Tweet

There’s a rumor floating around Cinema Blend that a scene in The Dark Knight featuring The Joker playing possum in a body bag might be cut due to negative reactions from audiences in test screenings.

It’s just a rumor, so take it with a shovel full of salt.

Still, I have to disagree with Stuart Wood from Cinema Blend (and just about every other commenter on the post) that the scene shouldn’t be deleted. There’s no real artistic merit in leaving in a scene just because it has Heath Ledger in it. It’s an unfortunate connection, but if the scene really breaks the fourth wall and takes us out of the story, it might be good for it to go.

On the other hand, if the scene is crucial to the story, I’m sure they’ll keep it.

Besides, it won’t be the last time we see Heath on screen, since he’ll show up in Terry Gilliam’s The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus – after the genius deal was made to have Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell take over Heath’s character inside the film’s alternate universes.

I trust Christopher Nolan, and he seems to have great control over his projects, so I’m sure that if the scene is cut, it’s for good reason. In this case, quality over quantity is a solid rule of thumb.