Will the Death of Actor Heath Ledger Propel the Movie Dark Knight to Greater Box Office Success?

Already trailers for the latest Batman movie, "Dark Knight," are making their way around the country. These early trailers give moviegoers an early glimpse at the franchise's latest version of the Joker, the villain who was last successful played by the ever popular Jack Nicholson in the late 80's. This time around, the role will be filled by Heath Ledger, the actor whose untimely and tragic death yesterday may help propel "Dark Knight" to an even greater box office success this summer.

A morbid thought? Perhaps. Then again, the movie may serve a fitting tribute to the young Hollywood actor who had a penchant for taking on challenging roles often time bypassing the more mainstream roles he was offered. Ledger called "extremely original and edgy," by "Dark Knight" director Christopher Nolan may just have been the right actor to take on this darker version of the Joker, and while few may go on record as saying so this close to the 28year old actor's death, the recent tragedy will probably bring out a legion of moviegoers that might have otherwise skipped the movie altogether.

"Dark Knight," picks up the legendary franchise where "Batman Beginnings," leaves off, with Christian Bale reprising his leading role as the cape crusader. Schedule for release in the United States on July 18^th, 2008, the movie offered Nolan a chance to work with Ledger for the first time, an actor that Nolan said had the same vision of the villain as he did. Ledger he said, liked the idea of taking on the challenging role from the start. It now remains to be seen if the death of the actor will help the sequel sail past the $371 million take of "Batman Beginnings."

Though just how Ledger died will probably remain a mystery for at least a while longer, since toxicology report will not be available anytime soon. What is known is that the Australian born actor was found dead yesterday after an apparent prescription drug overdose. The naked unconscious body of Ledger was found by his massage therapist and a housekeeper in the late afternoon. Though the two tried to revive the actor, it was too late, Ledger was already dead.