Christopher Nolan says no Joker in Batman 3

"Inception" director begins work on next entry of hit franchise, saying he won't replace Heath Ledger in role

Published July 12, 2010 5:13PM (EDT)

The Dark Knight, 2008
The Dark Knight, 2008

Even with director Christopher Nolan's wildly anticipated film, "Inception," hitting theaters this Friday, it's never too soon to discuss his forthcoming Batman movie.

Not much is known about the latest installment of the Caped Crusador, but one thing is for sure: the Joker will not be making an appearance.  "For me, Heath [Ledgar] was the definitive Joker," Nolan said. "It wouldn't feel appropriate to readdress that character."

Ledger, who won a posthumous Academy Award for his role as the demented Joker in "The Dark Knight," died of an accidental prescription overdose in 2008.

So, with the Joker crossed out, who will be the villain?  Bane?  The Penguin?  How about Catwoman?  A femme fatale would be an interesting change of pace.

The script isn't even finished, but rumors peg the Riddler as the next evil doer.  It's believed that Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who is co-starring in "Inception," is Nolan's early favorite to play Edward Nigma, but also tossed around are the names of Johnny Depp, Robin Williams (hopefully in the vein of his bone-chilling character in "One Hour Photo" and not, you know, how he usually is), and Predator-killing Adrian Brody.

The currently unnamed Batman 3 opens July 20, 2012.


By Chris Le

MORE FROM Chris Le


Related Topics ------------------------------------------

Christopher Nolan Movie News