Besides promoting Duke and drawing the audience's attention to his latest activities, Warner Bros. once again launched viral marketing. This marketing approach is not suitable for every film—for example, The Avengers barely used it. Viral marketing requires the right vehicle, and The Dark Knight Rises is undoubtedly a perfect fit.
Although The Dark Knight Rises was still in the preparation stage, viral marketing precisely needed time to ferment.
At the end of July, Warner Bros. released the first official still, and its impact immediately cut through the previous dull silence of the production, making the third installment of Duke's Batman trilogy once again a hot topic.
At the same time, Warner Bros. launched the official website for The Dark Knight Rises.
Earlier, when someone opened the homepage, they would find the entire page pitch black, with only a strange background sound resembling a mysterious incantation.
Some dedicated fans managed to view the audio file's visual spectrum and discovered that it was an instant-share hashtag. It was like the poster made up of thousands of photos in The Truman Show: a small image acting as a pixel, densely assembled to form a picture. And that picture was of Dwayne Johnson as the Destroyer Bane, Batman's strongest and most formidable enemy in The Dark Knight Rises.
When fans completed the image, a strange letter appeared on the website.
It was a confidential letter from Lucius Fox to Bruce Wayne!
Of course, the letter was actually written by Duke, allowing just enough The Dark Knight Rises information to tease fans without revealing too much.
"Bruce, I hope you can read this letter. While I also look forward to speaking with you in person, Alfred told me it would be best to write to you when you are not seeing visitors. As such, I will outline my speculations regarding the company's internal situation in this letter."
"Obviously, given the current economic climate, our investors are paying more attention to their investments. For this reason, our own profitability is now being personally analyzed and judged by the board."
"In the past, we gave them no reason to worry because our revenues and expenditures were balanced. This gave us the autonomy to invest in the Wayne Foundation and the company's technological R&D. But over the past five quarters, our income has steadily declined, while our R&D spending has grown astronomically, leaving the company's revenues bleak. In this situation, I must answer the board's questions, especially regarding the projects you are passionate about."
"No one denies that innovation is the key to our growth and success. As one of our business projects, this is why the board has begun reviewing our R&D budget and is encouraging you to direct your business machinery toward projects that are more justifiable investments. Because they don't understand what you are doing, all they see is large sums of money being spent on what they currently consider low-return pursuits—like the pursuit of clean energy. That is the crux of the problem."
"In our last conversation, you expressed reluctance to plan ahead and initiate the next phase of review. I understand your reasoning. However, if you wish to continue pursuing your devoted projects within the company, I believe this is the time to give the board more of what they want. If you succeed, you not only show the basic operational health of the company but also demonstrate what this project could mean for Gotham City."
"Personally, I also want them to know that, with age, you, Bruce Wayne, have decided to inherit your father's work and mission, utilizing Wayne Enterprises and its resources to support our city reliably and enthusiastically."
"That is not a bad thing, Bruce. But if you choose not to address the current issues, I don't know how long we can hold in front of the Bay board. Your absence makes the situation even more difficult. I am sure you have your reasons, as it is not my responsibility. But I worry that if you ignore or remain absent for too long, we risk violating another regulation. I can foresee board members manipulating company influence around the conference table. Most notably, John Daggett, whom I consider the last opponent in our power struggle."
"During my tenure, I fully understood the requirements of my role and our agreements. I also know your preference for handling all Wayne Enterprises affairs. However, I must tell you that if we do not address the board's issues, we will quickly find ourselves in a position of forced change. In most cases, change is not necessarily bad, but I am concerned now. I am sure you may think my forecast is pessimistic, which is merely another aspect of my personal charm. Perhaps that is the case, but let us trust that you have not hired me for my personal charm alone."
"I look forward to your reply."
"Hopefully, if luck permits, you will read it personally."
"Best regards, Lucius Fox."
In short, the letter tells fans that there are internal problems within Wayne Enterprises. Some people are dissatisfied with a new energy project that Bruce Wayne has invested heavily in and are trying to seize power. Lucius Fox hopes Bruce Wayne can personally intervene to resolve these issues.
Fans reacted enthusiastically; the letter was widely shared online, with some posting comments:
"From the tone at the beginning, you can tell it's Fox writing."
Indeed, Duke had imitated Lucius Fox's speech style in the film.
"Is Wayne Enterprises going to be trashed and criticized this time?"
The reality was more serious than the fan imagined—Bruce Wayne was on the verge of bankruptcy.
Any promotion has its timing. After a period of fermentation, while fans remembered The Dark Knight Rises, their attention gradually shifted elsewhere.
By August, a CIA announcement suddenly circulated online.
It first disclosed the situation of a Russian nuclear physicist, showing that the scientist had gone missing.
The disclosed file showed that this former Soviet nuclear physicist had worked for the Soviet military for four years, responsible for nuclear facilities in the Chelyabinsk region. He later mysteriously disappeared. Three years ago, because he participated in an IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) event, he caught the attention of the CIA.
The previous week, a Georgian militia group contacted the U.S. Embassy, claiming they were assisting Dr. [redacted] to seek asylum in the U.S. and requested $3 million in exchange for the nuclear physicist.
Some quick-witted fans immediately noticed that the scientist's photo in the announcement bore an uncanny resemblance to actor Aaron Abutal, who had just been announced by Warner Bros. a few days earlier as joining the The Dark Knight Rises cast.
Next was a top-secret CIA document. The names of the speakers were redacted, so the identities of both parties were unknown, only that it could be roughly inferred as a conversation between a CIA operative and someone who knew the missing scientist.
From the dialogue record, it was clear that the missing scientist had hidden himself. Someone was tracking him, wanting him to create a kind of terrifying weapon. He was very afraid and wanted to seek protection in the U.S.
Viral marketing was nothing new; fans quickly guessed this was related to The Dark Knight Rises, yet their curiosity couldn't be restrained—what kind of weapon would the missing scientist create? What was its purpose? Could it destroy Gotham and Batman?
In the first viral marketing, the film's main villain, the Destroyer Bane, had already been revealed. Subsequently, many websites across the U.S. received a package—a mysterious parcel sent by Bane.
This mysterious package consisted of two parts: the outer layer was a cylinder wrapped with a Gotham City map, marked with five different attack zones in red pen. Inside the cylinder was a T-shirt printed with Bane's face, accompanied by the slogan "Flames Rise."
The meaning of these two items was obvious: the main villain Bane intended to launch a full-scale attack on Gotham, defeat Batman, and take control of the city himself.
Bane's incited riots, the potential nuclear threat, the CIA, and the mad scientist… well, The Dark Knight Rises fans already knew enough. Yet, before the film's release, the anticipation naturally made them want to know more!
Not only that, after fans began preparing, Duke also stepped forward for the first official interview, formally discussing The Dark Knight Rises with the media.
"In this film, the fates of all previous characters will be addressed, including an extraordinary female character who will appear in a Batman movie in an unprecedented way. Who she is? We'll know next May."
Many fans, seeing the report, began speculating again. Long ago, the crew had revealed that Gal Gadot would play Catwoman, Selina Kyle, and this classic character had appeared multiple times in Batman films, hardly unprecedented.
Fans scoured the internet for relevant information, but found nothing.
Not only ordinary fans, even most of the crew did not know who this character was. They only knew that ICM, managed by Nancy Josephson, was screening actresses under its agency and sending them to the crew for auditions with Anna Prince and Tina Fey. Ultimately, Margot Robbie, recommended by Leonardo DiCaprio, became the lucky winner.
What was Margot Robbie's role? What were the related scripts and scenes? Very few in the crew knew, making it the most mysterious role.
Times had changed, and society was evolving. According to many survey agencies, audiences' tolerance for relatively heavy films was further decreasing. Therefore, Duke did not plan to make The Dark Knight Rises as heavy as The Dark Knight.
Margot Robbie's character was only added during script adjustments when the project was being finalized.
...
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