As I have already made clear, the respect and admiration I have for Ledger's phenomenal performance is immense. I also understand Nolan's reasoning for leaving the character be. Obviously, actually having been close to Ledger, he feels that the role should be cemented in time and not attempted to be duplicated.
But I can't shake the part of me that just wants to see this character developed further. I'm not even saying that he needs to be featured largely. With Bane in the mix there is an opportunity to introduce more to the trilogy. However, I would love to see the Joker in Arkham, biding his time and a certain Dr. Quinzel falling MADLY in love with him.
Would it not therefore be more of a celebration of Ledger's success to continue his legacy in TDKR?
We've all noticed the resemblance bore between Ledger and Levitt. There's a lot you can do to maintain continuity when replacing a character that wears a lot of make-up and will probably spend most of his screen time in a dimly lit cell. And Levitt is a fine actor who I'm sure would make a huge effort to fill Joker's very large shoes.
Unfortunately, I doubt my plea will be heard. As many of you have commented on other articles, Nolan has said he won't use Joker and therefore almost definitely won't. But a man can dream.
In this case, my guess is Levitt is on to play Dick Grayson. Maybe even make a costumed appearance as Nightwing. I say that simply because I don't see how the Robin costume will fit in. Perhaps it's seen as in Batman Forever when the flying Grayson's wore the red top and tights (please don't hurt me for mentioning Batman Forever), Grayson's get killed and Nightwing "Rises".
Hmm...