20 facts you might not know about 'The Dark Knight'

It was inevitable that “Batman Begins” would get a sequel. However, Nolan had previously never done a comic book movie or a movie based on a well-established character, much less done a sequel. After considering declining the chance to direct the sequel to “Batman Begins,” which was being formulated even before that movie came out, Nolan agreed, citing an interest in doing a Joker movie.

Prior to “The Dark Knight,” every live-action Batman movie had, well, “Batman” in the title. Nolan decided to step away from that with “The Dark Knight,” which perhaps was indicative of the darker direction the film took.

Christopher Nolan worked with his brother Jonathan on the screenplay for the movie. When crafting their own version of Joker, they looked to the past. Like, way to the past. The Nolans say that they went all the way back to Joker’s first appearances in the “Batman” comic way back in 1940 as their primary influence. Additionally, they based portions of Joker’s character on the 1933 Fritz Lang film “The Testament of Dr. Mabuse.”

When Jack Nicholson played Joker, we get his origin story. We just watched Joaquin Phoenix win an Oscar for a movie called “Joker” that had, like, four minutes of Joker in it. Joker is fully formed from the start of “The Dark Knight,” though, and that was intentional. Nolan had no interest in delving into the origins of Joker for his film. In multiple interviews, he stated that he wanted Joker to be an “absolute” and to focus more on Harvey Dent’s transformation into Two-Face.

Joker is probably the most famous comic book villain there is. Nicholson had already given an iconic portrayal as the Clown Prince of Crime on the big screen (and shout out to Cesar Romero as well), but that didn’t deter people from throwing their hat in the ring. Names such as Paul Bettany, Steve Carell, and Adrian Brody expressed interest in playing Joker. However, Nolan wanted Heath Ledger from the beginning, as he had wanted to work with the actor for a while.

Some actors learn their lines and say them and that’s about the extent of their acting process. Ledger went a little further when working on his portrayal of Joker. In fact, he lived in a hotel by himself for a month working on his voice and posture. He also kept a diary as Joker to get into character as well.

A few actors were interested in playing Harvey Dent, who becomes Two-Face, but as far as we know only one actor other than Aaron Eckhart actually auditioned and that’s Mark Ruffalo. Eventually, he would become part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the Incredible Hulk. Nolan was a long-time fan of Eckhart and had actually considered him for the lead role in his breakout movie “Memento.”

Ledger has said that his Joker was inspired in part by a lizard, hence all the lip licking. Eckhart’s inspiration for Dent was just a bit more prestigious. He based his portrayal of Gotham’s DA on the Kennedys, specifically Robert F. Kennedy.

Holmes played Rachel Dawes in “Batman Begins,” a childhood friend of Bruce Wayne who has become the assistant district attorney of Gotham. However, she did not return for the sequel. Her reason? She decided to star in “Mad Money” instead. You can be forgiven for not remembering that comedy, which also starred Queen Latifah and Diane Keaton. Maggie Gyllenhaal stepped into the role of Rachel.

Nolan is a big fan of the big screen, which is why he held out on “Tenet” being released digitally for so long. Apparently, he also appreciated a really big screen. Nolan shot a few sequences from the film, including Joker’s bank robbery, in IMAX. It was the first time a feature film would shoot in the IMAX format, making history.

It’s common practice for a big movie to shoot under a false name to try and avoid too much attention. While shooting in Chicago, “The Dark Knight” tried that as well. They claimed they were shooting a movie called “Rory’s First Kiss.” The obfuscation didn’t last long, though, as pretty quickly people figured out “Rory’s First Kiss” was actually a Batman movie.

“The Dark Knight” didn’t need much additional hype, but that didn’t stop the marketing team from going all out. First, they launched a fake website for Harvey Dent, which was later “vandalized.” Then, they launched WhySoSerious.com, which referenced what would become Joker’s catchphrase of sorts. That website sent fans on scavenger hunts to unlock things such as new photos of Joker from the film.

Have you ever heard about how some “Star Wars” fans bought tickets to movies to see the trailer for “The Phantom Menace” and then left the theater after seeing the trailer? We wonder if “I Am Legend” got some of those ticket sales as well. IMAX screenings of that film were preceded by the full opening bank heist scene, plus a little added montage of other moments from “The Dark Knight.”

A lot of people wanted to see “The Dark Knight,” so Warner Bros. figured they might as well go all out. The film was distributed out to a whopping 4,366 theaters across the United States and Canada. That set a new record for the number of theaters a film was released in.

“The Dark Knight” was a huge success, unsurprisingly. It was the highest-grossing film of 2008 in the United States and across the world, finishing its initial run at $997 million worldwide. Being oh-so-close to a billion dollars was enough to get the film a brief re-release in early February that did indeed get the movie over the line. At the time, it was the fourth film to ever make a million worldwide. Now there have been 47, and “The Dark Knight” is 47th in box office. Adjusted for inflation, though, it ranks 33rd all-time in North American box office.

OK, so you know “The Dark Knight” didn’t get nominated for Best Picture. However, that doesn’t mean it didn’t achieve a notable landmark. The movie got eight Oscar nominations, which broke the record for the most nominations for a movie based on a comic. The previous record-holder, by the way, was “Dıck Tracy.”

Unfortunately, a cloud hung over the release of “The Dark Knight” and its aftermath, as Ledger died in January 2008 at the age of 28 before the film came out. It was attributed to an accidental overdose on prescription drugs. Ledger’s turn as Joker was beloved, and his death got a ball rolling that led to tons of award love. This includes becoming the first posthumous winner of Best Supporting Actor. Only Ledger and Peter Finch have ever won posthumous acting Oscars. Hopefully, nobody else joins that club anytime soon.

Notably, Batman does not kill Joker in “The Dark Knight.” This is partially about Batman’s ethos, and not wanting to give Joker what he wants, but also set the table for Joker to show up in the next film in the series. Then, Ledger sadly passed away. While it has been affirmed Ledger’s return in what would become “The Dark Knight Rises” was legitimately in the plans, Nolan declined to recast the role in the wake of Ledger’s death and changed the movie’s plot instead.

We’ve seen Joker and Two-Face in previous Batman movies, but each time a different actor stepped into the role. However, Jonathan Crane, aka Scarecrow, pops up early in “The Dark Knight.” This made Cillian Murphy the first actor to reprise their role as a Batman villain in a movie. Crane would show up again in “The Dark Knight Rises” for good measure. Nolan is a big Murphy fan, as his filmography shows.

While “The Dark Knight” considers itself a “serious” comic book movie, that doesn’t mean there isn’t some fun to be had conceptually. In fact, coinciding with the movie’s release in 2008 two Six Flag theme parks, Great Adventure, and Great America, opened The Dark Ride Coasters. The Dark Ride Coaster has a story to it, as the premise is that you are being stalked by Joker. A third of these coasters were added in Mexico City in 2009.