THE DARK KNIGHT: BATMAN IS ALMOST BACK…
Excitement is building to fever pitch for this year’s Batman continuation THE DARK KNIGHT, starring Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman and the late Heath Ledger as the Joker, amongst a glittering cast. The trailers are out, the posters are surfacing, the merchandise is on its way, and everything is pointing to a Batman film that is going to thrill and chill fans in equal measure. The one bone of contention with the project at the moment is the Batsuit itself- the new version seems a bit too mechanical and busy for many fans- myself included- and we’re hoping that it won’t distract us from the action too much. A great deal has been made of Heath Ledger’s performance as the deranged Joker, and many are saying that it pretty much the definitive portrayal of the clown prince of crime.
Of course, the Joker isn’t the only character that people will be looking out for in the eagerly awaited new Batman movie. Aaron Eckhart’s incarnation of Harvey Dent, who it has been confirmed does become Two Face towards the end of the movie, when the Joker tries to burn him alive, scarring him terribly with corrosive chemicals and leaving him insane, split between two personalities. This of course will set up the third film, but not a great deal is being said about that one yet. We’re guessing Two face is going to be in there, but will it just be him or are we going to get another dual villain movie? I still have the shakes when I think of the horrors wrought on the world with Batman and Robin (aaaaaaaaaargh), and am thus a bit wary of Batman films having more than one main bad guy in them. Actually, having said that, I’d quite like to see an adaptation of KNIGHTFALL come to the big screen. That would be one hell of a spectacle.
But first we have THE DARK KNIGHT, which is shaping up to be the Batman film we’ve always wanted. BATMAN BEGINS was brilliant, and rescued the franchise from the realms of stupidity with grace, style and power, and we’re all hoping that THE DARK KNIGHT will make us proud of Christopher Noland And Christian Bale all over again. So… Why so serious?