“The Dark Knight Rises” director Christopher Nolan issued a statement Friday night in response to the horrific shooting that occurred during a midnight screening of his film in Aurora, Colo., leaving 12 dead and 59 wounded:
“Speaking on behalf of the cast and crew of ‘The Dark Knight Rises’, I would like to express our profound sorrow at the senseless tragedy that has befallen the entire Aurora community.
I would not presume to know anything about the victims of the shooting but that they were there last night to watch a movie. I believe movies are one of the great American art forms and the shared experience of watching a story unfold on screen is an important and joyful pastime.
The movie theatre is my home, and the idea that someone would violate that innocent and hopeful place in such an unbearably savage way is devastating to me.
Nothing any of us can say could ever adequately express our feelings for the innocent victims of this appalling crime, but our thoughts are with them and their families.”
Nolan and the cast of “The Dark Knight Rises” had been silent all day Friday following the news of the shooting.
Warner Bros., the studio that helmed the film, put out a statement earlier in the day saying that it and “the filmmakers are deeply saddened to learn about this shocking incident. We extend our sincere sympathies to the families and loved ones of the victims at this tragic time.”
Warner Bros. is not canceling any screenings of the film, besides the high-profile Paris premiere that was scheduled for Friday evening.
The AMC, Regal and Cinemark theater chains all also issued similar statements, and are not canceling screenings in the wake of the shooting. AMC, however, banned all costumes and anything that masks patrons’ faces from its theaters.