PRODUCTION: Casting

The director of 'The Dark Knight' was Christopher Nolan. Nolan has directed nearly all of the Batman movies and has won various awards for his directing talents. As the Dark Knight was such a massive blockbuster, the casting was a huge part of the production process and took up a lot of time.

The main casting was done by a man called John Papsidera, mainly known for his casting and input in horror films. As the Dark Knight was such a hugely anticipated movie, the casting needed to be just right so not to dissapoint the fans.

The lead role of 'Bruce Wayne/Batman' went to Christian Bale who is a huge hollywood star, this meant that just by the casting choices the film would open up a wider audience.

The lead role of Batman was hugely upstaged by the supporting actor Heath Ledger who played 'The Joker.' John Papsidera took a risk by casting Ledger as he was a fairly unknown actor, but Nolan (director) insisted on using Heath Ledger. Ledger took the character of the 'The Joker' and made it his own, and to this day is named one of the most talented actor's this world has ever seen. He described his character as "psychopathic, mass murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy." Unfortunately Heath Ledger passed away in an untimely and tragic death before 'The Dark Knight's' release. This has caused much controversy surrounding the film with people suggesting that Ledger had let his role of 'The Joker' take over his personal life. It was also suggested that the marketing of this movie used Heath's death for personal gain. Christopher Nolan decided to dedicate the film in Heath Ledger's honour and accepted a post-humous oscar for Ledger's incredible performance in The Dark Knight.

Casting Collective and Joan Philo Casting also worked on The Dark Knight to provide many extras. Once the casting had been finalised the initial shooting began.