THE DARK KNIGHT: THE NEW BATSUIT

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- Clothes make the man, even for a super-hero.

Christian Bale gets a new suit for The Dark Knight and he liked it better than the one he wore in Batman Begins.

"Stepping back into it was much more comfortable than the first time," Bale said. "It was a much more revised suit. There had been some requests from myself and from Chris (Nolan, director) to be more maneuverable.

"The first one I was having to fight against the suit all the time in order to do the fight sequences. This time it was compatible with the Keysi fighting method. I can move my head.

"It was heavier than the original, but just so much more motion. I could breathe properly inside of it. It didn't squeeze my head throughout, so I only had to act the rage and anger this time around.

Bale said the evolution of the Bat-suit -- developed in the story by Lucius Fox -- was in keeping with the evolution of story.

"Also, in keeping with this movie, appearing more realstic in the backdrop on the city, etc., that it's closer in appearance to the military images of future soldiers and comic gear," he said.

Focusing on increased comfort and flexibility, The Dark Knight costume designer Lindy Hemming and her team did extensive research into the protective suits worn by motocross riders, as well as military issue protective armor.

"We wanted the new Batsuit to be a more supple, more maneuverable, more breathable piece of equipment, like a modern suit of armor instead of a rubber suit," Hemming said, referring to the neoprene material used in making the Batsuit for Batman Begins.

The new Batsuit is comprised of 110 separate pieces, as opposed to three main components of the Batman Begins suit. The only holdover from the previous film was the cape.

"Add to that, all of those individual pieces had to be modeled and then molded and cast," said costume FX supervisor Graham Churchyard. "Each piece also had to be replicated dozens of times for the multiple Batsuits needed for the overall production. It was an extraordinary amount of work."

Work that Bale appreciated.

"It still gave me that feeling of invincibility," he said. "You canšt help but feel protected and more powerful when you put the Batsuit on. It just works."