Armie Hammer’s The Dark Knight Changes Name After WB Discussion

The brief battle between The Dark Knight and an upcoming pretender to its illustrious name has been resolved amicably, as the creatives behind the newcomer back away following an uncharacteristically friendly exchange.

Warner Bros. Discovery doesn’t play; just ask a former almost-Batman. Armie Hammer was a successful Hollywood star—cast as Batman in the failed Justice League: Mortal—with roles in some pretty big films and TV shows across a 15-year career. However, in 2021, his prospects would fizzle out when several women came forward with very serious accusations of misconduct leveled against the actor, which would lead to Hammer being dropped by his agent and the outstanding projects he’d been attached to. While the public’s perception of Hammer continued to worsen, especially when some of the victims spoke out in a Discovery Plus docuseries, a court ruled that there was insufficient evidence of wrongdoing based on these accusations.

Related

‘It Still Makes Me Sad To Think Of It’ The Dark Knight Star Michael Caine Discusses His Worst Experience During The Film’s Iconic Run

The Dark Knight was a massive hit that fans still regard fondly, but one of the film’s biggest stars has some sad memories of the film’s release.

The court ruling effectively gave Hammer a chance to start his life back up, albeit with public perception still against him and many high-profile projects afraid to touch him. Despite this, Hammer would choose to make his return to the industry in The Dark Knight, an oddly named crime thriller from formally retired video game adaptation director Uwe Boll, best known for some of the worst-received video game adaptations of the 2000s. The name was immediately a talking point, as it took on one of Batman’s most well-known epitaphs and the title of the most successful film project starring that character, with no relation to the DC hero whatsoever. This was always going to be an issue, and now director Boll reveals that the name will be changed. “We had a very friendly conversation with Warner Bros. and decided to change our title to ‘Citizen Vigilante’ to avoid any confusion with Warner’s famous character,” Boll recently revealed in a Variety exclusive.

Naming A New Movie The Dark Knight Probably Wouldn’t Have Worked Out Well

EP Michael Roesch also weighed in, revealing a second source of input that led to the decision. “We also got a lot of feedback from fans, who asked us to change the title because of its similarity with Chris Nolan’s movie, so this was another factor in changing the title,” he added. Nolan’s The Dark Knight was so well-received that Steven Spielberg maintains it should have won Best Picture, and a whole generation of fans still consider Christian Bale the definitive live-action version of Batman. While Boll’s film might have gotten people talking thanks to the name, it would very quickly be found out and rejected in step. The association with the iconic character and that specific portrayal would certainly have been too much for the upcoming film.

The Dark Knight is one of Christopher Nolan’s best works, but it’s also a part of the lifeblood of the IP’s stewards. On Warner Bros. side of things, the DCU is still in its formative stages and is already grappling with the creeping reality of having to introduce a new Batman to the franchise while Matt Reeves’s version with Robert Pattinson is still in play and popular. The addition of an unrelated film titled The Dark Knight was guaranteed not to go down well with the company. Fortunately, things were settled amicably.

The Dark Knight Trilogy is currently available to stream on Max.

More

The Dark Knight Rises Actor Finally Explains Their Awkward Death Scene

The Dark Knight Rises featured a death scene that many fans felt was out of place, and now the cast member involved has explained why.

Source: Variety