‘The Dark Knight’ Returns

The follow-up to the 2005 blockbuster "Batman Begins," Warner Bros.' new action adventure "The Dark Knight" reunites director Christopher Nolan and star Christian Bale, who reprises the role of Batman/Bruce Wayne.

In "The Dark Knight," Batman raises the stakes in his war on crime. With the help of Lieutenant Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman sets out to dismantle the remaining criminal organizations that plague the city streets. The partnership proves to be effective, but they soon find themselves prey to a reign of chaos unleashed by a rising criminal mastermind known to the terrified citizens of Gotham as the Joker.

The late Academy Award nominee Heath Ledger ("Brokeback Mountain") stars as arch-villain The Joker, and Aaron Eckhart plays District Attorney Harvey Dent. Maggie Gyllenhaal joins the cast in the role of Rachel Dawes. Returning from "Batman Begins" are Gary Oldman as Lieutenant Jim Gordon; Oscar winner Michael Caine ("The Cider House Rules") as Alfred; and Oscar winner Morgan Freeman ("Million Dollar Baby") as Lucius Fox.

Nolan is directing the film from a screenplay written by himself and Jonathan Nolan (story by David S. Goyer and Christopher Nolan).  "The Dark Knight" is based upon characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by Bob Kane.

The behind-the-scenes creative team includes two-time Oscar-nominated director of photography Wally Pfister ("The Prestige," "Batman Begins"), Oscar-nominated production designer Nathan Crowley ("The Prestige"), Oscar-nominated editor Lee Smith ("Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World") and Oscar-winning costume designer Lindy Hemming ("Topsy-Turvy").

Opening soon across the Philippines, "The Dark Knight" is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.