WAYNE
The fact that I’m the owner?
EARLE
What are talking about? Wayne Enterprises went public a week ago –
WAYNE
And I bought most of the shares. Through various charitable foundations, trusts and so forth …
Alfred is smiling in the front seat.
WAYNE
Look, it’s all a bit technical, but the important thing is … my company’s future is secure. Right, Mr. Fox?
In the boardroom, Fox smiles.
FOX
Right you are, Mr. Wayne.
Earle is speechless.
INT. ORANGERY – CONTINUOUS 315
Soot-stained glass crunches underfoot as Rachel picks her way through the smoking remnants of the greenhouse.
EXT. DISUSED KITCHEN GARDEN – CONTINUOUS 316
Rachel finds Wayne hammering a board across the disused well. He looks up at her. She approaches. He turns to the well.
WAYNE
Do you remember the day I fell?
RACHEL
Of course. I was so scared for you. (Looks at him.) I’ve spent a lot of time being scared for you.
WAYNE
Rachel … I’m –
RACHEL
No, Bruce. I’m sorry. The day Chill died – I said terrible things …
WAYNE
True things. Justice is about more than revenge.
RACHEL
I never stopped thinking about you … about us … When
I heard you were back … I started to hope …
Rachel kisses him. Pulls back, looks into his eyes. Troubled.
Then I found out about your mask.
WAYNE
Batman’s just a symbol, Rachel.
Wayne looks confused. Rachel gently brushes his face with her fingers.
RACHEL
This is your mask. Your real face is the one criminals now fear. The man I loved … the man who vanished … never came back at all.
Wayne stares at her, heartbroken.
But maybe he’s still out there somewhere. Maybe one day, when Gotham no longer needs Batman. I’ll see him again.
Wayne looks down at the black gap yet to be covered.
WAYNE
As I lay there, I knew … I could sense it …
RACHEL
What?
WAYNE
That things would never be the same.
Wayne picks up another board. Places it over the gap. Closing the well.
EXT. SMOKING RUINS OF WAYNE MANOR – MOMENTS LATER 317
Wayne walks Rachel past the ruins.
RACHEL
Well, you proved me wrong.
WAYNE
About what?
RACHEL
Your father would be proud of you. Just like I am.
She walks away. Wayne looks down. Sees something in the rubble. He crouches, digging out: his father’s stethoscope. Rachel stops. Turns. Points at the ruins.
What will you do?
Wayne, crouched, holding the stethoscope, looks up. Glorious purpose in his eyes.
WAYNE
I’m going to rebuild it just the way it was. Brick for brick.
Rachel nods. Walks off. Wayne stares after her. Alone … But Alfred is at Wayne’s shoulder. Watching his gaze.
ALFRED
Just the way it was, sir?
Wayne turns to Alfred.
WAYNE
Yes, why?
They stroll, side by side, towards the smoking ruins.
ALFRED
I thought we might take the opportunity of making some improvements to the foundation.
WAYNE
In the south-east corner?
ALFRED
Precisely, sir.
Dissolve to:
The irregular shadow of a bat-symbol cast up onto turbulent clouds. And we are –
EXT. ROOF, POLICE STATION – NIGHT 318
Gordon sips coffee from a styrofoam cup. Beside him – an upturned spotlight with a metal stencil bolted to it.
A dark fluttering, and Batman is standing the other side of the spotlight. He reaches out, taps the stencil.
BATMAN
Nice.
GORDON
Couldn’t find any mob bosses to strap to the light.
Gordon kills the searchlight. The two men stand opposite each other in the dark.
BATMAN
Well, Sergeant?
GORDON
It’s Lieutenant, now. (Crushes his cup.) You’ve started something – bent cops running scared, hope on the streets …
Gordon leaves his sentence hanging between them.
BATMAN
But?
GORDON
But there’s a lot of weirdness out there right now … the Narrows is lost … we still haven’t picked up Crane or half the inmates of Arkham that he freed …
BATMAN
We will. Gotham will return to normal.
GORDON
Will it? What about escalation?
BATMAN
Escalation?
GORDON
We start carrying semi-automatics, they buy automatics … we start wearing Kevlar, they buy armor -piercing rounds …
BATMAN
And?
Gordon leans closer to Batman. Points at him.
GORDON
And … you’re wearing a mask and jumping off rooftops …
Gordon fishes in his pocket.
Take this guy …
He pulls out a clear plastic evidence bag.
… armed robbery, double homicide …
Inside the clear plastic bag is a playing card.
Got a taste for theatrics, like you …
Gordon hands Batman the bag.
Leaves a calling card.
Batman turns the card over. It is a Joker.
BATMAN
I’ll look into it.
He steps up onto the balustrade. Gordon looks at him.
GORDON
I never said thank you.
Batman looks out at the lights of Gotham. Cloak billowing around him.
BATMAN
And you’ll never have to.
Batman drops from the rooftop, gliding on the night wind.
Gordon smiles. He can’t help it.
Fade out.
Credits.
End.
Batman Begins
STORYBOARDS
How it Begins
The Dark Knight
THE SCREENPLAY
Screenplay by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan
Story by Christopher Nolan & David S. Goyer
Based upon characters appearing in comic books
published by DC Comics
Batman created by Bob Kane
Burning. Massive flames. A dark shape emerges – the Bat symbol. Growing. Filling the screen with blackness.
Cut to:
Daylight. Moving over the towers of downtown Gotham …
Closing in on an office building … On a large window …
Which shatters to reveal –
INT. OFFICE, HIGH RISE – DAY 1
A man in a clown mask holding a smoking silenced pistol ejects a shell casing. This is Dopey. He turns to a second man, Happy, also in clown mask, who steps forward with a cable-launcher, aims at a lower roof across the street and fires a cable across. Dopey secures the line to an I-beam line, sends a kitbag out, then steps out the window …
EXT. HIGH-RISE – DAY 2
… into space. The men slide across the dizzying drop … landing on the lower roof across the street.
EXT. DOWNTOWN GOTHAM – DAY 3
A man on the corner, back to us, holding a clown mask. An SUV pulls up. The man gets in, puts on his mask. Inside the car – two other men wearing clown masks.
GRUMPY
Three of a kind. Let’s do this.
One of the Clowns looks up from loading his automatic weapon.
CHUCKLES
That’s it? Th
ree guys?
GRUMPY
There’s two on the roof. Every guy is an extra share. Five shares is plenty.
CHUCKLES
Six shares. Don’t forget the guy who planned the job.
GRUMPY
Yeah? He thinks he can sit it out and still take a slice, then I get why they call him the Joker.
Chuckles cocks his weapon. Grumpy pulls the car over in front of the Gotham First National bank..
EXT. ROOFTOP, BANK – CONTINUOUS 4
Dopey pries open an access panel.
HAPPY
Why do they call him the Joker?
DOPEY
I heard he wears make-up.
HAPPY
Make-up?
Dopey pulls out thick bundles of blue Cat 5 cables.
DOPEY
Yeah. To scare people. War paint.
EXT. BANK – CONTINUOUS 5
Grumpy, Chuckles and Bozo get out of the car and march into the bank carrying assault rifles.
INT. BANK – DAY 6
The Security Guard looks up – Grumpy fires into the ceiling.
Customers scream. Chuckles cracks the Security Guard.
As Grumpy and Bozo round up the hostages, one of the tellers presses a button mounted beneath her window – a silent alarm.
EXT. ROOFTOP – DAY 7
Dopey watches the alarm ping his handheld.
DOPEY
Here comes the silent alarm. (Touches a button.) And there it goes. That’s funny. It didn’t dial out to 911 – it was trying to reach a private number.
Behind him, Happy raises his silenced handgun.
HAPPY
Is it a problem?
DOPEY
No, no. I’m done here.
Happy shoots. Dopey slumps. Happy picks up his bag and forces open the roof access door …
INT. STAIRWELL, BANK – DAY 8
… and speeds down the stairs, to the basement. He slams open the door …
INT. VAULT ROOM, BANK – DAY 9
… and comes face to face with a huge vault.
INT. LOBBY, BANK – DAY 10
Bozo and Grumpy move down the line of hostages. Bozo hands each Hostage an object from a bag. A grenade. Grumpy follows, pulling the pins.
GRUMPY
Obviously, we don’t want you doing anything with your hands other than holding on for dear life.
Blam. Chuckles is blown off his feet. Grumpy and Bozo dive for cover, the Bank Manager steps out of his office, shotgun in hand. Hostages scramble, clinging to their grenades …
INT. VAULT ROOM, BANK – DAY 11
Happy clamps a drill to the vault. The bit spins, slides into the metal door – a bolt of electricity rips through the drill, throwing Happy to the floor.
INT. LOBBY, BANK – DAY 12
Grumpy and Bozo cower as the Bank Manager fires again.
GRUMPY
He’s got three left?
Bozo raises two fingers. Grumpy squeezes off a shot. The Bank Manager fires. Fires again. Grumpy looks at Bozo, who nods. Grumpy jumps up.
The Bank Manager fires. Grumpy grunts as buckshot clips his shoulder. Falls. The Bank Manager moves in for the kill, fumbling for new shells. Bozo stands – shoots him.
Bozo picks up the shotgun. Grumpy checks his wound – it’s superficial. He struggles to his feet.
GRUMPY
Where’d you learn to count?!
Bozo’s mask stares him down. Grumpy heads for the stairs in the back. Bozo starts loading fresh shells into the shotgun.
BANK MANAGER
You have any idea who you’re stealing from? You and your friends are dead.
Bozo looks down at him. Says nothing.
INT. VAULT ROOM, BANK – DAY 13
Happy at the vault door, barefoot, turning the tumblers with hands stuffed into his sneakers. Grumpy walks in.
HAPPY
They wired this thing up with 5,000 volts. What kind of bank does that?
GRUMPY
A mob bank. Guess the Joker’s as crazy as they say.
Happy shrugs. Grips the wheel bolt and spins it.
GRUMPY
Where’s the alarm guy?
HAPPY
Boss told me when the guy was done I should take him out. One less share.
GRUMPY
Funny, he told me something similar …
Happy freezes. The wheel spins to a stop – the vault door clunks open. Happy grabs for his weapon – spins to see Grumpy shoot. Grumpy steps over Happy into the vault …
INT. VAULT, BANK – DAY 14
… which is filled with an eight-foot mountain of cash.
INT. LOBBY, BANK – DAY 15
Grumpy walks into the lobby, straining under several duffels filled with cash. He dumps them. Looks at Bozo. Laughs.
GRUMPY
C’mon, there’s a lot to carry …
INT. LOBBY, BANK – DAY 16
Bozo walks back into the lobby with two more duffels. Sets them down on an enormous pile. Grumpy looks at it.
GRUMPY
If this guy was so smart he would have had us bring a bigger car.
Grumpy jabs his pistol in Bozo’s back. Takes his weapon.
I’m betting the Joker told you to kill me soon as we loaded the cash.
BOZO
(shakes head)
No. I kill the bus driver.
GRUMPY
Bus driver? What bus –
Bozo steps backwards. Smash. Hostages scream as the tail end of a yellow school bus rockets through the front of the bank, slamming Grumpy into the teller’s window.
Bozo picks up Grumpy’s weapon. Another clown opens the rear door of the bus. Bozo shoots him. Then loads the bags onto the bus. The wounded Bank Manager watches him. In the distance: sirens.
BANK MANAGER
Think you’re smart, huh? Well, the guy who hired you’d just do the same to you …
Bozo slowly shakes his head.
Sure he will. Criminals in this town used to believe in things …
Bozo turns back to the Bank Manager. Crouches over him.
Honor. Respect. What do you believe, huh? What do you bel—
Bozo slides a grenade into the man’s mouth. A purple thread is knotted around the pin.
BOZO
I believe that what doesn’t kill you …
Bozo pulls off his mask. The Bank Manager gasps. In the reflections of the glass debris behind the Bank Manager we see glimpses of a scarred mouth and clown make-up. The Joker.
THE JOKER
… simply makes you stranger.
The Bank Manager’s eyes go wide. The Joker rises, strolls towards the bus, the purple thread attached to the grenade pin unravelling from the purple lining of his jacket as he walks. The Joker climbs into the bus, shuts the rear door, trapping the purple thread …
EXT. SCHOOL, GOTHAM – DAY 17
Kids pour out, heading onto a long line of school buses.
INT. BANK – CONTINUOUS 18
As the bus pulls out, the purple thread pulls the pin – Hostages scream and scurry away from the Bank Manager, who shakes with fear as, with a fizz, the grenade does not explode, but spews red smoke.
EXT. BANK – DAY 19
The school bus pulls free of the bank wall and pulls out onto the street, sliding into the line of identical buses heading past the bank. The buses trundle past cop cars racing up the street … and we –
Cut to:
EXT. MOVING OVER GOTHAM – NIGHT 20
From the top of a brick building a shaft of light comes on.
EXT. VARIOUS LOCATIONS – CONTINUOUS 21
A Patrolman looks up at the Bat-signal. Smiles. A Dealer standing beside a car spots the signal. Steps back.
DEALER
No, man. I don’t like it tonight.
BUYER
What’re you, superstitious? You got more chance of winning the powerball than running into him …
INT. MAJOR CRIMES UNIT, GOTHAM CENTRAL – NIGHT 22
On screen: the host, Mike Engel, lays into the Mayor.
ENGEL
Mr. Mayor, you were elected on a campaign to clean up the city … when are you going to start?
MAYOR
Well, Mike –
ENGEL
Like this so-called Batman – a lot of people say he’s doing some good, that criminals are running scared … but I say no. What kind of hero needs to wear a mask? You don’t let vigilantes run around breaking the law … where does it end? Yet, we hear rumors that instead of trying to arrest him the cops are using him to do their dirty work.
MAYOR
I’m told our men in the Major Crimes Unit are close to an arrest.
RAMIREZ
Hey, Wuertz – the Mayor says you’re closing in on the Batman.
Wuertz looks up, listless. Crumples up a paper.
WUERTZ
The investigation is ongoing.
He throws the paper at the trash. It rebounds off a board headed BATMAN: SUSPECTS. Lined with pictures: Abraham Lincoln. Elvis. The Abominable Snowman.
EXT. ROOFTOP, MAJOR CRIMES UNIT – NIGHT 23
Ramirez comes out onto the roof. Lieutenant Gordon sits by a searchlight. She hands Gordon a cup of coffee.
RAMIREZ
Ever intending to see your wife again, Lieutenant?
GORDON
I thought you had to go look after your mother, Detective.
RAMIREZ
They checked her back into hospital.
GORDON
I’m sorry.
RAMIREZ
(making light)
THE DARK KNIGHT TRILOGY: The Complete Screenplays with Storyboards Page 14