showbiz

Cineplex hosts 'Dark Knight' vehicles

Posted on Friday, Aug. 22, 2008
by John Powell - Cineplex Entertainment

bat cycle

Holy Cineplex, Batman!

Fans of the Dark Knight got the thrill of a lifetime today when two of the Caped Crusader's crime-fighting transports made a special appearance at the Scotiabank Theatre Toronto.

The Batmobile (AKA: "The Tumbler") and the new Bat-Pod from The Dark Knight, a bad guy-busting two-wheeled vehicle, were on display for fans and curiosity-seekers alike to admire.

Perhaps the biggest fan of Batman’s “wonderful toys” is Moses Paskowitz, the Chief Technician of the 'Bat Tour'. A Teamster driver by trade for shows like "Without a Trace", Paskowitz knows more about the Bat-Pod and Tumbler than possibly even Bruce Wayne’s ally Lucius Fox does and he loves sharing his knowledge with fans.

“It is great to see the reaction of the fans whether they are 5-years-old or 55-years-old,” said Paskowitz. “Everyone wants to get in the vehicles. Everyone wants to drive them.”

tumbler

The Tumbler parked outside Scotiabank Theatre Toronto. (John Powell, Cineplex Entertainment)

Both ‘The Tumbler’ and ‘The Bat-Pod’ on the Tour were used in the filming of The Dark Knight and are fully-functional. Each can drive over 100 miles per hour and ‘The Tumbler’ itself was made to survive a 30 foot leap in the air.

Production Designer Nathan Crowley and director Christopher Nolan created the vehicles for the series. In the case of the new Bat-Pod, the two worked on the design in Nolan’s garage even though neither had ridden a motorcycle ever in their lives.

When they had a model ready, it was up to the head of the special effects team – Chris Corbould – to get their invention to actually run, which he did in an unusual way. For anyone to drive the Bat-Pod they must lean their upper body forward and steer from their elbows rather than their wrists. Thus far, only stunt rider Jean-Pierre Goy has truly mastered the vehicle.

The importance of having an inventive spirit and high-tech gadgets associated with the series is a fact that is not lost on Paskowitz or the fans who come see the vehicles in person.

“As one of the fans told me on the Tour, they love Batman because he is a man like you or me. He has no super powers. All he has is this great technology at his disposal and his brains,” said Paskowitz.

The Dark Knight hits theatres July 18th.

You need to be logged in to leave a comment.

There are currently no comments.

subscribe to our blog

All Posts

Browse by category

Archive

Tags