The Joke's On You

Empire magazine has posted the first real, official picture of Heath Ledger as The Joker from the upcoming Batman movie, The Dark Knight. While he retains the dapper duds of Jack Nicholson's earlier film portrayal, he's covered in grime and filth, which to me makes him less of a cheery, wacky villain, and more of a John Wayne Gacy baby killer. It bodes well for the next installment in the new Batman series, and continues the dark, gritty look of Batman Begins, a movie I liked a lot. Tim Burton's vision was great, but it was too theatrical to really get under my skin. I also liked the character of Bruce Wayne so much more in BB, because he was a real dick - a rich, spoiled, drunken wanker, which is a much better cover for Bats than a serious, focused businessman. The new film is due on the 18th of July 2008, and obviously I'm quite excited.