Batman: The Dark Knight Left Jack Nicholson Out

I'm sure every Batman-lover out there will rejoice at the news that Batman is coming back. In fact, he's technically already back, seeing that the next movie in the franchise - The Dark Knight - is already shooting on location in Hong Kong. The film comes as a sequel to the 2005 Batman Begins, which brought back the Batman name and glory after an eight-year pause. Christopher Nolan, who directed Batman Begins, continues as the director of the sequel, in which Christian Bale dons the bat suit again and prepares to impress us all with more night-time action.

One new and interesting addition to the cast is Heath Ledger, who will try his hand at playing the evil Joker, Batman's nemesis. The Dark Knight is set to introduce a new version of the Joker, based on the villain's original appearances in comic book lore. The character of Batman also becomes more of a detective, dealing with the escalated situation from the end of Batman Begins, as well as with the dilemma of his own vigilante crusade.

Ledger being cast as the villainous small time bank robber turned evil crook has already sparked some controversy, with Jack Nicholson (who starred as the villainous trickster in the 1989 version of the film) pronouncing himself "furious" that he wasn't asked to reprise his role for "The Dark Knight". When asked how he felt about another actor playing the Joker, Nicholson's reply was: "I'm furious. I'm furious. They never asked me about a sequel with the Joker. I know how to do that! Nobody ever asked me. Maybe it was the right thing, but to be candid, I'm furious". Ouch!

Nicholson also revealed that the bond that he and the Joker character share goes back to his childhood, when he fell in love with the DC comic book series. "Well, the Joker comes from my childhood. That's how I got involved with it in the first place. It's a part I always thought I should play," he stated for MTV. "I'm not inclined to watch the movie because of what I said. But if it's a good movie, I'll catch up with it somewhere". Someone will definitely not be keeping his fingers crossed for the movie to be a hit. Well, it must really hurt to be left outside alone like that. Cruel, cruel world.