From Zap2it: 'Batman Begins' Filming Marred By Storm By Mike Szymanski March 20, 2004 LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) -- The first two weeks of filming "Batman Begins" have been hampered by 75 mph winds in Iceland, but the crew is moving to London this weekend. Producer Charles Roven says, "As soon as we set down in Iceland two weeks ago, we were hit with the most crazy weather -- sunny one minute and two hours later a rain storm." The storms have not delayed production, he adds. "American Psycho" star Christian Bale is cast as the new Batman, following the footsteps of Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer and George Clooney. Roven confirms that Bale is already signed on for an unspecified number of sequels. "We picked him because his screen test was so good. He's so believable as Bruce Wayne. And he brought that charm of the billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne, and that smoldering intensity as well, needed to be the Dark Knight," Roven explains. Chris Nolan directs the film and plans for a "less cartoony, truer sense of Batman," Roven reveals. Nolan is the director of off-beat independent film "Memento." The cast includes Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman and Katie Holmes. "Christian has a lot of sexual tension with Katie, too. We had to make sure of that," Roven adds. Roven also seems very excited about the new design and look for the Batmobile and some of the other gizmos planned for this new Batman film. "The new Batmobile jumps and flies and turns on a dime! It's a fantastic piece of equipment, and there is no CGI [computer generated imagery] for that. It's a cross between Lamborghini and a Humvee -- not like any of the Batmobiles you've seen before." Roven also compares Batman to Scooby-Doo, the animated star of the live action movies he also produced. "They're more similar than you'd think," Roven tells Zap2it.com. "People are interested in both of the characters, they're both underdogs. And Batman has no super powers, really, and neither does Scooby-Doo." "Batman Begins" is slated for release summer 2005. Note to Mr Roven: Please don't compare Batman to Scooby-Doo...ever....AGAIN - c Link to story You can see the official logo for Batman Begins by clicking the link below: http://batmanbegins.warnerbros.com/

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