So, Heath Ledger is going to play the Joker.

This, in and of itself, is an interesting choice. I mean, there’s a LOT of fan interest in the new movie, The Dark Knight (which is incidentally the coolest possible title the WB could have come up with for the new movie). The Joker is an iconic character, and for better or for worse Jack Nicholson and Mark Hamill have defined the role in the past 20 years. It’s considered the crown jewel in the pantheon of supervillian roles.

And it’s gone to an actor who was never considered by fans for the role, an actor whose most famous role so far has been a gay shepherd. I mean, come on- I KNOW I’m not the only person who’s made that joke in the title of this post.

Never mind the fact that Heath Ledger is a very good actor, for that matter. The question is if he is a good actor for THIS ROLE.

I’m hoping so, in this case. I’m truly hoping that the decision to hire Heath Ledger was made by the director and writers after a kick-ASS testing process and not by a jaded studio looking for any way possible to bring in a few more market segments into the seats.

Out.