German filmmaker Uwe Boll has changed the name of his upcoming Armie Hammer crime thriller “The Dark Knight” to “Citizen Vigilante” after hearing from both Warner Bros. and Batman fans alike.
Based on an original script by Boll, the film stars Hammer as Sanders, a man who takes justice into his own hands and sets out to hunt down criminals. His vigilante crusade turns him into a social media sensation and a hero in the eyes of the public. Variety has reached out to Warner Bros. for comment about the title change.
“We had a very friendly conversation with Warner Bros. and decided to change our title to ‘Citizen Vigilante’ to avoid any confusion with Warners’ famous character,” Boll told Variety.
“We also got a lot of feedback from fans, who asked us to change the title because of its similarity with Chris Nolan’s movie, so this was another factor in changing the title,” added executive producer Michael Roesch.
Warner Bros. “contacted us and asked us to change the title,” Roesch explained. “It was a very amicable discussion.”
The team also received “a lot of feedback through social media, emails and comments to articles in the media,” Roesch noted.
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Shot entirely in and around Zagreb, Croatia, the film also stars Costas Mandylor stars as Interpol officer Henry, who aims to bring Sanders down.
“It is set in an Eastern European city, and while we don’t mention the name of the city in the movie, people who know the city will recognize it is Zagreb, so it is set in Croatia,” Roesch said. “But it is a universal story and could play in every bigger European city.”
“Citizen Vigilante” marks a comeback for Hammer, whose career took a major hit in 2021 following allegations of sexual misconduct. While Los Angeles prosecutors ultimately declined to charge the actor with any crime in the wake of a lengthy probe, job offers remained scarce, until recent months.
The “Call Me by Your Name” star returned to work late last year in Travis Mills’ forthcoming western “Frontier Crucible,” which also features Thomas Jane and William H. Macy. Hammer’s previous credits include such high-profile works as Gore Verbinski’s “The Lone Ranger” alongside Johnny Depp and Guy Ritchie’s “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” with Henry Cavill.
“Citizen Vigilante” has wrapped and is currently being edited by Ethan Maniquis, with Tunnel in Santa Monica handling post production. Roesch said he’s expecting the picture to be “locked in a few weeks.”
The production has also signed composer Rodolfo Matulich to score the pic.
The team will present “Citizen Vigilante” at this year’s Cannes Film Market with at least a promo reel. “Although we are ahead of schedule, the full movie will most likely not be finished by then,” Roesch noted.
