Last month it was reported that The Dark Knight Rises will shoot in L.A., the U.K., and a “third location.” Though there has been much speculation about what the third location might be (Detroit, Chicago and New Orleans have all been mentioned as possibilities), we can now add Bucharest, Romania to the list.
Romania-Insider.com reports that director Christopher Nolan was recently in Bucharest to discuss possible locations:
The next film in the Batman series – “The Dark Knight Rises” – to be directed by Christopher Nolan, might be filmed in Bucharest this spring, City Hall officials told Mediafax newswire.
Bucharest Mayor Sorin Oprescu said the film’s producers and city officials met to discuss technical issues and director Christopher Nolan presented a list of shooting locations for a future project, such as Bucharest’s historical center and Edgar Quinet Street. People close to the matter said filming might also take place in the Palace of Parliament, as some members of the production team have visited a few of its rooms.
Nolan visited the Turda salt mines in northwestern Romania in December 2010. Turda Mayor said the visit was “unofficial” but involved “scouting” for a future project. The new Batman film is currently in the pre-production stage and should be finalized in 2012, according to previous announcements. It will feature Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman and Anne Hathaway as Catwoman.
In addition to the Romania news, the L.A. Times also reported today that Warner Bros. has set up a production office for The Dark Knight Rises at the Los Angeles Center Studios. This is the same studio where Nolan had an office during the filming of Inception.
Update: There is a rumor that The Dark Knight Rises will be shot at Pinewood Studios in the U.K. The rumor actually makes sense since the studio they used for The Dark Knight is being turned into a Harry Potter Museum.