Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises heads into its final leg of location work later this month with a 14 day shoot scheduled in New York City. And sources have told the LA Times’ 24 Frames blog that some of that filming may take place down in Zuccotti Park where the current Occupy Wall Street movement has been camped out for over a month.
[A]ccording to a person briefed on actors’ schedules who requested anonymity because production details were being kept confidential, cast members have been told the shoot could include scenes shot at the Occupy Wall Street protests… While the person who’d been told of the plans said the protests could figure into the production, they said that doesn’t mean they will be included in the storyline.
The LA Times goes on to specify that Nolan probably hasn’t done a last minute rewrite to incorporate the protesters but rather is using them as a backdrop for something that already existed in his carefully guarded screenplay for the film.
Casting notices that are already starting to circulate indicate that the Dark Knight Returns production will start shooting in the Big Apple on October 29 under the fake title Magnus Rex. Previously, the film has done location work in Jodhpur, India, Pittsburgh and Los Angeles.
It’s unknown exactly what scenes will be shot in New York, but we can probably glean a clue from the casting notices which state that potential candidates should have “military and/or law enforcement training/experience, weapons training, and/or martial arts training.” I’m thinking we may be seeing something similar to the riot scenes that were shot over the summer in Pittsburgh.
I’m sure that there will be those who will instantly turn themselves off to the film by the mere mention of a possible association with the Occupy Wall Street movement. And I can see how some of the themes of corruption among the wealth and civil unrest from his previous Batman films draw parallel to some of the stated grievances of the protesters. It’ll be interesting to see what exactly Nolan has in mind when the film finally comes out next summer.
