Batman welcomed on his first journey to HK -- china.org.cn

The shooting on the top of Hong Kong's tallest building later Friday must be quite a good experience, "Batman" Christian Bale said at a packed press conference with over 100 local and overseas journalists Friday morning.

No doubt the hero has been in the spotlight since the crew of the latest Batman's movie "The Dark Knight" arrived in Hong Kong for a four-day filming this week.

"This week, we finally have Batman in action here, and all the effort is well worth it for Hong Kong," the Commissioner for Television and Entertainment Licensing of Hong Kong Maisie Cheng said, welcoming the filming of "The Dark Knight" in Hong Kong.

Cheng said the Hong Kong Government has always been supportive of local and overseas film productions in Hong Kong, and the quality of local film-industry professionals must be one of the major factors that attracted "The Dark Knight" producers.

Hong Kong Film Development Council Chairman Jack So said overseas film productions in Hong Kong would bring in new technology and facilitate exchanges, benefiting the local film industry.

"Films for international release will also help showcase Hong Kong to an international audience. I am sure Batman will further raise Hong Kong's profile and attract more tourists," he said.

He said he believed the overall economic benefits to Hong Kong would outweigh any short-term inconvenience to the public.

Bale and actor Morgan Freeman showed up at the Central block of Hong Kong Friday afternoon, which attracted hundreds of movie fans and passers-by to watch the filming and take pictures.

Actors and film crew also took on a C-130 Hercules transport plane and a couple of helicopters earlier this week to shoot scenes set against the backdrop of Hong Kong's iconic skyline and the Victoria Harbor.

As an incredibly cosmopolitan place, Hong Kong turns out to be the appropriate choice of location for Batman's first journey outside the fictional Gotham City, Director Christopher Nolan said at the press conference.

Bale said one fortunate thing of being Batman was "climbing the tallest buildings and jumping off them", which now includes the 90- storey International Finance Centre of Hong Kong.

"The Dark Knight" is the latest of a long line of foreign movies that have chosen Hong Kong's unique cityscape as a location, including "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" (2007), "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" (2005), "Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life" (2003), James Bond movie "Die Another Day" ( 2002) and "Rush Hour" (2001).

(Xinhua News Agency November 10, 2007)