Filming For “The Dark Knight Rises” …
… arrived in The Garden State on Thursday. And if Newark residents expected to see the Batmobile streaking down the streets of their fair city, they came away disappointed.

The Newark Star-Ledger reports:

“Batman wasn’t nearly as disruptive to traffic as people thought he would be today in downtown Newark. Actually, there really wasn’t much of him to see, with most of the filming for “The Dark Knight Rises” tucked inside City Hall on Broad Street, starting in the early morning.
Across from a sign that warned visitors of “contained fires and loud noises” as well as “simulated explosions” and gun shots (blanks), guards shushed those entering the building.
Anyone who wasn’t a city employee or due for business in City Hall — marriage licenses, water and tax bills, for instance — was barred from the filming area. Wannabe extras were turned away.
Production trucks and film workers on Franklin Street and two giant lights perched in front of the building’s front steps were the only visual evidence of the set. The rest could be heard: Calls of “Here we go!” “Rolling!” and “All quiet on the set!” resounded in the lobby.”

Read the full story here.

Here’s a few set pics, courtesy of Twitpic: