Heath Ledger

We still love it, but was it worth what it did to Batman onscreen?

An old interview with Heath Ledger’s sister has resurfaced, detailing the late actor’s plans to return for more ‘Batman.’

Next year will be the 10th anniversary of the release of The Dark Knight, arguably one of the greatest superhero films ever made, and one of Christopher Nolan's most celebrated films. A lot of that is due to the performance of Heath Ledger as the Joker, which was sadly his last, but also one of his most iconic and memorable. His version of the Joker went from getting some of the most vitriol from fans in any casting announcement to becoming the version cosplayed and revered more than any other. In celebration of this anniversary, Hot Toys has announced an all-new quarter-scale version of its popular Joker figure, complete with a new portrait that honors the man behind the make-up.

People like a legend. When Heath Ledger died of a prescription drug overdose in January 2008, he had just completed principal photography on his Academy Award-winning role of the Joker in Christopher Nolan’s grown-up Batman flick The Dark Knight. With zero foundation in confirmed public knowledge, a narrative sprung up around Ledger’s troubled final days, that the psychological demands of portraying a figure as sick and twisted as the Joker weighed too heavily on the actor. The apocryphal notion that the role ultimately drove Ledger to suicide is way off the mark, however, explains Ledger’s sister Kate.

There’s a certain theatrical nihilism to Donald Trump that lends itself well to Batman’s greatest nemesis, as we’ve seen Mark Hamill repeatedly demonstrate with his Joker-ized take on Trump tweets. As it turns out, the parallel works eerily well with other Jokers, as The Daily Show discovers with horrifying precision.

When it comes to comic book movie castings, this sort of outrage is nothing new. Just about every announcement comes with some sort of protest, as comic book fans have their own preconceived notions of what the big screen version of their favorite hero or villain should look and sound like.

It's bittersweet to think that 'The Dark Knight Rises' marked the end of Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, considering many moviegoers were in agreement that it was not only the highlight of the summer, but also the best of the three films. And yet, it's sad to see it come to an end. On the other hand, there's still more images and footage to be seen. 'The Dark Knight Rises' DVD and Blu-ray edit

When we were at Comic-Con 2012 in San Diego, we got to see a screening of the upcoming action flick 'Dredd.' While we didn't get a close look at our guy Karl Urban, (duh, 'cause he kept his helmet on for the entire film) we did get a close-up snapshot of Lena Headey as Madeline “Ma-Ma” Madrigal. Let's just say, we were a little more than frightened.