The Dark Knight The Dark Knight General Discussion Thread

[Matt.S99]

A month or so ago, I was messing around with ChatGPT to see what all the fuss was about, and one of the first exercises I tried with it was brainstorming ideas for a fourth Nolan Batman film.

At one point, it actually spit out a title that I thought was legit pretty cool: "The Dark Knight Resurgent".

Anyway, point being-- I too often daydream about a fourth Nolan movie even though I know it probably won't/shouldn't happen.

...but maybe we'll see an AI-generated version of it in our lifetimes.

You know, with the extremely unfortunate news we got recently that they put a pin in a Keaton Beyond film, I’m just happy we will get to see him again in the Flash and I’m starting to really warm up to the idea of eventually getting a Beyond film with Bale as Bruce and set in that world. Imagine Nolan and Co coming back for that in say, 10 years or so? I feel like it could really work and really fit into that world. Much more than it would fit the Burton universe.


Edit: I also got that Catwoman Hot Toys figure recently and have been eyeing the Batman one for a while now. And I’ve had the idea to start putting together Nolan versions of characters we didn’t see on screen, so I’m going to blame that with the re-sparking of my Nolanverse obsession lolol

 

[OnLeatherWings]

So, I know that the Dark Knight Trilogy timeline is very up in the air and ambiguous. I've thought a lot about since revisiting the films, as it wasn't a topic that big back when they came out.

Something random struck me today when replying to a thread on another forum.

There are a long list of reasons that tell me The Dark Knight takes place roughly 2 years after Batman Begins.

But one I didn't consider until today that drives that point home is Harvey Dent.

Dent is nowhere to be found in Begins. And in The Dark Knight, when offered a fundraiser, he declines saying he isn't up for reelection for 3 years.

District Attorney's in the US serve for 4 years, so he's already a year in. They campaign for 6 to 8 months in smaller cities, and in cities like NYC and Chicago - for a few months more than that because it's highly competitive especially during eras of high crime.

So, Dent has already been Gotham's DA for a year, at least by the time of The Dark Knight. Add to that his campaign and election = that's a a year and 8 months, to 2 years, easily.

Don't know how I missed this detail, but thought it's worth mentioning.

 

[Luke995]

I remember that in those awesome marketing viral campaign before TDK was released, there was some infos about it.

First: the DA campaign Harvey Dent is set in 2008.
Second: from the first appearence of Batman was less than an year earlier, they speaks about months.

Anyway, Joker says "let's back the clock a year...", which means that one year earlier Batman wasn't on the streets.

So my guess is:

1986: The Waynes get murdered, Bruce is 9.
2000: Joe Chill is murdered (the DA speaks about 14 years in prison).
Somewhere between 2000 and 2007: Bruce meets Ra's.
2007: Bruce comes back to Gotham after seven years. I think that after a couple of months Bruce becomes Batman.
From that point, the plot is set between one month or less.
Then, we see Bruce's birthday: 30 years.
2008: After 6 - 9 months from BB events, there's TDK. It covers just a couple of weeks.
2016: Exactly after 8 years, TDKR begins. I think there are just one month before the Batman's return and one or two weeks of activity. Then, Bane breaks Bruce's back.
After five months the bomb is gonna blow: so somewhere in the winter between 2016 and 2017 the story ends.

So, Batman was active just for ten months (plus... what? a year or two secretly after Dent's death?) and then for something like one month.

 

[OnLeatherWings]

I do want to make clear that the viral campaign stuff is hardly canon - it wasn't written by or worked on by the writers, director, producers or anyone who actually outline the stories. They were made by an entirely separate team for marketing funzies with no regard to continuity.

I'm going by what's on film/said in the films.

First: the DA campaign Harvey Dent is set in 2008.
Second: from the first appearence of Batman was less than an year earlier, they speaks about months.

Anyway, Joker says "let's back the clock a year...", which means that one year earlier Batman wasn't on the streets.

That's not what Joker is saying. Batman's appearance didn't suddenly mean cops and lawyers suddenly started going after the mob. That took time.

Winding the clocks back a year = that's when the mob was finally feeling the heat of Batman's influence.

He didn't even touch the mob in Begins save for Falcone, who was mainly working for Crane. Was Falcone even in the mob? Nobody from the meeting in the 2nd film was around him and he seemed more like a lone force. Plus, more of the GCPD was corrupt then than in the sequel, so a lot has changed. Time was needed for that.

Also, in Begins - the newspaper the commissioner is holding is from 2005. The photos of Joker in the bank heist in the beginning of Knight says 2007 on the camera date. There's no real reason to think that Begins was not set in its release year.

Plus, Bruce needed time to build a fully functioning underground bunker. He had vast quantities of logs of his time as Batman to burn (in the scene before he goes to turn himself in).

He has fully healed severe scars that would've taken longer than a few months to look that way.

Plus again, Harvey needed more than half a year or more to campaign/get elected, then he'd have to be practicing a year for him to be up for reelection in 3 years as he says in the film.

So 2ish years in between films.

 

[OnLeatherWings]

So, Batman was active just for ten months (plus... what? a year or two secretly after Dent's death?) and then for something like one month.

More likely 2-3 years from Begins to Knight. Then an additional 2-4 years with varying mileage post-Dent. I lean towards 4 because 4 years prior to the third film is when Bruce had enough time to start the energy project.

So I'd put him at 3-7 years depending. There's a lot of ambiguity after Dent's death and before Bane.

Plus, remember that Bruce's vision of Ra's remarks Bruce fought Gotham's decadence for "years". Bruce would know.

 

[OnLeatherWings]

There's just way to much that had to happen between Begins and Knight for it to happen in a few months/year.

You'd have to have -

- The fall of the mob's influence on a very corrupt Gotham.
- Rounding up Arkham's escaped (this isn't mentioned in the 2nd film, we have to assume it was done).
- Removing the Narrows/occupants.
- Cleaning up the monorail mess.
- Gordon's kids grew up by a couple years, clearly.
- Harvey Dent's campaign/election.
- Harvey serving a full year as D.A., as per his words.
- A new mayor campaign/elected.
- The rise of Maroni/Lau in charge of the mob.
- The courtship of Rachel/Harvey being serious enough for engagement.
- The construction of a fully functioning Bat-Bunker in the shipyard.

2 years, at least.

 

[Kane52630]

 

[Sawyer]

Not bad.

 

[AntonGobbs89]

I still have some vintage articles and papers from when Dark Knight came out.

These are from my local newspaper. The first is from 08/16/08 and the other is from opening day 08/18/08. I’ll include the full articles along with showtimes.

This one is from a USA Today paper on 08/18/08.

These are all 4 different Entertainment Weekly Magazines. The box office predictions is from the 2008 Summer Movie Preview and I want to say the Best Picture article from November 2008.

These last two are sales papers from the week the Blu-Ray was being released.

 

[OnLeatherWings]

Damn. Looking at what was playing - 2008 was STACKED.

 

[AntonGobbs89]

Damn. Looking at what was playing - 2008 was STACKED.

Easily one of the best summers of that decade. I’d probably rank 2002 above it, but that’s it.

 

[Rick190293]

Awesome collection! Summer 2008 was an once in a lifetime moment. Still feels special today.

 

[Kane52630]

 

[OnLeatherWings]

Bruce told Harvey "stay hidden" after grabbing him at the party which indicates Harvey was still conscious (I always assumed Bruce choked him out) but I wonder why Harvey is so annoyed Rachel wants to trust Bruce later on.

I mean. Bruce saved his life.

Also, I wonder how Bruce knew Joker was on his way up.

 

[Brother Jack]

Bruce says that line to Rachel. Harvey was already unconscious. As to how Bruce knew Joker was coming, it would be fair to assume he had surveillance around the penthouse. He’s Batman after all.

 

[AndrewGilkison]

What I love about that moment was that Bruce's voice goes into Batman mode a little bit. Not full on WHEEEEREISTHETRIGGGGGERRRRRRR but his "stay hidden" is raspier compared to his normal Bruce Wayne voice.

 

[Gothamsknight]

Those circuit city ads bringing me back!

 

[squeekness]

Those circuit city ads bringing me back!

The last one here closed at least 10 years ago, lol.

 

[Gothamsknight]

The last one here closed at least 10 years ago, lol.

there was one in walking distance of me where i live now. Used to go there a lot back in the day, and I think it closed in 2010 or 2011.

 

[AntonGobbs89]

I remember CBS Sunday Morning doing a segment on The Dark Knight the week it was coming out. They interviewed Nolan and at one point they even showed him in the editing room putting it together. Does anyone have this segment? It would’ve aired on 08/13/08.

 

[Herofan]

I've always thought the poster/cover with the burning bat symbol made Batman look like a bad guy.

 

[Kane52630]

 

[Rick190293]

I've always thought the poster/cover with the burning bat symbol made Batman look like a bad guy.

Really? I always saw as the meaning of the tagline "Welcome to a world without rules", show Batman breaking some moral rules to defeat the evil (as he does in the movie).
Actually I love this poster, much much better than Rises theatrical one.

 

[SteelOsnick11]

 

[Rick190293]

Have you guys seen those? I don't remember them, specially the left one.

Love how Nolan shoot TDK suit in those open environments. It's a shame most people dismiss this batsuit, as is still a great one.