While Hollywood history is sadly full of actors that met tragic deaths at a young age, it's fair to say the January 2008 death of Heath Ledger hit the world of pop culture particularly hard. Despite being only 28-years-old at the time of his passing, Ledger had already made a big mark in the film world, managing to pick-up several major awards for his work.
Of course, arguably Ledger's greatest role would end up being released posthumously. While Hollywood legend Jack Nicholson had played Batman's arch-nemesis The Joker on-screen back in 1989 to mostly positive reviews, Ledger's take on the enigmatic villain presented in Christopher Nolan's superhero epic The Dark Knight stands for many as the definitive live-action version of the Clown Prince of Crime. Ledger showed himself to be a chameleon, turning his Joker into a character truly unlike any he had ever played before, and ultimately won an Oscar for his performance.
Now, The Wrap reports that Ledger has been chosen to be the next subject of Spike TV's critically praised feature-length documentary series I Am. Ledger's short but memorable life and career will be chronicled via interviews from those close to him, although a specific list of those interviewed has yet to be revealed. One assumes clips from his work, and perhaps personal videos of the actor may also be included, judging by the content of past I Am documentaries. Also yet to be revealed is an exact premiere date for the show, which will air sometime in May.
Ledger will be only the third subject to be tackled by the infrequent I Am docu-series, with the first being film and martial arts icon Bruce Lee in 2012, and the second being SNL favorite and popular comic-actor Chris Farley in 2015. With Lee having passed away at the young age of 32, and Farley having passed at 33, it would seem that an unofficial focus of the I Am series is specifically to look at the lives of stars who burned bright for a short time, only to be taken from the world just as quickly.
In addition to The Dark Knight, Ledger's storied career also included work in films like Brokeback Mountain, Monster's Ball, and The Patriot, among others. It seems likely that all will be covered to some extent in Ledger's I Am episode, along with 1999 teen comedy 10 Things I Hate About You, which first brought Ledger's charm and charisma to the attention of the masses.
Heath Ledger's I Am documentary airs on Spike TV sometime in May.
Next: The Dark Knight: 15 Behind The Scenes Secrets About Heath Ledger’s Joker
Source: The Wrap