"Chris, how's your condition coming along?"
Gilbert went to observe Christian Bale's training. Everything looked pretty good. This was Christian Bale's second time putting on the Batman suit, but he still needed to make certain preparations for it.
"Very good. I feel like I'm in excellent shape." Christian Bale took the towel Gilbert handed him and wiped the sweat from his face.
He smiled and said, "Playing Batman is the best decision I've made since becoming an actor. The script for The Dark Knight is even more brilliant and shocking than the first film.
Gilbert, how did you come up with a story like this?"
Gilbert didn't take all the credit for himself. He said, "That's thanks to David and Jonathan—their screenwriting work is excellent.
What I wanted was a superhero film with a grand epic scope, operatic momentum, a heavy sense of darkness, and strong realism.
You could say this is something previous superhero films never truly had."
DC's superheroes often carry a sense of deep suffering and tragedy. But whether in the comics or in previous film adaptations, the feeling had never been as intense as in The Dark Knight.
Batman's comic tone is inherently dark and somber, and Gilbert amplified the realistic aspect of it while deliberately weakening Batman's identity as a traditional superhero.
Christian Bale smiled bitterly. "I might be the weakest superhero in history—so weak that I might even lose to the villain."
Gilbert expressed sympathy for Christian Bale. He patted him on the shoulder and said, "I've met Heath Ledger. His current state is terrifying. You should be mentally prepared."
Having long heard about Heath Ledger's dedication to the role, Christian Bale immediately said seriously, "I understand. I'll study the character carefully."
Both were excellent actors, and Christian Bale believed he was no worse than Heath Ledger. Naturally, he intended to bring out his best possible performance.
Undoubtedly, from a script perspective, the Joker was easier to showcase, possessing an inherent advantage.
If Heath Ledger delivered a hundred percent performance, even if Christian Bale reached one hundred and fifty percent, it still might not fully balance the two characters.
That said, as long as this was a Batman movie, Batman would always remain the irreplaceable core and focal point for audiences.
In fact, at the beginning, Warner Bros. executives had hoped to use the Riddler as the villain and even planned to invite Gilbert's good friend Leonardo DiCaprio to play the role.
Leonardo had indeed shown interest in portraying the Riddler, mainly because he wanted to work with Gilbert again.
However, due to Gilbert's insistence, the Joker was ultimately retained as the antagonist of The Dark Knight.
When Leonardo called Gilbert, he even complained about why Gilbert didn't ask him to play the Joker. Gilbert could only reassure him, saying there was an extremely outstanding role waiting for him in the future.
In early September, Warner Bros. officially held the project launch press conference. Director Gilbert and the film's main cast—Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Nicolas Cage, Jennifer Connelly, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, and Michael Caine—were all in attendance.
At the press conference, Gilbert talked about why he chose to continue directing the second Batman film. After all, the only series he had continuously directed was The Lord of the Rings, which had been produced as a trilogy shot back-to-back.
For other franchises, Gilbert usually directed the first installment and then shifted to a producer role, handing the sequels over to other directors.
This was the case with The Matrix parts two and three, as well as Pirates of the Caribbean parts two and three.
In response to the question, Gilbert answered, "When I realized I had a story that was good enough, I knew it was time for me to do it myself.
Chris, Renée, Gary, Morgan, and Sir Michael Caine all agreed to return. Combined with the addition of Heath and Nicolas, that's why I chose to continue directing the sequel."
Christian Bale said excitedly, "The moment I received the script, I was completely exhilarated. As soon as I finished reading it, I spent half an hour on the phone talking with Director Gilbert.
We both believe that now is the time for Batman to return to the big screen."
Of course, while the fifteen-million-dollar salary played a role, that was something that couldn't be said at a press conference.
Heath Ledger, meanwhile, said, "I'm very excited to play the Joker. I know Mr. Jack Nicholson delivered a brilliant performance as the Joker, but my Joker may truly surprise everyone—perhaps even send chills down their spines."
Soft laughter rippled through the journalists in the audience, showing that Heath Ledger had successfully amused them.
After returning from his vacation in Hawaii, Heath Ledger's mental state had clearly improved. Being able to joke now seemed to prove that he was moving in a positive direction.
Although not dying might mean missing out on an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, being able to trade an Oscar statuette for a life was, in Gilbert's view, still very much worth it.
The Dark Knight was a superhero film, and the Academy's bias against superhero movies was well known, so there was never much expectation for the film to achieve anything at the Oscars.
Besides, Gilbert already had two Academy Awards for Best Director, so his desire for Oscars was no longer particularly strong. Whether it won or not did not matter much to him anymore.
The rest of the cast also spoke about their reasons for joining The Dark Knight. Jennifer Connelly said, "I know very clearly how much effort Gilbert has put into this film. He described this dark, epic-scale story to me a long time ago.
I'm also very much looking forward to once again playing Rachel Dawes in The Dark Knight."
Nicolas Cage said, "Everyone knows that Gilbert and I worked together on The Rock, and that was a wonderful memory.
So when he came to me one day and asked to work together again, I didn't even ask about the salary—I agreed immediately.
For me, when it comes to acting in a film directed by Gilbert, there's never any hesitation. You just join in."
The press conference itself had a very positive atmosphere and also gave the public a general overview of the project, such as how far the work had progressed and other details.
One reporter asked Gilbert, "Director Gilbert, how do you view the hero Batman?"
Gilbert pointed at Michael Caine and said, "Sir Michael once told me that Superman represents how Americans see themselves, while Batman represents how the rest of the world sees America.
I personally strongly agree with this statement. Batman is a vigilante. From a legal standpoint, he has no law-enforcement authority. Yet he exercises the power of the police and brings chaos along with it.
From the comics and every previous Batman film, you can see that wherever Batman appears, chaos follows.
What our film focuses on is the responsibility and boundaries of power, the conflict between procedural justice and outcome-based justice, and the relationship between fear, anger, and strength.
It can be said that The Dark Knight is a comprehensive upgrade over Batman Begins. I hope to bring audiences an unparalleled cinematic experience."
Once the press conference was reported, it sparked widespread anticipation among moviegoers—especially Batman fans, who were even more curious about this fully upgraded installment.
However, to actually see the film, they would still have to wait until next summer's release window.
..
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