The Dark Knight Rises OFFICIAL: Batman in New York - Part 5

[batbax]

lol I can only imagine. I cant wait for this place when the prologue/trailer comes out. It will be chaos.

 

[Boom]

Let's see...

First, the script leaked. So admittedly we had more to talk about during those days.

Then there were the joyous months of hoping/believing that we'd finally get a black-and-gray fabric suit. We even got descriptions (and artwork based on those descriptions) confirming as much. So you can only imagine the reaction when Entertainment Weekly released the first photo of Batman - clearly wearing another black rubber suit. A lot of people were honestly convinced that it was a fake batsuit - a ploy by WB and Nolan to throw us off.

There was the Triad (a group consisting of three members) who providing us with some scoops. They leaked a picture of the pre-painted batsuit, and I believe leaked a promotional still (the one with Bale in costume against a white backdrop). Gillberg was one of the three, along with MJZ and Paradoxium I believe.

There was the famous Fantastic Four Box Office vs. Batman Begins Box Office "debate." The current Avengers/TDKR argument pales in comparison to it.

There was the heated "war" between the Bat Boards and Batman-on-Film. Jett even registered here at one point to "defend himself." I think it got to a point where mentioning Jett or BOF was a bannable offense here.

And then of course, there were the trolls. FearGasChamber and Silverball come to mind. They don't make trolls like them anymore.

Things got so aggressive back in those days that we actually had a mod specifically assigned to this board. Snipe, I believe his name was. And when things got out of hand, we had our own little "Snipe Signal."

Ah yes. The good ol' production days of Batman Begins (Formerly known as Batman: Intimidation Game). I miss thee so.

 

[Polaris23]

Let's see...

First, the script leaked. So admittedly we had more to talk about during those days.

Then there were the joyous months of hoping/believing that we'd finally get a black-and-gray fabric suit. We even got descriptions (and artwork based on those descriptions) confirming as much. So you can only imagine the reaction when Entertainment Weekly released the first photo of Batman - clearly wearing another black rubber suit. A lot of people were honestly convinced that it was a fake batsuit - a ploy by WB and Nolan to throw us off.

There was the Triad (a group consisting of three members) who providing us with some scoops. They leaked a picture of the pre-painted batsuit, and I believe leaked a promotional still (the one with Bale in costume against a white backdrop). Gillberg was one of the three, along with MJZ and Paradoxium I believe.

There was the famous Fantastic Four Box Office vs. Batman Begins Box Office "debate." The current Avengers/TDKR argument pales in comparison to it.

There was the heated "war" between the Bat Boards and Batman-on-Film. Jett even registered here at one point to "defend himself." I think it got to a point where mentioning Jett or BOF was a bannable offense here.

And then of course, there were the trolls. FearGasChamber and Silverball come to mind. They don't make trolls like them anymore.

Things got so aggressive back in those days that we actually had a mod specifically assigned to this board. Snipe, I believe his name was. And when things got out of hand, we had our own little "Snipe Signal."

Ah yes. The good ol' production days of Batman Begins (Formerly known as Batman: Intimidation Game). I miss thee so.

Hahaha that all sounds like fun. Oh boy, such adventures online while waiting for a movie.

 

[batbax]

Hahaha that's hilarious you can remember the name of specific trolls. Feargaschamber must have really made his mark. Damn that's hilarious.

 

[Seen]

Let's see...

First, the script leaked. So admittedly we had more to talk about during those days.

Then there were the joyous months of hoping/believing that we'd finally get a black-and-gray fabric suit. We even got descriptions (and artwork based on those descriptions) confirming as much. So you can only imagine the reaction when Entertainment Weekly released the first photo of Batman - clearly wearing another black rubber suit. A lot of people were honestly convinced that it was a fake batsuit - a ploy by WB and Nolan to throw us off.

There was the Triad (a group consisting of three members) who providing us with some scoops. They leaked a picture of the pre-painted batsuit, and I believe leaked a promotional still (the one with Bale in costume against a white backdrop). Gillberg was one of the three, along with MJZ and Paradoxium I believe.

There was the famous Fantastic Four Box Office vs. Batman Begins Box Office "debate." The current Avengers/TDKR argument pales in comparison to it.

There was the heated "war" between the Bat Boards and Batman-on-Film. Jett even registered here at one point to "defend himself." I think it got to a point where mentioning Jett or BOF was a bannable offense here.

And then of course, there were the trolls. FearGasChamber and Silverball come to mind. They don't make trolls like them anymore.

Things got so aggressive back in those days that we actually had a mod specifically assigned to this board. Snipe, I believe his name was. And when things got out of hand, we had our own little "Snipe Signal."

Ah yes. The good ol' production days of Batman Begins (Formerly known as Batman: Intimidation Game). I miss thee so.

I remember those days very fondly. I was a member on the forums, but I went under a different handle. I also remember the Triad very vividly, and I especially remember Gill (who of course still posts semi-regularly on here), MJZ and Paradoxium (who I haven't heard of in a while, same with MJZ). I'm actually friends with Gill on Facebook, and he did some music for my short film. He's a pretty talented musician.

The script leak was a pretty incredible time because to my knowledge something of that magnitude hadn't really occurred before, and the board was in a frenzy. It was such a unique phenomenon, and I just remember the hugely positive reaction. People were at once both surprised and elated that we were going to get such a faithful and good Batman movie after such a long dry spell and especially after the Schumacher flicks. The 2003-2004 period on these boards was incredible because I'll absolutely never forget the experience leading up to the release of Batman Begins.

The casting process, for example, was incredibly memorable for several reasons. When Christian Bale was announced, it was complete and utter euphoric chaos on here. Some people might not remember but before Batman Begins there was such a huge swell of support and demand for Bale to be cast as Batman (I will never forget "BALE DAMMIT!" for as long as I live) and when he was announced (on September 11th, 2003) the reaction was just indescribable. I'll also never forget when Liam Neeson was first announced as Ra's al Ghul, and then it was Variety or Hollywood Reporter that retracted the story, and he was then announced as Ducard. People were at once so excited and then so bummed when the story was retracted. I'll also never forget the huge uproar when Ken Watanabe was announced as Ra's and how people were saying he was "too Asian" for Ra's.

Anyway, I could go on and on. The time on these boards leading up to Batman Begins was unlike any other. It's weird to head back in time, and Boom covered a lot of what happened, but the time leading up to Batman Begins was incredibly memorable. I'll never forget it. I just remember sitting in the theater on June 15th waiting for the movie to start and I couldn't believe it was actually happening. I had been waiting non-stop for the movie ever since Christopher Nolan had been announced in early 2003, and the wait felt so goddamn long. I mean, there was a huge time before Nolan was announced, during the early BOF/pre-Nolan days where nothing was happening at all. However, the wait for a new Batman movie was excruciating, and the build-up and lead-up made for such an incredible viewing experience. Batman Begins just wasn't a movie, especially for fans of these boards, it was an experience.

 

[DoomsdayApex]

I'm a bit disappointed, to be honest.

I was around for the trolls and insanity for BB and TDK but I never registered. And now, in 2011, I finally registered but it hasn't been the same since.

Where's the all hate and lunacy people?

 

[Mako]

Wow Boom and Seen you guys just brought back a ton of memories for me, anyone remember that alleged set pic with Batman in a silver suit with short ears that turned on to be a fanfilm or something?

 

[antsman41]

I miss rocking the original stone slab batsymbol for months because that was all we had...

#BaleDammit

 

[Seen]

I remember when first images of the Tumbler were released and people were like, "That's the Batmobile?!"

 

[Goku Goes Crazy]

Damn you lurked for that long?

 

[Boom]

Great post, Seen .

It was frustrating for those of us who read the script. The uninformed were constantly *****ing about how Ra's al Ghul isn't Asian, and how Nolan ****ed up by not casting Neeson in the role. The rest of us knew the truth, and could only shake our heads.

The "BALE DAMMIT" stuff was great, as well as the "TEH PUFFY" meme (Though I was disappointed with the BB suit, so I probably found this funnier than some).

I remember wanting to kiss Nolan on the mouth for casting Gary Oldman as Gordon, and I about danced down the street naked when the first picture of him was released.

 

[HighFivingMF]

Some people might not remember but before Batman Begins there was such a huge swell of support and demand for Bale to be cast as Batman (I will never forget "BALE DAMMIT!" for as long as I live) and when he was announced (on September 11th, 2003) the reaction was just indescribable.

I wasn't around back then, but I think that's comparable (well, similar, but not as extreme judging by your description) happened with Henry Cavill being cast as Superman. He had very vocal supporters across the internet and won the part against the odds. Hope Man of Steel can be at least as good as Batman Begins was.

 

[Spideyfan93]

During that time I was on Countingdown.com when the countdown for Spider-Man 2 first appeared.

Didn't go on forums until 2006 for Spider-Man 3...that movie got me started on movie forums at SONY's site. Started lurking here in 2008 for Iron Man and The Dark Knight.

Took me until SONY's canceling of Spider-Man 4 and announcing the reboot to get me on this site finally. Damn worth it too. Won't be forgetting these times as long as I live.

 

[kvz5]

I remember those times from my lurking days. This and BoF were the two sites I go to constantly to check on the casting process. Can't believe that was 8 years ago.

 

[Boom]

Wow Boom and Seen you guys just brought back a ton of memories for me, anyone remember that alleged set pic with Batman in a silver suit with short ears that turned on to be a fanfilm or something?

I do remember that .

All three experiences were enjoyable in their own way.

With BB, we had the leaked script to discuss.
With TDK, we had the viral campaign to keep us entertained.
And with TDKR, we had a vast collection of set photos and videos to tide us over during an otherwise quiet production (news-wise).

I just want to say, God bless the TDKR ninjas. If we didn't have these set reports/pictures/videos, following this film's production would have sucked ass compared to the other two.

 

[Seen]

Great post, Seen .

It was frustrating for those of us who read the script. The uninformed were constantly *****ing about how Ra's al Ghul isn't Asian, and how Nolan ****ed up by not casting Neeson in the role. The rest of us knew the truth, and could only shake our heads.

The "BALE DAMMIT" stuff was great, as well as the "TEH PUFFY" meme (Though I was disappointed with the BB suit, so I probably found this funnier than some).

I remember wanting to kiss Nolan on the mouth for casting Gary Oldman as Gordon, and I about danced down the street naked when the first picture of him was released.

It was actually amusing when the Neeson/Watanable casting shuffle happened because in a way it inadvertently revealed the actual twist of the movie. Those who had read the script already knew the twist of course, but I just remember thinking, "Well, at least for several of us fans, that part of the movie definitely won't be surprising".

I actually still have the Batman Begins script that was given to me back in 2004. A well-respected member of these boards gave it to me. It was like Christmas morning reading that script.

The "TEH PUFFY" meme was great as well. It's a little similar to the "hello im ben" meme that circulated here semi-recently.

And Gary Oldman as Gordon was just perfect casting. I remember when Chris Cooper was offered the role but he turned it down, apparently because it wasn't substantial enough for him. Then Oldman was cast, and the first picture of Oldman as Gordon was just pure beauty.

Remember the picture of Oldman where he was wearing a black coat and shirt with a short hair cut and everyone thought it was a picture of him as Gordon? People were so worried. Haha.

I wasn't around back then, but I think that's comparable (well, similar, but not as extreme judging by your description) happened with Henry Cavill being cast as Superman. He had very vocal supporters across the internet and won the part against the odds. Hope Man of Steel can be at least as good as Batman Begins was.

Henry Cavill and Eion Bailey both had an incredibly vocal support group, but you are right that Cavill had the most supporters. I still can't believe that Cavill was eventually cast as Superman. It's amazing that both Bale and Cavill have been cast as Batman and Superman.

Speaking of casting, I'll also never forget when Ashton Kutcher was allegedly cast as Batman for about a day or two back in 2003. That was positively horrifying.

 

[Mako]

It's funny that Bale and Cavill had alot of supporters on here and they just happen to be cast in those films, I for one held off reading the leaked script and I remember how pissed I was when someone let it out that Ducard was Ra's without using spoiler tags.

 

[antsman41]

Damn you lurked for that long?

Yeah. Lurker since late since summer '03.

Those pre-Begins filming days were fun. Still kind of upset we never got the scenes of Bruce comparing the decrepit monorail, when he returned. I loved that part in the script to show Gotham changed.

I hate we lost all of the back-posts when The Hype rehauled a year or more ago...

 

[Boom]

It's kinda interesting to think what these films would've been like if Nolan had been able to cast the actors he originally approached for some of the characters.

Jim Gordon: Chris Cooper
Alfred Pennyworth: Anthony Hopkins
Ducard: Viggo Mortensen

 

[HighFivingMF]

Guy Pearce said he was up for R'as too, then they decided to go older.

 

[Goku Goes Crazy]

It's kinda interesting to think what these films would've been like if Nolan had been able to cast the actors he originally approached for some of the characters.

Jim Gordon: Chris Cooper
Alfred Pennyworth: Anthony Hopkins
Ducard: Viggo Mortensen

Those actors are great, but I'm so happy we got the cast that we got. Its perfect. I feel like with that cast, we might have gotten a lesser film. Who knows, maybe it would have been just as great, and we'd be sitting here thinking "Can you believe they wanted Gary Oldman, Michael Cane, and Liam Neeson for the roles? Lol that would have sucked"

It reminds me of Matt Damon passing up on Harvey Dent for TDK. So glad we got Eckhart instead.

 

[Mako]

I was excited when I heard the Viggo Mortensen rumor until Neeson was cast, And anyone else remember the rumor that Viggo was going to be The Reaper and that Katie was portraying his daughter?

 

[HighFivingMF]

I was excited when I heard the Viggo Mortensen rumor until Neeson was cast, And anyone else remember the rumor that Viggo was going to be The Reaper and that Katie was portraying his daughter?

I wish there was a database site for rumors about movies, games, comics, whatever else before it's release. They're always entertaining to read.

 

[Mako]

http://www.superherohype.com/features/articles/84015-viggo-mortensen-up-for-batman-villain

Wow it seems Caine was spilling things even back then , Obviously Neeson was cast but wow.

 

[Boom]

Was Daniel Day-Lewis as Ducard just a rumor, or was it confirmed that he was actually approached?

Because I would have killed for that.