Chapter 614: Decisive Battle in Russia

While Duke led the cast and crew to Moscow for filming, Warner Brothers moved steadily forward with their pre-release promotion for The Dark Knight.

Senator Patrick Leahy, that Batman superfan, stepped up on his own initiative. This kind of promotion benefited him as well; politicians always needed exposure.

He accepted an interview with CNN.

"Vermont Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy plays an important role in The Dark Knight..."

Following the routine headline came the interview with the senator.

Facing the camera and the reporter's microphone, Patrick Leahy said in high spirits, "Everyone can rest assured, I won't be wearing tights in the film. I will be playing a noble gentleman. For anything more specific, you'll have to ask the crew. I can only tell you that the film's plot is incredibly tense, and it will definitely be very interesting."

The senator also took the chance to show off a bit at the end. "I will donate my earnings from the film to the Kellogg-Hubbard Children's Library in Montpelier, because that is where I got my very first library card."

In an office in the Warner Building, Jamie Foxx turned off the heavily promotional video. He looked across the desk and asked, "What's the word from the theater chains?"

"The representatives from Regal Entertainment Group and AMG Cinema Chain Group both stated..."

An assistant quickly replied, "As long as The Dark Knight matches the quality of Batman Begins, they will mobilize their resources as much as possible at the start of the summer season to support Duke's new film."

"Mhm!" Jamie Jensen nodded, adding, "We can't slack off on the promotional work. Keep pushing forward."

Just as he said, from newspapers to magazines to the internet, even though the promotion for The Dark Knight hadn't truly hit full force yet, related news was already easy to spot.

"Duke Rosenberg leads cast and crew to Moscow for location shooting; Batman and the Joker to have a decisive showdown in Russia!"

"The Dark Knight's latest suit and vehicle revealed; the new motorcycle, the 'Batpod,' crafted by the Lamborghini team, is incredibly eye-catching!"

"The Dark Knight stills revealed: The Joker looks hideous, and Heath Ledger's styling is terrifying. He ruins his looks to play the ultimate villain!"

Aside from the routine methods of releasing stills and news, Warner Brothers also utilized a few alternative tactics.

For example, AICN recently received an email from an unknown source containing the latest stills from The Dark Knight. They immediately posted the pictures online, drawing massive crowds of netizens and nearly crashing their site.

However, quite a few Batman fans also left comments expressing concern. Their main worry centered around the Joker.

"I'm really looking forward to the film, but I'm skeptical about the actor playing the Joker. Jack Nicholson's portrayal of the Joker in the first Batman film is already deeply rooted in people's hearts."

"I don't think either of them is the best Joker. The Joker should be a villain who is both terrifying and comical, like singing and dancing while slaughtering people. That's a great Joker. The director should create a Joker like that."

Meanwhile, the entertainment section of the Los Angeles Times published a costume still of Batman in its front-page headline slot. They thoroughly analyzed the design secrets of this new outfit to attract public attention.

"First: the cowl. While we have seen Spider-Man's stocking-like mask burned or pulled off more than once, in past Batman films, Batman's cowl has always indestructibly encased his head. This seemingly stiff design wasn't actually meant to protect the protagonist's fragile neck. Rather, past Batsuits were all single-piece designs. It isn't until this film, The Dark Knight, that Batman can finally liberate his sweaty, trapped head whenever he pleases. The first major alteration to the new Batsuit simulates the function and shape of a motorcycle helmet, modifying the mask into an independently detachable cowl. The actor only needs to twist his head to either side to easily remove it, but achieving this simple movement presented the designers with their biggest challenge."

"Second: the cape. Anyone who has seen the Pixar animated classic The Incredibles knows what a severe threat a cape poses to a superhero. Yet, to strike his classic pose, Batman insists on keeping his cape even today. It is also a crucial part of his costume. Past Batman capes could expand in low-altitude areas to turn the protagonist into a human glider; the new Batsuit grants it new functions. However, the lead designer is keeping a tight lip on the matter, leaving its exact purpose for the fans to guess for themselves."

"Third: the gloves. Just as Wolverine can extend sharp blades from the backs of his hands, Batman, as a beast-themed hero, also has his claws. The forearm gloves actually conceal retractable blades. These special gloves are seamlessly integrated with the suit, serving as one of his essential melee weapons and standing as a design the creators are extremely proud of."

"Fourth: the overall suit. The new Batsuit is clearly far more complex than the old one, boasting a multitude of components and rich textures. Of course, this is no longer the stiff, sweltering PVC rubber suit of the past! Manufactured from a variety of materials including rubber, fiberglass, nylon, and metallic mesh, it consists of a total of two hundred components assembled using the latest technology. Its style is far more modern, even carrying a hint of sci-fi mechanical flavor. Moreover, the suit has excellent elasticity, capable of perfectly showcasing the robust physique of lead actor Christian Bale."

As the promotion in North America continued, Duke's filming in Moscow was nearing its end.

Most of the main actors had followed Duke to Moscow, including Heath Ledger, who actually had no scenes to shoot here. This was partly Duke's request, but Heath had his own reasons as well.

According to Duke, as Batman's enemy, he needed to understand Batman's every move.

Although the Joker's scenes were finished, Heath Ledger still had to dub several segments during post-production.

With filming about to wrap up, it was time for Heath Ledger to leave the crew. After completing a day's shoot and returning to the hotel, Duke specifically invited Heath—who was busy packing his luggage—out to meet.

"Did you need me for something?"

Inside the cafe, Heath Ledger cradled a cup of coffee and looked at Duke, revealing a faint, slightly bashful smile. "Duke, you didn't specifically call me out just to say goodbye, did you?"

Having worked together on the same crew for months, the two of them had grown familiar with one another. Duke looked at Heath Ledger and didn't sense that he had been deeply affected by the role of the Joker. Whether it was his personality or his smile, he hadn't changed much from the time they first met.

Picking up his coffee cup, Duke took a slow, unhurried sip before asking, "Do you have any plans when you get back?"

"I'll head back to New York, I suppose." Heath Ledger shot Duke a curious look. He knew well that the director sitting across from him wasn't actually someone who liked to meddle in other people's business. "I'll probably just rest in my New York apartment for a while."

"Don't go back to New York," Duke stated his request directly. "The crew will finish all filming in three days. Once I'm back in Los Angeles, I'll immediately start post-production. You have quite a few scenes that need dubbing, so head to California for now. If you want to take a vacation with your girlfriend, I can lend you a beach house."

Hearing that it was about his role and work, Heath Ledger thought for a moment before nodding in agreement. "I'll have my assistant change my flight. I'll wait for you in Los Angeles."

"Good." Duke drained the coffee in his cup and stood up. "See you in Los Angeles."

There really wasn't much he could do. Using work to distract Heath Ledger was essentially Duke's limit. What else could he do? Tell Heath directly not to take those addictive prescription drugs because they would kill him?

Duke wasn't crazy yet.

Besides, the two of them weren't friends before filming started, and even after working together up to this point, they still weren't friends. They maintained a simple working relationship. The reason Duke was even doing this much was because he saw that Heath Ledger was a hardworking actor who cherished opportunities, and his personality was decent too.

If it had been someone arrogant like Mel Gibson or Sylvester Stallone, Duke wouldn't have bothered to bat an eye even if they overdosed and died right in front of him.

The next day, Heath Ledger left Moscow. Duke led the crew through two more days of filming, bringing all shooting tasks for The Dark Knight to a complete close. He didn't linger in Russia; instead, he directly led the entire cast and crew onto a chartered flight back to North America.

The crew disbanded there. Duke only rested for a single day before holing up in the Warner Studios workshop with Mike Dawson's editing team to dive into The Dark Knight's post-production.

He first visited Industrial Light & Magic's studio on the lot. As soon as the shot samples were delivered, ILM's technicians had begun working on the shots that required CGI creation and compositing, and a small portion had already taken initial shape.

In addition, given the leak incident that occurred with Iron Man, Duke and Warner Brothers further strengthened their management of the film copies. Although they had used certain tactics to turn a disadvantage into an advantage last time, they couldn't possibly rely on such good luck every time.

Warner Brothers, in particular, further improved the security measures for their servers. The pool of people who could directly access the complete copy of the film was narrowed down to just the heads of a few relevant departments.

Similarly, within the crew, only Duke, Charles Roven, Anna Printz, and Mike Dawson were able to obtain all the raw footage and the final edited version.

Of course, this wasn't the main focus of post-production. Heightened security merely provided the necessary conditions to ensure the work proceeded smoothly. Duke's primary job still lay in completing the preliminary edit and handling other production duties.

This was especially true for the editing. Although this dark style of superhero film wasn't appearing for the first time—and strictly speaking, 300 Spartans could also be categorized under this style—The Dark Knight carried far more realistic significance and box office appeal.