Batman Begins is a
2005 American superhero film based on the fictional
DC Comics character
Batman, directed by
Christopher Nolan. It stars
Christian Bale as Batman, along with
Michael Caine,
Gary Oldman,
Liam Neeson,
Katie Holmes,
Cillian Murphy,
Morgan Freeman,
Ken Watanabe,
Tom Wilkinson, and
Rutger Hauer. The film
reboots the
Batman film series, telling the
origin story of the character and begins with Bruce Wayne's initial
fear of bats, the death of his parents, and his journey to becoming Batman. It draws inspiration from classic
comic book storylines such as
Batman: The Man Who Falls,
Batman: Year One, and
Batman: The Long Halloween.
After
a series of unsuccessful projects to resurrect Batman on screen following the
1997 critical and commercial failure of
Batman & Robin, Nolan and
David S. Goyer began work on the film in early 2003 and aimed for a darker and more realistic tone, with humanity and realism being the basis of the film. The goal was to get the audience to care for both Batman and Bruce. The film, which was primarily shot in England and Chicago, relied on traditional stunts and
miniatures —
computer-generated imagery was used minimally. A new
Batmobile (called
the Tumbler) and a more mobile
Batsuit were both created specifically for the film.
