'Batman' is popular attraction in Chicago

CHICAGO - A curious crowd has gathered in Old Town, where a film crew has spent a good portion of the night setting up shop.

Word has traveled through the neighborhood that the latest in the "Batman" series, "The Dark Knight," starring Christian Bale as the Caped Crusader, is shooting. People, many with cell phone cameras in hand, are craning their necks to look beyond the police barricades so they can see something - anything.

Suddenly there's a loud "Boom!" A car has just been blown to bits for the movie.

"What's going on?" a woman asks a crew member who happens to be within earshot. "Is this for the 'Batman' movie?"

With a sly grin, the crew member shakes his head. "No, miss - it's for 'Rory's First Kiss.' "

Holy fib, Batman!

Just about everybody knows "The Dark Knight," director Christopher Nolan's follow-up to "Batman Begins," is filming in Chicago. The local news is reporting casting calls and giving daily traffic updates warning drivers to steer clear of streets blocked off to accommodate the shooting. Internet movie blogs and comic book Web sites are abuzz with news of the film (one site already has footage of the aforementioned car bombing). Paparazzi have invaded town hoping to get photos of the cast, which includes Heath Ledger as the Joker and Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel Dawes, cavorting around town. They'd also like to get pictures of Batman's latest toys, including the much-talked-about motorcycle, the "Bat Pod," which was unveiled July 25 for a chase sequence.

Yet Warner Bros. and everybody working on the Chicago-based crew continue to refer to the movie as "Rory's First Kiss" (Rory is Nolan's son's name) in a not-so-secret attempt to throw everybody off the trail. Even on the imaginary film's Web site, rfkcasting.com, Warner Bros. describes the production as "a Christopher Nolan film starring Christian Bale," which confused some would-be actors who recently showed up for an open casting call at the Chicago Center for the Performing Arts last month.

Warner Bros. has been tight-lipped about the production, but one production executive on the film - who, of course, wants to remain anonymous - said that it isn't uncommon for a movie to keep its original "working" title through the entire moviemaking process. The executive did point out, however, that using "Rory's First Kiss" or "RFK" on production signage around Chicago instead of "The Dark Knight" does limit the number of gawkers when crucial scenes are being filmed, including last week's filming that forced the rerouting of traffic on Lower Michigan Avenue, from Lower Wacker Drive to South Water Street, along with other parts of the Loop.

Still, most everybody seems to know it's the new "Batman" movie, especially workers in buildings surrounding the downtown filming areas who are instructed daily by the Chicago Film Office, Chicago Police Department and Chicago Fire Department on where they can - and can't - park.

"We respect the fact that the studio is still calling it 'Rory's First Kiss,' especially if 'Batman' draws more problems, in terms of crowd control," said Chicago Film Office director Rich Moskal, who is responsible for the logistics when it comes to the mostly overnight shooting of the film.

"But, clearly, there's no sense pretending it's not a 'Batman' movie."

Though word first leaked that a good portion of "The Dark Knight" would be filming here late last year - parts of Nolan's "Batman" prequel "Batman Begins" shot here in 2004 under the pseudonym "The Intimidation Game" - the cover was officially blown when Nolan and Bale were introduced at a City Hall press conference in June, with Mayor Richard M. Daley welcoming the film and touting its importance to Chicago. By the time Warner Bros. leaves town in September, the studio is expected to have dropped $50 million while employing 400 workers from the local movie service industry. *