The Dark Knight
News (Page 2)

In a recent interview, MTV News, Traitor star Guy Pearce made no secret of the fact that he'd love to work with Memento director Christopher Nolan again.

Nolan, of course, is also the man behind the camera for The Dark Knight. Makes it hard not to wonder if Pearce might be considered for the part of the next Batman villain.

“I’d love to work with Chris again,” said Pierce in the clip below. “There hasn’t been any discussion, we’ll have to wait and see. I have a lot of reluctance [to playing a superhero or villain], but doing it with someone like Chris Nolan would certainly make it appealing.”

Batman, The Joker and company have gone to a place previously only a doomed cruise ship had ever seen.

As of this weekend, The Dark Knight has raked in over $502.4 million at the box office. It's the second movie of all-time to soar past the half billion dollar mark, needing just half the time it took Titanic to reach that level.

Look, Lucius, Reel Movie News says we're making lots of money at the box office.

Currently, The Dark Knight ranks second behind Titanic's overall $601 million gross. Let's hope the Batman sequel eventually pushes past that cheesy chick flick.

"It's wonderful!" star Christian Bale said of the movie's box office success. "But I'm not a business man. I just enjoy doing what I do and whatever happens after that is gravy."

Forget questions over who would play the next Batman villain in the inevitable follow-up to The Dark Knight.

First, the studio needs to make sure that Christopher Nolan returns to the franchise.

In a long article published by The Hollywood Reporter - focusing on the film's marketing and the deaths of both Heath Ledger and Conway Wickliffe - the publication touches on the next Batman movie and the director's role in it.

There will undoubtedly be a follow-up to The Dark Knight, though there will never be a performance like that of Heath Ledger.

All involved say it will be up to Nolan to come to Warner Bros' with a story and a plan.

"There are a lot of us who emotionally would love to do it," said producer Chuck Roven. "But it's really Chris' call. Chris is the kind of filmmaker who just doesn't think about the next movie before he has completely finished the movie he is working on."

For now, Nolan is taking a well-earned vacation.

"When he comes back, we will see how he feels," added Roven.

We still haven't gotten over the possibility of Cher as Catwoman in The Dark Knight follow-up.

But regardless of who portrays the next Batman villain, The Wall Street Journal reports that:

"The studio is set to announce its plans for future DC movies in the next month. For now, though, it is focused on releasing four comic-book films in the next three years, including a third Batman film, a new film reintroducing Superman, and two movies focusing on other DC Comics characters."

Due to the success of the grim and gritty Dark Knight, Warner Bros. Pictures Group President Jeff Robinov added that the studio's upcoming DC movie slate is "going to try to go dark to the extent that the characters allow it."

Here's a look at how recent comic book films have fared for the studio:

For the record, we don't believe this for a second.

But according to Great Britain's The Daily Telegraph, Cher - yes, Cher - has been cast as Catwoman in the follow-up to The Dark Knight.

The British newspaper goes on to say that Johnny Depp has signed on as The Riddler, while shooting on the film - which is provisionally titled The Caped Crusader - will begin in Vancouver early next year.

"Cher is Nolan's first choice to play Catwoman. He wants to her to portray her like a vamp in her twilight years," a studio executive reportedly said. "The new Catwoman will be the absolute opposite of Michelle Pfeiffer and Halle Berry's purring creations."

That would be nice, at least. Still, can you even begin to imagine Cher in this role?!?

Despite the wild success of The Dark Knight, along with rumors of who might portray the next Batman villain, there hasn't been anything official yet about a Batman sequel actually coming together.

Until now.

According to Variety, "There's a deal for [director Christopher Nolan] to helm a third pic, but he has yet to decide on whether to tackle it yet."

Warner Bros. studio boss Alan Horn told the publication: "We have no idea where Chris is going with this. ... We haven't had any conversations with him about it."

Don't worry, Batman fans. We'd be shocked if Nolan doesn't sign a deal to direct the follow-up to The Dark Knight before the year is over.

Perhaps we should have prefaced this headline with a warning - The Dark Knight spoiler ahead! - but, come on, who hasn't seen the movie at this point?

A few of those that have appear to be unsure if Harvey Dent is dead or not. Sure, he fell off a warehouse at the hands of Batman near the end of The Dark Knight. But there was no blood. Might this signal a return of Two-Face in the next film?

No.

The movie's script - written by Jonah and Christopher Nolan and actually included in The Dark Knight: Featuring Production Art and Full Shooting Script - reads: "Dent lies at the bottom of the hole, his neck broken. DEAD."

Can't be any more clear than that, can it?

Sorry, Two-Face lovers. Your hero is dead.

Want more speculation on who the next Batman villain might be in the inevitable follow-up to The Dark Knight?

A trio of comic book experts have weighed in with their opinions. To wit:

David Goyer (Batman Begins co-writer): "There's no reason why we necessarily have to use the same three or four that are still around. I mean, Batman's got a wide variety, [a] rogues' gallery. Certainly we used two in the first movie that hadn't been in the films before."

Dan DiDio (DC Comics Executive Editor): "Characters like Catwoman, Riddler, and Hugo Strange make sense, because they're counterpoints to Batman's psychosis and fears. The Joker creates chaos. Two-Face shows the duality of the Batman-Bruce Wayne relationship, and how Batman's found peace with that duality. Batman searches for answers, and the Riddler has questions. Batman is driven, and Catwoman is sexual. They play well against each other and challenge aspects of what makes a hero."

Steve Niles (30 Days of Night creator): "I'd like to see Catwoman over the Penguin. Not as a prostitute, and not as the Tim Burton version — what, cats sniffed her back to life? — but perhaps the Adam Hughes design, with the goggles. That's very realistic. I can imagine her in street clothes that are designed just right. I also like the idea of them creating villains just for the movies."

Whoever is the next Batman villain, he or she will have a difficult role to follow.

The Dark Knight climbed to seventh place on the all-time domestic blockbuster list this week, surpassing the first Spider-Man to become the highest-grossing comic book movie of all-time in North America.

The Batman Begins follow-up added $5.67 million on Tuesday to bring its massive gross to $405.7 million - and it's only been in theaters for 19 days! Spider-Man reached $403.7 million domestically during its entire run in 2002.

Up next for The Dark Knight on its run at the top spot ever? Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, which sits at number-six with $423.3 million.

Sorry, Captain Jack Sparrow (and your absolutely atrocious sequel to one of the best movies in history). Your time has come.

The Dark Knight set records with the biggest opening weekend last week with $153.3 million last weekend.

The Dark Knight doesn't look to be slowing down with the biggest second opening weekend at $75.6 million beating out previous record holder, Shrek 2.  Already the 23 top grossing movie of all time, The Dark Knight has earned a record fast $314.2 million in just 10 days.  Previous record holder was Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest in 14 days.

How did other movies fare in the box office last weekend?

• Step Brothers - $30 million
• Mamma Mia! - $17.9 million
• X-Files: I Want to Believe - $10.2 million
• Journey to the Center of the Earth - $9.4 million

Does The Dark Knight have what it takes to beat out the current biggest domestic earner of all time, Titantic?  James Cameron should be nervous.