Christian Bale in Negotiations to Star in ‘Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins’

After earlier rumors along the same line, Hollywood Reporter and Variety on Sunday are both reporting that Christian Bale is in talks to star in “Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins”.


Christian Bale.
Photo credit: WireImage.com
The film is the fourth in the series. McG is still in negotiations to direct the Warner Bros. film, which focuses on John Connor in his 30s as he leads what’s left of the human race against the machines.

Six Promotional Photos Surface Featuring Batman, Joker in ‘The Dark Knight’

Six promotional images surfaced on Sunday featuring Christian Bale as Batman and Heath Ledger as the Joker in “The Dark Knight”. These are from the Italian Web site Uruloki.

3:23 p.m. update on 12/3/07: These images have been pulled from Uruloki and AICN at the request of Warner Bros. Though I haven’t yet been contacted by Warner Bros., I’ve pulled them as well.

Teaser Trailers Coming For ‘The Dark Knight,’ New ‘Indiana Jones,’ New ‘Star Trek’

ComingSoon.net on Sunday published new details about when we should expect teaser trailers from “The Dark Knight,” “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” and the new “Star Trek” film.

ComingSoon.net has learned new details about the upcoming teaser trailers for three of [2008’s] highly anticipated movies.

Keep in mind ... the online debuts for these trailers will probably be earlier in the week of release for the movie it is attached to and ... the trailer may not be shown with every print of the film.

First up, the first trailer for Steven Spielberg’s “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” is now planned for a debut in [Feb. 2008].


Harrison Ford (left) and Shia LaBeouf in “Indiana Jones
and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”.
Photo credit: IMDb
While we don’t know for sure with which movie it will show, Paramount’s biggest film that month is “The Spiderwick Chronicles”. Keep your eye on that one.

Of course, it’s possible Paramount will decide to debut footage earlier during the Super Bowl, but we’re not sure.

In just two weeks on Dec. 14, Warner Bros. will release the teaser trailer for ... “The Dark Knight” in standard theaters with “I Am Legend”.


Christian Bale as Batman in “The Dark Knight”.
Photo credit: IMDb
As was previously announced, the studio will be showing the seven-minute opening scene of “The Dark Knight” before the screenings of “I Am Legend” in IMAX.

“Star Trek” fans won’t have to wait long for the first teaser for the J.J. Abrams-directed film.


“Star Trek: The Motion Picture” in 1979.
Photo credit: Mel Traxel, MPTV.net
Paramount is planning a debut with the Abrams-produced monster movie “Cloverfield,” [which is opening] on Jan. 18, 2008.

I am screening “I Am Legend” in IMAX two days earler – on Dec. 12 – so stay tuned for information on “The Dark Knight” teaser trailer.

Spy Photos Surface From ‘The Dark Knight’ Filming in Hong Kong

As we know, “The Dark Knight” has moved its filming crew from Chicago to the hectic Hong Kong. On Friday afternoon, Ain’t It Cool News released a montage of grainy yet sufficient photos to capture the scene chaos.

In these 10 photos, we see Morgan Freeman (Lucius Fox), Christian Bale (Bruce Wayne/Batman) and director Chris Nolan. Notice the particularly interesting photo with Bale as Wayne photographing someone himself.

Director Chris Nolan, Producer Charles Roven Reveal New ‘The Dark Knight’ Nuggets

Several people have alerted me to various reports stemming from the non-English site Kino.de, which has recently published new information following an interview with “The Dark Knight” director Chris Nolan and producer Charles Roven.


The interview has been translated and published here in nugget form:

As we already know, Batman (Christian Bale) travels to Hong Kong. Producer Chuck Roven confirmed [the] Asian trip but would not reveal why Batman goes there. “Gangster hunting” was mentioned.

The new Batman suit will be equipped with “lenses” (some sort of bat sonar equipment).

The prologue that will be shown in IMAX in December is the first five minutes of the film.

Here’s a translated quote from Chris Nolan: “[The Dark Knight] is not ‘The Joker Begins’. We did not want to tell how the Joker became what he is.

“In those five minutes [of the prologue], we show how the Joker goes from being a small-time crook to Gotham’s greatest villain. It’s like ‘The Rise of the Joker’.”

WhySoSerious.com Pumpkin a Mirror Image of Christian Bale Favorite ‘The Long Halloween’

Those of you who have been following the slow-burning Halloween candle on WhySoSerious.com know something’s coming soon from the “The Dark Knight” viral marketing department.

On Oct. 18, I took a screenshot of the pumpkin at the time. I’ve created a screenshot today so you can see the candle’s burning progression. The left image is from Oct. 18 and the right image is from minutes ago.


News recently surfaced connecting the pumpkin image on WhySoSerious.com to “Batman: The Long Halloween,” which was a 13-issue comic book limited series written by Jeph Loeb with art by Tim Sale. Notice the similarity:


HollywoodChicago.com senior staff writer today made yet another connection: “Batman: The Long Halloween” is one of Christian Bale’s favorites, according to a UGO interview. Notice this line from Bale:

DC sent me a box full of graphic novels, which I had in the trailer all the time with me. The two that I liked particularly were “Dark Victory” and “The Long Halloween”.

They just had some really fantastic imagery in there of the severity of Batman. I would kind of imitate those positions.

Time Out Chicago, Onion A.V. Club, Red Eye Publish New Interviews With Christian Bale

Time Out Chicago (via film editor Hank Sartin) and the Onion A.V. Club (via Tasha Robinson) have both published new interviews with Christian Bale.

The Time Out Chicago piece (“Sinister Christian”) says: “Christian Bale is happy to explore the darker corners of human nature. Just don’t ask him to talk about his private life.”

The Onion A.V. Club piece talks about his role in “3:10 to Yuma,” which will be reviewed on HollywoodChicago.com on Friday.

10:24 a.m. update on Friday: On Friday, Red Eye also ran an interview with Christian Bale.

New Photos Captured of Christian Bale on Set Filming ‘The Dark Knight’

New photos of Christian Bale have been captured on a set for “The Dark Knight”.




5:52 p.m. update on 8/22/07: Two separate people have claimed to have taken the above photos.

One submitted them to me and the other posted them on a message board. Though I’ve been communicating about the issue with both people, I cannot verify which was the original photographer.

Wizard Universe Releases Transcript of ‘The Dark Knight’ Q&A With Nolan, Bale, Eckhart Oldman

Wizard Universe, which gingerly controlled information flow surrounding “The Dark Knight” at Saturday’s panel, on Saturday at 9:45 p.m. released a transcript of its star-studded Q&A.

The release of the transcript came just 65 minutes after Wizard’s report describing the Wizard World Chicago panel in detail.

Moderated by DC publisher Paul Levitz, the Q&A included director Chris Nolan; actors Christian Bale, Aaron Eckhart and Gary Oldman; story writer David Goyer; and co-screenwriter Jonathan Nolan.

While you’re welcome to read the transcript in full here, I’ve picked out some of the interesting parts below:

Chris Nolan: This time, we wanted to expand the scope of the shooting ... to include real buildings, real streets and more location shooting.

You wouldn’t believe how many people in Chicago come up to me and thank me for bringing this film to life.

Chris Nolan: The great thing about working with [Bale] is his ability to do a lot of the physical work and the stunts.

Bale: It was like riding a bike. The second you put on the suit, there’s only one way to play it.

Eckhart: I cannot add to what [Oldman] just said (about preparing for a role). It would be blasphemy and I’d be kicked out of the union.

Moderator: I’d like to know what you guys thought of all the viral marketing done for the movie and if you know if we can expect anything else, say, around December. [Audience laughs]

Jonathan Nolan: I don’t know anything. [Audience laughs]

Chris Nolan: There’s nothing we can say about it.

Moderator: Were you guys behind it?

Jonathan Nolan: No. [Audience laughs]

Moderator: Aaron, does something happen to your face in this film?

Eckhart: I don’t speak English. [Audience laughs]

Moderator: What are the most important aspects of the Joker you needed to incorporate in this film?

Chris Nolan: We looked at it the other way around. We found a way of looking at the character and saw what role he would play in the film.

The Joker card at the end of the first film created the right kind of feeling. That hook got us thinking about the next one.

We were looking through comics and Joker stories and started writing the treatment before we even wrote “The Prestige”.

Moderator: What can you say about Heath Ledger’s performance thus far?

Oldman: He is going to knock everyone out of the park.

‘The Dark Knight’ Filming Schedule in Chicago on July 6, 2007

The following Chicago filming information surfaced on July 6, 2007 from an insider on “The Dark Knight”:

On July 6, Christian Bale will film scenes in “The Dark Knight” as Batman. Some of these scenes are in the Bruce Wayne penthouse bedroom and some are on the adjoining rooftop.

There will be interaction between Batman, members of the Gotham Police Department SWAT unit and another character. Gary Oldman will be on hand for a rooftop scene with the bat signal.

Next week, filming of a car chase scene begins filming.

‘Rescue Dawn’ Screens on July 4 to American Troops in Iraq

On July 4, MGM screened its Vietnam War biopic “Rescue Dawn” in Iraq to America troops. Some 2,000 troops stationed at Camp Anaconda (a large U.S. base near Balad) screened the film, which highlights the life of Dieter Dengler.

During the Vietnam War, Dengler is the only American to ever break out of a prisoner-of-war (POW) camp in the impenetrable Laotian jungle.

The film, which was released in Los Angeles and New York on July 4, was introduced with a taped message to the troops from lead actors Christian Bale, Steve Zahn and Jeremy Davies. The film is directed by Werner Herzog.

Rescue Dawn will expand its release domestically in 10 markets on July 13 and release wide on July 27. My interview with Zahn on the topic of the film will be released shortly.

‘The Dark Knight’ Filming Schedule For June 27, 2007

I have received information detailing specifically where and when “The Dark Knight” will be filming in Chicago on Wednesday, June 27, 2007. This comes courtesy of Jeremy Farmer:

Helicopter filming will continue on June 27. The schedule is as follows:

11 a.m. to 2 p.m.: A helicopter will be flying over the Chicago River in the vicinity of the Wabash bridge. All filming except for one shot will be at 500 feet. The Wabash bridge will be closed during this filming.

4 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Navy Pier: A helicopter will be concentrated over the lake and filming at Navy Pier at dusk. The helicopter will film a shot over Sears Tower.

9 p.m. to 11 p.m. at 200 West Randolph: A shot of the roof of the parking garage set will be filmed.

If anyone has a chance to capture any photos or video today, please e-mail me from the link on the top right of the site.

10:56 a.m. update: This information comes courtesy of this link:

On Tuesday, June 26, the “Gotham National Bank” signs were back up on the north entrance of [a Chicago post office building]. I wonder if these are for reshoots or additional scenes. There were several large lighting trucks parked out back as well.

On the afternoon of Monday, June 25, there were flatbed trucks on the loading dock [at the same post office]. A crew was hauling in a “Gotham Police Department” sign from one of the trucks.

The style of the sign exactly matched the signs the Chicago Police Department use on their stations. It was similar to how the Gotham license plates are an exact knockoff of Illinois plates.

Here’s a link to recent thoughts from Christian Bale on the progress of the film.

12:12 p.m. update: I just received this update from the same person who sent me the 10:14 a.m. information:

They have lots of orange jumpsuits there. They are working on a boat scene.

These people in orange are reported to be prisoners.

Steve Zahn Comes to Chicago For ‘Rescue Dawn’ Press Junket

With his co-star, Christian Bale, in Chicago shooting “The Dark Knight,” Steve Zahn met with critics on June 21 for the upcoming war film “Rescue Dawn”.




While I usually won’t take photos with talent, he insisted. Chewing throughout the interview as his did while filming to relieve tension, Zahn and company will hit theaters on July 13.

My interview with him will publish at that time.

Chicago Cell Phone Captures ‘The Dark Knight’ Batsuit

While I was out of town this weekend, I was informed that Sarah Piper Brown captured via cell phone “The Dark Knight” batsuit on a Chicago set.



After these photos were shot by Sarah, they were transferred to the Treo of a friend named Troy at the Holiday Club near the Clarendon set. Troy then ran in to Phil Tadros.

I finally received them from Phil’s friend and colleague, Anand Danak, and published them on HollywoodChicago.com. These mobile photos were taken on June 16. While it is unclear for certain whether Christian Bale is within or whether this is a stuntman, one expert claims the latter.

“This is a stuntman [or] stand-in wearing a version of the suit for blocking purposes,” said costuming expert Paul J. Wares of these photos in a public post.

He added: “[This is why] it’s during the day [rather than the night]. Go back to the ‘Batman Begins’ special edition and look at the suit the stuntman is wearing for the scenes where he’s taking the monorail/wire ride. You’ll see what I mean. Panic not [about how the suit looks].”

Here is a link to the photo that appeared in Entertainment Weekly, which is the only other picture of the batsuit known at this time.

By the way, I recently screened the film “Rescue Dawn,” which is being touted as Bale’s performance of his lifetime.

6/27/07 update: Following a vast array of news articles written in response to the photos first published on HollywoodChicago.com in this post, it has been globally accepted that these are exclusive first images of the live batsuit.

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Batman Film ‘The Dark Knight’ Shooting on Clarendon Ave. in Chicago

With all the hoopla surrounding filming of Batman film “The Dark Knight” in Chicago, a keen reader has sent me a note more specifically stating that the project filmed at this location on Clarendon Ave. on Wednesday night and will be again on Thursday.

Thanks go out to my film friends on the street. Here’s a photo that was submitted to me with Christian Bale on left and Chicago Mayor Richard Daley on right.