Ledger Fans Call for The Joker to be Retired

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 tragic 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 It deserves to be withdrawn from any Batman sequels."