The Dark Knight Autopsy Report: What We Know to Date
by Tom Burns

[Disclaimer: If you DON'T WANT TO KNOW anything about The Dark Knight, catch up to the already available online information, read any STORY SPOILERS or speculation, see new theories on what might happen in the movie, or see SPOILERS OF ANY KIND concerning The Dark Knight, this article isn't for you and we urge you to TURN BACK NOW. You've been warned. Proceed at your own risk. This article isn't designed to spoil The Dark Knight for anyone, but instead aggregate all of the information to date into one place.]

After the one-two sucker-punch of X-Men: The Last Stand and Spider-Man 3, it’s kind of hard to get yourself excited anymore about a superhero sequel, isn’t it? Yes, there have been notable exceptions, but after watching Ratner foil the Dark Phoenix Saga and Raimi turn Peter Parker into an emo Cabaret-enthusiast, maybe we’re learning that less is definitely more when it comes to the capes-and-tights genre.

Given that we’ve been so badly burned, why-oh-why are we so freakin’ excited for this summer’s The Dark Knight? Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins was a fantastic relaunch of the Caped Crusader’s movie career, but, if the previous Bat-franchise taught us anything, it’s that these movies normally operate according to the laws of diminishing returns. And yet, Nolan and his crew of loyal movie-making Alfreds have got us worked into a frenzy about The Dark Knight, creating wave after wave of positive buzz and feeding expectations that this might, might just be the best Batman ever.

How did they do it? And what should we be looking forward to as we move closer and closer to The Dark Knight’s July 18 release date? That’s where we come in. As a service to our readers, The Deadbolt is offering up our CSI-like autopsy services pro bono, as we dissect all of the information that we currently know about The Dark Knight and come to some conclusions regarding what any true Bat-fan should have their eyes open for in the next few months.

So, pull on some rubber gloves and let’s get this autopsy started!

AUTOPSY: OUR FINDINGS:

BACKSTORY:

After Jim Gordon tossed Batman that "Joker" card and the lights went up on Batman Begins, everybody and their mother got their hopes up for another return to Nolan’s surprisingly plausible Bat-world. Once a title was agreed upon - The Dark Knight, referencing Frank Miller’s epic take on Batman, as opposed to "Batman Begins 2" or "Batman Begins Again" - and it was confirmed that Christopher Nolan was returning for the sequel, fans started to speculate about what they wanted to see in the next Bat-chapter. A lot of silly rumors got floated around (remember the Phillip Seymour Hoffman as the Penguin gossip?), but the first concrete story info came from Batman Begins’ co-writer David Goyer, who told Premiere Magazine in 2005, that he had, in fact, written a treatment for two more Batman movies, stating that:

"The next one would have Batman enlisting the aid of Gordon and [Harvey] Dent [aka Two-Face] in bringing down the Joker... but not killing him, which is a mistake they made in the first one ... In the third, the Joker would go on trial, scarring Dent in the process." [Source - Superhero Hype]

However, Goyer is only getting co-story credit for The Dark Knight, with the screenplay credit going to Christopher Nolan and his brother Jonathan, so Goyer’s original story elements have changed.

DIAGNOSIS: Joker and Two-Face are Batman’s two biggest bad guys ever, so there’s lots to be excited about. And don’t weep for not having a Goyer-penned screenplay. Let’s not forget that Jonathan Nolan co-wrote The Prestige and Memento.

The Dark Knight Autopsy Page 2 - Cast, Bat-Gadgets, and Marketing (CAUTION SPOILERS)