Batman is gone, leaving the Bat Family alone in Gotham...with the Joker. "The Absent Knight" is a film made by fans, for fans, and tells an original story with some of our favorite characters from the DC Universe including Nightwing, Robin, and of course, the Joker.
Inspiration for the film began with an early love for the Batman Universe, but more specifically, the Joker. We wanted to create an in-depth story that delves into the psyche of the Joker and focuses deeply on character representation throughout the film. Check out the launch trailer for our Kickstarter campaign!
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A Knight to Remember
Here's the synopsis:
Batman is gone. After a brutal confirmation of Jason Todd's death by the hand of the Joker, Batman leaves Gotham to Nightwing and Robin in fear that if he remained, he would finally kill the Joker. With Batman gone, Joker grows quiet, that is until someone comes to Gotham killing criminals in the name of the Batman. With each development, Joker becomes more and more inspired; why stop at Jason Todd? Batman has a whole family in town.
From Comic to Screen
There have been many interpretations of the iconic characters of Gotham City, and though we respect and draw inspiration from these interpretations, we want to go back to the original, classic characters. During this entire project, our goal is to be faithful to the characters and we have worked extremely hard to bring fans the most accurate character representation possible, from Tim Drake's intelligent and calculated demeanor, to Dick Grayson's acrobatic melee fighting style. We want to bring the comics to life.
Everything you see is intentional, from costume design, character mannerisms, to locations. We don't want to throw the characters on screen for sheer "shock and awe." Everything has a reason, and a purpose. There is a reason why Robin's "R" on his costume is cracked. There's a reason why Jason Todd sits in a cell in the trailer. There is a reason why Joker is sometimes wearing his iconic purple suit and other times wearing a black tuxedo. There is a reason the Dark Knight is absent. The original comic authors, those responsible for us falling in love with these characters in the first place, were intentional about every detail, and so are we.
Meet the Clown
In the course of DC comic cinematic history, both on the big screen and online, the biggest criticism by fans is often directed toward the Joker. The Joker is such a complex and beloved character that his character can be hard to accurately recreate. We wanted to do him justice. This means that the look, costume, voice, mannerisms, every aspect of his psychotic personality needs careful attention and to be refined every step of the way to even get close to perfectly representing him. While we don't claim to stand with one of the greats--Ledger or Nicholson--we think we've created a faithful comic book representation that all fans would enjoy.
The actor playing the Joker, Konnor Tierney, has been diligently working for the past two years to perfect a process to put him into the mindset of the Clown Prince of Crime and refine the voice and demeanor of the character. Nothing is held back in the performance, and the anxiety felt by several other cast members can attest to this.
"Whenever the Joker is on set, and I mean The Joker, not Konnor in costume, I am utterly terrified. It is an experience I recommend to nobody, yet is so unique you must be there to understand the true terror and uncapped brutality of it."
-Mathias Kluemke, Assistant Director
We have gone to great lengths that this character, above all, will meet the fans' expectations with the actor and directors drawing heavy inspiration from Mark Hamill's classic interpretation. Here is an additional trailer, featuring more of the Joker, and a spoken, dramatic monologue.
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How You Can Help
Our ultimate goal is to release this film online for free for all comic and movie fans to enjoy. To do this and produce a quality film that everyone can be proud of, we need help from you, the fans. Our goal of $11,000 will be used to polish up the costumes, secure locations, and cover travel expenses, to name a few. If we are able to reach 11,000 people, each of whom donated $1, our goal would be reached in no time. That being said, if you are a comic fan, a Batman fan, or just like to support Indies like us, checking out our Kickstarter and donating as you can or simply just sharing our campaign would help us reach those 11,000 people and bring this awesome film to you.
Check out our Kickstarter here!
Also check out our Facebook page for regular updates and more information!
From one fan to another, thank you!