Heath Ledger passed away six months before The Dark Knight, the film that won him a posthumous Oscar for his career-best performance as the Joker, was released and became a worldwide hit. There have long been rumors that Ledger would have returned for The Dark Knight Rises, but director Christopher Nolan has never confirmed as much. Instead, we have to take the word of Heath’s sister, Kate, who in an interview that was published last year (but only just went viral) revealed that her brother was ready to play the Joker again.
“He was so proud of what he had done in [The Dark Knight],” she said. “And I know he had plans for another Batman. He loved working with Chris Nolan and Christian Bale… He just had the best time ever doing that film. When he came home at Christmas, he couldn’t wait to tell us all about it and he was doing the voice and laughing, showing me all the rushes. We had a great time.”
Instead of the possible return of the Joker, the main antagonist in The Dark Knight Rises was Bane, an effective and somewhat incomprehensible villain. But even Tom Hardy (and especially Jared Leto) couldn’t match Ledger’s eccentric villainy.
(Via Slash Film)