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THE DARK KNIGHT Added to the National Film Registry

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Heath Ledger as The Joker and Christian Bale as Batman in THE DARK NIGHT (Warner Bros.)

The Library of Congress has added the director Christopher Nolan’s THE DARK KNIGHT to  The National Film Registry.  Films added are considered to among the most influential American/U.S. motion pictures.

“This is not only a great honor for all of us who worked on THE DARK KNIGHT,” said Nolan of the film’s addition, “This is also a tribute to all of the amazing artists and writers who have worked on the great mythology of Batman over the decades.”

Word.

“This is historic and an important part of our Batman movie legacy, thanks to the genius of Chris Nolan,” said Michael Uslan — the executive producer of all Batman movies — via BOF’s Facebook Fan Group.  “My hope is that eventually, The Library of Congress will add the equally important BATMAN from 1989 and last year’s JOKER.”

THE DARK KNIGHT was released in 2008 and starred Christian Bale as Batman and the late Heath Ledger as The Joker.  The cast also included Gary Oldman as Jim Gordon, Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel Dawes, Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent, Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth, and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox.

TDK is arguably the most critically acclaimed film based on a comic book/superhero character and the late Heath Ledger earned an Academy Award for “Best Supporting Actor” for his performance as The Joker.  The film was a huge box office success making over $1.3 billion worldwide.  It is the middle chapter of Nolan’s THE DARK KNIGHT TRILOGY which also includes BATMAN BEGINS (2005) and THE DARK KNIGHT RISES (2012). – Bill “Jett” Ramey

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Bill "Jett" Ramey
Bill “Jett” Ramey isn’t just a Batman fan — he’s one of the founding fathers of the online Batman community. As the creator and Editor-in-Chief of Batman-On-Film.com, the original and longest-running Batman news and commentary site, Jett helped carve the very bedrock of modern fan internet press. If there is a Mount Rushmore of this stuff, his face is already up there — sunglasses on, arms crossed, probably telling someone to calm down. A lifelong Dark Knight disciple, Jett has spent decades championing filmmaker‑driven Batman stories, cutting through fanboy noise with a Texas‑sized dose of honesty, and keeping the conversation smart, civil, and drama‑free. He’s the BOF Godfather — the guy who was here before the hashtags, before the clickbait, before the algorithms… and he’s still here, still talking Batman, still calling it straight. When he steps out of Gotham, Jett is pure Texas. He bleeds Dallas Cowboys blue, blasts Elvis and rock ’n’ roll, and has a deep appreciation for cold beer, dive bars, and Texas Longhorns football. He works out, he cooks, and he can grill like a man who’s earned the right to say “don’t assume” when he tells you he lives in the great state of Texas. He shares that home with his wife — “Announcer Rachel” — and their dogs: Gracelin the Labradoodle and Presley, a rescue pup named after the King himself.