Heath Ledger Will Not Be In The Dark Knight Rises

Ah, the old rumor mill is at work again, this time making people extremely worried abou the third film in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, The Dark Knigh Rises. The latest "news" item concerned the late Heath Ledger, who delivered an unforgettable performance as Batman archenemy The Joker in 2008's The Dark Knight. According to the rumor, The Joker would return in Dark Knight Rises via unused footage from the previously film. Thank all that is holy, that is not the case.

"I heard the rumor. We're not doing that."

That was the short and very sweet response given by Emma Thomas, Christoper Nolan's wife and producing partner. Nolan has also stated that he feels Ledger's Joker should be exclusive to The Dark Knight. I don't think anyone would disagree. The role nabbed Ledger a number of posthumous awards, most notably the Oscar for best supporting actor. He also won a Saturn award, an International award, an Austin Film Critics award, a Bafta Film award, a BSFC award, a Critic's Choice award, a COFCA award, and I don't feel like typing the rest of them, let alone the loads of nominations. Suffice to say that it's not a role that should be tarnished by a half-ass digital insert, and Nolan is well aware of that.

The film will however feature Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, and the freshly cast Tom Hardy in a yet-unannounced role. Aaron Eckhart was reportedly excited to reprise his role as Harvey Dent/Two-Face, but Nolan has confirmed that the character is indeed dead. The film is scheduled for release on July 20, 2012.