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Holy traffic jam! Arrival of Batman a concern

Batman's impending arrival in Central has prompted concerns among district councillors about traffic jams, road closures and inconvenience for residents.

They want to know more about plans to shoot segments of the latest movie about the masked superhero in Central and Mid-Levels.

'The details provided are too few,' said district councillor Kam Nai-wai, who represents Central and Western, at a meeting of the council's traffic and transport committee yesterday.

The Warner Bros film, tentatively titled The Dark Knight, is scheduled for release late next year, according to the website Internet Movie Database. It will star Christian Bale, Heath Ledger and Michael Caine, and will be directed by Christopher Nolan.

Eighty crew members, including the director and some of the cast, will come to Hong Kong for nine days in early November to film in the area around Queen's Road Central, the footbridge at the corner of Cochrane Street and Lyndhurst Terrace and the Mid-Levels' escalator.

Night views of Causeway Bay, Central and the Peak will be shot from a helicopter, according to plans spelt out in a paper given to the council by the Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority.

Councillors called for October Pictures, the local production company co-ordinating the shoot, to provide more information. Committee member Kwok Ka-ki said he was concerned that possible closures of Queen's Road Central would cause congestion problems. He called for careful arrangements to avoid any inconvenience.

Councillor Cheng Lai-king worried that filming on the Mid-Levels' escalator could cause congestion for pedestrians. She urged the production company to provide details of the dates and times of shooting.

'A lot of white-collar workers go to the Mid-Levels for lunch using the escalator,' she said.

October Pictures production manager Chu Chen-on said any outdoor shooting that would require road closures would probably be done at night while indoor shooting would take place during the day.

He said proper arrangements would be made to minimise congestion on the escalator, which might be stopped for a few minutes at a time for shooting.

The film will be shot in Chicago, London and Hong Kong. Some of the scenes shot in Hong Kong will feature IMAX special effects. Two hundred local staff will be hired.

Details of the film have not yet been disclosed, and a licensing authority spokeswoman said arrangements were still being worked out.

On location

1 The Central and nearby Queen's Road Central: Indoor filming during daytime, outdoor work after midnight. May require road closures

2 Central to Mid-Levels escalators: Plan to shoot on the footbridge on the corner of Cochrane Street and Lyndhurst Terrace

3 Helicopter work: Plans involve three to five night flights shooting around Causeway Bay, Victoria Harbour and The Peak

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