Dark Knight Cinematographer Wally Pfister Talks Batman 3 And 3D

The fact that there will be another Batman film in Christopher Nolan's presumptive trilogy is assumed by just about everyone, despite the fact that there has been no formal announcement of the film. But in the runup to the release of Nolan's Inception, which opens on July 16, there is already some talk about what the next Batman film might look like.

Wally Pfister is the cinematographer responsible for all of Christopher Nolan's features from Memento on, and his photography was one of the things I liked best about The Dark Knight. He captured Chicago-as-Gotham with a simplicity and clarity that was very uncharacteristic of most superhero films. Now he's talking about possibilities for the third film, including the option of 3D. Hint: don't expect Batman 3D.Cinematical spoke to Pfister when the Dallas Film Society presented him with the Star Award for accomplishments in cinematography. The site promises a full interview in which Pfister explains the "mutual disinterest" he and Christopher Nolan have for 3D. But they do quote him saying,

What Chris and I have talked about is doing something cool and something interesting...Brad Bird was [saying] 'you've got to shoot the whole thing in IMAX!' I was like, yeah, I've talked to Chris about that.

There's also another comment, which seems to refer to shooting more of this upcoming film in IMAX:

But I think Chris is game for doing something interesting like that, Lord knows that the 3-D fad might pass by the time that summer comes around.

AICN, meanwhile, got a few more of Pfister's comments from a tipster. Both the cinematographer and Nolan are disinterested in digital cinematography and very much prefer to shoot on film. That's the root of their disinterest in 3D, which Pfister said is "great for like amusement park rides like the 'Honey I Shrunk The Kids' ride at Disneyland." Pfister also called 3D a distraction and not realistic.

The appeal of IMAX and the disinterest in 3D both come from that love of shooting on film. While 3D lacks realism, shooting in IMAX has huge latitude, and captures incredible detail. The downside to IMAX is that the cameras are bulky and loud, and the format is expensive.

FYI, Batman on Film is saying that Warner Bros. will officially announce the third Batman film in July. Which isn't that much of a deductive leap, as Nolan hasn't been interested in talking about Batman while he finishes Inception, and that movie is released in July. Plus, there's that little Comic Con gathering in San Diego. So expect more news in July.