batpod Tagged Articles at Cinematical

The Bat-news is flying fast today, folks. Amidst brand new pics of the Batman on set, as well as news that Anthony Michael Hall might be playing The Riddler in The Dark Knight, comes our first look at the Bat-cycle (or Batpod) via The Los Angeles Times. The actual article reveals two images; one of which you can see to the right of your screen (the Batpod will also show up at Licensing Show 2007 in New York City this Tuesday). The second image looks to be a still from the film, and features Batman and his Batpod riding away from the scene of a crime. However, shadows and darkness make it difficult to spot details.

According to the article, the Batpod will be yet another gadget given to Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) by Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), and it features grappling hooks, cannons and machine guns. Furthermore, "The front and rear tires are both a monstrously huge 508 millimeters, and the engines are in the hubs of each wheel. Steering isn't by hand but by shoulder, since there aren't handlebars. Instead, there are shields that fit each arm like sleeves and have the ability to rotate around the bike's frame. The two foot pegs are set 3 1/2 feet apart on either side of the tank, which the rider lies on, belly down." Now if that doesn't sound cool then, well, you obviously don't watch enough American Chopper. Created by Nathan Crowley (the man behind the Batmobile in Batman Begins) and built by Chris Corbould, a total of six bikes were constructed for the film in case one or more crashed during production. No word on whether any of them will be auctioned off at a later date, but I sure as heck would love to be the guy pimping this puppy out around the neighborhood.