Christopher Nolan reiterates no Joker in 'Batman 3'

Still no word on who the Dark Knight will face off against

By AP Staff Monday, Jul 12, 2010 4:58 PM

Heath Ledger as the Joker in "The Dark Knight."

Credit: Warner Bros.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Batman is returning, but he won't have the Joker to contend with next time.

Director Christopher Nolan says he will not bring back the Joker, the villain played so maniacally in "The Dark Knight" by the late Heath Ledger that the role earned him an Academy Award a year after his death.

Nolan would not disclose what villain or villains might take on Batman in the next film, due out July 20, 2012, the same weekend that brought the record-breaking $158.4 million debut of "The Dark Knight" in 2008.

"For me, Heath was the definitive Joker," Nolan said in an interview to promote "Inception," his sci-fi thriller opening Friday. "It wouldn't feel appropriate to readdress that character."

Ledger died of an accidental prescription drug overdose in January 2008. His death stoked fan interest in "The Dark Knight," which topped $1 billion at the box office worldwide.

With his supporting-actor win, Ledger became only the second performer ever to earn an Oscar posthumously.

The next "Batman" film will be the third in the current Warner Bros. incarnation of the franchise, which stars Christian Bale as the vigilante superhero.

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Crow3711 old news is still good news.
July 12, 2010 at 4:43PM EST Reply to Comment
Mulderism I respect that decision, although it would have been interesting to see what his role would be in the third film had Heath not passed away.

I hope there will be some new information at Comic-Con. Some more Superman info would be nice too.
July 12, 2010 at 5:53PM EST Reply to Comment
evan Maybe THE AVENGERS loss could be our gain if Edward Norton could be cast in Nolan's DCU, either in Batman's world, or Superman's. I felt Norton would have been just right as 'Harvey Two-Face', and still can't understand Nolan casting Aaron Eckhart (as much as I like Eckhart, in character and out).
July 12, 2010 at 11:04PM EST Reply to Comment
Max Good God, am I tired of hearing this shit. IT'S A CHARACTER! You're not going to find a better Batman villain and there's a reason he didn't kill him off like he apparently (like a fucking retard) did with Two-Face. Get over the fact that Heath died, it's tragic, but at the end of the day not exactly the biggest obstacle in the world. Recast and move on.
July 13, 2010 at 7:59AM EST Reply to Comment