Holy Hong Kong Phooey!
Plus, Jack Nicholson is irked with The Dark Knight.
by Stax
November 7, 2007 - Director Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight has been filming on location in Hong Kong, but it appears that local businesses and residents aren't exactly greeting the Bat-sequel with open arms.
According to Batman-on-Film.com, "Batman was subjected to a blackout by Hong Kong companies after appealing to them to leave their lights on for filming of the movie The Dark Knight, a news report said Wednesday. Letters were sent to 60 companies with waterfront properties appealing to them to leave their lights switched on from 5 pm to midnight so that the Hong Kong skyline would be dazzling in the Warner Bros shoot. But 80 percent of the companies approached ignored the request and switched their lights out at the end of the working day as usual, the South China Morning Post reported."
This news comes on the heels of an earlier report that claimed a major river stunt had to be canceled due to water pollution, a story which a BoF source called "mostly inaccurate" with "only a small bit of truth" to it.
Dueling Jokers: Jack Nicholson (L) and Heath Ledger (R).
Hong Kong residents aren't the only ones not too keen on The Dark Knight, which co-stars Heath Ledger as the Joker. Oscar winner Jack Nicholson, who played the Joker in Tim Burton's 1989 blockbuster Batman, expressed his disappointment about the film to MTV.com. "They never asked me about a sequel with the Joker. I know how to do that! Nobody ever asked me," Nicholson said. "It's like, in any area, you can't believe the reasons things do or don't happen. Not asking me how to do the sequel is that kind of thing. Maybe it's not a mistake. Maybe it was the right thing, but to be candid, I'm furious."
The superstar added, "I'm not inclined to watch (The Dark Knight) because of what I said. But if it's a good movie, I'll catch up with it somewhere."
