Running Joker

I might as well make this a Batman blog, as 70-percent of the content so far is somehow Joker- or Dark Knight-related. But it’s all a big coincidence, I promise. 

Flying in the face of that promise is a link to yet another story on TDK, this one about who — should Christopher Nolan somehow opt to bring The Joker back for Batman 3*  — is best suited to take up Heath Ledger’s grease paint and jagged smile. Current freelancer Matthew Monagle suggests Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Yes, the kid from 3rd Rock From the Sun. But he was also awesome as the teen detective in Brick, and apparently equally awesome in The Lookout and various other indie-film roles.

Really, this article just gave me an opportunity to play in Photoshop. Once I started layering on the facepaint, I was sort of astounded at how eerily similar Gordon-Levitt looks to Ledger — he could be Heath’s skinnier, younger brother. I didn’t do anything to Levitt’s face other than cake on the makeup and add The Joker’s trademark facial scaring, (in other words, no scaling/moving of features) and the finished product looks pretty close to Ledger to me. So, even though Ledger won’t be reprising his role, it doesn’t have to mean the end of The Joker in a third Batfilm. Now all  have to do is get Gordon-Levitt to stand completely still and not say anything to make the illusion complete.

This article reminded me of another image I had worked up over a year ago, back when ibelieveinharveydent.com first hit the internet (it, and all the other Dark Knight viral sites, have since been “Jokerized”) and we got our first look at Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent. I was bored one night and did my own take on Two-Face’s facial scarring — although after seeing the movie, my version (on the left) was way too tame … yikes.

*If they keep up not using the word “Batman” in the title, what other nicknames are left? Caped Crusader? Matches Malone?)