IMDB says Heath Ledger would have starred in Batman 3

[Rachael_Rage]

@drm

5’10 vs. 6’1 they both seem reasonably slender with Heath being the larger of the two. I guess it all depends on your definition of muscular. I’m quite a big fan of Joe as well, no question he could handle the roll. Whether he’d take it or not, that’s not up to me…I was just pitching him.

Fair enough, I think all actors probably look smaller in person, especially when you mostly see them photographed with their 90 lb. wives/girlfriends. I don’t think it would be necessary for Joe to bulk up, indeed I might have preferred that Ledger slim down for it. One of my big peeves about Jack Nicholson’s character is that The Joker should not be built like The Penguin!

@drm

As far as this thread being distasteful is concerned, I don’t think anyone hear has anything bad to say about Heath Ledger and I was a pretty big fan, but it IS legitimate to wonder what will happen to the joker character.

Hey, I’m not arguing that. I don’t presume to know what Joe may or may not think of any of this or even if he’s not speculating the same sorts of questions with his friends. :shrug: I just know he’s a sensitive guy, and if I worked with someone who later died unexpectedly, I might feel squeamish about strangers discussing me succeeding her just days after she died (this is probably the most unlikely situation I would find myself in). Certainly it’s a legitimate conversation.

As for my $0.02, I am more with TWDuke in that they could easily leave the part to Ledger and focus on other villains in the Batman universe, though part of the fun of Batman is how The Joker keeps being a pain in the Dark Knight’s ass. So if that’s where Nolan wants to go with the story, hey I’d be all for Joe doing it. Paul Bettany has a good look too.

By the way, does The Joker die in The Dark Knight graphic novel?

ETA: Dumb question. Just remembered that The Dark Knight Returns is an entirely different period in Batman’s life. Nothing to see here, move along.

[drm]

@Rachael Rage

Fair enough, I think all actors probably look smaller in person, especially when you mostly see them photographed with their 90 lb. wives/girlfriends. I don’t think it would be necessary for Joe to bulk up, indeed I might have preferred that Ledger slim down for it. One of my big peeves about Jack Nicholson’s character is that The Joker should not be built like The Penguin!

Hey, I’m not arguing that. I don’t presume to know what Joe may or may not think of any of this or even if he’s not speculating the same sorts of questions with his friends. :shrug: I just know he’s a sensitive guy, and if I worked with someone who later died unexpectedly, I might feel squeamish about strangers discussing me succeeding her just days after she died (this is probably the most unlikely situation I would find myself in). Certainly it’s a legitimate conversation.

As for my $0.02, I am more with TWDuke in that they could easily leave the part to Ledger and focus on other villains in the Batman universe, though part of the fun of Batman is how The Joker keeps being a pain in the Dark Knight’s ass. So if that’s where Nolan wants to go with the story, hey I’d be all for Joe doing it. Paul Bettany has a good look too.

I see what you’re saying, yeah. I definitely wouldn’t give him a phone call and ask him right this minute, he’s just the first guy that popped into my head. I had heard the Paul Bettany rumour years ago…he’s really tall. Despite the fact that the movie sucked, he showed promise for that type of character in The De Vinci Code.

re: the other villains. My only real concern is that they don’t deviate from the plotline they’ve already planned and if they do, I can’t tell.

[Sage_Rat]

@Rachael Rage

By the way, does The Joker die in The Dark Knight graphic novel?

ETA: Dumb question. Just remembered that The Dark Knight Returns is an entirely different period in Batman’s life. Nothing to see here, move along.

In The Dark Knight Returns Batman decides that he’d been wrong to not kill the Joker, and proceeds to do so. I believe he chokes and snaps his neck.

[Justin_Bailey]

@Left Hand of Dorkness

No they’re not. That’s a weird thing to say.

What’s so weird about it? The new Batman movies have an incredible pedigree behind them.

Nearly the entire cast is made up of actors with respected resumes as long as my arm:

Christian Bale
Michael Caine
Morgan Freeman
Cillian Murphy
Liam Neeson
Gary Oldman
Aaron Eckhart
Heath Ledger
Maggie Gyllenhall

And the movies are directed by Christopher Nolan, who has managed to turn more artsy movies like Memento and The Prestige into blockbusters.

And after the first one, the studio basically lets Nolan do what he wants with the franchise. He is in complete control.

I say again, if a serious actor wants to make a move into big budget blockbusters, the new Batman movies are the best way to do it.

[WhyNot]

@Rachael Rage

Also I think he would be sensitive to the loss of his former co-star and probably would find this whole thread distasteful.

Oh, I’m glad. If I was someone who knew and (presumably) liked the guy, I’d be upset if someone asked me to have a conversation about taking over his job even before his funeral. And yet, I somehow suspect that happens to hundreds of people everyday - regular jobs don’t just sit around well for weeks on end until everyone’s stopped grieving. I’m sure people are asked to fill in for their colleagues within 24 hours of a death all the time. It’s nice that this is not a time-pressing issue, that will give everyone involved some time to process their feelings before getting back to work, but that’s a luxury of the exact circumstances - the movie’s not even in pre-production yet - and not one accorded to most of us.

As for us here, we’re not even IN the business. Don’t you think that if Bill Gates died today, people would be speculating on the future of Microsoft immediately? If President Bush died, we’d be talking about what might happen with Dick Cheney as President (good lord, those are chilling words). Why should actors get a pass?