Batman and Hong Kong

I’m in the midst of multi-lounging between this morning’s Bucks v. Bulls game and the Sunday South China Morning Post — which contains this item:

Batman may be able to save Gotham City from all types of evil, but it seems he’s no match for Hong Kong’s polluted waterways. The caped crusader was scripted to jump from a plane into Victoria Harbour as part of a stunt for the filming of the latest movie, The Dark Knight, part of which is being shot in Hong Kong this week.

But two sources involved in the production of the blockbuster claim the Hollywood production company found the water quality was so bad it decided it could not possibly complete the stunt without risking the health of a cast member.

How bad is it? According to the SCMP, it contains:

“… all sorts of things, salmonella and tuberculosis … “

First, yuck.

Second, Christian Bale is playing the Caped Crusader in this edition, and though I understand his reluctance to contract TB in Hong Kong, I still think that there’s something very un-superhero-like about opting out of this (and that goes for his stunt doubles, too). Which is the likely explanation for the production’s unwillingness to speak on-record about the canceled stunt. After all, real superheroes don’t mind salmonella.