcone was purportedly mayor during the earliest days of Batman's career. Shortly after, Mayor Wilson Klass directed
30448-551: Was later refuted. 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". Because Christopher preferred to capture sound while filming rather than re-recording dialogue in post-production , Ledger's work had been completed before his death, and Christopher did not modify
30624-559: Was released in Australia and Taiwan on Wednesday, July 16, 2008, and opened in twenty markets by the weekend. It earned about $ 40 million combined, making it second to Hancock ($ 44.8 million), which was playing in nearly four times as many countries. The Dark Knight was available in sixty-two countries by the end of August, although Warner Bros. decided not to release it in China, blaming "a number of pre-release conditions ... as well as cultural sensitivities to some elements of
30800-425: Was the first major motion picture to be filmed with high-resolution IMAX cameras. Christopher avoided using computer-generated imagery unless necessary, insisting on practical stunts such as flipping an 18-wheel truck and blowing up a factory. The Dark Knight was marketed with an innovative interactive viral campaign that initially focused on countering criticism of Ledger's casting by those who believed he
30976-422: Was written as a purely evil psychopath and anarchist who lacks reason, logic, and fear, and could test the moral and ethical limits of Batman, Dent, and Gordon. Christopher and Jonathan later realized they had inadvertently written their version similarly to Joker's first appearance in Batman #1 (1940). The final scene, in which the Joker states he and Batman are destined to battle forever, was not intended to tease
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