'The Dark Knight' is Kept Under Wraps While Shooting in Newark

 Newark City Hall
where filming was done yesterday for The Dark Knight

Update 8:04 p.m. : The West Orange Patch got some really good pics of Anne Hathaway and film props at today's film shooting of The Dark Knight Rises. Click HERE.
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So I had to be nosy and go to Newark yesterday to see if I could possibly catch a glimpse of Batman, lol. Sounds silly but hey, you never know. And, of course I grabbed my camera and took whatever shots I could.

I drove past Broad St. and amazingly traffic was not backed up as reported by sites which were warning travelers to take different routes. 

I think the only commuters affected were train riders. A New Jersey Transit advisory held that the Military Park station would be closed for the entire day, forcing commuters to take a temporary bus instead, due to filming. 

When I got there I didn't see much. Most of the filming was being done inside City Hall and for anybody who was hoping to be an extra, well they were turned away.


There wasn't even a big crowd outside City Hall or on the block. The streets around the building were blocked off and a lot of cars, trucks and trailers were parked there.

The only signs of filming I saw were two huge lights. At first I thought it was the Batman signal, lol but then realized it was just the bright lights for filming.

It was reported that Morgan Freeman who plays Lucious Fox, and Martion Cotillard, who plays Miranda Tate in The Dark Knight Rises were spotted on set at Newark City Hall as their scenes required filming there.

(I emailed that Magnus Rex email, which was the code name for Batman. They were looking for extras for the film, figured I'd give it a shot, but was too late, I did it yesterday.

They replied and said: "Thank you for contacting us.  We booked all the roles and scenes for Magnus Rex.  We will keep your info in case anything opens up, and also for future projects.")

 

Film crew set up on Franklin Ave. and Broad St. 
in Newark yesterday

The Dark Knight Rises starts filming in Newark, New Jersey

So today is day two for filming of The Dark Knight Rises and I heard they will be shooting by Park Place in Newark.

There were also little clues with signs that were changed to make it the city of Gotham.

At the Military Park Light Rail station, a sign that pointed pedestrians to Trinity Cathedral had been edited. "Gotham Museum" and "Gotham Library," were printed in the same font. "Gotham Transit Authority" also blended into a sign at the entryway to the rail line.

Well, when the movie is released in theaters next summer I'll be looking for the areas and spots I know in Newark. I'll point em out and say, "Hey, that's Newark! I work over there."

What to expect today...

The NJ Patch reported:

" It wasn’t business as usual Thursday: The city’s epicenter was turned into what appeared to be a mock infirmary and ghetto, with cots lining the hallways and people dressed as vagrants, starting fires and wielding machine guns.

100 actors dressed as police officers [will be] present for a shoot, which will take place at the northwest corner of the [Federal] building [1100 Raymond Boulevard] from approximately 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Friday. In addition to the actors, there will be mock SWAT and emergency vehicles."

Where filming will be done