Preview:
- Armie Hammer is starring in ‘The Dark Knight.’
- He’ll play a man who becomes a social media vigilante.
- Uwe Boll’s in the director’s chair.
There was a time when Armie Hammer was one of the hottest rising stars around. After a few years paying his dues, he scored a notable role in David Fincher’s ‘The Social Network’ playing (thanks to some effects trickery and an assist from Josh Pence) both entitled twins Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss.
Other parts followed, and he began to juggle respected indies (‘Call Me by Your Name’) with big-budget studio work (including ‘The Man from U.N.C.L.E.’ and ‘The Lone Ranger,’ even if neither one truly set the box office alight).
10072169Then came the seeming flame-out. In February 2021, woman identified as Effie reported Hammer to the police, alleging that he had been physically abusive during an on-and-off relationship that spanned four years, and that he had violently raped her in 2017. Hammer vehemently denied her allegations.
Allegations against Hammer first exploded on social media via an Instagram account run by the initial accuser. Other women soon joined with their own allegations on social media, creating a flurry of viral headlines, including accusations of cannibalistic and BDSM fetishes that women said were used as a smokescreen for emotional and physical abuse.
It torpedoed Hammer’s career and the work began to dry up –– Disney went as far as minimizing his presence in trailers for 2022’s Poirot movie ‘Death on the Nile’ and he’s had little opportunities since, pleading poverty (despite coming from a very wealthy family) and saying he’s had to take jobs outside the industry.
But following a lengthy probe, Los Angeles prosecutors in 2023 declined to charge the actor with any crime, and now it appears he’s being offered acting roles again.
During a recent podcast interview, Hammer said that his acting career has picked up so much that he’s started to turn jobs down:
“My dance card’s getting pretty full. That first job that I turned down after four years of this shit, I mean, it was the best feeling I’ve ever had.”
And following on from one completed gig, Travis Mills’ forthcoming western ‘Frontier Crucible,’ which also stars Thomas Jane and William H. Macy, he’s now signed to star for a director who knows a little something about controversy –– Uwe Boll.
Boll is putting together a new movie called ‘The Dark Knight’ –– no, nothing to do with Batman, though it shares some similar themes with DC’s brooding hero (and it’s a weird coincidence that one of Hammer’s pre-scandal jobs was as Batman in George Miller’s cancelled ‘Justice League’ movie.)
Related Article: Armie Hammer’s Aunt Casey Hammer Talks New Discovery+ Series
What’s the story of ‘The Dark Knight’?
Boll’s latest, based on his own script, will see Hammer playing a man named Sanders, who takes justice into his own hands as he sets out to hunt down criminals.
While his crusade transforms him into a social media sensation and a hero in the eyes of the public, the local police chief sees him as a menace to society and aims to take him down.
Here’s what Boll told Variety about the new film:
“The story of ‘The Dark Knight’ couldn’t be a more current topic, and I’m excited to bring it to life with this excellent cast.
Producer Michael Roesch, meanwhile, was quick to point out that they’re not making a Batman pic:
“Our movie is very different from Chris Nolan’s movie, so there is no danger of confusion.”
No, Batman is only the story of a man named Bruce Wayne, who takes justice into his own hands as he sets out to hunt down criminals. His (caped) crusade transforms him into a folk legend in the eyes of the public, but the police (beyond one friendly commissioner) aren’t always so sure. Completely different. Will “Sanders” have wonderful toys? The people demand to know.
Boll intends to start filming later this month in Croatia.
What else has Uwe Boll made?
Boll is best known as the troublemaking German filmmaker behind movies such as marks Boll’s 37th film. ‘In the Name of the King’ starring Jason Statham, ‘Postal’ and the ‘Rampage’ trilogy (nothing to do with the giant beasts fighting film), and such socially conscious (though it’s stretching things to describe them as that) output as ‘Attack on Darfur’ and ‘Assault on Wall Street.’
He’s a man who will go to any lengths to promote his work, including getting in the boxing ring to take on critics. His movies rarely seem to score great reviews, but he keeps on churning them out –– ‘The Dark Knight’ will mark his 37th film.
He most recently saw cop thriller ‘First Shift,’ starring Gino Anthony Pesi and Kristen Renton become a surprise hit on Paramount+ this past December, and that will be followed by ‘Run,’ the story of migrants arriving in a small Italian town, which stars Amanda Plummer, James Russo, Ulrich Thomsen and Barkhad Abdi, and is locking down domestic distribution.
When will ‘The Dark Knight’ be in cinemas?
Though shooting is kicking off soon, Boll has yet to set a date –– or indeed a distribution home yet.
List of Armie Hammer Movies and TV Shows:
- ‘Reaper‘ (2007 – 2009)
- ‘Gossip Girl‘ (2007 – 2012)
- ‘Spring Breakdown‘ (2009)
- ‘The Social Network‘ (2010)
- ‘J. Edgar‘ (2011)
- ‘Mirror Mirror‘ (2012)
- ‘The Lone Ranger‘ (2013)
- ‘The Man from U.N.C.L.E.‘ (2015)
- ‘The Birth of a Nation‘ (2016)
- ‘Nocturnal Animals‘ (2016)
- ‘Free Fire‘ (2017)
- ‘Call Me by Your Name‘ (2018)
- ‘Cars 3‘ (2017)
- ‘Sorry to Bother You‘ (2018)
- ‘Hotel Mumbai‘ (2019)
- ‘On the Basis of Sex‘ (2019)
- ‘Death on the Nile‘ (2022)
