The Dark Knight
News

Thanks to IGN, we have an update on the The Dark Knight sequel.

At the moment, Christopher Nolan is the only screenwriter attached to the project. How does IGN know this?

Studios and guild members are required to submit work lists to the guilds of the projects they are on. The website has learned that a work list from Warner Bros. was submitted last week, listing Nolan as the sole screenwriter on eventual follow-up to The Dark Knight.

Might another actor attempt to fill the impressive shoes left by Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight?

At last night’s Golden Globe Awards, producer Chuck Roven told MTV that he and The Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan and writer David Goyer were “talking and thinking” about the next film.

As for one of the most popular topics among movie fans - who will fill portray the latest villains to Batman? - Roven had an interesting take:

“We have to separate the actors from the role,” said Roven. “On a personal level, Heath was a friend of mine. We had worked together before The Dark Knight, but I still think that The Dark Knight is its own thing, and we have to separate them."

Might another actor dare to take on The Joker? Would you wanna see one try?

Might this be confirmation that Chris Nolan is, in fact, on board for a follow-up to The Dark Knight?

Speaking with MTV News on the People’s Choice Awards red carpet, producer Charles Roven delivered the latest scoop on the sequel.

“I know that Chris [Nolan] and [writer] David Goyer are talking and thinking,” Roven said. “We’re hoping, of course, that they find and rest on something that they’ll find is worthy to do, but we don’t know anything more than you do right now.”

There will undoubtedly be a sequel to The Dark Knight. The only question is whether or not Christopher Nolan will direct it.

Another week, another record for The Dark Knight.

The blockbuster sold a record 600,000 Blu-ray Discs in the U.S. on its first day of release this week, according to Warner Home Video.

"We think we will hit one million this weekend," said Warner Home Video president Ron Sanders. "What's really encouraging about it is that the Blu-ray version did exceptionally well across the board. It wasn't just selling in Best Buy or Wal-Mart, but also it did well in grocery and game stores. It was surprising to us just how well it did."

Prior to The Dark Knight, the top Blu-ray Disc performer was Iron Man, which moved 260,000 copies on its first day on sale this September.

Great news for those hoping to see The Dark Knight for the 12th time in theaters:

Warner Bros. Pictures is bringing the blockbuster back for a return engagement in theaters and IMAX on January 23. The film will re-open nationwide, according to Dan Fellman, Warner Bros. Pictures President of Domestic Distribution.

"The Dark Knight is a crowning achievement in every sense of the word. We wanted to provide one more opportunity for moviegoers to experience it on the big screen as it was meant to be seen," Fellman said.

Following the critical and box office success of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, it seems unlikely that director Christopher Nolan won't return for a third Batman movie.

But the man behind the camera is still hesitant to commit, recently telling The Los Angeles Times:

Well ... let me think how to put this. There are two things to be said. One is the emphasis on story. What’s the story? Is there a story that’s going to keep me emotionally invested for the couple of years that it will take to make another one? That’s the overriding question. On a more superficial level, I have to ask the question:

How many good third movies in a franchise can people name? [Laughs.] At the same time, in taking on the second one, we had the challenge of trying to make a great second movie, and there haven't been too many of those either.

It’s all about the story really. If the story is there, everything is possible. I hope that was a suitably slippery answer.

Christian Bale will be back for the follow-up to The Dark Knight. Will Christopher Nolan?

While director Christopher Nolan is yet to officially sign on for a sequel to The Dark Knight, there's no doubt that one will be made.

Now, Batman-on-Film.com is quoting sources that claim the next Batman movie is slated to begin pre-production around February 2009 in Chicago for a summer 2009 shoot.

"What's interesting is that info seems to be originating from folks who worked on The Dark Knight behind the scenes -- set builders, stuntmen, film crew, etc. -- in Chicago," the site says.

"As far as this buzz coming from former The Dark Knight crew members, there's probably something to this as you can't hire these guys at the very last minute. If sets need to be built and other miscellaneous pre-preproduction projects need to get done, I suspect that readying these things a year and a half/two years in advance is NOT out of the question."

We'll certainly have more on this story as news breaks.

The release date for The Dark Knight on Blu-ray has yet to be announced.

But we have gotten our hands on the eventual box art for this monumental blockbuster. Here's a look at the basic cover, along with a special edition multi-disc set (replete with Batpod!):

Excitement over The Dark Knight is finally beginning to die down.

But Warner Bros. wants to get people - especially people who vote on the Academy Awards - talking again. Therefore, the studio plans to rerelease the blockbuster in January, at the height of Oscar voting season.

"It's just a matter of bringing it back as a reminder for people," a source told The Hollywood Reporter.

To date, The Dark Knight has earned approximately $513 million domesticallyand $440 million internationally. Think you'll see it again?

The Joker will terrorize again in January.

MTV caught up with Michael Caine this week at the Toronto Film Festival.

And the actor that plays Alfred in The Dark Knight gave readers the most confirmation yet that both Johnny Depp and Philip Seymour Hoffman were being considered for the roles of Riddler and Penguin in the next Batman movie.

These rumors have been addressed many times, but Caine told MTV that a Warner Bros. executive backed it all up.

"I was with [a Warner Bros.] executive and I said, 'Are we going to make another one?' They said yeah. I said, 'How the hell are we going to top Heath?" Caine recounted "And he says 'I'll tell you how you top Heath - Johnny Depp as The Riddler and Philip Seymour Hoffman as The Penguin.' I said, 'S–t, they've done it again!'"

This doesn't mean Depp and Hoffman have signed any contracts, of course. But it does add fuel to an already exciting fire!