Screenhead

Batman fans will be surprised with this new twist in the cape crusaders’ story. In director Christopher Nolan’s follow-up to “Batman Begins,” the caped crusader will leave Gotham for the first time in the history of the film franchise to fight evil in another city — or cities — although it’s unclear whether Hong Kong will be called Hong Kong or a fictional metropolis.

Warner Brothers has applied for local permits to shoot some portions of the film “The Dark Knight” in Hong Kong this fall for a scheduled nine days. Warner has apparently applied for permits to shoot in the glossy business district of Central and neighboring Western. And one sequence could include the nightly Symphony of Lights laser show, a key tourist trademark for the city.

Warner however wouldn’t confirm the reports. The film, whose plotline is being kept under tight wraps, as it is also filming in Chicago and London.

“Dark Knight” returns Christian Bale to the bigscreen as Batman. Heath Ledger and Michael Caine also star.

Hong Kong production services companies have been abuzz for months with talk of what may be the highest profile foreign shoot for several years.