Christian Bale And Heath Ledger’s Father Address ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ Shooting

Following Friday’s shooting during the midnight premiere of The Dark Knight Rises in Aurora, Colorado, actor Christian Bale expressed his condolences and shock at the massacre. “Words cannot express the horror that I feel,” Bale, who plays Bruce Wayne in the Batman trilogy, said in a statement to The Huffington Post. “I cannot begin to truly understand the pain and grief of the victims and their loved ones, but my heart goes out to them.”

Reports that the gunman, James Holmes, 24, was portraying The Joker, one of the trilogy’s villains played by the deceased Heath Ledger, led Ledger’s father Kim Ledger to speak out as well. “We can't blame Heath or the character,'' Ledger told Herald Sun. "I think that's the least of my worries… I'd be more worried about the families and other people involved in the tragedy rather than anything else,” he continued, adding that America should take the opportunity to revise its gun laws.

His words follow The Dark Knight Rises studio’s own statement shortly after the incident. “Warner Bros. 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,” the studio said on Friday. “Out of respect for the victims and their families, Warner Bros. Pictures will not be reporting box office numbers for The Dark Knight Rises throughout the weekend. Box office numbers will be released on Monday.”

Other members of the cast and crew weighed in on the tragedy over the weekend. "We're all devastated by what's happened. When we set up this interview, we didn't know that things would change," music composer for The Dark Knight Rises Hans Zimmer told Rolling Stone. "Suddenly, words become meaningless because it's so beyond anything. Devastated, I suppose, is the word."

“The movie theater is my home," The Dark Knight Rises director Christopher Nolan told The Hollywood Reporter, "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."

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