Heath Ledger "Controversial" Batman Scene to Be Cut

The upcoming movie in the Batman series - "The Dark Knight" - is set to turn into one of the biggest Warner Bros releases of all times. The cult developed by the Batman franchise and the very positive critical acclaim gained by "Batman Begins", together with Heath Ledger's remarkable performance as the "psychopathic, mass murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy" that goes by the name of the Joker, already provide the movie an aura of dark glamor, promising audiences a real feast when it hits theaters in July. However, in the light of Heath Ledger's tragic death in January this year, news got out that a key Joker scene in the movie is about to be cut due to its potentially disturbing character.

The scene in question involves Heath Ledger's character the Joker playing dead inside a body bag. Apparently, at the preliminary screenings, audiences have not reacted well to seeing Ledger seemingly dead - of course, this is due to the young actor's tragic accidental death in January this year. When the "Joker playing dead" scene first came up on screen, test audiences reportedly reacted in a very uncomfortable way, "gasping, shuffling and murmuring", with an overall atmosphere of strain and unease. However, the scene in question is also said to be crucial for the movie's plot development. As a result, the producers are currently in limbo, not being able to figure out what to do: leave the scene and risk controversy, or cut it and lose one the key moments.

"The Dark Knight" benefited from an aggressive viral marketing campaign, with the Joker as the main promotional focus. Ledger himself went to great lengths to portray the anarchist murderer in a very realistic manner. In the course of preparations, the actor lived alone in a hotel room for a month, working on the character's posture, voice and psychology. Among the sources of inspiration he used for his work, Ledger cited "A Clockwork Orange" and Sid Vicious. "There's a bit of everything in him. There's nothing that consistent," he revealed at one point, adding that "there are a few more surprises to him". It sounds like Ledger gave the performance of a lifetime when he portrayed the Joker, and as a result, cutting his most important scenes would probably not be a very good idea. Stay tuned for more updates on "The Dark Knight".