The Dark Knight is an upcoming 2008 American superhero film based on the fictional DC Comics character Batman. The film is a sequel to 2005's Batman Begins, which rebooted the Batman film series after an eight-year hiatus. Christopher Nolan returns as the director, and Christian Bale reprises the lead role. Batman's primary conflicts in the film come from his fight against the Joker (Heath Ledger) and his strained friendship with district attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart).
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For the film, Nolan took inspiration from the Joker's first two appearances in the comics, and like the first film, he used Batman: The Long Halloween as a major influence on the story. The Dark Knight was filmed primarily in Chicago (as was Batman Begins), as well as several other locations in and outside the United States. The director used an IMAX camera to film four major action sequences, including the Joker's first appearance in the film. The Batsuit was redesigned, with a cowl allowing Bale to move his head. A recreation of the Batcycle, known as the Batpod, will be introduced.
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Warner Bros. created an aggressive viral marketing campaign for The Dark Knight, developing several dozen websites revealing details of the film, such as screenshots, as a reward for collaboration among Batman fans. This lead to some press attention concerning how its campaign might be altered by Ledger's death on January 22, 2008, since the Joker had been a chief promotional focus.[2] Other marketing ventures include a new toy line as well as an animated direct-to-DVD anthology titled Batman: Gotham Knight that is set between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. The film will be released on July 17, 2008 in Australia,[3] on July 18, 2008 in North America,[4] and on July 25, 2008 in the United Kingdom.[5]
