The Dark Knight

[Sivead]

Can't find the old Batman thread...

Dont know how legit this is. Heath Ledger's Joker-

Dark Horizons:

A source for Batman on Film says that preliminary designs show him having "gray skin with lots of scarring" to encapsulate a general scarier look Nolan has planned. They add that the outfit will be "raggedy," like something he just threw together without stopping to make sure everything matched.

God, why scars??? why do they have to have a reason for everything? Thats what's cool about the joker, he has no clear origin. On looking back at Batman Begins (i enjoyed it at the time) it seems now far to po-faced and gone too far completely the other way. i hate the way everythings explained in it, and miss the romantic view that Button came with. Going out of yor way too make something quite stupid in theory slick and realistic ends up becoming boring as hell.

David Mazzucchelli -
Once a Depiction veers toward Realism, each new detail releases a torrent of questions that exposes the absurdity at the heart of the genre. The more realistic superheroes become, the less believable they are. It's a delicate balance, but this much I know: Superheroes are real when they're drawn in ink...

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

He looks like The Crow holding a super Rubix Cube.

[Catalogue Trousers]

He's not really much of a Joker on the strength of that one photo, I'll grant. Maybe the finished version will give us the evil joys of something more like



or better still

[thugler]

looks like a fake to me. I prefered the previous fake.

[CaledonianGonzo]

It's the bloke from Ichi The Killer!

I thought they were using the Killing Joke origin...(?)

[Sivead]

not very helpful but..
http://www.superherohype.com/news/topnews.php?id=5530

[The Region Legion]

I like the Chelsea Smile scars - otherwise, it's just crap really.

[El Unicornio, mang]

It's definitely a fake

[Rev]

There's been a suggestion that this is the Joker in his 'civvies', which kind of works for me.  Look at what they did with Jack Nicholson.  He goes for a dunk in a chemical tank, and comes out as a fully-formed screaming harlequin.  Maybe this version is damaged in a way that suggests something he then decides to fully embrace by slopping on the slap and going mental.

[Mister Six]

The Chelsea smile is a bit poor. Actually, I'm not a fan of Ledger's face in general - it's too chunky and I'm concerned that his grin won't be wide enough.

Frankly, if it doesn't look as good as Conrad Veidt's The Man Who Laughs (released in 1928, fact fans) then something has gone wrong:



Hell, even a fan film came up with this, which is overkill on the freaky front but definitely heading in the right direction:

[Mister Six]

It's definitely a fake

How can you tell? Or has it been confirmed?

[nixon]

Holy Crap Batman...  That's an  amazing image.   If they can get anywhere near that... I'm sold.

[Slaaaaabs]

He looks more Lost Boys than Joker.

Crispin Glover would have been waaay better, plus he could have acted Joker-like in promotional interviews and appearances.

[DocDaneeka]

It's definitely a fake

How can you tell? Or has it been confirmed?

It doesn't look like Heath Ledger to me.

I hope in this one the Batman suit hasn't got one of those solid rubber necks, I watched the Tim Burton Batman on tv the other day and he looked ridiculous having to turn his whole body around to look at anything.

[Catalogue Trousers]

Mister Six, that shot from The Man Who Laughs is superb. Oddly, it reminded me very specifically of this...



...which is possibly (courtesy of Bolland) one of the best visualisations of The Clown Prince Of Crime ever. And it looks very much as though Bolland was riffing on Veidt...nice one!

[amputeeporn]

It's a fake

Pretty well done to look like a test-screening though. Those pictures of The Man Who Laughs are amazing.

EDIT: Fixed the link.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/54/039_18378~Jerry-Lewis-Posters.jpg

Surely 40 years ago THIS man would've been perfect?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4LL-9xZtJk

EDIT: the fact that it's in German makes it even creepier.

[The Plaque Goblin]

Mister Six, that shot from The Man Who Laughs is superb. Oddly, it reminded me very specifically of this...

(picture)

...which is possibly (courtesy of Bolland) one of the best visualisations of The Clown Prince Of Crime ever. And it looks very much as though Bolland was riffing on Veidt...nice one!

Oddly, that reminded me very specifically of this...

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Of course! It all makes sense now. Tennant - with his boggly eyes and intrusive teeth - is a shoe-in for The Joker. Expect a camp RTD re-imagining any day now... Joker in love with Batman - it writes itself...

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

Expect a camp RTD re-imagining any day now... Joker in love with Batman - it writes itself...

It already did.

[samadriel]

The Chelsea smile is a bit poor. Actually, I'm not a fan of Ledger's face in general - it's too chunky and I'm concerned that his grin won't be wide enough.

Yeah, that's what baffled me when I heard he'd been cast as the Joker -- when I saw Ledger in his first film, 'Two Hands' back in '98, I marvelled at what a particularly tiny mouth he has; on his face, it's like a papercut in the middle of a cinder block.  Not what I'd expect of the Joker.

[Santa's Boyfriend]

God, why scars??? why do they have to have a reason for everything? Thats what's cool about the joker, he has no clear origin. On looking back at Batman Begins (i enjoyed it at the time) it seems now far to po-faced and gone too far completely the other way. i hate the way everythings explained in it, and miss the romantic view that Button came with. Going out of yor way too make something quite stupid in theory slick and realistic ends up becoming boring as hell.

David Mazzucchelli -
Once a Depiction veers toward Realism, each new detail releases a torrent of questions that exposes the absurdity at the heart of the genre. The more realistic superheroes become, the less believable they are. It's a delicate balance, but this much I know: Superheroes are real when they're drawn in ink...

I disagree completely.  Since when has cinema been concerned with realism just because it doesn't have gaping plot-holes?  I loved Batman Begins precisely because narratively it made complete sense, whereas none of the previous Batman outings did.  That doesn't mean it's realistic - it just means it doesn't come across as so overtly ridiculous and directly aimed at primary school kids as the previous films seemed to be.  

Like it or not, Batman Begins is the first Batman film that was more directly based on the comics (most notably Miller and Mazzucchelli's) rather than on that fucking 60s TV series.  The TV series has been an albatross around Batman's neck ever since its creation and it has never really got away from it in any media other than the comics, and even then only really when Frank Miller came along.

Also, this is photo is a make-up test.  Only one thing can be seen from it as far as we who aren't involved in the film can see - and that's how different it is to the previous incarnations of the joker.  As far as I'm concerned, there's only ever been one good incarnation of the Joker, and that's the one from The Dark Knight Returns - a genuinely scary, unpredictable and psychopathic creation.  The others, ie Jack Nickelson and Cesar Romero, have just been silly and very unfrightening.  We can't tell anything from this poster other than it's not going to be the same Joker as we've seen on screen before.  Well, good!

[Phil_A]

I have a problem with this idea that Miller's Batman is the "real" Batman and no-one had got it right up until then, which strikes me as being a slightly narrow view of the character and his history. Particularly if it excludes the excellent work done by the likes of Dennis O'Neil & Neal Adams during the seventies to make Bats respectable again after the excesses of the previous two decades.

While I have a lot of time for Year One and The Killing Joke, I think the Miller/Moore stuff tends to overshadow the work of others like Alan Grant and Norm Breyfogle who were producing groundbreaking, innovative stories in this era, but with much less hype or recognition.

I'm afraid I don't rate DKR very highly as comics go, and I'm not sure why it's often feted as Miller's best work. It's a massive 2000AD rip-off for one thing, and isn't the aged Batman just Judge Dredd in a cape?

Would it be too contentious to suggest that Mask Of The Phantasm(the animated series feature film) is still the best Batman movie? It's got everything you need, really - a twisty-turny film noir plot, Bat-angst, and the Joker being a sick, evil bastard.

Also, I think the Sixties series is perfectly fine for what it is, particularly the film, which is a work of comic genius.

The original Kane/Finger Joker was pretty fucking creepy:


God, this post is all over the place. I do apologise if it reads like the ramblings of a madman.

[Jemble Fred]

Of course! It all makes sense now. Tennant - with his boggly eyes and intrusive teeth - is a shoe-in for The Joker. Expect a camp RTD re-imagining any day now... Joker in love with Batman - it writes itself...

I'd far rather see what RTD could do with the Batman franchise than the misty po-faced dullness of the 'Begins' version.

[Slaaaaabs]

Of course! It all makes sense now. Tennant - with his boggly eyes and intrusive teeth - is a shoe-in for The Joker. Expect a camp RTD re-imagining any day now... Joker in love with Batman - it writes itself...

I'd far rather see what RTD could do with the Batman franchise than the misty po-faced dullness of the 'Begins' version.

Oh yes, I'm sure he would love to write a Batman/Robin relationship

[Jemble Fred]

Oh, I see. Davies is gay. You're right.

[Xander]

Of course! It all makes sense now. Tennant - with his boggly eyes and intrusive teeth - is a shoe-in for The Joker. Expect a camp RTD re-imagining any day now... Joker in love with Batman - it writes itself...

I'd far rather see what RTD could do with the Batman franchise than the misty po-faced dullness of the 'Begins' version.

And if you think the Bat-Shark Repellant is bad, just wait til you see what crazy Deus Ex Machinas get invented under RTD. "Holy Bat-Screwdriver, Batman!"

(And yes, I am aware RTD didn't invent the Sonic Screwdriver)

[Rev]

Alright, let's nip that shit in the bud.

The look is one thing, the character is another.  The early word was that this version of the Joker would be true to his first appearances in the comics, in which he's - apparently, I've no idea - a complete fucking maniac rather than a more polished evil showman.  What is it we want from the Joker this time?  Elaborate plans and colourful balloons, or a sly knife in the back?

[MojoJojo]

I'm afraid I don't rate DKR very highly as comics go, and I'm not sure why it's often feted as Miller's best work. It's a massive 2000AD rip-off for one thing, and isn't the aged Batman just Judge Dredd in a cape?

What 2000AD story is it ripping off? Are you thinking of when Judge Dredd returns from the Cursed Earth? I really can't remember Dredd very well, but Miller's Batman only really resembles Dredd in that they're both vicious hardmen enforcing their morality on everyone else.

[Santa's Boyfriend]

They're both satires that star a fascistic self-appointed law enforcer - but they're not ripped off from each-other.  I think it's more likely they're both ripped off from Dirty Harry.