Hey, where was The Joker during The Dark Knight Rises ?
It’s one of the better questions asked about Christopher Nolan’s third entry in the immensely popular Dark Knight Trilogy . With The Joker having been taken into custody at the end of 2008’s The Dark Knight , we all know he’s probably still alive in the film’s canon, though there’s no mention of him throughout Rises , nor does he seem to escape imprisonment after Bane releases Gotham’s criminals halfway through (at least, not that we see).
While the short and easy answer is “Heath Ledger passed away,” many fans were still hoping for a glimpse at his Clown Prince of Crime or at least a mention. They got neither.
Enter the fan-film circuit , who seek to answer some of these questions with their own creative endeavors. Writer and director Tito Guillen put together a short Batman fan film that shows the prison break of The Dark Knight Rises in a “deleted scenes” fashion, and the center piece of it is the fate of The Joker.
There are a couple of problems with the film. Though it was well-shot and offers plenty of fun cameos from the Batman Rogues Gallery, the biggest error is the location. If Guillen is trying to tie his short film, Arkham Rising, to the continuity of The Dark Knight Rises (suggested by Bane’s appearance, dialogue, etc.) then he made one major boo boo.
Bane broke the inmates out of Blackgate prison, not Arkham.
You could make the argument that he went to Arkham as well, but they state pretty clearly in The Dark Knight Rises that the prisoners from the mental institution were moved to Blackgate under the Patriot Act-esque “Dent Act,” and the film’s novelization says that there’s only one inmate left at Arkham. You guessed it: The Joker.
So, not to nit-pick or anything, just needed to get that out there as a Batman fan myself. Otherwise, nicely done!
Here’s the Batman fan-film Arkham Rising for your viewing pleasure. Let us know what you think below:
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