Director Christopher Nolan has confirmed The Joker won't be mentioned in his third and final Batman film.
Ledger won a best supporting actor Oscar and rave reviews for his portrayal of The Joker in 2008's The Dark Knight, but died before the film was released.
Nolan, whose Batman trilogy will come to an end on July 19 with the release of The Dark Knight Rises, told Empire magazine he wanted to respect Heath Ledger's legacy.
"We're not addressing the Joker at all. That is something I felt very strongly about in terms of my relationship with Heath and the experience I went through with him on The Dark Knight," he said.
"I don't want to in any way try and account for a real-life tragedy. That seemed inappropriate to me. We have a new set of characters and a continuation of Bruce Wayne's story, not involving the Joker."
