Send in the clown
By Casey Gillis on Jul. 16, 2008
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The fan boy world has been buzzing about “The Dark Knight,” which hits theaters this weekend, since about, oh, the release of the last Batman movie in 2005.
“The comic book fan audience, they are so ready to go,” says Mike Robinson, a Lynchburg College pop culture professor and comic book enthusiast.
That excitement originates from the ending of “Batman Begins,” which foreshadowed the arrival of the Caped Crusader’s archnemesis, the Joker.
“It’s just, ‘Ohmigod, the Joker’s next,’” Robinson says about the scene, in which Batman turns over a playing card to reveal the Joker’s signature jester.
“People love the Joker. I don’t know why. He’s terrible, but we love him and think he’s hilarious.”
The character is most widely identified with Jack Nicholson, who played him in Tim Burton’s 1989 “Batman.” But the talk surrounding “Dark Knight” promised that Heath Ledger would be putting his own unique spin on the role and even predicted a possible Oscar nod for his work.
“It looks great. I can’t wrap my head around the fact that Heath Ledger is under (the Joker makeup),” Robinson says. “It doesn’t look like him.
“When Nicholson was the Joker … you saw (the character) as Nicholson. You had that sense that Nicholson is in there. With this, it’s, ‘Where’s Heath?’ He’s really creepy.”
The buzz reached a fever pitch when, sadly, Ledger died in January of an accidental drug overdose. What would Warner Bros., the studio behind the film, do?
After some debate, they went ahead with their original marketing plan, which included using Ledger’s eerily made-up Joker in promotional materials.
“If Heath Ledger had died last week, this would be a real problem,” Robinson says. “There’s been enough time and enough space (now). … I think it’s a good, safe distance.”
In today’s celebrity-obsessed climate, it’s entirely possible that an actor’s death will have an impact on any posthumous releases.
“The deaths of celebrities seem to create this outpouring,” says Robert Kolker, a media studies professor at the University of Virginia.
“There’s something about the attachment to celebrities, that feeling of awe at a life lived more fully or more crazily than our own.”
And when that life is finished, especially before its time, fans look for ways to honor the celebrity.
In some cases, a movie that would have otherwise tanked at the box office does well, buoyed by the fans who want to pay their last respects to a beloved actor or those who want to see the late actor’s onscreen swan song out of a general curiosity.
That happened with “Queen of the Damned,” which was released in 2002, less than a year after the death of star Aaliyah. It was widely panned by critics, but still opened at No. 1 at the box office - something many attribute to the R&B star’s loyal fan base.
“The Dark Knight” is a unique case because the film already has scores of people salivating over its release, and Ledger’s death has nothing to do with it.
“If it was a lesser-known superhero … I don’t know, maybe it would have picked the audience up because people would go for the curiosity factor,” Robinson says.
But it’s Batman. Versus the Joker. Two characters that Robinson says are eternally intertwined in comic book lore.
“Batman and the Joker, they change over time,” he says. “They shift over time, and they shift together.”
The Joker, especially, can continually be reinvented because he has no definitive backstory, Robinson says.
“He’s this weird, chaotic, elemental force,” Robinson says. “Because he’s a little more open as a character, we can accept different interpretations of (him).
“He’s not a one-note villain.”
In Burton’s “Batman,” for instance, the Joker is a former mobster who killed Bruce Wayne’s parents, and, later on, Batman causes his disfiguration. Robinson says that was made up for the film and did not come from the comic books.
When the Joker showed up in the first Batman comic book, there was no personal motive behind his devious ways.
“He desired to beat Batman, but in a very public fashion,” Robinson says. “It’s about attention. It’s about the public paying attention to him.”
“The Dark Knight” presents the character in much the same way. He just shows up in Gotham and starts wreaking havoc, with no real explanation.
After Ledger’s death, many speculated that stepping into the character’s demented shoes had contributed to his downward spiral.
“There was this whole attempt to suggest that the Joker had driven him insane, which was so weird,” Robinson says. “They wouldn’t do that with any other character. … I guess that just goes to show you how much we fear him.”
Other actors to star in posthumous releases
James Dean
Death: Sept. 30, 1955
Movies later released: ‘Rebel Without a Cause’ in 1955 and ‘Giant’ in 1956
Aftermath: In the wake of Dean’s death, executives at Warner Bros. worried that audiences wouldn’t want to see the late actor on the big screen. But both films were critical and commercial successes, and “Giant” scored Dean his second posthumous Oscar nomination (the first was for 1955’s “East of Eden”). “Rebel Without a Cause,” released less than a month after his death, went onto cement Dean’s place as an icon for rebellious teens everywhere.
Bruce Lee
Death: June 20, 1973
Movies later released: ‘Enter the Dragon’ in 1973, three weeks after his death, and ‘Game of Death’ in 1978
Aftermath: As rumors swirled about what caused Lee’s death (doctors say it was from swelling of the brain, others have speculated with any number of random theories, including a supposed curse on his family), ‘Enter the Dragon’ was a huge hit at the box office. Made modestly for $850,000, it grossed $25 million in the U.S. and $90 million worldwide, according to the Internet Movie Database (IMDB).
Brandon Lee
Death: March 31, 1993
Movie later released: ‘The Crow’ in 1994
Aftermath: Lee, the son of Bruce, died in an accident on the set of ‘The Crow’ when a prop gun malfunctioned and fatally wounded him. The footage of his death was destroyed without being developed, according to IMDB. Filmmakers completed shooting the movie using computer-generated imagery and a stunt double, and the film went on to became a cult hit.
Chris Farley
Death: Dec. 18, 1997
Movies later released: ‘Almost Heroes’ and ‘Dirty Work’ (a cameo) in 1998
Aftermath: Both films bombed at the box office. Farley’s death also affected another movie: ‘Shrek.’ He was originally supposed to provide the voice of the titular ogre and had already recorded some of the dialogue, according to IMDB. After he died, Farley was replaced by fellow ‘Saturday Night Live’ star Mike Myers.
Aaliyah
Death: Aug. 25, 2001
Movie later released: ‘Queen of the Damned’ in 2002
Aftermath: The R&B star had already finished shooting the movie, but filmmakers had to use her brother, Rashad, to re-record some of her dialogue, according to a BBC story about the movie. Critics hated it, but the film fared well at the box office - something many attribute to her loyal fan base, which also raised sales of her 2001 album almost 700 percent within a week of her death.
Phil Hartman
Death: May 28, 1998
Movie later released: ‘Small Soldiers’ in July 1998
Aftermath: Several scenes that included toys aiming their guns at Hartman’s character were cut from the movie, and a blooper of him ran after the credits with the words ‘For Phil.’
Adrienne Shelley
Death: Nov. 1, 2006
Movies later released: ‘Waitress,’ her directorial debut, in 2007
Aftermath: The film was a critical darling at the Sundance Film Festival, where it was bought by Fox Searchlight Pictures. It eventually grossed $18 million at the box office, impressive considering its $2 million budget.
Tupac Shakur
Death: Sept. 13, 1996
Movies later released: “Bullet” in October 1996, and “Gridlock’d” and “Gang Related” in 1997
Aftermath: “Bullet” was a direct-to-video release, and the other two didn’t do much at the box office. Shakur’s music, however, has continued to thrive after his death. Six albums of his music have been released posthumously, the most recent of which was 2006’s “Pac’s Life.”
John Ritter
Death: Sept. 11, 2003
Movie later released: ‘Bad Santa’ in November 2003
Aftermath: Filmmakers dedicated the movie, his last live-action role, in his memory.
Bela Lugosi
Death: Aug. 16, 1956
Movie later released: ‘Plan 9 from Outer Space’ in 1959
Aftermath: Director Ed Wood had only shot about two minutes of film with Lugosi before the actor died. Wood rewrote the script and hired a chiropractor, who looked nothing like Lugosi and was 2 feet taller. Wood had the stand-in cover his face with a cape during scenes.
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