While the British writer who reported that Eddie Murphy would play The Riddler is sticking by his story, Murphy himself has now denied the casting rumor — or rather, one of his representatives has denied it on his behalf.

According to Access Hollywood, a representative of Murphy has categorized the rumors as “not true.”

So, where does that leave us in the “Batman 3” rumor mess? Read more…

While the neighboring setting may have played a major role in the movie itself, as far as “The Dark Knight” being screened in theaters in China, Warner Bros. will be taking a pass.

Variety is reporting today that the studio has decided not to screen “The Dark Knight” in China — which has seen foreign grosses top $465 million — due to “cultural sensitivities.” And while studio reps refused to elaborate further on exactly what those cultural sensitivities were, all signs point to scenes in “The Dark Knight” which took place in Hong Kong, which may have proved difficult to get past Chinese censors. Read more…

And the accolades for Heath Ledger and “The Dark Knight” continue to roll in! Nominations for the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards were announced this morning, and once again, Ledger has landed an “Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role” nod for his performance as the Clown Prince of Crime, The Joker. Furthermore, “The Dark Knight” received a nomination in the “Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture” category, joining fellow comic book flicks “Iron Man,” “Hellboy II” and “Wanted.”

For Ledger, this marks the second time he’s up for a SAG Award, after being nominated and subsequently winning two Actors in 2006 for his work on “Brokeback Mountain” — one for “Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role” and one for “Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.” Read more…

So remember earlier this week when we reported that Rachel Weisz was being considered for the role of Catwoman in the follow-up to this year’s absurdly successful summer hit, “The Dark Knight,” and how we said that it was the crazy (but kinda good) “Batman 3” rumor of the week?

Well, we clearly spoke way too soon…

In a rumor that will most likely be debunked in 3…2…1…, this morning, the ever-reliable (/s) UK tabloid The Sun reports that Eddie Murphy has landed the role of The Riddler, and if that wasn’t enough crazy to start your day, they also report that Shia LaBeouf has landed the role of Robin. Once again, we advise all readers to have their salt-shakers handy when it comes to “Batman 3″ rumors, since Christopher Nolan and Warner Bros. execs have gone on record saying there’s been no movement on the upcoming film – but hey, far be it from us to not join in on the fun of Bat-Crap insane casting speculation! Read more…

In a move that absolutely no one saw coming (and that line is dripping with sarcasm, folks), it looks as though “The Dark Knight” will continue its rep as a financial force to be reckoned with, as Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group has officially announced that sales of “The Dark Knight” on DVD and Blu-ray are already breaking records — and it’s only been a week since the movie hit store shelves!

According to the statement released by Warner Bros., Blu-ray sales alone have topped 1.7 million units, and total DVD and Blu-ray sales have hit 13.5 million units worldwide (including consumer and rental sales). Again, given that the film has been available for just over a week — coupled with the fact that we’re in the thick of holiday shopping season — it’s clear that we are witnessing “The Dark Knight” setting the bar in terms of DVD and Blu-ray sales, as it has already become the best selling DVD of 2008 (not to mention on iTunes). Read more…

As we enter awards season, and now that Heath Ledger has been nominated for a Golden Globe, comic fans now wait with baited breath to see if The Academy will take notice of not only Ledger’s jaw-dropping portrayal of The Joker, but if “The Dark Knight” will do the near-impossible and find itself among the “Best Picture” nominees.

We’ve already seen the “For Your Consideration” ads released by Warner Bros., but apparently that’s not enough for some fans of the film who feel that it should be considered one of the best of the year, so they’re making ads of their own — and they might be even better than the official ones released by the studio.

(After the jump, check out some of products of the grassroots campaign to get “The Dark Knight” recognized for an Academy Award.) Read more…

Alright, readers, let’s all take out our grains of salt because it looks like we’ve got ourselves yet another “The Dark Knight” sequel casting rumor making its way around the blogs.

Yesterday, E! Online not only reported that “Batman 3” is “alive and kicking — definitely,” but their unnamed Warner Bros. sources are also claiming that Rachel Weisz is being considered for the role of Catwoman (a much welcome departure from some of the more…unusual Catwoman casting rumors we’ve heard so far). The E! piece also reports that Christopher Nolan will be back to direct the follow-up to this past summer’s box office champ, despite the fact that Nolan and other high level execs attached to the film have said that the fan-acclaimed writer/director is still weighing his options. Read more…

“The Dark Knight” was unquestionably the biggest hit in theaters of 2008, and initial sales reports suggest it’s on track to become the best-selling DVD and Blu-ray film of the year, too.

Deadline Hollywood is reporting that the massive promotional push from Warner Bros. and the continued momentum of its phenomenal $530 million box office performance have translated to 3 million copies of “The Dark Knight” sold in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom on Tuesday, its first day of release. That tally includes Blu-ray, which accounts for approximately one quarter of the film’s total sales to date. At its current sales rate, “The Dark Knight” appears certain to exceed the record-breaking 7.2 million DVD and Blu-ray debut week for “Iron Man.” Read more…

FROM MTV.COM: Heath Ledger’s critically acclaimed performance as the Joker in “The Dark Knight” garnered him a posthumous supporting-actor Golden Globe nomination, lending credence to the predictions that he’ll also earn an Oscar nomination for the role. The family of the actor, who died of an accidental drug overdose in January, released a statement after the nomination was announced Thursday morning (December 11).

“We thank the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for honoring Heath’s performance in ‘The Dark Knight,’ ” Ledger’s father, Kim Ledger, told People.com in a statement sent from his home in Ledger’s native Perth, Australia. “This nomination is deeply appreciated and is not lost on those of us who continue to love and miss him. We are so proud our boy’s work is being recognized in this way.”

Read more about the reaction of Heath Ledger’s family to his Golden Globe Nomination at MTV.com.

Nominations for the Golden Globes were announced this morning, and while Heath Ledger’s portrayal of The Joker earned him a nod in the Best Supporting Actor category, “The Dark Knight” itself was conspicuously absent from the list of projects nominated for awards. Over at MTV’s Movies Blog, you can read the full list of Golden Globe nominations.

[UPDATE: Heath Ledger's family has issued a statement about the actor's Golden Globe nomination.]

So what does this mean for “The Dark Knight” and its award campaign? The absence of Christopher Nolan’s record-breaking blockbuster is certainly a surprise, given that the only film to do better at the box office, “Titanic,” cleaned up in the 1997 Golden Globe nominations. Read more…