Some time has past since the Dark Knight movie swept us off our feet. It’s been daunting on me, thinking about the possibilities of a third installment to the Batman franchise. I mean, the Dark Knight was one of the greatest movies, not only for the superhero genre, but also for crime stories and thrillers. It’s hard to top that kind of success. Most importantly, it’s hard to top Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker. [ link ] On the other hand, I think the show can go on.

I think one of the best ways to pay tribute to Heath is to continue what he started with the Joker. He helped developed the character, whether it was his walk or facial expressions or his voice. To say nobody else can be the Joker in Chris Nolan’s Batman films is not fair. In fact, it defeats the purpose of acting. I truly  believe the role is something that’s worth passing on to another talented actor. As for whom the role should go to, that is a task in itself. As always, I constructed a little casting call…

Johnny Depp – Trust me, this isn’t a lazy choice. It's just smart. Johnny’s no stranger to make-up and immersing himself in his characters. He’s undeniably one of the finest actors of our generation. The plus side is that he recently worked with Christian Bale on the Public Enemy film, so the good-guy-bad-guy chemistry from that could help.

Paul Bettany – This guy is scary-looking without make-up, so imagine what he would look like with white face paint and scars. I think he would do a remarkable job filling on Heath’s shoes. The only thing I can think of that could work against him is his height. I believe he’s 6 foot 3 inches, which makes him taller than Christian Bale.   

Benecio Del Toro – He’s probably the last name you’d expect to hear, but he’s a good actor. I based his spot on the list from his role in Sin City. The scene where Jackie Boy is in the car with Dwight was Joker-esque. [ link ] His voice is kinda deep, but as I said, he’s an actor. Becoming the character is all in a day’s work.  

Jim Carrey – At first, before Heath’s name even came up for playing the Joker, Jim Carrey was the no-brainer choice. Sure, he played Riddler in the 1997 Batman Forever film, but Jim has come a long way since then. He proved that he can play serious roles (The Number 23, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) and he naturally has the comedic charm of the Joker. [ link ] 

Daniel Day Lewis – With Joker’s makeup applied, it could work without a hitch. In fact, I think he would probably go more smoothly than the others on the list. If you look at his role in Gangs of New York, he was quite scary---definitely a guy you don’t want to cross.

A bonus is that he Mr. Lewis has a deep respect for Heath Ledger, dedicating his SAG award to him in 2008. [ link ]

To a lot of folks, he’s the ideal guy to pick up where Heath left of.

Then again, after looking at a few screencaps of Jim Carrey in The Number 23, I'm starting to think that he would make a seamless transition.

Any thoughts?