One of the most eagerly anticipated movies of next year could be on a collision course with the Occupy Wall Street movement. Good thing Batman’s involved.
Christopher Nolan’s reviving of the Batman franchise has won him many fans, and not just among the moneyed men at Warner Bros. (which is part of Time Warner, as is TIME). But the only blip in the road thus far was Nolan and his Batman films being ignored by Oscar voters.
Now, the Los Angeles Times is reporting that the filming schedule for Nolan’s third Batman flick, The Dark Knight Rises, is headed for New York for two weeks starting on Oct. 29, according to a casting notice recently issued by producers.
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And here’s the kicker: according to someone briefed on actors’ schedules (who requested anonymity because production details are kept confidential), cast members have been told that the shoot may involve scenes shot at the Occupy Wall Street protests. And this person privy to the plans has said that the protests could impact production, which may mean that when you see the finished version, any real-life protesting will possibly serve as a backdrop in the movie.
The LA Times article goes on to make a great point: any potential protests (either real or fictional) fit in with the franchise’s interest in urban order and civil unrest, which the previous film, The Dark Knight certainly explored at some length.
Intriguingly, the casting call for Dark Knight Rises notes that interested actors should have “military and/or law enforcement training/experience, weapons training, and/or martial arts training.” It’s almost as if the powers that be saw this coming. Need further proof? Returning to that casting call and it emphasizes that characters will be part of “a city besieged by crime and corruption.”
Occupy Wall Street protesters may have found their symbolic hero. Now, more than ever, we clearly need Batman. (Though don’t even think about walking in front of Christian Bale during filming.)
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Glen Levy is an Executive Producer at TIME. Find him on Twitter at @glenjl. You can also continue the discussion on TIME’s Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME.