The Dark Knight is a
superhero crime thriller film directed and co-written by
Christopher Nolan. Based on the
DC Comics character
Batman, the film is part of
Nolan's Batman film series and a
sequel to 2005's
Batman Begins.
Christian Bale reprises the lead role. The film follows Bruce Wayne/Batman (Bale), District Attorney
Harvey Dent/Two-Face (
Aaron Eckhart), Assistant D.A.
Rachel Dawes (
Maggie Gyllenhaal), and Police Commissioner
James Gordon (
Gary Oldman) and their struggles and journey in combating the new rising threat of a criminal who goes by the name of the "
Joker" (
Heath Ledger).
Nolan's inspiration for the film was the Joker's comic book debut in 1940, and the 1996 series
The Long Halloween, which retold Two-Face's origin.
The Dark Knight was filmed primarily in
Chicago, as well as in several other locations in the United States, the United Kingdom, and
Hong Kong. Nolan used an
IMAX camera to film some sequences, including the Joker's first appearance in the film. On January 22, 2008, after he had completed filming
The Dark Knight, Heath Ledger died from a
toxic combination of prescription drugs, leading to intense attention from the press and moviegoing public.
Warner Bros. had initially created a
viral marketing campaign for
The Dark Knight, developing promotional websites and trailers highlighting screen shots of Ledger as the Joker, but after Ledger's death, the studio refocused its promotional campaign.
