Batman Leaves Gotham

Shooting for the new Batman film The Dark Knight has attracted a lot of attention in the movie world, and that's because the caped crusader has left Gotham City and descended on Hong Kong.

At a press conference in Hong Kong director Christopher Nolan explained his choice:

"I thought it would be a really interesting thing to take this iconic American character and put him somewhere else in the world.

In looking for an appropriate location for that I immediately thought of Hong Kong because its is such an incredibly cosmopolitan place."

Batman himself Christian Bale (pictured above with his lady friend) is set to scale the city's tallest tower, the 90-storey IFC2 building - and it seems he can't wait: "I look forward to climbing to the top of your highest buildings and jumping off of them as Batman."

'The Dark Knight' - which also stars Heath Ledger and Morgan Freeman - isn't due for release until July 2008.