NEWS ARCHIVES 27
NEWS ARCHIVES 27
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About the BATMAN BEGINS Bat-suit
Friday, April 2, 2004, 8:05 PM CST: Jett here. I have contacted some of my best sources--many that I have had for years. And they contacted their own sources. You know, called in a few favors, pulled a few strings. Anyway, my efforts concluded with BOF learning what the Bat-suit will look like. I know this info to be legit beyond a shadow of a doubt. While many of the descriptions appearing online were close--including those here at BOF--none have been spot on accurate. It does not look like the Alex Ross suit. It does not look like the suit in the comics, but it is clearly "Batman." It is pretty much one color--a dark, blackish-gray hue. It is textured. The Bat-symbol is big across the chest, but it is very discreet. And it is not the same Bat-symbol used for the official logo--more traditional. And the suit is clearly armored and padded. The belt is a dull yellow, almost gold-looking, with no pouches as depicted in the comicbooks (i.e. military style). Think sleaker. The cowl is tight on the face, but it is almost helmet-like with a very subtle chin covering (it is NOT like a chin strap on a football helmet). It is detailed and sculpted as well and there are no lenses. It appears that it unattatched to the body suit--which will allow for free movement of the head. The body suit extends high up the neck, so there is no gap between the cowl and suit. The ears, well, are neither long nor short. They are shorter than the ones of the previous costumes, but not as short as one might think. They don't seem to be as pointed either. The cape looks to attatch right above the Bat-symbol on the chest. It is not that drastically different than the costumes of the previous series, yet very fresh, new, and dissimilar at the same time. But hey, that's just what I've heard....BOF told y'all that a pic of Mr. Bale in the Bat-suit may appear online this summer. Let's just say it could be sooner rather than later. Late.
BEGINS release date now in June!
The Bat-costume, part 2
The Bat-costume?
The Batmobile is revealed!
This thing, in my opinion, kicks some major ass!
Bale talks BATMAN
“I believe that there’s an opportunity with that character to do things that I, personally, have never seen done,” says Bale. “There are choices you can make with such a character. You can go very camp with it, like the TV series, but that’s been done. You can’t outdo Adam West with that kind of deal. So what else do you do? There’s a really interesting character there, and that’s what I’m aiming for.” And about all that weight he lost for THE MACHINIST, don't worry, Bale got into Bat-shape prior to filming.... “It’s very much like going from one extreme to the other. Batman is a guy who has to be able to tear apart a room, scale walls and do phenomenal things.” Bale is currently filming BATMAN BEGINS for a summer 2005 release.
Info from the Bat-set and filming at "Wayne Manor?"
Bat-Cave and Gotham set info. The sequel set for 2008? Want to see Bale as The Batman?!
Tilbury Fort in Essex is being used for filming the Bat-Cave and the airship hangar at Cardington in Bedfordshire is being used for the Gotham City filming. These are the airship hangars where the R100 and the R101 flew from in the 1930's. BEGINS just started filming, and the release of the film is over a year away. Yet, could WB already be planning the sequel? Word in tonight from a longtime "insider" is that the head-honchos at Warner Bros. are penciling in the next Bat-flick for a summer 2008 release. And while this film is a stand-alone flick--there is no cliffhanger--it clearly sets up a sequel....So, do you want to see Bale as The Batman? Hell I do! Click HERE to get a look at what Bale might look like in BATMAN BEGINS. (DISCLAIMER: This is fan-art!)
More BEGINS casting info!
Misc. BEGINS info, including casting
Description of The Scarecrow's mask! More Dent cameo info. Rutger Hauer to join the cast?!
Thought I would give you the head's up on some info I've got--a concept drawing of The Scarecrow in FULL costume. [It seems] The Scarecrow will appear in FULL costume during a [fear gas induced] hallucination towards the end -- Arkham perhaps. Also got to see a pic of the actual mask--let me say this thing is f'ing disturbing; really, this thing will scare the s##t out of you. It's a very dark drown, it had no hat and no hat will be with the sack. The eye holes were scary to look at with no eyes, so what they will look like with eyes is anyone's guess. But rest assured, this mask fits in well with the other costumes I've seen, [as it] doesn't look stupid or comical--this thing it disturbing. "M.B." went on to tell BOF that the "WB suits" have decided on releasing a pic of Bale in the Batman costume--although the timeframe for that is unknown. Perhaps this summer. Also, the alleged Dent cameo--if it takes place--will occur during a scene between Rachel Dobson and D.A. Finch. As I have read the part of the script (hey, I don't want it completely ruined for me), Dent's potential cameo could be easily inserted in such a scene....THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE (registration required) confirms that BATMAN BEGINS--which the incorrectly refer to as a "prequel"--will be shoot in Chicago for six weeks starting in July. BOF was the first to tell you all that the film would be shooting in The Windy City....SUPERHERO HYPE has a SPOILERish review of David Goyer's Bat-script. Despite my spoiler warning, I will confirm what their source tells them about the script is true....The ChristopherNolan.net website is reporting that actor Rutger Hauer announced on his official website's message forum, that he has a "cameo role" in BATMAN BEGINS. The first thing I thought about when I read this was that the role was of "Mr. Earle." And low and behold I go to his website and the character of "Earle" was listed as "coming soon."
Look for Bat-cast additions
"Batmobile" pics not THE Batmobile
BATMAN BEGINS official logo online!
The Batmobile?!
A
*The studio and filmakers are a bit concerned about the public's perception of the Bat-suit. Which may lead them to releasing a shot of it ala Tobey McGuire and SPIDERMAN soon. "Don't expect anything too bright probably just a shot of Batman in dark lighting, not revealing too much."
*Teaser posters. The Bat-signal over Gotham with "2005" within Bat-area of the light. A car wheel (The Batmobile) with the Bat-symbol as a spoke on the car and just "2005."
*Christian Bale is shaving his beard off by the end of next week for the next phase of production.
*The writer for the novelization of the film will be chosen soon. Candidates--not clear the the actuall number--have already met with the powers that be.
Thanks again to "M.B." for the info.
More Bat-location filming news
Henri Ducard "Bio." Bale dedicates BATMAN role to his Dad. More BEGINS details.
On why Bale nabbed the role: "His screen test, really. He gave just an amazing screen test. It's just that he brought that charm that a billionaire playboy would have when he was playing Bruce Wayne. He brought that intensity that you would want Batman to have as this dark knight"
On Bale being signed for Bat-sequels: "He knew that if he was going to do 'Batman,' if we were fortunate, we would be doing more than one."
On Goyer's script: "[It was a] great script. I think that his collaboration with Chris Nolan was what was exciting. They both wanted to do a different kind of 'Batman.' In fact they wanted to make it to be more like the original Detective Comics when Batman first started, which was less cartoony."
Regarding the famous Batmobile: "We've been shooting the Batmobile and it's just a fantastic piece of equipment. It drives very fast, it goes well within excess of a 100 miles an hour, it can get up there within a quarter mile, it turns on a dime, it's got no front axle, it's just spectacular. It flies, I mean it jumps. But it's all practical. I would say that this is a cross between a Humvee and a Lamborghini Countach."
On making people forget the puke-inducing BATMAN & ROBIN: "Oh no, we will. Absolutely. I think the last one was the problem, I don't think it was the one before that. That's part of our job is to make them forget that. I think we will."
According to story appearing in the IC WALES website, BATMAN BEGINS star is dedicating his performance as Bruce Wayne (The Batman) to his dad David, who recently passed away....
And, as filming began this week, Christian vowed to make it his best-ever performance - in memory of dad David.
But his death will give an extra meaning to Christian's performance of superhero Batman - the masked avenger's parents died tragically when they were brutally gunned down in front of him.
(Thanks to "Ras 2005" and "Travis" for the lead.) Click HERE to get a look at the Canary Wharf area that has mentioned as a site for location filming--thanks to BOF reader/scooper "Paranoidboy."
Some YEAR ONE story details. More U.K. location info. Comm. Loeb cast? A Bat-producer talks!
*Bruce Wayne is stripped of his status as "heir apparent" to the Wayne fortunes. Instead he is found in the streets after his
parents murder, and is taken in by "Big Al" who runs a auto repair shop with his son.
*While working at the repair shop, he watches the coming and goings of pimps, johns and corrupt cops at a sleazy cathouse across the street., while a chain -smoking James Gordon
struggles with corruption he finds throughout the Gotham City police force.
*At first, he disguises himself wearing a cape and hockey mask (WTF!--Jett). However, the costume evolves with both form and function, and Wayne acquires a variety of makeshift gadgets and weapons. Bruce, reconfigures a black Lincoln Continental into a make shift 'Bat-Mobile'- complete with blacked out windows, night vision driving goggles, armoured bumpers and a super charged school bus engine.
*In his new guise as "The Batman," Bruce Wayne wages war on criminals from street level and up the food chain to a Commissioner Loeb and Mayor Noone--as the executors of the Wayne estate search for the missing heir.
*In the end Bruce accepts his dual destiny as heir to the Wayne fortune and the
city's saviour, and Gordon comes to accept that, while he may not agree with
The Batman's methods, he cannot argue with the results.
*The comic and the script have many scenes in common--including Bruce Wayne's
nihilistic narration, a heroic Gordon saving a baby from a hostage crisis,
Selina as proto-Catwoman, the beating Gordon receives from his fellow cops
as a warning to give up his war on corruption, his suspicion that Harvey
Dent is The Batman, and the climatic battle in the tenement building.
Different, yes. But not my cup of tea to be frank. Could the Y1 script review that showed up online a few years ago--the feaured a "Jive-talking Alfred"--actually have had a bit of truth to it? As I said earlier, it is obvious to me just why WB never gave the greenlight to the script. Sorry, but it went too far away from the traditional Bat-mythos, while David Goyer and Chris Nolan nailed it. Thus, they got the gig rather quickly as opposed to Aronofsky, Miller and their Y1 floundering in "development hell" for years. Again, click HERE if you'd like to check out the book....More BEGINS filming location info. According to the THIS IS ESSEX, "Hollywood moguls are going batty for South Essex. Movie giant Warner Bros. has selected East Tilbury as a key location for the next multi million pound blockbuster 'Batman' film. Today engineers are busy transforming the 140 year old Coalhouse Fort into a ninja's secret lair." Obviously, this will used as the "homebase" of Ra's Al Ghul (Ken Wantanabe) and his League of Shadows. (Thanks to BOF reader "Craig" for the info!)....British thesp Colin McFarlane is mentioned as "...the police commissioner in the next Batman film," in a feature on the actor in BBC NEWS ONLINE. The role--Commisioner Loeb--is one of the many corrupt cops, politicians, etc. that have taken hold of the once great Gotham City in BATMAN BEGINS. The character of Loeb is Gordon's predecessor as police commisioner of Gotham.... CHUD's "Smiling Jack Ruby" was in on an interview with BEGINS producer Chuck Roven (who was doing the press circuit for SCOOBY DOO 2. And of course, talk turned to BATMAN....
Chuck: The whole concept of this "Batman" is that it will be different from the other "Batmans" because it's going to be much more reality-based in that everything that the character does, a living person today could evolve to do. Everything - all of the equipment - the plane, the car, the cape, everything has a real, scientific, practical reason for being and using and you're going, "Gee, that could happen today."
S.J.R.: Are Bale and Oldman signed for multiple movies like the Scooby cast?
Chuck: There are certain of the actors - certainly Christian is on for more than one Batman. A number of the cast - even though there's no guarantee, there's no script, there's no story for what the next incarnation of "Batman Begins" would be - there are certain actors that the possibility that they would be around if there was going to be one was talked about and those are the ones we negotiated sequels with and there are others that we have not.
Q: Would you do one with the Joker?
Chuck: You have to see this one to see what possibly will happen in the next one. All of the seeds - if there will be a next one - are there even though the exact story for the next one hasn't been worked out. But, we're doing "Batman Begins," so you can imagine that you find out the history of the character, why Bruce Wayne went on the journey to become this character of Batman - how he got there - and also the other characters within this story. They embark on their journeys and maybe become some of his biggest foes.
Various bits of Bat-news
Another Murphy to join the Bat-cast? Cillian speaks!
"I'm a long-time reader of your excellent website. Living in Ireland, I obviously don't usually have much to add to your news stories (we're hardly the movie capital of the world). However, last night, I had dinner with a friend of a friend of Irish actor Gerard Murphy, probably best known in the US for appearing in 'Waterworld.' Apparently Murphy tested for three different roles last week for 'Batman Begins.' It appears he was successful and will be cast as one of them but he won't be told which one until tomorrow, Monday 15th.
My same 'source' told me about Murphy being cast in 'Waterworld' before it made any newspapers over here. He also told me about the rumours on the set of that movie about Costner's hair being digitally thickened well before they hit the media (ah, those pre-net days!) So there may be something to this."
Neither I nor the source has any idea what role Murphy may have nabbed. Although the source suggests that since Murphy is Irish, perhaps he is up for "Chief O'Hara!" He was only kidding, BOF readers. Murphy is not related to Cillian Murphy who is playing the villain "The Scarecrow." (Thanks to "Cuchulainn" for the info!) And speaking of Cillian Murphy, THE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS has an interview with the Irish actor who--as we already know--is playing "The Scarecrow" in BATMAN BEGINS. Here's a bit of the interview....
After playing small roles in "Cold Mountain" (as a kindhearted Union soldier) and "Girl With a Pearl Earring" (as Scarlett Johansson's butcher-boy suitor), Murphy screen-tested for director Christopher Nolan for the title role in summer 2005's "Batman Begins." The part went to Christian Bale, but Nolan chose Murphy to play Dr. Jonathan Crane, alias Scarecrow. "I never really saw myself as Batman material, but it was very nice to be offered the other role. If anyone's going to reinvent the franchise, it'll be Chris Nolan," Murphy says of the "Memento" director. Details of the project are closely guarded, but he expects Nolan to focus on the dark side of the comic-book saga.
More U.K. filming info!
"Just to confirm that filming at Canary Wharf has begun. I have a friend down in London who lives ten minutes from where they're filming, and has told me that you can't even get close to the site, since it's being filmed on private land and is off limits. He doesn't know exactly what they're doing down there, but the site is extremely busy. I don't know if you know this, but Michael Caine apparently has an apartment in this area too, which is convenient, since he's playing a certain Mr Pennyworth."
Batman Begins is filming in London's Canary Wharf TODAY. And even more importantly they are filming the Batmobile! They will be filming scenes in Excel Tower with scenes of the Batmobile possibly on a turntable. While I'm not sure what the scene is, could this be a scene of Batman getting a hold of the Batmobile for the first time? I suspect that they are doing some location filming that doesn't involve any actors....On a related note, Brian from MOVIEMAN'S GUIDE TO THE MOVIES sent us a head's up he recieved regarding London filming. He says a recieved an email from a scooper saying "'Batman Begins' filming in east tilbury and tilbury docks. Have taken over an old fort in E. Tilbury." With filming complete in Iceland, filming in London should really be heating up soon....I have to say, summer 2005 can't get here soon enough! Late.
Iceland filming complete, a set pic, and more on Bale & the costume
"According to the Morgunbladid newspaper shooting has already finished. The only actors present were Christian Bale (Bruce Wayne) and Liam Neeson (Ducard) with director Christopher Nolan and a crew of 250 people. According to them 'Himalaya Scenes' were shot there at Öræfasveit,Vatnajökuls and Svínafellsjökuls. The 'Begins' crew will now move on to London for the main shoot." You can click on the LR link to view the set pic....Another scooper has chimed in the the Bale-too-big-for-the-costume rumor that has been floating around. While not as blunt as yesterday's source, this scooper says that the story is simply an "over exaggeration." He also highly doubts that Bale had an "embarrassing moment" with the Bat-suit in front of the crew....I am working on an exclusive of something from BATMAN BEGINS. It is not a plot-spoiler, but if all works out, BOF just might be the first to reveal this on the net. Can't say more, as I don't want to jinx it. Stay tuned....Oh yeah, one more thing. I have been assured that BATMAN BEGINS "Most certainly [the film--Jett] will have a presence..." at that big comicbook convention that takes place in the summer in southern California.
More Chi-Town shoot info. And ANOTHER costume report!
Most of the reports you've read about the suit recently seem pretty on the money. The cowl, cape, boots and gloves are al black while the body suit is a dark charcoal grey. The belt is bulky with compartments not like the one in the other movies, it's also a much duller yellow than the belts before.
The symbol doesn't have the yellow oval, it's really big, taking up a good part of the chest. It's a smoother material than the rest of the body suit and slightly raised.
The gloves aren't quite armoured but the boots look like they have greaves and the soles look like they're designed to give good traction.
The cowl isn't as restrictive as the one from the other movies was, the guy in the suit was able to turn his head. The cowl is sculpted and I'm not sure if the material would move with the actor's face.
The material looks kind of like leather, it definitely has a texture to it, it isn't smooth like rubber or plastic. Also there's seams on the costume, up and down the arms and legs and on the sides of the body. I don't know if they're supposed to be there as they don't really show up in the darker shots of the costume.
And here is a bit more info regarding the Bat-filming in Chi-Town (which I love, btw). According to REELCHICAGO.COM, BATMAN BEGINS will start filming there sometime late July, and continue through August. The report seems to have their facts mixed up a bit, as they have Christopher Nolan as the screenwriter and David Goyer as the director--the site needs to mix in a little BATMAN on FILM, huh!? Anyway, BOF reported recently that most of major cast will be in The Windy City for the shoot.
About this Bale and the Bat-suit stuff...
The Bat-suit arrives!
"The suit looks unusual but it's very confusing because they have the hero and stunt versions and the pieces were covered in plastic and labels, they haven't been assembled yet," says the DH scooper. "The inner bodysuit is definitely dark grey but leather and used looking, not shiny like in the last movies but a material that looks like a second skin. The chest area features a large black bat emblem that doesn't look like the one from the movies or the comics but looks very cool."
The report goes on to say that "...all the other pieces are dark grey/granite but so dark its almost black. The cowl looks small and may stretch to fit the wearer, complete with longish ears. ... They (Nolan, Hemming, etc.) are going for the 'Spiderman/Daredevil' look where Batman looks like a more agile human being rather than a guy in a bulky muscle suit."
Sounds great! The cowl description is also consistant to the report that BOF got a week or so ago. That report also said that facial wrinkles are cut into the cowl that will allow for Bale's facial expressions to be displayed through the cowl. You can click HERE to read the full report....BOF is still looking into the remaining casting that has yet gone public. A BOF source told us just a few days ago that all major casting was complete, so we should know who is playing Carmine Falcone, Mr. Earl, Flass, Loeb, and the others very soon.
More location info. Chicago cast news. A Dent question.
Cast complete? The tagline for BEGINS is....
Dent/Pearce in a cameo?
BATMAN BEGINS has really begun!!
"Day 1 - They've set up about ten small huts and apparently it's supposed to be a village in Tibet, with more huts to be added by CGI. Yesterday Batman and someone were fighting with swords on the glacier. Tomorrow a magnificent scene will be filmed with Batman and the bad guy fighting while crashing down a steep hill toward a very high cliff. Of course this will be done with some elaborate wire work".
This is legit, as it meshes with things in the script that I've read. Bruce does save, or attempt to save someone in that regard, but it is spoiler. And you know my postition on plot spoilers.... Day 2 - Liam Neeson has been spotted, he is sporting an Asian looking mustache with a one inch gap in the mustache under his nose. Also Christian Bale has a "one month beard". As far as I know he has not yet begun wearing the batsuit. He is wearing some leather clothes with a string belt. In one scene Christian Bale was being carried over the shoulder by someone. The buzz is that this is supposed to be the beginning of the movie. Oh and there is an buddist looking temple also" They are filming the begining of film--Bruce doing his "soul searching." Wayne has been gone from Gotham for a LONG while and is--according to the script--sporting a beard. He's been in a prison for a period prior to searching for refuge--after release is set up by Ducard. And NEVER does The Batman appear in Himalayas, only Wayne--there's no Batman, yet. He is ONLY in Gotham.
Another--and GREAT--BATMAN BEGINS script review!
Gordon is cast: Gary Oldman!!! More cool info about the cape!
"Batman Begins," director Christopher Nolan's highly anticipated film, has commenced production in Iceland, with Gary Oldman joining the all-star cast. The announcement was made today by Jeff Robinov, President of Production, Warner Bros. Pictures.
In "Batman Begins," Oldman will play Lieutenant James Gordon, a detective on the Gotham police force. The film stars Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman; Michael Caine as his trusted butler Alfred; Katie Holmes as Rachel, a childhood friend of Wayne's; Liam Neeson as Wayne's mentor, Henri Ducard; Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox, a former board member and sidelined employee of Wayne Enterprises; and Ken Watanabe as the villainous Ra's Al Ghul.
Directed by Christopher Nolan from a screenplay by David Goyer and Christopher Nolan, "Batman Begins" is produced by Emma Thomas, Charles Roven and Larry Franco. The executive producers are Ben Melniker and Michael Uslan. The film is based on characters created by Bob Kane and published by DC Comics.
"Batman Begins" is scheduled to film in Iceland, London and Chicago.
The film, which explores the origins of the Batman legend and the Dark Knight's emergence as a force for good in Gotham, will be released worldwide in Summer 2005 by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.
More costume info, The official WB BEGINS synopsis!
I have not seen it myself, but an old costume deptartment friend has been working on it and
tells me that it is based on the Alex Ross designs from the graphic novels.
Dark (very) grey bodice, black bat chest (with no yellow shield),
tight-fitting mask (that moves - meaning, frowns and squints and so on - but
do not hold me or my source to that as he/she? has only seen a 3rd level
prototype of the cowl) with prominent ears, overall an extremely tight
fitting outfit (presumably to show off Bale's gym work, or, from what I have
been told, to finally make the point that Bruce Wayne is a gym junkie, not a
rich dope in armour).
Fingers crossed, Jett-Man -- are they really going to
make the first in a long line of great and honest Batman movies? That's what
my numerous little birds tell me. While many costume reports have found their way on the net here of late, several things are consistant: The body suit is a dark grey, and not spandex or rubber. There is no yellow oval--just the black batsymbol across the chest. The cowl, boots, gloves, and perhaps belt are all black, or a very, very dark blue. I really don't see much a lot of contradiction here with the suit....This is the official description of BATMAN BEGINS from scooper "D.S." via the Warner Brothers intranet....
Director Christopher Nolan (Memento, Insomnia) and
screenwriter David S. Goyer (the Blade trilogy) join
forces for another action-packed chapter of the Batman
saga!
As a young boy, Bruce Wayne watched in horror as his
millionaire parents were slain in front of him--a
trauma that leads him to become obsessed with revenge.
But the opportunity to avenge his parent's deaths is
cruelly taken away from him by fate.
Fleeing to the East, where he seeks counsel with the
dangerous but honorable ninja cult leader known as
Ra's Al-Ghul, Bruce returns to his now decaying Gotham
City, which is overrun by organized crime and other
dangerous individuals manipulating the system.
Meanwhile, Bruce is slowly being swindled out of Wayne
Industries, the company he inherited.
The discovery of a cave under his mansion, along with
a prototype armored suit, leads him to assume a new
persona, one which will strike fear into the hearts of
men who do wrong; he becomes Batman!!!
In the new guise, and with the help of rising cop Jim
Gordon, Batman sets out to take down the various
nefarious schemes in motion by individuals such as
mafia don Falcone, the twisted doctor/drug dealer
Jonathan 'The Scarecrow' Crane, and a mysterious third
party that is quite familiar with Wayne and waiting to
strike when the time is right.
(Thanks to "D.S." for the synopsis and to my longtime, scooper amigo for the costume report--you know who you are!)
Some juicy BEGINS details!!!
More Bat-suit info, BATMAN BEGINS begins--maybe, and Wayne Manor?
"The Batsuit is currently being made at a secret location in Hampshire and will be delivered to Shepperton late April. The other description online [from BOF--Jett] was probably the dummy cowl with the same surface material which is being used for camera testing only, this one may be in the Bob Kane 1930s design as a joke. The genuine suit appears to be in seperate sections at the costume designer's Hampshire workshop, although the only parts missing were the utility belt and boots which weren't visible when I took a peek.
The body and sections are dark grey and rippled somewhat to look like real skin, imagine how they portrayed Spawn and you get the right idea. The Batsymbol is across the chest armour and not in a yellow oval. The cowl and cape are black or dark blue, the cowl looks like the skin material too and is thinner and has realistic human features like cheekbones and forehead.
The ears are fairly long like in the previous movies and the design of the eyes and jaw cutaways are similar. Overall the suit doesnt look as exaggeratedly muscular as it was before and the rubber like material is thinner."
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