When Ben Roethlisberger took the field on Saturday for the first football action of the year at Pittsburgh’s Heinz Field, he did so not as a member of the Steelers, but as the quarterback for the Gotham Rogues.
Roethlisberger was one of 11 Steelers players who were filmed for roles as football players in The Dark Knight Rises — the third installment in Christopher Nolan‘s Batman trilogy.
In the scene, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Hines Ward receives a kickoff and begins to return it before terrorists set off a series of explosions and hold the stadium hostage.
The production crew reportedly brought over 10,000 fans into the stadium as extras, and the filming lasted nearly 10 hours.
Along with Roethlisberger and Ward, fellow Steelers Willie Colon, Maurkice Pouncey, Mike Wallace, Heath Miller, Aaron Smith, Ryan Clark, Troy Polamalu, James Farrior and Casey Hampton also appear as Gotham players.
A few other noticeable Pittsburgh faces make cameos as well. Former Steelers coach Bill Cowher returns to Pittsburgh as head coach of the Rogues, with Steelers director of football operations Kevin Colbert playing his assistant.
Pittsburgh mayor Luke Ravenstahl, who played football at Washington & Jefferson College, also makes an appearance as the kicker for the visiting Rapid City Monuments.
