The late Heath Ledger redefined the Joker in the medium of film in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. The latest in the rumor mill for the third Batman movie The Dark Knight Rises is that Nolan wants to use unseen footage of Ledger’s Joker.
“The idea is to use these fragments of cut scenes and use CGI to have The Joker appear one last time.”
-An insider
The unnamed insider went on to say that the footage would only be included with the full consent of Ledger’s family — and hopefully they do — Ledger’s Joker was captivating. And let us not forget that the Joker is an essential part in Batman. He may spend half the time in Arkham Asylum, but he’s still a threat who Batman drops in on every now and then. It would add to the continuity of the trilogy.
But of course it’s only a rumor. Regardless, the Joker should have a brief cameo in some form — even if he’s just spoken about in passing. He is Batman’s ultimate antagonist after all.
UPDATE:
Christopher Nolan denied rumors about Heath Ledger’s Joker cameo in The Dark Knight Rises.
[Indie Wire]Nevertheless, re-casting the role of the Joker would be good for continuity.
Something about that sounds creepy to me. I guess if it’s more a tribute to Ledger, but it sounds like a way to squeeze the most out of his last performance. I say leave it as it was! A concept Hollywood definitely doesn’t understand.
Yeah, but apparently Nolan already kept back unseen footage for such a case. For me, I’m just thinking in terms of the Batman story. Though Joseph Gordon-Levitt taking up the role would be awesome.