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Here is the text of the Wizard article:
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Lieutenant Jim Gordon's trying desperately to catch a glimpse of the Joker. Time and time again, though, the clown-faced mad-man has evaded arrest and the bloody trail of armed robbery and murder in the criminal's wake has the officer restless and exhausted. Now, finally, Gordon's got his perp trapped. When a bank heist falls apart, Gordon and a S.W.A.T. team track the Joker to a vault with no exit.
But when Gordon and his men arrive, line against the concrete walls in flanking positions, the dark room stands still and empty. No Joker. No accomplices. Nothing. Just a few small stacks of money discarded like crumbs in the center of the cold, vacant vault – a twister little “F you” to the police.
“It's empty!” screams Gordon, his voice booming off the back wall as he loses his usually cool demeanour. In a final fit of rage Gordon turns and kicks the pile of money into a cloud of flailing dollar bills.
For Gordon, the Joker's evasion has been an irritatingly common scenario. No one, not even Batman can manage a handle on the criminal. That elusiveness extends to movie-goers who've been kept in the dark about the Clown Prince of Crime since he was first alluded to in the final minutes of 2005's "Batman Begins." The film, directed by Christopher Nolan, went on to gross over $370 million worldwide and revamped the Bat-franchise. Now Nolan looks to reignite that blockbuster status in summer 2008 - only this time he'll be banking on a man in white make-up with a twisted Kool-Aid smile.
Swooping into theaters on July 18, 2008, "The Dark Knight" focuses on the Batman's continued urban war on crime. Rejoining Nolan as millionaire Bruce Wayne (and the titular crime-fighting badass) is actor Christian Bale, who's accompanied by returning all-stars Gary Oldman (Lt. Gordon), Morgan Freeman (Lucius Fox) and Michael Caine (Alfred). But it's the Joker, played by Heath Ledger, who fans are wetting themselves to see. And despite the media blackout surrounding the villain, Heath has been able to sneak out a few tidbits about his take on the character.
"To play a villain, one must throw it all out the window," revealed Ledger in an online interview. "And I have not yet really explored that kind of dark side, which makes me enthusiastic to play [the Joker]. This role, I am told will be like watching a car wreck that won't stop. And from the script pieces I've been sent on my character's angles, it just gets deeper and deeper. This guy is a shark, a fearless shark, and I know I can bring that alive."
A creepy little Joker with an inner monster the size of Jaws isn't the only addition to the franchise. Between new gadgets, a wave of fresh characters and the confirmation of at least one other major villain in the film (Two-Face!), "The Dark Knight" already seems poised to blow away the box office receipts on "Batman Begins" If you've been frustrated with the lack of info on the flick, prepare to come out of the dark.
Shuffling The Joker
Topping, or even matching Jack Nicholson at anything is no easy task. That's why, when Nolan and the crew began developing Batman's arch nemesis for the big screen, they needed to work a new (albeit terrifying) angle different from Nicholson's take on the character in 1989's "Batman".
"What's strong about [the Joker] was this idea of anarchy, this commitment to chaos, " Nolan explains on a warm, sunny afternoon while taking a break from filming "Dark Knight" scenes on set in downtown Chicago. "He's not just a bank robber or an ordinary criminal who's out for any kind of material gain. I talked to Heath a lot about that even as we were finishing the script, and we both agreed that's the most threatening force, in a way, that society faces - that of pure anarchy by someone who really wants to do harm for its sake and for his own entertainment."
That idea of anarchy stems from the Joker's first appearance over 60 years ago in Batman #1. Nolan's younger brother and "Dark Knight" screenwriter, Jonah, came up with the idea of tapping that issue's take on the character to build a practical big-screen baddie. Dozens of murders littered the Joker's first few comic appearances and it was his reaction to the crimes that made him scary.
"There is a murderous quality to him," adds the director. "He's a criminal, but he has this great delight in his murderous nature and there's the great siege of a massively destructive, anarchic force in the way that the guy looks at the world which is quite amazing. He's very much the absolute. That's what we've presented in the film. He is an absolute."
According to Ledger, it's the right way to go. "He's going to be really sinister," the actor said. "it's going to be less about his laugh and his pranks and more about him being a just a f--king sinister guy."
Despite a strong understanding of the character, Ledger polarizes fans across the nation when it was announced in July 2006 that he would play the Joker. Many thought the character actor could bring a quality performance whether or not it was similar to Nicholson's. Others thought the handsome Academy Award nominee ("Brokeback Mountain") could never pull off the grim and gritty attitude needed to portray a sadistic criminal in the "Batman Begins" world. Ledger simply shrugs it all off.
"It would not matter who is chose to play the [Joker]," Ledger publicly stated. "In any film, there is always someone who does not like you and I am secure in my choices and my record. But I know at the end of the day you are never going to please anyone 100 percent...I refuse to carbon copy a performance. That would not be a challenge and it would be mocking Mr. Nicholson, whom I have much respect for."
Respect and secrecy stand out on the set of "The Dark Knight" moreso than on most productions. Since filming began in April 2007, Warner Bros. has done everything in its power to keep the Joker under wraps, shielding Ledger from the press. The only authorized video to be seen was screened before a crown of screaming fans at this past summer's Wizard World Chicago. The studio has also been extremely careful about withholding photos of the purple-clad villain despite the brouhaha that erupted when unauthorized photos of Ledger in costume found there way onto the Internet. The images appeared to be actual stills from the film and featured plot points like the Batman beating on the Joker in a police interrogation room, multiple people in knock-off Batsuits, what appeared to be an early design for the Bat-Computer complete with multiple LCD screens and a close-up of Ledger in Joker makeup. Sites quickly took the pictures down (no doubt due to pressure from Warner Bros. execs and/or legal department), but it was too late. Almost as if the leak was planned by Joker himself in an early comic book "bad guy poisons the water supply" kind of way, "Dark Knight" hysteria was let loose and thousands of people caught the bug. Even Caine, who plays Wayne's trusted butler Alfred Pennyworth, can't hide his excitement.
"[The movie] is about Heath Ledger as the Joker," the 74-year-old actor told mtv.com. "It's one of the scariest performances I've ever seen."
Dressing Up A Madman
If clothes make the man, then what the hell does a psychopathic anarchist wear? According to Nolan, early discussions with Ledger helped develop the look of the character right down to his funky green hair and pocket watch.
"In visual terms, we really tried to go our own way," continues Nolan, who tapped costume designer Lindy Hemming to dress the grinning villain. "Basically, it winds up being an amalgam of looking at everything that's been done with the character and just processing that. Myself and [screenwriter] David Goyer stared very early as I was [still] doing 'The Prestige.' We were just ruminating and allowing our imaginations to remember and take what we took from the history of the comics and put it all together, which is very much how we approached Batman in the first film."
In keeping with the anarchic outline for the Joker, Hemming, whose designs can be seen across genres in everything from "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets " to "Casino Royale," looked toward pop culture's anti-authority figures for influence.
"[The costume] is much more flamboyant and it sort of moves a lot, which he does," clarifies Hemming of the character's flailing, manic demeanor. "We started off going through all sorts of reference material with [pop icons] Pete Doherty, iggy Pop - just going through all kinds of people that we could think of might dress like that for real because Chris' whole thing is reality."
That realistic approach led to a less clowny, more punk rock version of the Joker smeared with white makeup and permanently marked with a bubbled, ugly scar extending his mouth into a monstrous smirk. Reports indicate the Joker begins the film as a nobody thug before an unkown attack results in his disfigurement thanks to a razor blade. Left for dead, the encounter alters the man's perceptions resulting in the birth of Batman's greates villain.
"We just find him dressed like this, and you can assume that he might've been dressed like that for years," Hemming reveals. "Whatever he's been up to and doing, before we meet him he's been wearing these clothes. He's already scarred in the film, so the makeup comes from what he does to himself to enhance that rather than to look like a clown. It's much more of a street kind of Joker rather than a man who puts on a clown mask.
Whatever happened, it's clear the scarring pushes the joker over the edge. And it looks like he's not the only criminal element looking to make Gotham his playground. According to Nolan, the key to the Joker's motivation, as well as the basic plot of the film, can be found in the final moments of "Batman Begins" after Batman's takedown of a major crime element creates a power vacuum in Gotham City.
"Really, the key point is Gordon's little speech about escalation and the idea of [Batman's] radical response to crime the prompting [crime's] own radical nature," says Nolan. "At the end of the first film where the Joker idea was presented, it's very clear that that was our idea of 'Yes, Batman succeeded, but at the same time he's definitely going to prompt a very extreme response.' That's the jumping off point for this film, the extreme response to Batman's war on crime."
As a sequel, "Dark Knight" not only follows the same themes and storylines as "Batman Begins," but also shares the same idea that character development is just as important as plot. Producer Charles Roven agrees and adds that Nolan's ability to create motivated, compelling characters won't be discarded this time around.
"Bruce Wayne didn't even don his Bat-suit until an hour into 'Batman Begins,'" indicates Roven. "That while first hour was character, and there was some good action in it, but it was still character there. The great thing we were able to do on this film is that we jump right into it. You meet the Joker and Harvey Dent early on and each on of their characters is interesting and compelling."
Two Faces Of The Law
If you saw Aaron Eckhart on the street, you'd confuse him for a JC Penny's catalogue model. Ruggedly handsome in a striped, light blue button-down shirt and faded black slacks on a day off from shooting, he looks more likely to pilot a yacht than fight crime. But don't that his good looks fool you. as Harvey Dent, Gotham's new District Attorney, he's got his eyes set on justice.
"At the end of 'Batman Begins,' the D.A. was killed so Dent is elected as the new D.A.," explains Roven. "That's really how he comes into the story. He's got a alot of charisma and is someone who's the law enforcement arm together with Gordon who are going to clean up the streets [in ways] that the previous police commissioner and the previous D.A. were never able to do."
Like Bale, Eckhart, who's seen all the Batman films, plays a dual role in "Dark Knight" when an accident scars half his face, turning the D.A. into the villainous Two-Face. Far from a cut-and-dry bad guy, Two-Face deals with an extreme bipolar disorder that forces him to teether between well-intentioned actions and psychotic episodes of violence. For Eckhart, the transformation is something deeper than just a wounded face.
"Harvey is a very good guy in the comic books," justifies the actor. "he's judicious. He cares. And the he turns into this character and things happen. I think that it's interesting about human behavior that under certain circumstances, in one minute you can believe in one thing, and then the world can change and you believe in another thing. In terms of villains and movies, in anyones motivation you're always trying to improve your lot in life and to exact your own code and I think that Harvey/Two-Face has a code and his code is killing people for reasons that will remain secret [for now]."
But before the transformation, Harvey shares another connection with the Caped Crusader stemming from "Batman Begins." In the first film, Bruce Wayne's childhood friend (and assistant D.A) Rachel Dawes discovers his superhero secret identity. Despite and attraction between the two, neither steps over the friendship line. That all changes in "Dark Knight" when Dent makes a move for Dawes, creating a tricky love triangle.
Originally portrayed by actress Katie Holmes, Dawes is played by Maggie Gyllenhaal in "Dark Knight" after Mrs. Tom Cruise decided not to return for the sequel. Gyllenhaal has kept generally mum on her portrayal of the character. but has publicly spoke about stepping into Katie's shoes.
"I'm not thinking of it as a role that anyone's played before, Gyllenhaal told the Post Chronicle. "I'm not walking into Katie Holmes' performance. I'm thinking of it as an opportunity to play somebody who's alive and smart. Christ asked me to do this because he wanted me, not because he wanted some generic lady in a dress."
And although her words taken out of context may imply some animosity about the cast change on set, Bale is quick to squash any misconceptions.
"Katie did a very good job and Maggie is doing a fantastic job as well," he says with all sincerity. "Obviously, Maggie brings her own substance to the role...[the transition has] been as seamless as is possible to be."
Adding Gyllenhaal to the film provided another kind of collaborator on the film for Nolan. "She pushed me quite hard on the script once she was on board to really try to make the most out of the character and have the character be as important and as credible in the story as possible," Nolan points out. "she has very good story instincts. So she bought a lot to the character early on both in the substance of how we were treating her character in scenes, but also in the way that she played it."
The recasting isn't the only seamless transition on set. Look for Bruce Wayne's Bat-garage to get an overhaul, just like his love life.
Bat-Wheels
Joining the returning tank-like Batmobile (aka, the Tumbler) is the motorcycle-like Bat-pod (see sidebar), and experimental machine that allows. Batman access to tighter areas like alleyways. Set on two, hulking custom-rounded tires that allow for better steering, the Bat-Pod seems like something out of "Mad Max". In "Dark Knight," when Batman's urban war on crime demands a sleeker mode of transportation that the Batmobile, he has WayneTech's Research and Development guru Lucius Fox whip up the Bat-Pod. Originally, Nolan and production designer Nathan Crowley constructed a prototype of the vehicle in Nolan's driveway at home.
"I got brought up to L.A. to see this bike, this Pod," laughs special effects supervisor Chris Corbould as he looks up at a photo of the vehicle behind him. "I thought, 'There's no way with the big wide wheels on it.' It's just not a traditional bike."
Eventually, after months of stress tests where driveability and safety were measured, this bike was cleared for filming. In all, six bikes were constructed for filming. And if you ask for a definitive top speed, you may be out of luck - none were made with speedometers.
"In the real world we have different gearings, but I'm guessing up to 90 or 100 miles an hour if we geared it to do that," boasts Courbould. "If it has to get away fast, we have bikes geared for that."
Batman's wheels aren't the only gadgets earning an upgrade. Look for the Dark Knight to sport an entirely new suit in the upcoming film. Constricting due to its one-piece design, the outfit seen in "Batman Begins" made it difficult for Bale to move or show expression in his head and neck area. For nearly seven months while filming, Bale couldn't rotate his head more than a few inches right or left, up or down. Graham Churchyard, an assistant costume designer on "Batman," was brought on to provide several alterations to the suit.
"The 'Begins' suit is made out of rubber latex which comes out of a tree as a milky product," describes Churchyard as he points to the fully assembled, 30-pound outfit hanging from a pulley. "[The new suit] is a similar process of manufacturing, but it's [made of] polyurethane. It's used to glue every windshield in the world and it's also used in the automative industry for fenders and steering wheels."
Because the rubber latex in the "Begins" suit didn't allow for much breathing room, it became dangerously hot very quickly for Bale and stuntmen. And while you will see the original suit during part of "Dark Knight," Bale says he prefers the new, cooler version despite it's eight-pound increase from the original.
"If any of you had to wear the first one then you would love this one as much as I do," laughs Bale. "It's all about speed, It's about [Batman] needing to be faster than he was before."
But why does Bats require a faster outfit? According to Hemming, the story demanded the update.
"The technical reasons are that he requests a more modern, more mobile, easier to operate suite," she teases. "So Lucius Fox obviously sets about trying to make him a new suit. Storywise thought, I don't really want to tell you what that is. It's a decision that he makes."
Whatever the need may be, look forward to additions like hydraulic-powered hand attachment capable of crushing metal and other materials in Batman's grip. And remember that row of razor-sharp fin spikes on the under part of his forearm? Look for a second row to emerge in "Dark Knight" and both capable of firing out at thugs as short-distance projectiles. Bale, who didn't put on as much physical muscle for "Dark Knight" as he did for "Batman Begins," says the suit's changed all go back to the story.
"It's part of the evolution and why he's choosing a different suit," admits the actor. "He wants to be able to move quicker."
Guarding Gotham
Outfitted with a new Bat-Pod and updated threads, Batman's gearing up for a major war thanks to Gotham City's surging criminal population. After Bats took down mob boss Carmine Falcone in "Batman Begins," an empty seat of underworld power materialized in the city. Look for new goons in town including Eric Roberts as Salvatore Maroni, the mob's replacement for Falcone, and Michael Jai White as Gamble, a competitor for Maroni.
On the law-abiding side of things, Gordon gets a hand from a character named Detective Ramirez played by actress Monique Curnen ("Dexter"). Early reports indicated Curnen would play Renee Montoya, a female detective in Batman comic book continuity, but have since been scuttled. Also look for Wayne to relocate into a downtown penthouse since his family mansion burned to the ground in the last film. And expect plenty of development in Batman's arsenal of skills.
"In this movie he does much more easily assume a more detective type role," says Nolan. "That was something that was important for us to get in the first film. we got in there in a small way, but in dealing with the origin and dealing with all of the larger aspects of the character I that that it became very difficult to get that in there. What we've tried to put into this is all the stuff that we couldn't get in that first film. Him as a detective is one of those aspects."
All in all, Nolan and company stayed true to their attempt at remaking the Batman franchise for a new generation. From creating a fully realized pocket universe to explaining the use of gadgets and gizmos in completely tangible ways to well-rounded characters whose motivations are understandable, it's sometimes easy to forget he's making a sequel to a comic book movie. But Nolan's bucked that negative stigma and it's due in large part to his star.
"I think that if anything, with sequels, people start getting a little complacent about it and it's nice to try and maintain," muses Bale. "I always enjoy when people are thinking that a movie is going to fail miserably. i get quite a kick out of that. It's tougher for me to deal with when everyone thinks that I'm going to be a home run from the get-go. I don't know what to do with it as much."
That's a lesson Bale better learn fast now that he's had a hand in making "Dark Knight" one of the most anticipated films of 2008. And if he's afraid of everyone thinking the film's about to hit a home run, he might want to think twice about acting alongside Ledger as the Joker, whose appearance alone may pack theater seats. Even on set, Oldman, who just hours before as Gordon, couldn't catch the villain in a bank vault, speaks heavy with anticipation.
"The smile and scars from a razor.. he's very forbidding and not like a clown," Oldman describes of Ledger's Joker in a low, serious voice. "It's very dangerous, very unhinged, what he's doing and he plays him like someone on - I don't know. It's like Coco the Clown on crack...Heath is going to blow you away."[/align]
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