El Eshoo has made us aware of a considerable batch of The Dark Knight film stills that have just hit the internet.

The stunning images are noteworthy for a couple of reasons: they offer the first in-film look at Heath Ledger as The Joker; they give a good impression of Christian Bale’s new batsuit; they give credit to the ‘fake Batmans’ plot rumours from earlier today; Cillian Murphy (The Scarecrow in Batman Begins) is in one of them; Batman is revealed to have a nice array of new computer screens in his batcave; Batman takes his new batpod for a ride in a shot; The Joker holds a knife to Rachel’s throat in another; but the real highlights are those pictures of Batman and The Joker going at eachother!

Since the person who originally posted these shots does not want to be credited, we can’t provide a link to where we got them from. But you can access all the stills in our movie gallery.

UPDATE (12:09 pm CET): Three more stills have popped up - one of them a close-up of The Joker’s head. View in the movie gallery.

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Posted in Batman, Movies •

Slashfilm.com claims to have received a breakdown of scenes that are being shot on Rory’s First Kiss this week. That, of course, is the undercover production title of The Dark Knight.

However, the website admits that they are unable to confirm the authenticity of the information. Interestingly enough the report they received contains names of new characters (e.g. Reese).

Anyways, here’s the potentially spoiler-heavy list of plot details that the site has gathered from their scooper (not in any sort of chronological order):

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Posted in Batman, Movies •

Before production began on The Golden Compass film adaptation, New Line Cinema put together a video to show to foreign distributors and to tie-up marketing deals.

The twenty-seven minute presentation introduces the project to anyone unfamiliar with the first His Dark Materials novel by detailing its plot through the use of narration, actors, concept artwork and storyboards. This video is now available online.

So if you’d like to find out what’s got us at X-Realms so excited about this particular fantasy franchise, you can watch the entire presentation, split into three separate clips, on Youtube or on fansite BridgeToTheStars.net.

Discuss The Golden Compass on the X-Boards

Posted in His Dark Materials, Movies •

Faithful X-Boards member El Eshoo was once again present at the set of Chris Nolan’s The Dark Knight in downtown Chicago and sent in the following report along with lots of photos of the action:

I had a chance to watch/gawk at some filming of Batman (Sunday, Aug 12th) at the 330 North Wabash Building. They had several different vehicles out there (Gotham Police Dept, Gotham News Vans, Military vehicles, Bomb Squad truck, etc.) which was cool to see. But I’d say the best of all: I was lucky enough to be 10 feet from Christopher Nolan, Aaron Eckhart and Mr. Bruce Wayne himself … Christian Bale! They were filming some “Press Conference” stuff in the lobby of 330 earlier in the day, broke for lunch around 1:00-ish and then filmed some more “Press Conference” stuff.

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Posted in Batman, Movies •

Announcing its fall schedule, the SCI FI Wire has revealed that beginning in October, the SCI FI Channel will air Battlestar Galactica ‘mini-sodes’ entitled Razor during episodes of Flash Gordon (Fridays 9pm).

The two-to-three-minute shorts will lead into the November 24 premiere the two-hour special TV movie also entitled Razor, which will tell the story of Lee Adama’s (Jamie Bamber) first mission as commander of the Battlestar Pegasus and will show how Admiral Cain (Michelle Forbes) served her ship during the original Cylon attack on the Colonies.

Razor will provide a backdrop to events in the rest of Battlestar Galactica, which returns for its fourth and final season in early 2008.

Discuss Battlestar Galactica on the X-Boards

Posted in Battlestar Galactica, Television •

CHUD is running a rumour that Marvel Studios want wrestler/actor Tripe H (Blade: Trinity) for the role as the god of thunder Thor in the upcoming film version of the comic book.

But director Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake, Stardust) apparently isn’t too keen on it; in fact, according to the report he ‘is dead set against it’. But considering the disappointing box office haul of Stardust and a looming strike, Vaughn may not get much say in the matter.

Meanwhile, Dark Horizons has picked up talk of another possibility: Kevin McKidd (Rome, Kingdom of Heaven). But in turn, this option would depend upon the success of NBC’s Journeyman, in which McKidd has a leading role.

Discuss Thor on the X-Boards

Posted in Movies •

Rosario Dawson is set to star in and co-produce a new live action/motion-captured online sci-fi series called Gemini says The Hollywood Reporter.  She is also attached to star in and produce potential TV series, feature film and game versions of the franchise.

Electric Farm Entertainment will produce 100 three-minute episodes of Gemini, which will star Dawson as a New York cop investigating the bizarre murder of her husband and who uncovers a global conspiracy involving the creation of simulated live forms that have assimilated with the unsuspecting public.

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Posted in Movies, Sci-Tech & Video Games, Television •

According to IESB.net, Mark Wahlberg (The Departed) and Jason Statham (The Transporter) are favourites for the roles of Duke and Action Man in the upcoming G.I. Joe live-action film adaptation.

Apparently, screenwriter Skip Woods wrote the script with Wahlberg and Statham specifically in mind, and the studio is considering this acting duo their first choices. The film characters are set to be based on the original cartoons, toys and comics but with a globe-trotting flavor.

Meanwhile, Latino Review has revealed that The Mummy helmer Stephen Sommers will not direct the project, with him and the studio disagreeing about his salary.

Discuss G.I. Joe on the X-Boards

Posted in Movies •

An article by The Times Online has revealed that the traditional bareback horse race of Palio di Siena will serve as the backdrop of a big action sequence in the upcoming and still untitled Bond 22, directed by Marc Forster.

Cameras will start rolling today (Aug 16), when the next Palio is due to take place. Production on the project won’t start until later this year, but the idea is to get background shots of the race in the Tuscan hill town, while scenes with the actors will be inserted later.

The plot is being kept under wraps. However, the town council at Siena has given permission for a climax in which James Bond (Daniel Craig reprising his role) chases the villain through the steep and narrow cobbled streets and then pursues him across the rooftops and through the underground medieval aqueducts, while the horses thunder round the Campo, the main square.

Discuss Bond 22 on the X-Boards

Posted in James Bond, Movies •

Guillermo del Toro (Hellboy, Pan’s Labyrinth) is currently filming Hellboy 2 in Budapest, where actor Doug Jones is reprising his role as fishman Abe Sapien.

Premiere Magazine has some quotes from Jones on Abe and his other roles, aswell as some tidbits on the sequel’s plot:

‘[The first film] was a three-month commitment for me because my role was smaller: Abe Sapien dipped out — for the last third of the film, you didn’t see him. In this one, he is a major player from start to finish.’

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Posted in Movies •