It's called: Let's write a non-contentious entry for today, hmm?

[trinityvixen]

It's been made official: Heath Ledger really will be the Joker in the sequel to Batman Begins that will be titled The Dark Knight.

I love the title. I could lose the Ledger. I'd love the title more if they just bought out Frank Miller and made it officially The Dark Knight Returns as that's both accurate and appropriate; Begins was pretty much Batman: Year One with a little more realism tossed in. I guess anything linking this Bat-franchise to the old one just won't fly, so no "Returns" in the title.

The Joker, though. I swear to the great noodly moster in the sky that I will REMOVE HEATH LEDGER'S TESTICLES AND FEED THEM TO HIM WHILE I RIP OPEN HIS STOMACH AND FEED THEM TO HIM AGAIN if he messes this up. It flies in the face of the smart casting Nolan and co. pulled off last time. The one character they could have cast better was Rachel Dawes, but she's not a famous character (she's not even canon period). This is the motherf'ing Joker. The #1 Villain of All Time, For All Time. The Clown Prince of Crime. The villain you bring in to scare anyone else shitless.

And Mr. Heath "He Will Rock You" Ledger is going to play him.

This.
Guy.
Will.
Play.
The Joker.

Note: I didn't say he was going to be the Joker. He'll play the Joker. As in "he'll play at being the Joker," kind of like that kid with the broom handle played at being a Jedi. I just hope Nolan has better special effects to fix it up after..

Comments

[saikogrrl.livejournal.com]

It does seem like a weird role for him...

Didn't Jim Carrey play the Joker in a previous film? What did you think of him?

[droidguy1119.livejournal.com]

He played The Riddler. Jack Nicholson was The Joker.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

It's been commented, but I can comment again. I did actually like Carrey as the Riddler. This was right around the time he was making his first bids as a dramatic rather than comedic actor (The Truman Show came out after Batman Forever, I think), so he was working in elements of that switch into his Edward Nygma. When he says, "You were supposed to understand!" to himself after Bruce shuts him down, his blind-sided shock is incredible. But I got chills when he settles into the crazy with "I'll make you understand."

Something else I liked about his characterization was his obsession with Bruce Wayne. It's pretty bold of Schumacher to throw in a man who's obsessed with/stalking another man (as if the Bat-nipples and ass-shots weren't faggy enough marketing)--that kind of thing could have misfired big time. But Carrey played it very well. When he's the Riddler, he's out-jokey-ing the Joker instead of actually using puzzles to commit crimes (which makes me groan), but he was amusing enough.

[droidguy1119.livejournal.com]

I didn't like that Carrey was kind of unhinged as both Edward Nygma and as The Riddler. I thought that it was probably something that was supported by Warner Bros., since he was still mostly the zany comedian at that point, but I felt he should have reigned it in more as his regular personality to make more of a contrast.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

Unhinged as both is perfectly fine for me--Batman's villains are notable because not only are they his mirror, but they are his Oracle. Should he stray too far over the edge, he could lose it and become just like them.

And I didn't think Nygma's obsession with Bruce was the same kind of insane as the Riddler's. The Riddler, like the Batman, is the way to blow off the extreme frustration Nygma has as not being able to attain Bruce's respect. That could have been done better, like by actually making the Riddler do puzzle crimes....