When Warner Brothers held an emergency meeting recently, there was only one item on the agenda – how to market Heath Ledger’s last film, The Dark Knight, while avoiding the impression that the studio is exploiting his death.
The Dark Knight, scheduled for release in July, is set to be a major blockbuster for the crucial American summer period.
But Warner Bros fear if Ledger is featured too prominently in the marketing campaign and associated merchandising, they could be criticised for capitalising on his death.
Added to the conundrum is the dark, diabolical edge Ledger imbued in his character, the Joker, a creation that created distress and turbulence for the sensitive actor. There was even suggestion that his immersion into the role proved to be disastrous to his mental health.
Shortly after completion of principal photography for The Dark Knight, Ledger described the character as a “psychopathic, mass-murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy” and said his method approach to the work made it hard for him to detach.
“I probably slept an average of two hours a night,” he said. “I couldn't stop thinking. My body was exhausted, and my mind was still going.”
Plans have already been scrapped for several viral marketing campaigns where consumers would receive recorded messages from Ledger’s Joker, and Warner Bros are debating the green light for a number of merchandising campaigns that feature Ledger’s likeness.
“You don't want people to think you're exploiting his death,” a source at the studio said.
“But his character is part of the movie and he was on board with wanting to do this with his character. And if [the studio] doesn't release the merchandise... pirates would come out of the woodwork, and then it's completely out of control.”