Joker Puts Halt to Batman Filming

Filming of a new Batman sequel, The Dark Knight has been put on hold. A former post office building in Chicago being used as the "Gotham National Bank" in the film caught fire this morning. Workers in a nearby building reported seeing the smoke but assumed it was part of the movie. Spokesman for the fire department, Kevin MacGregor told reporters the fire appeared to have started in the ventilation system. It is unknown at this time if the fire was caused by filming of the movie.

The fire began near the roof of the building. The fire was reported just before 11:30 this morning. The fire was completely extinguished less than thirty minutes later. As a precautionary measure firefighters remained at the site in the event of the fire rekindling. More than a dozen fire trucks and ambulances responded to the call.

It is unclear at this time the amount of damage the building sustained. Filmmakers have reported they will continue filming upon receiving the go-ahead from fire officials. There has been no word on how long it will be. The movie was set to release in 2008. The film will star Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne, Heath Ledger as the Joker, and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox.

The building has been vacant since 1996. On April 19^th the Chicago Plan Commission approved plans to turn the vacant building into office space, residential apartments and a hotel. The building itself covers over two blocks. The building is over 2 ½ million square feet. This building was once the largest post office in the world. There has been no word whether fire will hamper the renovation plans. Fire officials will conduct an investigation to determine the cause of the fire. The group planning to do the renovation has not released comments on plans for the building.