I'm Already Standing In Line...

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This is the newly-released theatrical trailer for next summer's "The Dark Knight", the follow-up to 2005's "Batman Begins", in which the entire franchise was reinvisioned and brought back down to Earth, where the Caped Crusader is more realistic and fighting with his demons as opposed to the loud, bombastic, Batcard-carrying installments "Batman Forever" (1995) and "Batman & Robin" (1997).

"The Dark Knight" has been hyped, anticipated and closely watched virtually ever since people left their theater seats after "Begins". Set for release on July 18, 2008, this is no doubt one of, if not THE most anticipated film of the year. Christian Bale returns as Batman, along with cast regulars from "Begins" Michael Caine, Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman. New faces along for this installment are Maggie Gyllenhaal, Aaron Eckhart and of course, Heath Ledger as The Joker.

There's a lot to love in this trailer. For the first time, we're shown official footage of some of the characters in the film, not like the voice-over teaser that we got back in August. I think Warner Bros knew that people wanted a big helping of Joker footage and this does not disappoint. Yeah, Batman is the hero and the titular character, but ever since hearing of Ledger's casting as the Clown Prince of Crime, people have been talking, blogging, and imagining just what the Oscar-nominated actor could bring to the role. From the looks of it, he loses himself in The Joker, and finds a man so deranged that he thinks he's the sane one in an insane world. It also looks to be more of a grounded, less-flamboyant Joker, which is what relaunching the entire Batman franchise was all about in the first place. Yes, you can "go there" with some things that are a bit over the top, but you're not gonna see Ledger desecrating expensive art while dancing to Prince.

That's not to say that people still don't love Jack Nicholson's interpretation of The Joker in the Tim Burton-directed "Batman" from 1989. Far from it. I still love that movie, and I grew up watching it. That film had a dark tone to it, even if it was geared towards a younger audience than today's Batman is.

As well, people are looking forward to a possible glimpse at another favorite Batman villain, Harvey "Two-Face" Dent, played by Aaron Eckhart. To my understanding, Dent will simply be his normal, District Attorney self for most of "The Dark Knight", but he'll be scarred and burned near the end, turning into Two-Face. Based on what I've read, Two-Face would be the main villain in a third film if the millions of websites are correct. That leaves the fate of The Joker up in the air. I'm hoping that he isn't killed off in this one because The Joker is almost an immortal character. He'll always be there; lurking in the shadows of Gotham City and never leaving Batman's mind.

Another notable cast member is Maggie Gyllenhaal, playing Rachel Dawes. She takes over the role from Katie Holmes, who played Dawes in "Batman Begins" but left this film for whatever reason. Quite frankly I'm glad, because I wasn't at all impressed by Holmes in the first film. She has no range as an actress and was simply playing the generic damsel in distress. Gyllenhaal has the acting chops to give Rachel a few shots of emotion, and has a confrontational scene with The Joker, as shown in the trailer.

Yes oh yes, "The Dark Knight" is shaping up to be one heck of a film. This is definitely gonna be the one to beat for box office supremacy next summer, so I think that Indiana Jones and Iron Man have their work cut out for them.

Keep 'em laughin',
Derek