ROTTEN TOMATOES: A First Look at The Dark Knight!

A First Look at The Dark Knight!

Conventioneers get all the luck.

by Jeff Giles | August 13, 2007

Rabid Bat-fans in attendance at Wizard World Chicago 2007 got one of the ultimate treats recently: Not only were conventioneers given an advance viewing of some footage from The Dark Knight, but they also got to participate in a Q&A with several members of the cast and crew. Luckily for the rest of us, IGN Movies was there to share the news.

The article doesn't indicate how long the "sizzle reel" was, but does make it clear that director Christopher Nolan packed it with plenty of good stuff. A few of the highlights:

Much to the joy of those in attendance, the reel showed off a number of shots of Heath Ledger as The Joker. The Clown Prince of Crime was seen in a prison cell, dramatically speaking at the camera as if scheming some sort of diabolical plot. There were also several shots of Batman and The Joker fighting in what appeared to be an interrogation room -- in fact, the Dark Knight can be scene using "bad cop" interrogation techniques, throwing The Joker across a table. There is a scene of The Joker dancing with Rachel Dawes (played by Maggie Gyllenhaal), reminiscent of the way Jack Nicholson's Joker danced with Vicki Vale (played by Kim Basinger) in 1989's Batman. Finally, there are a number of shots showing a war-torn Gotham City -- a machine gun-toting Joker firing toward the camera.

In other words, the cilp sounds like it struck the perfect balance between priming the fanboy pump and giving away the farm. (On the other hand, there are those of us old enough to remember when you had to wait until a movie was actually finished before you got to see any of it in a theater, but whatever; we're probably just bitter that George Lucas never responded to our heartfelt requests for an advance screening of Return of the Jedi.)

In attendance for the Q&A were none other than Christopher Nolan, Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, and Aaron Eckhart, along with writers David Goyer and Jonathan Nolan. For more details about the reel, and a prelude to IGN's Q&A coverage, click on the link below.

Source: IGN Movies

Related Items

Movie:	Batman
Celeb:	Christian Bale
	Christopher Nolan
	Maggie Gyllenhaal
	Heath Ledger
	David S. Goyer
	Aaron Eckhart
	Gary Oldman
	Jack Nicholson
	Kim Basinger
	Jonathan Nolan

(1-20 of 42 posts) | Reply

nalindra writes:
on Aug 13 2007 06:10 AM

So far out pf all the movies set to realease next summer this is turning out to be the best.Batman vs Joker.

(Reply to this)

Puzzledman writes:
on Aug 13 2007 06:37 AM

This film is going to kick rightious *ss. I foresee it.

(Reply to this)

blank blank writes:
on Aug 13 2007 06:48 AM

i'd skip the rest of 2007 just to get to summer 2008

(Reply to this)

arpeggio191 writes:
on Aug 13 2007 07:33 AM

dear lord this is going to rule!

(Reply to this)

arendr writes:
on Aug 13 2007 08:17 AM

If I fly around the earth fast enough, do you think I can speed up time a bit?

(Reply to this)

Xavier Telouran writes:
on Aug 13 2007 08:44 AM

I think we're going with heavy emphasis on the "DARK" knight this time around. Estimate on the body count, anyone?

(Reply to this)

evanset6 writes:
on Aug 13 2007 09:05 AM

For the love of god, someone post a link to a youtube of this footage!!!!

(Reply to this)

arendr writes:
on Aug 13 2007 09:19 AM

It's hard to believe that in this day and age this footage wouldn't be on the net by now.

(Reply to this)

bat-fink writes:
on Aug 13 2007 09:21 AM

This could be one of the biggest movies of all time!!! I hope it does better at the box office than Titanic! A true bat fan would see it repeatedly to make it happen. And to guarrantee further sequels.

This proves to me that Batman is the Greatest Super hero ever created.

(I know he isnt actually a "super-hero" by the way.)

(Reply to this)

supermanofsteel writes:
on Aug 13 2007 09:23 AM

I suggest everyone click on the IGN link. The article above fails to mention theres a small tidbit about harvey dent/two-face

(Reply to this)

gojirazilla writes:
on Aug 13 2007 09:40 AM

it will be the new standard sorry spiderman2 ill always love ya

(Reply to this)

selke99 writes:
on Aug 13 2007 09:47 AM

This may replace my favorite movie of the last few years, Batman Begins. This clip out on youtube yet?

(Reply to this)

Merlin235 writes:
on Aug 13 2007 09:58 AM

I'll reserve judgement on this film until it's out. No use getting all excited yet. I am interested in seeing what direction they take it into. I'm hoping they don't turn Batman into an anti-hero. I am tired of seeing anti-heros. Anyone can be a jerk, it takes someone truly unique to be 'above' that type of stuff.

(Reply to this)

Schattenkirk writes:
on Aug 13 2007 10:02 AM

In reply to this comment (#1035541)
Wow, the Two-Face info in the link has me even more excited than the Joker stuff. Sounds awesome!

(Reply to this)

I Am Remote writes:
on Aug 13 2007 10:04 AM

This film still has a year to come out... and as I'm excited to read about new stuff, it seems like a lot has already been revealed. Reel it in Nolan. At this rate we'll know the whole movie before its release.

(Reply to this)

arendr writes:
on Aug 13 2007 10:04 AM

In reply to this comment (#1035928)
They won't make him an anti-hero because an anti-hero works for himself, helping people only by coincidence. They've already laid the foundation of why Bruce fights, so he won't be an anti-hero. That said, he might struggle with some demons, but that's why Batman has more depth than Supes.

(Reply to this)

Merlin235 writes:
on Aug 13 2007 12:05 PM

Replying to arendr:

I agree, the first movie did a wonderful job of establishing why Bruce does what he does. But reading about Batman throwing Joker around an interrogation room just makes me worry that they filmakers will take it to the next level. Which is why I'm reserving my thoughts on the film until I actually see it. I understand that Joker is one of those 'bad people' out there, but I'd like to see Batman retain some integrity in the process of taking him down. I have no reason to believe that they'll make him into some type of anti-hero. That said, I am just hoping that they don't.

(Reply to this)

arendr writes:
on Aug 13 2007 12:25 PM

In reply to this comment (#1036438)
I think Bruce has to drift into questionable moral practices in order for his character to grow. Perhaps something will happen to someone he cares about, and he reacts in a violent manner.

(Reply to this)

blank blank writes:
on Aug 13 2007 12:29 PM

the long halloween has repeatedly been acknowledged as an influence when writing the two batman movies, in it they show batman as wanting to cross the line from doing it by the book into flat out punishing and killing criminals, but batman is always held back by something. im sure this movie will have either batman wanting to cross the line and gordon stopping him or something (dent stopping batman from doing something he'll regret? batman stopping gordon or dent from doing something they will regret?)

but i will echo our friend xavier, who correctly emphasized the DARK, in dark knight. good bye jim carrey and tommy lee jones.

(Reply to this)

bigbrother writes:
on Aug 13 2007 12:49 PM

Throwing the Joker across a desk is "Crossing a line"? Batman frequently roughs up criminals. He just never kills. Heck Batman pretty much tortured a cop(albeit a dirty cop) in Batman Begins. What is this line we're talking about? Cause if it's slapping around a few criminals he crossed that line long long ago.

(Reply to this)

RottenTomatoes.com