Last movie in 'Batman' trilogy to be filmed in Pittsburgh
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Christian Bale returns as Batman in director Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight Rises," to be filmed in Pittsburgh this summer.
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Sorry, Twihards. Taylor Lautner coming to Pittsburgh was big, but Batman's bigger.
Confirmation Tuesday that "The Dark Knight Rises" will film in Pittsburgh this summer triggered a wave of emails, phone calls, tweets and Facebook posts from people wanting to be extras, work in any capacity (gaffer, grip, go-fer), supply equipment or stand on the sidelines and watch the magic happen.
It's too early for that information, but you can check the Pittsburgh Film Office's website at www.pghfilm.org for details as they become available. You also can sign up for the office's Twitter and Facebook feeds and to receive text message alerts -- text PFO to 94253 to register.
"The Dark Knight Rises" is coming to the city to film the third installment in Christopher Nolan's franchise starring recent Oscar winner Christian Bale in the title role. The city's architecture and diversity of locations helped to lure the production here.
"Pittsburgh is a beautiful city," the London-born director said in a statement. "We have been able to find everything we were looking for here, and I am excited to spend the summer in Pittsburgh with our final installment of Batman."
"The Dark Knight," released in July 2008, is the third-highest grossing film of all time. Its $533.3 million in North America puts it behind "Avatar" and "Titanic."
While interest in that movie was fueled, in part, by word of mouth about the late Heath Ledger's performance as The Joker, the Batman franchise has been spectacular from the start.
Until recently, Pittsburghers associated the crusader in cape and cowl with native son Michael Keaton, who starred in Tim Burton's reboot in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Now, the city will play host to the conclusion of another cycle.
Mr. Nolan, a favorite of audiences and critics who made "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight" along with "Inception," "The Prestige" and "Memento," met Tuesday with representatives of Mayor Luke Ravenstahl.
"We are thrilled to be welcoming the Batman film to Pittsburgh, and eager for the economic impact that our city will experience," the mayor said in a statement. "This is another example of the growing film industry in our community, and we will be rolling out the red carpet for them."
Dawn Keezer, director of the Pittsburgh Film Office, said the Warner Bros. production could be here for four to six weeks shooting in Downtown and nearby.
"They're still nailing down actual locations, but what they really fell in love with was the diversity of architecture and the gorgeous buildings that we still have in Downtown Pittsburgh and the surrounding areas," she said.
First Published April 6, 2011 12:00 am
