When Heath Ledger died, Warner Bros. marketing executives behind the new Batman movie Dark Knight, where Ledger stars as The Joker, immediately grew worried that the beloved actor's death would overshadow their summer blockbuster, and potentially get in the way of them turning a heavy investment into a worldwide hit amid cries of "tasteless!," especially given his dark role in the film.
And then, between Hollywood's outpouring of support and some brilliant PR, the mood changed: Dark Night would instead be a tribute to Ledger. The situation went from bad to good to amazing last week, when critics got their first look at the movie and began called for a posthumous Oscar for Ledger.
So how do you take a roller coaster ride from a Doomsday scenario to a sure-thing back down to the horror story level? By news reports of a 17-year-old fella, visiting Six Flags with his church group, getting decapitated while hunting for the hat he lost on the tracks of the Batman ride, where he got stuck and was decapitated.
Editorial Director
do your research. the kid wasnt looking for a hat. he irresponsibly scaled two 6 ft high fences which were clearly marked, along with his friend, seeking a "short cut" and paid the price for lack of respect for authority. i do not believe this has any negative connotations for a movie empire that has spanned the 80s and 90s. If anything, Six Flags over Georgia is bearing the brunt of the bad publicity. Where were the parents to supervise this activity? (somewhere in the park apparently). Im sure they're dealing with it in their own way, and I have great sympathy. Accidents do happen, as Mr. Ledger discovered as well. Im looking forward to the opening of the film, personally, however "horror-rific" it may be.