"The Dark Knight Project"
"THE DARK KNIGHT PROJECT" is a Batman fanfilm that takes place between the events of "BATMAN BEGINS" and "THE DARK KNIGHT". Written in late May of 2008, it was shot and edited in June 2008 and released online July 14th, 2008, at http://www.darkknightproject.com, 4 days before the theatrical release of Christopher Nolan's "THE DARK KNIGHT".
Written, produced, directed and edited by Jerry Vasilatos of Chicago, Illinois, the 13 minute movie chronicles the adventures of Gotham Midtown students Heather Nolan and Mikey Bale, played by Allyssa O’Donnell and David Sanchez. Intent on being the first people in Gotham City to capture actual video of the Dark Knight in action for a school project, they set out with their video camera to interview people on the streets, witness the evacuation of a city block by police in the middle of a bomb scare, and ultimately encounter Batman in the middle of a back alley break-in where he saves both high schoolers from a menacing group of thugs working for the Joker.
Several elements served as the inspiration for "THE DARK KNIGHT PROJECT", from witnessing people all over Chicago setting out with video cameras to catch a glimpse of the "DARK KNIGHT" crew shooting during the summer of 2007, to BATMAN ISSUE 584 by Ed Brubaker which was titled on the cover "BATMAN: URBAN MYTH OR REALITY?" and within: "THE DARK KNIGHT PROJECT!" It chronicled the adventures of two teenaged boys interviewing a slew of Batman regulars, from Commissioner Jim Gordon to the Penguin and Two-Face in their quest to determine if Batman was real or an urban legend. Wanting to stay within the continuity of Christopher Nolan's universe, writer director Jerry Vasilatos took the idea of kids wanting to catch Batman on video and spun it into events that could have taken place between "BATMAN BEGINS" and "THE DARK KNIGHT", with Batman emerging as a mysterious new figure that some Gotham citizens believe could be a hoax perpetrated by the police department. Extensive details on the situation in Gotham City between movies posted on the various Warner Brothers "DARK KNIGHT" viral sites also helped the director create an authentic tone that examines the perspective of other characters living in Gotham City and their reaction to the masked vigilante, as also presented on the various Warner Brothers viral marketing sites.
Shot in Chicago, the film utilized one location seen in "BATMAN BEGINS" in it's open, the bridge connecting Midtown to the Narrows, where the character of the News Vendor (played by George Hroziencik) claims having seen Batman flying by on the monorail during the height of the rioting and fear toxin dispersal. Other characters in the film include "BATMAN: YEAR ONE" character Sarah Essen (played by Beatrice Schneider) and a police officer played by Dagoberto Zolio Soto who also played a police officer in "THE DARK KNIGHT". To add scale and authenticity, the film also utilizes "behind the scenes" footage of Gotham City Police cars and helicopters in action during the production of "THE DARK KNIGHT" in 2007 that is used for POV shots from Mikey's video camera eyepiece.
Of particular interest in this story, which leads to the bridge and connection between movies, is that during his rescue of Heather and Mikey in the alley, Batman (played by Chris Nendick) does not realize until too late that the leader of the clown gang, the Joker, was present and escaped, which leads to another bank robbery and their eventual confrontation in "THE DARK KNIGHT".
"THE DARK KNIGHT PROJECT" had over 2,000 hits and movie viewers during it's first week online.
A Myspace page was set up for Heather and Mikey at: http://www.myspace.com/darkknightproject prior to the film's production, which many fans thought was an official "DARK KNIGHT" viral site. It was used to generate interest and anticipation for the film in the same way Warner Brothers did for "THE DARK KNIGHT".
