Zap! Pow! Batman hit by HK pollution - Singapore's Online Community

**Voodoo Vince** · 05-11-2007, 01:44 AM

Zap! Pow! Batman hit by HK pollution

HONG KONG - BATMAN might cut a superhuman figure as he fights off evil-doers to save the world, but Hong Kong's polluted harbour is, apparently, one death-defying stunt too far.

Producers shooting the next Batman movie have been forced to cut one scene involving the caped crusader - played by Christian Bale - jumping out of a plane into the city's famed Victoria Harbour.

According to the South China Morning Post, producers felt the poor water quality was just too dangerous for the action hero when shooting for part of the film takes place here in the coming week.

Citing two unidentified production sources, it said the stunt had now been taken off the shooting list for 'The Dark Knight,' the sequel to the 2005 hit 'Batman Begins' and the latest in the blockbuster franchise.

'There was supposed to be a scene where Batman jumps out of the back of a Hercules C-130 and into Victoria Harbour,' one source was quoted as saying.

'The plan was for Batman to be seen jumping into the water and then climbing up some bamboo, or something similar, onto a pier.

'But when they checked a water sample, they found all sorts of things, salmonella and tuberculosis, so it was cancelled. Now the action will cut to inside a building,' the source added.

A spokeswoman for October Pictures, the Hong Kong production company which is managing the shoot, would not comment on the report.

A spokeswoman for Hong Kong's Environmental Protection Department admitted that harbour water was not suitable for swimming due to untreated sewage, the newspaper said.

As well as poor water, Hong Kong also suffers from air pollution that on many days leaves the city clouded in haze, partly caused by local power plants and emissions from factories in the neighbouring Pearl River Delta region in southern China. -- AFP

http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest%2...ry_173538.html

**Voodoo Vince** · 11-11-2007, 08:02 AM

Holy pollution, Batman! Director denies filthy water forced cuts

HONG KONG: The director of the next Batman film said Friday a planned scene in which the caped crusader dived into Hong Kong's harbour was cut because of script changes and not the water's severe pollution.

Producers had reportedly been forced to pull one scene involving the hero of "The Dark Knight" - played by Christian Bale - jumping out of a plane into the city's famed Victoria Harbour, as the dirty water was too dangerous.

"That was my decision, nothing to do with pollution. It was simply a script decision," said British director Christopher Nolan, who also co-wrote the screenplay for the latest instalment of the Batman franchise.

"Once you see the finished film, you will understand why. As far as the pollution question goes, I honestly have no problem dumping movie stars in it."

The film is making the franchise's first journey outside the fictional Gotham City and will use Hong Kong's spectacular skyline during several days of filming here, Nolan added.

Bale, who took the title role in the previous film, "Batman Begins," said he was excited about climbing to the top of some the city's highest buildings "and jumping off of them."

Speaking alongside co-star Morgan Freeman at a packed press conference, Bale said he would be shooting on the top of Hong Kong's tallest building, the 90-storey IFC2.

Hong Kong suffers both serious water and air pollution that on many days leaves the famous skyline clouded in haze. Much of it is caused by local power plants and emissions from factories in nearby southern China.

- AFP/yb

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stori...310579/1/.html

**Weiwei** · 11-11-2007, 10:21 AM

haha imagine batman flying around hk areas

**Voodoo Vince** · 12-11-2007, 11:23 PM

New Batman movie completes high-profile HK shoot

HONG KONG - THE new Batman movie starring Christian Bale has finished most of its filming in Hong Kong with a scene showing dozens of police officers storming a skyscraper in the financial district, the local production company assisting the filmmakers said on Monday.

The sequence filmed late on Sunday and early on Monday, which did not involve any of the movie's stars, marks the end of a high-profile shoot clouded by pollution and energy consumption concerns.

An official at Hong Kong's October Pictures said filmmakers could shoot more footage of Hong Kong's famed skyline at sunset, but it was unlikely. The official declined to give his name.

Earlier, director Christopher Nolan and his crew filmed Christian Bale, who plays Bruce Wayne and Batman, and Morgan Freeman, who portrays Lucius Fox, having a conversation on a pedestrian bridge that connects Hong Kong's central financial district and the upscale Mid-Levels residential area, the official said.

They also filmed Lucius Fox arriving at the same office building stormed by the police officers and chatting with security guards, he said.

Bale said at a press conference on Friday he was scheduled to jump off Hong Kong's tallest building, the 90-floor International Finance Centre, a sequence also featured in Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, starring Angelina Jolie.

The Dark Knight, which also involves scenes shot in Chicago and London, involves Batman leaving Gotham City for the first time.

His foray into Asia hit several snags in Hong Kong, however, with local media reporting that filmmakers cut a scene involving Batman jumping from a plane into the city's Victoria Harbour because of its filthy waters.

Nolan denied the reports, saying the change was a scripting decision.

Environmental activists also criticized a request from October Pictures asking tenants of waterfront buildings to keep their lights on all night to better showcase Hong Kong's skyline, filled with glittering skyscrapers, calling it a waste of energy.

Hong Kong officials earlier also expressed concern over noise pollution and traffic chaos during the shoot.

The Dark Knight, a sequel to the 2005 hit Batman Begins, also stars Heath Ledger as the Joker and Michael Caine as Batman's butler, Alfred. The Warner Bros production is due out next summer. -- AP

http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest&#...ry_176005.html

**Sonic Bear** · 13-11-2007, 01:54 AM

a big hoo ha for the movie even in its filming stage,
this batman movie must be unique in its own ways i guess...

Cheers

**Voodoo Vince** · 14-11-2007, 02:19 PM

Batman's so bad for our business

Star gets hero's welcome in HK, but some shopkeepers get peeved when road closes for filming

November 14, 2007

NOT everyone has gone batty over the Caped Crusader in Hong Kong.

-- Pictures: APPLE DAILY

The arrival of the cast and crew of the upcoming Batman movie The Dark Knight last week left some shopkeepers fuming over lost income.

Over the weekend, the police had to seal off the arterial Queen's Road Central, which led to both human and vehicular traffic in the prime district slowing to a crawl.

As the pedestrians were only allowed on one side of the street, shops on the opposite side complained that they recorded their worst turnover ever.

Mr Su, who runs a dried seafood delicacy shop along the blocked street, said: 'I had no customers at all this morning. This has never happened before in more than 20 years. I am going to lose a lot today!'

His shop's revenue at the end of the day was a measly HK$20 ($3.72).

Peeved when the crew turned down his request for compensation, he didn't cooperate with the crew's request to leave the lights at his shop switched on overnight for filming.

A medical shop owner also complained to Oriental Daily.

He said: 'So what if it's a big production and will only take a day? I will only make a few dollars today!'

Those who jammed the roads for a glimpse of stars Christian Bale and Morgan Freeman also contributed to fraying tempers.

Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the road, cash registers were ringing non-stop.

Ms Tam, who owns a porridge and noodle shop on the side of the road not cordoned off, told Apple Daily that her business has doubled, thanks to the hordes of hungry onlookers.

Despite the production's high profile, Bale was only seen publicly on Friday at a press conference and when he filmed a few scenes at the famous Mid-Levels Escalators, reported Apple Daily.

Nearly 300 fans were left disappointed when he did not turn up with his Batmobile on Sunday night for another shoot.

The crew will leave within the next few days.

http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/st...47706,00.html?