It's the question genre fans have been quietly asking themselves since Heath Ledger's tragic death. How does the fantastic-looking sequel to Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, proceed in the wake of this sudden sadness?
Certainly, time and distance will help ease the hurt, as the film isn't due until July. Smart money says that will be enough time for people to see it not as exploitation, but a tribute to Ledger's extraordinary work to let the public witness his final finished performance. Unless the rumors that he never finished his looping are true, in which case nerds will be listening for variations in vocal stylings. Slate Magazine says that Christopher Nolan insists that he's got everything he needed from Ledger.
This is a good thing. The question is 'how do you make toys based on a dead man?' Eventually, Todd McFarlane got around to producing a figure of The Crow based on Brandon Lee, but he's known for being generally creepy, and that was an R-rated movie anyway. Batman is popular with the kids (even if the 10-year-old I saw Batman Begins with fell asleep before Batman ever showed up in it), so that means aisles full of plastic Heath Ledgers in clown make-up, not to mention T-shirts.
Now Warner has to figure out what to do with products bearing that likeness. "You don't want people to think you're exploiting his death," the source explains. "But his character is part of the movie, and he was on board with wanting to do this with his character." And if Warner doesn't release the merchandise, "The pirates would come out of the woodwork, and then it's completely out of control."
As long as they don't start running ads come June touting "Heath Ledger's Final Performance!," I think they'll be okay. Everyone understands this is a prickly position, everyone understands that even Ledger would say 'the show must go on,' and everyone knows that Ledger really enjoyed playing the character of a murderous sociopathic clown. They make action figures of Jesus, pro wrestler Owen Hart and Dwight D. Eisenhower, for pete's sake. The only gripe will likely be "too soon," and in six months, I doubt they'll even say that.
My only worry is that they'll be forced to rely too heavily on marketing the other antagonist in The Dark Knight, and Aaron Eckhart's role as Harvey Dent would really work much better as a secret from the laymen who don't know the story of Dent and who have likely forgotten Tommy Lee Jones' mockery of the character in Batman Forever. But you gotta do what you gotta do. Two-Face is my favorite Batman villain anyway.
