A group of Heath Ledger fans have demanded The Joker be retired from all future Batman movies as a mark of respect to the late star.


The actor, who died from an accidental drug overdose in January 2008, looks set to land a posthumous Oscar for his portrayal of the comic book villain in The Dark Knight, and devotees insist no one could ever play The Joker better.

Fans are being invited to visit website TheUltimateJoker.com and add their names to a petition calling for movie studios to remove The Joker from future Batman movies. The online petition launched last week, and already boasts almost 2,500 names.

Argentine fan Fer Barbella, one of the masterminds behind the site, tells CNN.com, "We are Batman fans from the comics and from the movies (sic). After we saw 'The Dark Knight,' we thought this Joker was really the best. It deserves to be withdrawn from any Batman sequels."

Heath Ledger did a great job as The Joker. I had my doubts when he was announced as The Joker, but he dispelled them.

However, he was not the first actor to play The Joker. He was the third, following Cesar Romero in the sixties and Jack Nicholson in the eighties.

I think they should not use the character in the next movie or movies, but not because of Heath Ledger's death, but because I'd rather see them do a villain they haven't done before.

Hollywood is going to do what they want. If they feel they can make money with another actor as The Joker at some point, then that's what they'll do.