Hong Kong Harbor too Polluted for Batman Stunt

Associated Press

Report: Hong Kong's Harbor too Polluted for Batman Swimming Stunt

HONG KONG: Batman may be superhero enough to fight off the bad guys in Gotham City, but the Caped Crusader's no match for the pollution in Hong Kong's iconic harbor.

The latest installment of the Batman series will start filming in the territory this month, but already the movie has hit several snags.

A scene in which Batman was to drop from a plane into the harbor has been axed after the movie's producers found the water quality could pose a health risk, the South China Morning Post reported in its Sunday edition.

"The plan was for Batman to be seen jumping into the water and then climbing up some bamboo, or something similar," the Post quoted an unnamed production official as saying.

"But when they checked a water sample, they found all sorts of things; salmonella and tuberculosis, so it was canceled. Now the action will cut to inside a building," the official said.

The movie — a sequel to the 2005 hit "Batman Begins" — stars Christian Bale as Batman, Heath Ledger as the Joker and Michael Caine as Batman's long-suffering butler, Alfred. Christopher Nolan returns to direct the film.

Hong Kong's harbor has long been polluted by industrial and residential sewage, and swimming is not recommended, WWF's conservation director Andy Cornish told the Post.

"There is still a horrendous amount of effluent going into the harbor," he said.

A spokeswoman for the Environmental Protection Department told the paper the government had completed the first stage of a project to collect and treat the sewage before it hits the water, but admitted the harbor was not yet suitable for swimming.

A spokesman for October Pictures Ltd., the Hong Kong company handling production of "The Dark Night," declined to comment on the report.

It was the latest snag for the Warner Brothers picture, which has already started filming in Chicago and London. Hong Kong government officials had earlier expressed concern over noise pollution and traffic chaos during the nine-day shoot.

Hong Kong's glass and steel skyscrapers, glistening blue harbor and authentic Chinese winding streets have proven a popular backdrop for many Hollywood movies including the James Bond hit, "Tomorrow Never Dies."

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