Last night we took the crew to see Iron Man. You can read James's and Scott's reviews of the film, but I'll just add that this movie ROCKS, and in case you're a parent debating whether to bring your kids to see it, I felt that what violence is in the film is mostly cartoonish, Indiana Jones-level stuff, so if your kids can handle those films, they'll be fine. All of my kids were engaged in the film from start to finish, and there was nothing in it that scared them as much and that damn sea lion in Happy Feet.

But I digress. Before the film, of course, they had the usual array of trailers (Speed Racer, Indy 4, Prince Caspian), and one of them was for The Dark Knight. Now, I've generally been avoiding seeing or reading too much about The Dark Knight, so this was the first time I'd seen the trailer. And my reaction to it was ... I don't know if I want to see this film. Much as I love Christian Bale and Aaron Eckhart, I just found the scenes of Heath Ledger as the Joker oddly painful to watch.

The Joker's latest campaign is currently overloading his server, but here's what's happened so far.

Over on Clown Travel Agency, a list of addresses was posted for bowling alleys across the country. Whoever got there first received a bowling bag with a ball engraved with a number, and the usual Joker swag of a cellphone and a Joker card.
(Empire has some photos of the swag up and is one of the few sites not being completely overloaded.) Those who called the number were told "We know who you are" and that was that. As each bag was picked up, CTA received another stamp.

Now CTA is defunct, and forwards you to Acme Security Systems, where you are asked to enter your e-mail address and phone number for voice verification. For most (including Erik Davis and myself), the server wouldn't load. One person I know got through, and the next task is apparently to disable Acme's security system. The password is "Needle" for what it's worth -- I assume this is what you're supposed to voice verify.

New updates after the jump ...

Though it's only been a week since Heath Ledger was permanently laid to rest, Warner Bros. is slowly bringing back its marketing campaign for The Dark Knight. Mattel has revealed images of its Ledger-inspired Joker dolls; the first of which will retail at $7.99 and features a rocket launcher that can be placed in the Joker's hand. The second doll (pictured to the right) is a slightly larger, more detailed version created by action-figure designers the Four Horsemen. It will retail at $10.99. The image comes from The New York Post, who revealed it along with a quote from the Ledger family: "Heath was very proud of his work in the film, and his family is aware and supportive of Warner Bros. and its partner's plans for the movie." Mattel will sell two versions of the doll, with both hitting toy shelves this May (two months prior to The Dark Knight landing in theaters on July 18).

Mattel claims Ledger's death is "not exactly a marketing point," and that "kids are going to buy the toy if they like the movie." Yes, but the toy comes out two months before the movie does. Then again, the character is so recognizable, I really don't think it matters. But what do you think:

Should Mattel and Warner Bros. have waited until closer to the film's release to shovel a Ledger-like doll onto toy shelves? Or is this marketing tactic a normal one?

I was on a shuttle bus at Sundance when my wife text messaged me the news about Heath Ledger. By the time I made it off the bus, everyone was buzzing -- his death had hit the fest like a virus. It didn't take much time, and only a few hours later I started seeing stories from people wondering whether Ledger's death had anything to do with the amount of work he put into the role of Joker in this summer's The Dark Knight. When the New York Times interviewed him last month, Ledger admitted to locking himself in a hotel room for a month to get into character, then downing sleeping pills afterward to catch up on some much-needed rest. Though we're not entirely sure yet, it was most likely a combination of sleeping pills and other medication that did him in.

Warner Bros. has already toned down their aggressive Dark Knight marketing plan, turning the movie's official website into a make-shift shrine dedicated to the actor. So if it was this role that ultimately sent Ledger off in an unhealthy direction, why did he take it on in the first place. ComicMix currently has up an exclusive audio interview with Ledger, conducted last month, in which the actor explains why, exactly, he decided to take on the part. According to the actor, he had no interest in re-creating what Nicholson had so expertly displayed earlier, and that if Burton was directing this film he probably wouldn't have done it. But when Christopher Nolan asked Ledger to play Joker, he watched Batman Begins, saw a different angle he could take and jumped right in. You can check out the interview over here.

Personally, I think it's a cop out to blame a role in a movie for a person's death. Obviously actors and actresses take on all kinds of roles in any given year -- some of which are a lot more demanding than the Joker -- and they come away just fine. What it boils down to is the kind of person you are; how much pressure you put on yourself and what you do to alleviate that pressure. Our thoughts and prayers are with his friends and family this weekend as they say goodbye to a man so many people loved dearly.

The New York Post's Joe Neumaier claims that Jack Nicholson told London reporters that he "warned" Heath Ledger: but about what, exactly? Burning the candle at both ends? Playing a gay cowboy in a homophobic country? "Well, I warned him," is the full and exact quote. Still, under the caption of Nicholson in full purple regalia in the Post, it claims Nicholson "warned Ledger about the part [of The Joker]." Neumaier notes other reports that Ledger had slept two hours a night during the filming of The Dark Knight, and that Ledger had told the press "prescription drugs didn't help."

This might just be a ghoulish attempt to capitalize on Ledger's death by linking him to a celebrated screen and comic book villain, so I thought I'd check Burton on Burton (edited by Mark Salisbury) to see if Tim Burton recalled Nicholson going through similar angst when making the 1989 Batman, giving him grounds for worrying about the stress on another actor playing the role. Not quite. On Nicholson, Burton commented, "He was very cool...he was very calming and helpful and would just say, `Get what you need, get what you want, and just keep going.'" (Thanks to Moviefone for this tipoff.)

The Los Angeles Times spoke to director Christopher Nolan recently with regards to whose story we'll really be seeing when The Dark Knight hits theaters later this summer. While the marketing plan from Warner Bros. has so far concentrated almost exclusively on the Joker (as played by Heath Ledger), Nolan has stepped up to explain just how important the Joker is to the plot of this movie. He says, "Harvey Dent is a tragic figure, and his story is the backbone of this film. The Joker, he sort of cuts through the film -- he's got no story arc, he's just a force of nature tearing through. Heath has given an amazing performance in the role, it's really extraordinary."

Hmmm ... fascinating. But it definitely makes sense. You'll remember that in the opening IMAX scene, it appears the Joker is already somewhat established as a widely-known criminal in Gotham City. So taking Nolan's comments into account, we probably won't see some sort of Joker flashback origin story unless Batman does research and digs up some old newspaper articles (the likely route in any Batman film -- head to the newspaper articles!). This also means that Harvey Dent (played by Aaron Eckhart) will almost certainly make his transformation to Two Face at some point before the end of the flick. The big question is, though, will the Two Face story end in The Dark Knight, or will Nolan tease Two Face into a third film? Additionally, The LA Times also confirms that Cillian Murphy will be reprising his role as Scarecrow in the sequel.

Here's where I make my plea to Warner Brothers: Please, pretty pretty please, do not unveil a photo of Two Face prior to the film arriving in theaters. This is the only secret we have left, and I would love to go into The Dark Knight not knowing what Nolan did with the look of Two Face. I'm on hands and knees Warners. Please.

Now that the The Dark Knight trailer has been making the rounds for a while, with Heath Ledger's Joker wowing everyone from fans to filmmakers, it's time for Mark Hamill to throw his opinions into the ring. If you're not a big animated series fan, this might seem weird -- what does Luke Skywalker have to do with the Joker? Well, Hamill has been the voice behind the character for years now -- most notably on Batman: The Animated Series. (Hear him in action here.) So, MTV recently caught up with the quirky Clown Prince, and he had some nice things to say about the most recent Joker incarnation.

"For all those fans that dreamed of an adult approach to the material, Batman Begins got nearly everything right. I have no doubt this one will be just as good or better." Unfortunately, there's no word on what he thinks the first got wrong, but he does say of Christopher Nolan's changes to the character: "The balls-out debauched psycho approach seems like a great way of reinventing everyone's favorite scary (and scar-y) clown." Ah, punning goodness!

So Hamill can't wait to see Ledger in action. Can you? Do you like the eerie way that Nolan has taken the character, and that Ledger is playing him, or are you wishing that Hamill got to make his Joker large and live-action? Or that you'd get more Jack Nicholson? Or maybe someone else?

I apologize for tricking you with that headline. You probably even skipped all this text and headed directly for the video, only to be somewhat disappointed that this is in fact not actually a new trailer for The Dark Knight. While Christopher Nolan's latest installment is one of the movies to see in 2008 (aka 2000-Great, according to my friends), the video below is best described as one of the worst films of 1966. Of course, we all love it, don't we? For some reason, Fark.com's hosting of the video claims Leslie H. Martinson's kitchy Batman is even worse than the two Schumacher installments, but really what would you rather watch? If you didn't say this big-screen spin-off of the Batman TV series, then you clearly don't know how to have fun.

Anyway, this isn't the best-edited piece of parody to grace YouTube, but there are a lot of well-synced clips and that shot of the businessman getting zapped is delightfully awful. I personally love Cesar Romero as the Joker and can't get enough. I also really like what was done with the "little fight in you" section of the Dark Knight trailer: The Joker fights Bruce Wayne, who suddenly becomes Batman for the "then you'll love me" line. Sure, it's not as cute as Maggie Gyllenhaal kicking her brother's boyfriend in the nuts, but it's pretty funny. Anyway, you can check out the real Dark Knight trailer -- though you already have, unless you don't know what's good for you -- over here.

UPDATE: The Dark Knight full-length, crystal clear trailer is now online and available right here. Check it out! Looks nice.

In crappy, YouTube boot-legged video! First came The Dark Knight trailer, and now someone has cleverly put that six-minute IMAX clip online as well. Ya know, part of me understands why Warner Bros. didn't release the two clips online the same day they were in theaters with I Am Legend, and I'm sure those folks who watched the pirated copies are still going to watch the new, HD versions when they're finally released to the online world, but it still sucks to see it for the first time in this kind of quality. Of course, you can argue that I or we shouldn't watch it. Valid point. But how can you not watch it? It's like asking a little kid if he'd rather open up his Christmas gifts now or later. What do you think he'd answer?

I have to say, though, unlike Ryan I really liked both the trailer and the IMAX footage. They're calling this a Joker prologue, but we don't see him actually becoming the Joker -- this is more of a setup to show you how badass the guy is. Before everyone in Gotham City knows his name. And William Fichtner's cameo as the bank's boss is awesome. Love Fichtner! Love the tone. Love the idiotic baddies. And the Joker's entrance is pretty damn cool. If this is the way The Dark Knight begins, then I'm sure we're in store for one helluva sequel. Cannot wait. The Dark Knight arrives in theaters on July 18, the full-length trailer will most likely arrive via this link later on today, and you can see the six-minute IMAX clip after the jump (though I'm sure it will be taken down soon). Let us know what you think.

I absolutely love this new still photo from The Dark Knight (seen above, courtesy of Comics2Film). Doesn't look like a shot from the film, but look closer and check out the mask in that guy's hand. From what I know about the film, I assume that's Heath Ledger in the picture either before or after he robs a bank in Gotham City as The Joker. And I assume that shot is part of a scene which is also part of the new IMAX footage (which will screen before IMAX prints of I Am Legend). Of course I'm not positive because I skipped an invite to attend a screening of the new IMAX footage last week. As part of the insane Dark Knight promotional nonsense, I was sent a Fed Ex package with a Gotham Times newspaper, a Gotham Times press pass and a note with instructions to show up at a certain IMAX theater in NYC. Since my fat ass was too lazy to travel all the way into the city for seven minutes of footage, I bailed on the invite. Sorry folks.

But when I was trolling around online, I saw that I had received the abbreviated press package. Perez Hilton (of all people) was actually sent a cake -- a real cake -- and was asked to call a phone number. When he did, a phone inside the actual cake started ringing. And so he had to dig through the cake, uncovering a package buried deep in the middle. That package contained an actual cell phone (I swear, I'm not kidding about this sh*t), and he was asked to call yet another number which gave him instructions on a place to go. I believe that place was a location in Los Angeles where they were also screening the IMAX footage. A f**king cake with a cell phone inside it! I'm still laughing about this. And if you can somehow suffer through Hilton's awful shtick, you can watch video of the entire thing over here.

Additionally, a couple more photos from the film were just released. After the jump, you can check out a pic of Batman riding his BatPod (via Slashfilm), as well as a pic of Batman on the cover of Cinelive magazine.

Why does it all feel like the same thing?

Lots going on in Batman land today; apparently the first six minutes of The Dark Knight were screened last night, with an introduction by director Christopher Nolan, in front of roughly 100 New Yorkers. UGO has a recap of the footage, which will screen before IMAX screenings of I Am Legend later this month. Here's the non-spoiler-ish description: "These six minutes introduce Heath Ledger's interpretation of The Joker to the world and Nolan's intention was for this introduction to stand alone as a "short film." Easily the best short film I've seen since Hardware Wars." They go on to say: "If you would rather not know, know that it is badass. Forget Nicholson, "The Laughing Fish," Caesar Romero, Mark Hamil and The Killing Joke. Heath Ledger's Joker is THE definitive Joker." Wow, ballsy statement -- let's hope they're right. Check out the full rundown, chock-full of spoilers, over here.

AICN is running an interesting rumor this morning. If true, this could potentially destroy what the DC folks are doing and place Marvel front and center. According to one of their tipsters, Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk films are connected in such a way that they're each shooting a scene together. Here's what the tipster had to say: "The trouble is, I can't tell if its an Iron Man scene with the Hulk in it or a Hulk scene with IRON MAN in it, more interestingly, it's possible that the SAME SCENE or some variation of it might be in BOTH movies lending to the comic book / single universe, many heroes idea seen in the past - uber cool." We already know Samuel L. Jackson will have a cameo as Nick Fury in Iron Man; could they also be connecting Iron Man to The Incredible Hulk too? If so, I really dig what Marvel is doing -- however, unlike DC, they have that luxury because they're debuting the solo films before the potential Avengers movie. Perhaps DC can learn a thing or two ...

And speaking of DC and their mish-moshed Justice League film, Moviehole is reporting that actress Zoe Kazan has been cast in the role of Iris Allen (aka better half to The Flash). They claim to have spoken to Kazan, who confirmed the news, but wouldn't go into further detail. Chalk up another actor/actress that has supposedly been cast in a movie that refuses to announce its cast officially. Seriously, what is up with that?

Some rumors do and some rumors don't ...

Well, it's totally official: Christian Bale is currently in negotiations to star in Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins (aka Terminator 4). The Hollywood Reporter tells us today that Bale is still talking, but he'll most likely join the project (as previously rumored) as its star, under the direction of McG. At this point, I think we're all wondering the same thing: How the f*ck did we get from James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger to McG and Christian Bale? I do not know, however the casting of Bale is definitely a step in the right direction. While THR doesn't come right out and say it, chances are Bale will play a thirty-something John Connor as he begins to wage a long, hard-fought war against a rising army of machines. No word on whether Bale will sign on for more than one film, as the Halycon Company (who picked up rights to the franchise earlier this year) have stated that they're interested in making at least three new Terminator flicks.

And while we're on the subject of Christian Bale, AICN managed to get their hands on a slew of promotional photos for this summer's The Dark Knight (see two above) -- most of which show Heath Legder as the Joker in a number of maniacal poses, with only one photo dedicated to Batman himself. We're not sure what these photos are for (perhaps magazine covers, reveals on the viral sites, etc ...), but I certainly like the way the Joker has come out. All that's left for us know is to see Ledger in action -- I want to see dialogue, I want to see it all. Rumor has it a new Dark Knight trailer (or footage of some kind) will play before IMAX screenings of I Am Legend this month, so I imagine the same footage will also arrive online (either that or a trailer) around the same time. The Dark Knight arrives in theaters this July 18. NOTE: Pics have come down at the request of the studio

Finally, that giant Hobbit rumor from the other day has been debunked. On Friday, a site called Marketsaw came out with the rumor that Peter Jackson was indeed going to direct The Hobbit, split it into two parts, with both arriving in 3D. AICN claims to have spoken with people over at the Peter Jackson camp, and they said it's not true. Things between Jackson and New Line are still not settled, even though the director is interested in 3D -- this Hobbit thing won't be happening anytime soon. They also say that Jackson, who's hard at work on The Lovely Bones, will go from that film to Tintin, which he is co-directing alongside Steven Spielberg. Will The Hobbit happen eventually? Probably. But not now and not with Jackson.

We all thought we'd be waiting a full three days for this pic, but turns out JoBlo somehow snagged a look at the Joker image that's slowly being revealed over on Empire Online. Granted, the pic Empire will show looks to be the Joker without all the colorful (and distracting) text, but it is indeed the same pic featured above. Just pretend all that other stuff isn't there. Additionally, as rumors suggested, this pic will grace the cover of Empire's January '08 issue. Not sure about you, but I think he looks rather psychotic ... though I'd prefer a better look at his face. And is it just me, or does Ledger look a little like Michael Keaton in that pic, if Keaton were to take on the role of Joker? I don't know; there's just something about that winking smirk that reminds me of the old Burton Batman. Nevertheless, The Dark Knight is one of my most anticipated of 2008, and so far it's remained on the right track. July 18. Show up to the theater wearing your greatest smile.

Note: Check out the full image by clicking the one above (courtesy of JoBlo), or head on over to Empire to see what's left of the image they're slowly revealing.

The folks over at Empire Online are slowly revealing what appears to be a brand new image of Heath Ledger as The Joker in this summer's The Dark Knight. The link on the main site reads: "He is coming ... 3 days to go," which, we imagine, means the full pic will be revealed three days from now. (Click on the image to the right to see the full pic currently on the site.) Whether this is just a photo or the cover of their January '08 issue, we do not know, but it looks like we'll get a nice, crystal clear full-body look at Ledger's Joker by the end of the week.

Warner Bros. has been going all-out when it comes to marketing one of this summer's hottest flicks; not only have they been teasing us with images and tiny trailers, but they're apparently bringing the entire city of Gotham to the web. A few days ago, a number of sites were launched -- including a full, four-page mock-up of The Gotham Times (which included real articles), as well as a Joker-fied copy of the same paper. Additionally, other web addresses contained within the articles went live, all of which look to be setting up the film (ie: the current state of Gotham City) in some way, shape or form. You can even send email tips to the Gotham Police, as well as to The Gotham Times itself, and get replies. It's a lot of fun, and definitely one of the better marketing campaigns I've ever seen. The Dark Knight hits theaters on July 18.

UPDATE: New Joker photo has been uncovered on the WhySoSerious site (along with a taste of dialogue: "And tonight you're gonna break your one rule"), which leads to another site, Rory's Death Kiss ... and to what appears to be another game. Ugh, I'm starting to hate these games. Let us know what you discover ...

I've been flooded with emails this morning from folks pointing me toward WhySoSerious.com, that Dark Knight viral site which, up until early this morning, was housing a rotting pumpkin with a candle inside. And guess what's on the site -- more clues! I'm either way too old or way too tired to start dissecting the monster, although it doesn't seem all that hard. Apparently, the Joker leaves 49 clues for 21 cities across the United States. And within each clue there are instructions on where to go and stand in that city. Since my ass is definitely not leaving the apartment and traveling 45 minutes into NYC to stand in the middle of the street and look up, we'll have to rely on those of you who just so happen to be in these areas at the time the clue calls for.

Last time something like this happened, it was during ComicCon (while the Warner Bros. panel was taking place), and a phone number appeared in the sky. Folks called the number for a web address, and if I recall that web address took them to the first teaser trailer for the film. I'd hope that by asking people in 21cities to go to a specific place at a specific time that they'll be getting something worth their while. Don't just hang a teaser poster with the release date on it. Please. Anyway, I've posted the clues from each city after the jump, courtesy of Slashfilm, and you can head over there for up-to-the-minute scavenger hunt details, as folks are going to town on the entire puzzle. And if you do happen to swing by one of these spots, definitely let us know what you see. The Dark Knight arrives in theaters on July 18.

UPDATE: It seems the phrase on the WhySoSerious page reads: "The Only Sensible Way to Live in this World is Without Rules."

[Thanks Vic, Dan and Anthony]