One of Heath Ledger's final roles before his tragic death was portraying Joker, the psychopathic arch-nemesis of Batman in The Dark Night, director Chris Nolan's follow-up to the 2005 film, Batman Begins. Ledger's unexpected death led fans and industry insiders alike to speculate as to whether or not Nolan and crew would change the nature of his role in the movie.
To change that role, according to Nolan, would be tantamount to disrespecting the great actor. According to CNN, "I think he'd be very pleased to see we're just moving ahead as is," stated Nolan. "If you try to honor somebody, you honor them by respecting their work and putting it out there for as many people to see. He was immensely proud of the work he did on the film. I feel a great burden to present that in an undistorted form."