Pittsburgh Steelers Go 'Rogue' for New Batman Film

The Pittsburgh Steelers are going rogue.

About a dozen Steelers are playing members of the Gotham Rogues, the home team taking on the equally fictitious Rapid City Monuments in a new Batman movie currently filming in Pittsburgh.

Thousands of extras playing fans also have been recruited for Saturday's shoot for "The Dark Knight Rises" at Heinz Field.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that players getting their star turn include Ben Roethlisberger, Hines Ward, Willie Colon, Maurkice Pouncey, Mike Wallace, Heath Miller, Aaron Smith, Ryan Clark, Troy Polamalu, James Farrior and Casey Hampton.

"I don't think it will be a big part, It's not like we're chasing Batman down or anything," Roethlisberger said. "It's something neat that in 10 years or 20 years we can tell our kids we were in a movie."

Linebacker LaMarr Woodley told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that he was a big Batman fan as a youngster and can't wait to be in the movie.

"I can tell somebody I was in `Batman,"' Farrior said. "That's going to be awesome."
Production on the film, director Christopher Nolan's third in the trilogy, will continue in Pittsburgh through the end of August. The film, scheduled to be released in July 2012, stars Christian Bale as the caped crusader and his alter ego, Bruce Wayne, along with Gary Oldman and Anne Hathaway.

The previous two films are "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight."

Thomas Tull, the film's executive producer, joined the Steelers ownership group two years ago. He helped bring the movie to Pittsburgh and wanted to get the Steelers involved.