Batman vs. the '99 Percent' – 'Dark Knight Rises' Could Clash with Occupy Wall Street Throng

Batman has bested such fiendish villains as the Joker, the Riddler and the Penguin. But his next enemy could be a gaggle of incoherent protesters clogging the fine streets of Gotham City.

‘The Dark Knight Rises,’ the anticipated third chapter in director Christopher Nolan’s Bat-saga, is expected to start shooting in New York City at the end of the month. And, if the Occupy Wall Street crowd isn’t dispersed by then, Nolan might find his meticulously planned sequel held hostage by the movement.

Under its code name “Magnus Rex,” the Warner Bros./Legendary Pictures production will arrive in the nation’s biggest city for 14 days starting Oct. 29, according to a casting notice recently issued by producers. And, according to a person briefed on actors’ schedules who requested anonymity because production details were being kept confidential, cast members have been told the shoot could include scenes shot at the Occupy Wall Street protests.

Some actors have been all too eager to support the OWS movement. But will their attitude change if the group starts affecting their precious product?

‘The Dark Knight’ cautiously courted the right by acknowledging the need to fight back against evil with brute, unflinching force, what some took as a War on Terror metaphor. What did Alfred the butler (Michael Caine) tell Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) about his own experiences smiting an intractable foe?

Because some men aren’t looking for anything logical, like money. They can’t be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.

If Nolan and co. bend to the whims of the OWS crowd, or even let them have a positive cameo, they could dampen the Right’s enthusiasm for ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ considerably.