First Look: Leaked Batman/Joker Promo Photos from The Dark Knight

Posted by Neil Miller (neil@filmschoolrejects.com) on December 2, 2007

AICN and many others have been tossing around some great new promo photos from The Dark Knight today, so we thought we’d join in. Heck, with every single movie website on the planet covering these, we don’t want to feel left out. Plus, as always, I have something to say about the shots. For one, The picture of Christian Bale as Batman is a little cheesy, but the new suit looks bad-ass. Although, is it just me or does the area around his neck and shoulders just not look right. Either that or his head looks huge — almost disproportionate to his body.

As far as Heath Ledger’s Joker goes, it is more of the same — this time he is really working the purple suit. The real test will come on December 14 with the release of I Am Legend. The Will Smith star-vehicle will be preceded by a Dark Knight teaser or a 7-minute prologue, depending on whether you see it in regular or IMAX theaters. The quality of this Joker versus other Jokers in the past (namely Jack Nicholson) will rely at this point on how well he embodies the character, whether he has the mannerisms down and just how dark he gets with it. If he ends up giving us cheese, we are all going to be very disappointed. Are you listening, Mr. Ledger?

Either way, time will tell on The Joker. For now, take a peek at these fine promo stills before the lawyers at Warner Bros. find out we have them.

Up for Discussion: What do you think of Heath Ledger as The Joker so far? Does he at least have the look in your opinion?


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  • I think the look works. I was hoping Ledger wasn't going to ham it up so much, though. I thought he would be more chilling, but I suppose out of context, these promo photos are fine. Meanwhile, Batman looks dumb in that promo pic. It looks like shit they tried to pull with "Batman and Robin," except without nipples.
  • Admittedly I was not too big a fan of Batman Begins, because I didn't really like Cillian Murphy's scarecrow too much. However, Heath Ledger at least looks like he could pull off a good joker, though I don't think he will live up to Jack Nicholson's version.
  • Live up to Jack Nicholson? I had no idea there was a cult of followers out there that felt that Jack did a bang up job. While I'm a huge fan of the movie and Tim Burton, the joker was pretty much a normal bad guy with bad make up on. Sure, he played jokes (it was wacky!) and laughed a lot so he wasn't the usual antagonist, but I never see Jack get absolutely psychotic.

    Oddly enough, the only joker that seems to have any credibility for switching between completely delightful to maniacal within a split-second is the animated version. He laughs about murdering people, slaps Harley Quinn around, goes dark for no reason.

    The thing about it is this: Jack's Joker is more "Looney Tunes" than Pscyho. I've got my fingers crossed that Ledger will turn it way, way darker than Jack.
  • jaon
    here's the thing the joker was originaly made by being droped in a vat of . .well acid I guess. that turned his skin white and defromed his face. this is NOT what they are doing with tthis joker. Also the pic of him with the knife up to rachel dawes face and the scaring of his cheeks makes me wonder if its going to not be a biological chemical mist but an actual I'm going to carve your face. Which is far darker and borders on another charector but I'm trying to have an open mind. As for the bat suit . . . his head looks huge and he lost the bulk of the 1st suit but perhaps too much I dont care now that I can get a very close look at it all the "parmour parts" it looks like he wraped kevlar in plastic pieces. Hopefully for the 3rd film thell get it just right. although him actually able to turn kust his head and not his whole body is a bonus.
  • jaon
    sorry my spelling sucks
  • morpheuslaughing
    Interesting comments about the bat-suit - the pose and extreme angle of the photograph make it hard to tell how "bulked up" the suit is...the head will appear larger than normal, it is called perspective!

    As for Joker's look...it's pretty wacked out and scary...I have no problem with the make up effect....Joker originally applied make up, the vat of chemicals and bleached skin was added some time after the characters creation, to add some backstory. Chris Nolan and co. have repeatedly stated that they have returned to the origins of the joker character for their interpretation, so think it's fair to say forget acid baths and red hood's.....
  • morpheus -- I understand the perspective of this Batman shot. I am not just referring to this shot, but all of the shots we have seen thus far. Every time I look at this new Bat-suit, I get this odd feeling about it. It just doesn't look like the traditional cape and cowl.

    (Note: I'm not talking about Batman with nipples, but more along the lines of the original Bat-suit that Michael Keaton wore.)
  • Hey Neil, I'm stunned. WB contacted me asking for removal of the images and they haven't emailed you? :-)

    Vic
  • Not yet -- Hehehe.
  • Are they even planning on doing a Joker origin? I always thought the point of him was that he was crazy and couldn't remember how he became so. Isn't that the point of "The Killing Joke" that he doesn't remember who he is? I know Ledger read it for inspiration on how to play the character, he said so in his very first Joker article.
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