Batman Future Films: 8 Big Questions That Demand Answers

2. Will We See The Joker Again?

The casting of Heath Ledger as the Joker raised many eyebrows among Batman fans. When The Dark Knight finally hit screens, though, everyone was blown away by Ledger's portrayal (one that was good enough to win an Oscar, and will go do in history as one of the great film villains). With Ledger tragically passing away around the time of the film's release, though, there was never going to be the opportunity for him to reprise the role in a future movie. This lead to a third Nolan Batman movie where the Joker wasn't even mentioned in passing, and also caused many people to claim that the character should be retired from movies forever out of respect for Ledger's death. It is impossible to imagine Batman without the Joker. He may have many other enemies - probably the best rouge's gallery in all of comics - but for whatever reason none has become so important to shaping Batman as the Joker has. Considering this, it would seem that the calls to retire the Joker from film will fall on deaf ears. If our beloved clown prince is to come back, though, when will the time be right? When will enough years have passed for a new actor to take the role without fear of being stuck in Ledger's shadow? Will we see a Joker similar to what we got in The Dark Knight, or will the character be taken in a different direction so as to differentiate him from other incarnations? It is an extremely sensitive situation to which no-one really has the answers. In all likeliness, whatever avenue DC/Warner Bros. take, there are some fans who are going to be happy, whilst others will end up very, very upset.