43 Facts About 'The Dark Knight' For Every Action & Thriller Lover
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Today 'The Dark Knight' is one of the most loved superhero movies in the history of Hollywood as well as in the DC franchise.
Christopher Nolan's 'The Dark Knight' starred Christian Bale in the lead role of Bruce Wayne or Batman. The movie also stars the late movie star, Heath Ledger, as his arch-rival called, 'Joker.'
Christopher Nolan's unique approach never appeared to fit with the concept of helming a mega-franchise, yet this resulted in the immense success and impact of this movie on pop culture.
Christopher Nolan is also the director of successful thrillers like 'Memento' and 'Insomnia'.
Nolan has been at the helm of some iconic movies, including 'Interstellar,' 'The Dark Knight Rises' (the sequel to The Dark Knight), 'Batman Begins' (the prequel to The Dark Knight), 'Inception,' 'Dunkirk,' 'Tenet,' 'Saving Private Ryan,' '2001: A Space Odyssey,' 'Justice League,' 'Transcendence,' 'Man Of Steel,' and more.
Nolan couldn't stop wondering how his version of the Batman would react to the appearance of the Joker after reimagining the Caped Crusader from 2005 'Batman Begins.' The result was 'The Dark Knight', a real deal investigation of how chaos disrupts the goal of the righteous.
The film was moreover completed by the presence of prominent actors, incredible stunts, and a legendary performance by the incomparable Heath Ledger. Heath Ledger eventually won an incredibly well-deserved Oscar for his amazing bringing to life of his character, the Joker.
The Joker went on to become the most well-known supervillain in the world, and to this day has this title.
Superheroes have been some of the greatest things to happen to pop culture in recent times and since their rise in popularity during the '30s.
The concept of superheroes and characters themselves have gone through incredible change, especially in film.
The main reason 'The Dark Knight' holds its own today as one of the best superhero movies ever made, even in the face of Marvel titans like 'Avengers: Infinity War' and 'Avengers: Endgame', is because it is true to life and a far more realistic than the latter.
Let's find out all there is to it in this article.
Facts About The Cast And Characters
Here are some amazing 'The Dark Knight' facts, a milestone film set in Gotham City.
Emily Blunt was actually considered for the role of Selina Kyle or Catwoman.
Due to Ledger's untimely death at the age of 28 in January 2008, his role as the Joker has since been romanticized by fans and admirers worldwide, so when word got out that he kept a private Joker diary' while in character sounded much like a hoax.
The truth is, Ledger did indeed keep a diary while prepping and getting into character.
The diary was shown to include various stylized notes, clip art, and script lines that were rewritten by Ledger himself.
Kim, Ledger's father, revealed the diary in 2013 as part of a documentary and observed that his son always did extensive work like this for every role but that he 'really took it up a notch for the Joker.'
The prospect of actually starring in the sequel to a megahit film is a major puller in terms of actors. For others yet, the idea of finally being part of a Batman series film would be just too irresistible.
But for Maggie Gyllenhaal, who played the role of Rachel Dawes, there was really only a single reason to say 'yes'; Christopher Nolan.
Maggie says, 'When Chris approached me about 'The Dark Knight,' it was almost incidental that it was about Batman.' She said that she was captivated and intrigued by the character and stayed that way through the filmmaking process.
She maintains that right from the beginning Chris was very engaging and interesting, and was genuinely interested in her ideas about Rachel that she immediately wanted to be a part of it.
Christopher Nolan and his brother Jonathan Nolan wrote the script for the film.
The follow-up to 'Batman Begins,' the first part of the franchise, 'The Dark Knight' brings together director Christopher Nolan and actor Christian Bale, who aptly takes over the role of Batman or Bruce Wayne in his continuing war against crime in Gotham.
Every live-action Batman film before 'The Dark Knight' contained 'Batman' in the title. With 'The Dark Knight,' Nolan opted to go with a different approach, which also predicts the film's darker tone and its distancing from the premise of being centric on Batman.
The Nolan brothers went to the past for inspiration while creating their version of the Joker.
According to Nolan, the Joker's earliest appearances in the 'Batman' comics from 1940 were their major inspiration.
Superhero films usually portray a kind of out-of-the-world battle or fight that spreads across the length and breadth of the city, all with stunned onlookers watching, but 'The Dark Knight' completely broke the stereotype with its action sequences.
Christopher Nolan and the team didn't consider the Caped Crusader to be the film's main character.
Joaquin Phoenix went on to win an Oscar for his portrayal of Joker, which was quite different from Ledger's take on Joker.
The Joker is fully formed from the opening of 'The Dark Knight,' which was done on purpose.
Bruce Wayne or Batman was indeed the protagonist of the first film, but it was decided pretty early on that he would not be the protagonist of the second film: that it would instead be Harvey Dent.
Awards And Nominations
Here are some amazing facts about 'The Dark Knight,' a milestone film released 10 years ago.
Among 'The Dark Knight' many achievements, especially on the technical side, perhaps the most astonishing is that no fatalities occurred while filming the shot of a semi-truck flipping over at the center of a pivotal chase sequence.
While 'The Dark Knight' was being made, the film was lauded for using a revolutionary technique.
While the majority of it was filmed in more typical 65 mm, six key sequences were shot with 15/70 IMAX cameras (including the opening bank heist portion and the armored car chase part), totaling 28 minutes of total runtime, which was a first for a major Hollywood feature and is still a rarity today.
Because so many people wanted to see 'The Dark Knight,' Warner Bros. decided to go all out. 'The Dark Knight' received a completely successful global release in 4,366 theatres in the United States and Canada.
Warner Bros reached a new high for the number of theatres in which a picture was released.
The iconic origin story in Nolan's trilogy 'Batman Begins' established Batman far differently than the comics or previous films did, but even so, 'The Dark Knight' made Oscar history.
'The Dark Knight' did not receive the best picture nomination, but that isn't to say it didn't reach a significant milestone. The film received eight Academy Award nominations, breaking the previous record for the most nominations for a film based on a comic book and box office.
The film's first scene was shown to moviegoers ahead of time. The whole opening bank robbery sequence and a brief montage of other scenes from 'The Dark Knight' were shown before the IMAX screenings of the film.
Behind The Scenes Facts
In addition to classic Joker tales like 'The Killing Joke,' Christopher Nolan, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman (Jim Gordon), and Heath Ledger relied on a wide range of influences inside and outside the comic book industry to recreate their characters.
Nolan recreated the film's portrayal of the Clown Prince of Crime. Nolan used the work of painter Francis Bacon as a visual reference for the Joker's warped perception of the world.
'The Dark Knight Trilogy' had at its helm one of the most celebrated directors in modern film-making, Christopher Nolan. Not one of his past projects or any movies that came after this trilogy has been received poorly.
Christian Bale had to modulate his voice to a harsh undertone to create Batman's voice when in the Batman suit in 'The Dark Knight', which later went on to become iconic.
In previous Batman films, we've seen Joker and Two-Face, but they were played by a different supporting actor each time.
Jonathan Crane, the man that Lucius Fox nicknamed Scarecrow, does appear early in 'The Dark Knight.'
Cillian Murphy became the first supporting actor to reprise their role as a Batman villain in a film.
Crane would make a reappearance in 'The Dark Knight Rises' for good measure as a scary psychopath. As his filmography demonstrates, Nolan is also a huge admirer of Murphy.
The film has also surprisingly inspired a roller coaster! While 'The Dark Knight' is a serious comic book film, it doesn't mean there isn't some creative fun to be had. Two Six Flag theme parks, Great Adventure, and Great America, both opened with Dark Ride roller coaster rides in 2008, in line with the film's debut.
The Dark Ride Coaster features a plot, with the concept being that the Joker is following you.
Michael Caine was a much sought-after choice for Nolan for the role of Alfred. This is one film where the director has given prominence to all the actors' roles, including the one of Alfred, Bruce Wayne's trusted aide.
Nolan apparently faced a lot of challenges and went through quite a few technical glitches on his path to create the right gadgets and the perfect batsuit for Bale. He did go through a bad run of creating face masks to deal with slight defects in body armor that would expose him to damage.
The death of Heath Ledger had a massive impact on the sequel as, at the same time, it had been reported that Ledger's comeback in 'The Dark Knight Rises' was in the works.
Nolan chose not to recast the part in the aftermath of Ledger's death and instead rewrote the narrative.
In the comic book series 'The Dark Knight,' there exists a fake Batman who is eventually killed by the Joker as he is just an imitation of the Batman and not the real one.
This is partly about Batman's ethics of not giving Joker what he wants, but it also sets the stage for Joker to appear in the following installment of the series.
'The Dark Knight' was the Oscars' game-changer in many ways. The film was a smashing blockbuster, but many of its fans also thought it to be a cinematic work of brilliance on par with ones nominated at the Academy for Best Picture.
The controversy was so great that the Oscars decided to increase the number of Best Picture candidates shortly afterward.
There's more to Christopher Nolan's second film than just Batman. The story is incredibly well written and plays beautifully as each character gets their chance to shine in their roles.
'The Dark Knight' took a very different approach with several darker elements and well-crafted story arcs woven into one distinct message.
The movie showed that when people are faced with a crisis, in their extremes would emerge humankind's best and worst.
An example of this was the intense boat scene where passengers were given an ultimatum on both vessels side-by-side, and also in the final act when Batman is branded a villain and made to be a scapegoat to face the anger of Gotham's people.
Christopher Nolan, therefore, has indeed dug deep into the fabric of our behavior in times of great peril.
FAQs
What is 'The Dark Knight' known for?
Even when faced with Marvel superhits like 'Avengers: Infinity War' and 'Endgame,' 'The Dark Knight' remains the finest superhero film ever produced because it is the most realistic and brilliant take on a real-life depiction of not just Batman, but also a great superhero.
Where was 'The Dark Knight' filmed?
The majority of 'The Dark Knight' was shot in and around Chicago. The movie included locations such as the Sears Tower and the Navi Pier.
How much did 'The Dark Knight' make?
The Dark Knight grossed $534.9 million in North America and $469.7 million in other regions, totaling $1 billion worldwide. 'The Dark Knight' Christian Bale himself was paid $9 million for 'Batman Begins,' which was released in 2005.
For 'The Dark Knight,' his compensation was upped to $10 million, and for 'The Dark Knight Rises,' it was further upped to $15 million.
How much money did 'The Dark Knight' make?
'The Dark Knight' was an immense success, grossing more than $1 billion worldwide in its first run. DC has subsequently launched its shared world and produced several films that are related. That being said, none have achieved the same degree of popularity as 'The Dark Knight' trilogy.
Who was Joker in 'The Dark Knight?'
The Joker was played by none other than Heath Ledger for 'The Dark Knight.' Ledger devoted his every effort to the character, so much so that the Joker still stands as the #1 supervillain in the world.
Heath Ledger is a well-known actor with a roster of many great films. Heath Ledger's posthumous Oscar-winning performance as the Joker is the finest interpretation of the character ever seen on film.
What year did 'The Dark Knight' come out?
'The Dark Knight Trilogy,' is a trilogy of Christopher Nolan's 'Batman' films. It started with 'Batman Begins' in 2005, then 'The Dark Knight' in 2008, and concluded with 'The Dark Knight Rises' in 2012.
How old is Batman in 'The Dark Knight' returns?
In 'The Dark Knight Returns,' Bruce Wayne, who is now 55 years old, has given up the mantle of Batman only to reclaim it in this comeback flick.
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Bachelor of Science specializing in Mass Communication.
Adekunle Olanrewaju JasonBachelor of Science specializing in Mass Communication.
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