kiLL tHe baTMan

According to Reuters, Warner Brothers is planning to return The Dark Knight to IMAX theaters in January to drum up a reminder to the Academy that the latest Batman story deserves some awards. Of course, there has been buzz about a possibly post-humus Oscar–or at very least, a nod–to Heath Ledger for his haunting take on the Joker, but seeing the booming success of the movie, they seem to be after more.

Another thought is the possibility of rerelease as an attempt to best Titanic as the highest (domestic) grossing film in movie history, but at their current $512 million (and Titanic at $600), it seems unlikely, especially with the DVD slated for release in December. Still, that’s some major scratch for a story about a guy who dresses up like a rodent…

There has been a lot of unsubstantiated gossip and casting rumors about the next Batman movie floating around, and I plan to avoid posting anything about them until someone can start backing their claims. But Aaron Eckhart, the actor who played Harvey Dent/Two-Face in The Dark Knight, recently told CHUD (and a few other places) that Two-Face is dead and will not be returning for the third film. “I asked Chris [Nolan] if there was a chance of coming back,” Eckhart said. “‘No way,’ he said. ‘He’s toast.’” A sad day for fans of Two-Face (as well as Eckhart).