The Dark Knight Nolan talks more TDK

[Cinemaman]

nolan is on a different level....on a level that singer will never be.

Agreed, though I like Singer as a director.

 

[StorminNorman]

I love you Mr. Nolan.

 

[batmaluco]

This guy obviously digs Batman.

 

[Milkman95]

^As well as fully understands the character. TDK is going to step up the genre once again just like BB did.

 

[Cinemaman]

^As well as fully understands the character. TDK is going to step up the genre once again just like BB did.

I hope you are right!

 

[IAmTheKnight]

Great interview. Thanks for posting! It made me a bit more comfortable. I had been a little unsure--as great as Begins was. But I can relax a little more now, while still anticipating and wondering. Adapting such a huge mythic figure is delicate business, and Nolan obviously realizes that.

 

[ultimatefan]

What Direction????

How about the direction of completely eraseing the character of Henri ducard and making him Ra's.

And how instead of making bruces first encounter w/ Ras a matter of rescueing his kidnapped daughter actually have Ra's train him.

Maybe....

All made perfect sense for the story. Ducard wasn´t erased, he was mixed with Ra´s, being the villain but also the mentor, which made sense for the Faust-like subtext of the story. Ra´s disguising his identity was part of the first comics story. This is fanboy nitpicking.

 

[Retroman]

http://www.infocusmag.com/06October/prestige.htm

Thanks Red.

 

[MulligaN Stew]

^As well as fully understands the character. TDK is going to step up the genre once again just like BB did.

One can only hope. It's nice to see him working within the actual canon to create this film, but still endeavoring to avoid the dyslogistic; I'm sure that's a considerable task with an unobjective element[dysfunctional fanboys, unsatisfied psuedo-purists, etc] who want to discredit or slight the film before it's even available.

I wouldn't bet against Nolan.

The comparison of Singer vs. Nolan was mentioned; it's not entirely fair to do that sort of thing, but I would make the statement that Nolan's psychological understanding of his characters, and their respective situation,[whether it's Following, Memento, Insomnia, Begins, future films] is much greater.

 

[RedIsNotBlue]

All made perfect sense for the story. Ducard wasn´t erased, he was mixed with Ra´s, being the villain but also the mentor, which made sense for the Faust-like subtext of the story. Ra´s disguising his identity was part of the first comics story. This is fanboy nitpicking.

I actually think Ra's was done better in the film...tying into Batman's origin and everything. I know fanboy purists HATE hearing things like that because they think things can't be improved. I really got a lot of **** for saying I thought the Doctor Doom origin was better in the movie than in the comics.

 

[wikum]

Great interview.

The one thing that really interests me is it seems that the original Batman comic is going to be the main inspiration for The Joker. In my opinion, this is pure genius.

I recently started reading some of the older Batman comics, including a special one i have called "Batman: The Dailies 1943-1944". I must say that in these comics I find The Joker to be a million times darker than he is depicted today. His jokes are boastful rather than sick and twisted, he is a master of disguise and believes he is a criminal genius.

Some quotes from The Joker In "Batman: The Dailies : Chapter 3 : The Joker's Symbol Crimes"
..............................................................................................
"How dare you! An ordinary, insignificant safe-cracker address ME, the great Joker, The cleverest criminal alive!"
..............................................................................................
"Bah! My brain is dull. I cannot think of a crime worthy of my criminal genius! And my future efforts must be as sensational as my past escapades! But what? What?"
..............................................................................................
Professor at a lecture on symbols: "The Batman symbol is a sign of triumphant law and order! Many a criminal in jail can testify to that!"

Joker (In disguise): " Triumphant? I challenge that statement! You've overlooked this symbol!" (Throws pack of cards at the Professor)

Professor: "T-The Joker!?"

Joker (Reveals himself): "Yes...The Joker....Symbol of crimes genius...of drollery and doom! The Joker, my friends...THE JOKER! ME!"
..............................................................................................

From reading the older comics, if they go down this route I can guarantee everyone that this Joker will be NOTHING like Nicholsens version whatsoever, in fact the only similarities between this version and The Joker of today is that they look the same, but the character is completely different.

In summary, I can't wait!! Go Ledger.

 

[xoku]

http://www.infocusmag.com/06October/prestige.htm

If you scroll down to the bottom of the page, there were a few follow up questions for "The Dark Knight", which culminated on his experience in collaborating with David Goyer for "Batman Begins".

He also gives props for "Dark City", which I previously alluded would lend itself well for this franchise. Okay, so I like to shamelessly pat myself on the back.

TWO
STRIKES
​

MOVIE PUBLICIST: I have to drag Chris back on the set. One more question.


Uh…. Will the Joker be the only villain in “Dark Knight”? Can we safely confirm Ryan Phillippe as Harvey Dent and Philip Seymour Hoffman as The Penguin/Cobblepot?



You struck out with your last question!


I know.
How sad!


My editor wanted me to ask.
Wasted! Wasted!


I’m sorry.
Is there another question?


Could you see your Batman interacting with Singer’s Superman? [Nolan laughs] Another strikeout?
Another strikeout!


Oh, Lordy.
One more. Third time lucky.


How did you come to collaborate with David Goyer on “Batman Begins”?
Wow. I’m sure I can answer that one.

I first met him years before, through mutual friends one morning at breakfast. I remember chatting with him and thinking he was an interesting guy, and then, years later, checked out some of his stuff — especially “Dark City.” I was really impressed with the ideas in that film.

And when I was looking for somebody who really knew the world of comics — who could set me off on the right foot and really get me going in the right direction — he seemed the obvious choice. But he was absolutely booked up, because he was about seven or eight weeks from going into production on “Blade: Trinity,” which he was directing.

So we just spitballed a few ideas. And he said, “Look, you can have these ideas. I can’t write the script for you. I’m just too busy.” And then, over the course of a week or two, I guess he just realized that he couldn’t turn down the opportunity to write on the film. He loved the character so much. So he came on for a very short, intense period where we just thrashed out a story and he wrote the first draft. He had to work very, very fast. He’s a very quick writer.

Yeah, I’ve read that draft. There’s such a strong idea at the core of that thing.
Yeah. A lot of the fun we had — which we’re also having as we do “The Dark Knight” — is throwing ideas around before anything is written. Just talking about the script. He’s a tremendous collaborator.

 

[ultimatefan]

One of the things I love about the interview is how he intends to keep the focus on Bruce/Batman. Sometimes I think we´re talking too much about Joker and forgetting we don´t want this to be Batman 89 again.

 

[Crooklyn]

Great interview.

The one thing that really interests me is it seems that the original Batman comic is going to be the main inspiration for The Joker. In my opinion, this is pure genius.

I recently started reading some of the older Batman comics, including a special one i have called "Batman: The Dailies 1943-1944". I must say that in these comics I find The Joker to be a million times darker than he is depicted today. His jokes are boastful rather than sick and twisted, he is a master of disguise and believes he is a criminal genius.

Some quotes from The Joker In "Batman: The Dailies : Chapter 3 : The Joker's Symbol Crimes"
..............................................................................................
"How dare you! An ordinary, insignificant safe-cracker address ME, the great Joker, The cleverest criminal alive!"
..............................................................................................
"Bah! My brain is dull. I cannot think of a crime worthy of my criminal genius! And my future efforts must be as sensational as my past escapades! But what? What?"
..............................................................................................
Professor at a lecture on symbols: "The Batman symbol is a sign of triumphant law and order! Many a criminal in jail can testify to that!"

Joker (In disguise): " Triumphant? I challenge that statement! You've overlooked this symbol!" (Throws pack of cards at the Professor)

Professor: "T-The Joker!?"

Joker (Reveals himself): "Yes...The Joker....Symbol of crimes genius...of drollery and doom! The Joker, my friends...THE JOKER! ME!"
..............................................................................................

From reading the older comics, if they go down this route I can guarantee everyone that this Joker will be NOTHING like Nicholsens version whatsoever, in fact the only similarities between this version and The Joker of today is that they look the same, but the character is completely different.

In summary, I can't wait!! Go Ledger.

I actually hope The Joker doesn't become too much like that. Reminds of the old 40s serials with that bald-headed criminal scientist always yelling "the greatest criminal mastermind of them all!"....or was that Lex?

Either way, Joker should have a sense of haughtiness, but he shouldn't actually brag it out loud imo.

 

[Bathead]

Well, maybe not to the degree that he's spouting corny dialog like that, but he should have pretty good sized ego with a large helping of vanity.

 

[El Payaso]

I actually think Ra's was done better in the film...tying into Batman's origin and everything. I know fanboy purists HATE hearing things like that because they think things can't be improved.

Well, that's how I feel about Joker/Joe Chill and BR Penguin.

 

[ultimatefan]

Well, that's how I feel about Joker/Joe Chill and BR Penguin.

Making Joker the killer of Bruce´s parents was a catastrophic mistake, IMO. The murderer of his parents is supposed to symbolize crime in general, a common thug, like any thug, that´s why his mission is more than something personal, more than getting the !"evil mastermind", it´s about helping the city of Gotham.

As for Penguin... He was always a second tier in the rogues gallery, so there was plenty of room for improvement.

 

[RedIsNotBlue]

Wasn't a rumored angle for Batman Begins was the killer of Bruce's parents was never caught? I think that would have been interesting?

 

[Octoberist]

Making Joker the killer of Bruce´s parents was a catastrophic mistake, IMO. The murderer of his parents is supposed to symbolize crime in general, a common thug, like any thug, that´s why his mission is more than something personal, more than getting the !"evil mastermind", it´s about helping the city of Gotham.

As for Penguin... He was always a second tier in the rogues gallery, so there was plenty of room for improvement.

the cool thing about Chill was how he was tied in with the bad economy of Gotham at the time, Bruce's paresnts efforts and ideals to save the city, and how Ra's' League started the 'depression' in the first place.

It's a more universal theme, then let's say a reckless young gangster..

 

[ultimatefan]

Wasn't a rumored angle for Batman Begins was the killer of Bruce's parents was never caught? I think that would have been interesting?

Maybe, but in a way or another he didn´t get his revenge, and that´s exactly what keeps him from becoming a criminal himself

 

[RedIsNotBlue]

Yeah that is one of the things I really hated about Burton's Batman. He pretty much killed the Joker.

 

[Mr. Socko]

Making Joker the killer of Bruce´s parents was a catastrophic mistake, IMO. The murderer of his parents is supposed to symbolize crime in general, a common thug, like any thug, that´s why his mission is more than something personal, more than getting the !"evil mastermind", it´s about helping the city of Gotham.

As for Penguin... He was always a second tier in the rogues gallery, so there was plenty of room for improvement.

And thats exactly what he did in Batman '89! He didn't find out that Joker was the killer until like the last 40 minutes of the movie, and he was after him long before then!!!

Yeah that is one of the things I really hated about Burton's Batman. He pretty much killed the Joker.

The only thing I really HATED about Burton's Batman.

 

[El Payaso]

Yeah that is one of the things I really hated about Burton's Batman. He pretty much killed the Joker.

????????????

How?

Batman just made sure the Joker wasn't going to leave the cathedral and then, he tied his foot to the gargoyle. That is not killing.

The gargoyle cracking and becoming a weight for Joker than eventually led him to death, that's another different story. Batman couldn't know the gargoyle was going to crack.

Now... having the villiain in a train and escaping just in time so your enemy has no time left to escape and telling him 'I won't save you'... that's... that's for another thread.

And thats exactly what he did in Batman '89! He didn't find out that Joker was the killer until like the last 40 minutes of the movie, and he was after him long before then!!!

But Bats was after Jack Napier before Joker and after those two thugs in the rooftop even before that. In a way, Burton's Batman was helping Gotham City too. Specially in BR, after his parents' killer was dead but he was still worried about new possible villiains.

 

[El Payaso]

Making Joker the killer of Bruce´s parents was a catastrophic mistake, IMO. The murderer of his parents is supposed to symbolize crime in general, a common thug, like any thug, that´s why his mission is more than something personal, more than getting the !"evil mastermind", it´s about helping the city of Gotham.

In B89 the mission was personal. And why Jack Napier doesn't represent a 'common thug' and Bruce's parents killing the 'crime in general' just because Napier became the Joker later?

It's the same kind of change that when you make the main enemy the main mentor. So in BB Bruce was trained to be a hero by... terrorists. Luckily, Bruce never got what the organization was about until the very last day.

Wasn't a rumored angle for Batman Begins was the killer of Bruce's parents was never caught? I think that would have been interesting?

I always thought that the thug NOT being captured is what led Bruce into the vigilante stuff. If police was so efficient, then why didn't Bruce become a cop or a lawyer? Joe Chill was a poor man and was captured instantly in BB.

 

[Cobb]

I actually think Ra's was done better in the film...tying into Batman's origin and everything. I know fanboy purists HATE hearing things like that because they think things can't be improved. I really got a lot of **** for saying I thought the Doctor Doom origin was better in the movie than in the comics.

There are actually two types of purists. Those that are just flat out complaining geeks and those that want to see the legends of comics treated with respect but understand some changes need to be made to 50 year old characters. IMO Nolan did that as did Timm and Dini.