Rocksteady redefined the superhero genre with their Batman games. Both Arkham Asylum and Arkham City sold big and earned massive amounts of praise through the gamer community. The next game off Rocksteady’s gilded plate looks to be a prequel to the current games, reaching back to Batman’s first encounter with the Joker. While an interesting choice, it does bring up a question. Mark Hamill has been trying to retire from playing the Joker for some time, as the challenging voice has been damaging his health, and he might have succeeded. So how will Rocksteady deal with a new Joker? Check out the fantastic video in the article to see Hamill in action. GameSpot has the story.
Just how do you replace someone who has played a character for twenty years? Especially when they defined the character for an entire generation of fans? That’s not an easy question to answer.
At least these character-defining actors have a job and legacy for life.
Isn’t being the Joker essentially destroying Hamill’s voice? At some point we need to thank him for his veteran service to a particular cultural monument and then put someone else there (and if we’re nostalgic, we can make a special filter that makes the new critter sound like the old.)