Is the Joker poster exploiting Ledger's death?

• The Third I

  +1

  I think the marketing idea was to push the Joker character long before Heath died. They just kept that idea. It's the villian that usually sells the Batman movies. We know what we are getting with Batman himself.

   

  Posted 5/16/2008 [reply] [flag]

• mattehavoc

  +2

  As a Batman film we all know to expect the man himself to be the precedent for the entire film. There are several rumors flying around about the appearance of Two-Face in this film. Plus Scarecrow is returning from the last one. But why focus so much on Joker?

  Posted 5/17/2008 [reply] [flag]

  • kellyfilmgirl

    +3

    Replying to this because I didn't see it before I made the other reply. You asked why the emphasis on Joker? Because Joker is Batman's most feared (and most famous as well) villain. Unless you're a fan of the comics, you probably don't know much about Two-Face. Tommy Lee Jones' portrayal was forgettable. And Scarecrow? I'd say that only fans of the comic and Animated Series were familiar with him. My girlfriends had never heard of the Scarecrow despite him being one of the most fearsome villains in the rogue gallery. However, say The Joker's name and there's rarely a person who will say they weren't familiar with him. He and Catwoman are two of the most recognizable comic book villains of all time. The focus on Joker isn't even suspect, IMO. Even before Ledger's death, fans were making mock-ups of him as Joker and the smile had already been added to the Bat symbol in some of the art work. He's a HUGE part of the Batman mythos. His part in this film was going to be such a huge deal that Batman Begins ended with the promise of his appearance in the next film.

    As for the posters, I had solo posters of Catwoman and The Joker from the Burton films when I was growing up (Yes, I'm a geek). This is Batman. And Joker is his archenemy. 

    Here's some other supervillain promo artwork during the years. Doc Ock: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b6/2826_DocOck.jpg

    In the 80s, you could have bought this poster in a Spencer's Gifts: http://www.myconfinedspace.com/watermark.php?src=wp-content/uploads/2007/12/26960_jack_nicholson_batman_promo.thumbnail.jpg

    Catwoman: http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/9395/catwoman-mp1.jpg

    I had that poster as a kid. When the movie came out, they had posters of Batman, one of Catwoman and one of the Penguin. If you had been in the theater, you would have seen them lined up together and above each one, it would have said either "The Bat," "The Cat," or "The Penguin".

    Seriously, this is nothing new. Nothing new at all. 

    Posted 5/17/2008 [reply] [flag]

• kellyfilmgirl

  +2

  No more than they did with Batman in 1989. If you'll recall, they had lots of Joker posters and promo items for Nicholson's Joker. Go back and take a look. Go back and take a look at the Catwoman promos for Batman Returns. Or Jim Carrey's The Riddler for Batman Forever. The villains are part of what makes Batman such an interesting franchise. He and Spider-Man have the most interesting rogue galleries of any comic book superheroes. Speaking of Spider-Man, did you see the Doc Ock posters for Spider-Man 2 or the Green Goblin posters for Spider-Man? It's absolutely no different.

  Posted 5/17/2008 [reply] [flag]

• benji23

  +2

  Maybe. But they couldn't win either way. If they left Joker out of the promo materials, then people (not saying you) would complain that Ledger's contribution/legacy was not being recognized.

  Posted 5/17/2008 [reply] [flag]

• taylorblue

  +3

  I just think they are bringing the obvious...this movie more about the joker anyways...I think they would have done this regardless... :)

  Posted 5/17/2008 [reply] [flag]

• Ginny

  +1

  What if we changed the question to - Is the Joker poster (and therefore the producer) insensitive to Ledger's death? I think then the answer would be Yes, because you can't look at that poster and not think about the sad circumstances surrounding Heath's death - depression, accidental overdose... So if that's the case, then maybe the studio should have opted for a different marketing pitch.

  Posted 5/17/2008 [reply] [flag]

• AdamsWorldBlog

  +1

  This poster gets me excited for the movie, end of story.  Heath co-starred in the movie and he deserves to be on the poster.  I can't see how anyone could be offended by this.  Last time I looked James Dean was still given top billing in Rebel Without A Cause.

  Posted 5/18/2008 [reply] [flag]

Leave a Comment

Links (2)

THE DARK KNIGHT: Heath Ledger's the Joker character lives!
Published 5/17/2008 at The Movie Fanatic Feeds
... his tragic death. - - - [image] - - - The Joker is definitely one of the most popular and most hated of Batman's nemesis, and while Jack Nicholson gave his best shot in portraying this villain, I can't help but anticipate how well Heath Ledger approached the role and made it his own. Now that we've seen the new poster featuring Heath as the Joker, one of the questions that seem to bother a number of movie bloggers is the issue of exploitation. Is Heath being exploited once again? Matte Havoc has this to say: There is a new poster that will be released soon for the upcoming ...

The Show: Stalker
Published 5/17/2008 by DCScrap (noreply@blogger.com) at on 205th magazine: Stuff Guys Like. [Pop Culture For Men]
... Holly Simmons wins Cheerleader Showdown II. ( CO-ED Magazine ) Kim Smith's kinda hot. ( Attuworld ) I love Joanna Krupa. ( Celebslam ) Taylor Momsen @ CW Network's Upfront. ( The Bastardly ) Kyra Gracie will make you tap. ( Busted Coverage ) Halle Berry's boobs and cats. ( CityRag ) Emelie Svensson is Swedish. ( Uncoached ) Gallery of Girls Aloud in concert. ( BrightBlackInternet ) Is the Joker poster exploiting Ledger's death? ( Matte Havoc ) Three cheers for Pabst Blue Ribbon. ( Mac G's World ) Dumbass of the ...