So, after a couple of tantalising false starts – that clever viral marketing campaign, a relative no-show at Comic-Con and that intriguing teaser trailer – footage from Chris Nolan’s eagerly-awaited The Dark Knight finally screened last night.
Sadly for Empire and all but a very, very, very tiny percentage of the world’s population, it screened in Chicago at Wizard World, the convention hosted by the legendary comics industry magazine, and our air miles just wouldn’t stretch.
However, Wizarduniverse.com have been kind enough to not only post a fairly detailed report of the footage – which was only shown once – but also a transcript of the Q&A involving attendees Chris Nolan (writer/director), his brother Jonathan (writer), Christian Bale (he plays somebody called Bruce Wayne), Aaron Eckhart (Gotham DA, Harvey Dent), Gary Oldman (Jim Gordon) and David Goyer (co-writer).
True to form with these things, not a lot was revealed, but we’ll sum up some of the more interesting points from the Q&A and the footage, which is apparently quite mouthwatering. Oh, and need we shout SPOILER? So only read on, please, if you don't mind learning more about the return of the Caped Crusader:
• Rumour had it that Eckhart’s Dent, who famously becomes Two-Face (arguably the guy who ranks two on the list of Bat-nemeses), wouldn’t do so until the third Batman movie. Yet there are now indications that he will do so in The Dark Knight: at the end of the footage presentation, there’s a shot of a 50 cent piece spinning in the air, while a shocked barman says to a barely-glimpsed and possibly disfigured Dent, “I heard you were dead!” to which Dent replies, “Half.”…
• Then Eckhart, who apparently played up to the crowd, appeared on stage covering half his face in a theatrical fashion, although he evaded direct questions about Two-Face.
• Heath Ledger’s The Joker, who will be the main villain of The Dark Knight, appeared in all his psychopathic glory for the first time in the footage, with greasy green hair and, at times, his trademark purple suit. He’s seen being thrown around a room by Batman, being interrogated by Gordon in a police cell while sporting a bloodied face (if he gets arrested, that would play into the rumoured origin of Two-Face during a court-room scene), and walking down a street with a machine gun, shooting anything that moves. Oh, and he also laughs maniacally. A lot.
• There were also glimpses of Batman in both his souped-up Batmobile, and his new Batpod (effectively the Bat-cycle), while there was also a brief look at Bruce Wayne talking to Harvey Dent.
• In the Q&A, the Nolans indicated that the movie will follow their previous collaborations – The Prestige, Memento, Batman Begins – by unfolding in a non-chronological fashion.
But enough of us bleating on about it. For the full skinny on the footage, go here. And to read the full Q&A, go here. And tell ‘em Empire sent ya!