Steelers Investor Thomas Tull Gets Team, City Highlighted In Latest Batman Movie

Legendary Entertainment CEO & Steelers investor THOMAS TULL, whose company co-produced the movie "THE DARK KNIGHT RISES," said that he and Steelers President ART ROONEY II worked "actively with the Pittsburgh Film Office and with Warner Bros." to make the city "one of five primary backdrops" for the film, according to Gene Collier of the PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE. The film, which is being released nationwide this week, includes the "screen debuts" of former Steelers WR HINES WARD, Steelers QB BEN ROETHLISBERGER, S TROY POLAMALU, WR MIKE WALLACE, former Steelers coach BILL COWHER and Pittsburgh Mayor LUKE RAVENSTAHL. Tull joined the Steelers ownership group three years ago, and Ward said, "You can see he loves the city and tries to do as much as possible to put the city on the map. ... Being asked to be in the Batman movie was just such a big honor." Collier writes the Rooneys "have enjoyed the relationship Tull has cultivated with the players, and don't think they've forgotten how investors like Tull helped them execute a rather urgent financial reconstruction that did little else but save the Steelers as we know them." Rooney said, "There is no question that this group of partners that came on board allowed us to continue to own and operate the franchise; we owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to them. Everyone really enjoys the relationship and all of them bring something to the table. Thomas really enjoys Pittsburgh." Tull said, "When I was growing up, it was like [former Steelers] JOE GREENE, JACK LAMBERT, TERRY BRADSHAW, FRANCO HARRIS, they all came from Mount Olympus. That's why it's such a privilege to call myself a partner of the Rooney family; it's unbelievably humbling. They're the classiest people you'll ever meet" (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 7/17).