Heath Ledger, Christian Bale, now Morgan Freeman: The 'Dark Knight' curse?

Heath Ledger died of an overdose of sleeping medications and painkillers in January after wrapping filming on "The Dark Knight." He had had trouble sleeping and his disturbing role as the psychopathic "Joker" was hard to shake, the actor told the press.

Batman/Bruce Wayne actor Christian Bale's mother and sister filed a complaint with local police in London alleging the actor had assaulted them the day before the big "Dark Knight" premiere there.

Now Morgan Freeman, a third "Knight" star, has been in a one-car accident in Mississippi and has been airlifted to a hospital in Tennessee.

Creepy.

Is there a "Dark Knight" curse? Or is this just all just a series of very sad — and very eerie — coincidences?

What do you think?

Photos: WireImage

Comments

[Mark]

Curse. Total Curse. Who's next? Another 100 million for Dark Night as it consumes the cast like "The Blob".

[chamizam]

Oops...strange and creepy....

As a young french journalist-in-graduation, living in paris, I have just published the same info as you..about one hour ago..in the same time...with the same angle and even three photos of the victims of the "curse"....

Humm... Synchronicity?

[katie]

There is definitely a curse. I hope nothing else happens to the other actors. Its very strange, and there is reason to believe it.

[Divineness]

Don't forget the stunt man that was also killed during the filming of this movie.

[June]

I just want to send my prayers to Morgan Freeman for a speedy recovery. Great actor, wonderful man.

[Zoki Z]

I think you are disturbed and trying to create a news story from a string of coincidences.

[obscured]

don't forget the stunt technician who died during filming!

[Billy]

Oh my God! 3 distinct and unrelated things happened to those people in the film!

[KT]

Curse. Definately a curse. This is all WAY to freaky to be a coinsidence. And don't forget the Stuntman that died after wrapping this film and also I just heard that Maggie Caught fire during filming and Heath Saved her.

[Comedy Blog]

Well this sure didn't take long.

Why couldn't we have a Spice Girls movie curse?

[Jane Somerset]

Not another one, this film is definately cursed and I dont even like it. I have watched Morgan in Shawshank, and 7seven, and many other wonderful films and we pray that he will have a speedy and restful recovery. What a wonderfully talented and real gentleman he is, God Bless Morgan Freeman, he is stunning.

[Justin]

This is ridiculous. It's definitely sad what happened to Heath, and we all pray that Morgan Freeman is ok. But to say that Christian Bale being charged with assault falls anywhere near the tragedy of someone losing their life is ludacris. Christian made a decision to be violent, that's not a curse, that's an a**hole

[ebmo]

As sad as it is, Heath Ledger died because he was an addict, a junkie, only different from the one you see in any downtown area in that, he was a wealthy and successful addict.

His accidental overdose was not the result of a "curse" or because the joker was such a disturbing role for him to play, It is because he had a disease and because the people around him were so busy trying to "protect" him and so busy trying to make sure he would keep working that no one was willing to confront him and intervene.

Just like all the celebs on this list.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_drug-related_deaths

Do not trivialize addiction by portraying it as the result of a curse

[David]

curse-shmurse!!

[nick]

its disturbing....

[TK]

The idea of a curse is a bit of a long-standing tradition in any ambitious project. Many variations of the play 'Macbeth' have also succumbed to speculation about a curse (as well as the 50's classic 'Rebel Without a Cause'.) In reality it can be chalked up to the high intensity environment that production and acting produces, the strain and stress and the little accidents that follow.

Let's see. Ledger was a very young man who developed pneumonia from stress, suffered from recurrent bouts of anxiety, and recently broke up with the mother of his child. He either took his own life, or his addiction to sleeping pills escalated to the interaction that took his life, not unlike Marilyn Monroe.

Bale is under a lot of stress and has bad blood with the relatives that filed the action against him. Stupid family feuds do turn to fisticuffs,

Stunt men do die occasionally during a film.

Morgan is in his seventies now, and work and parties/functions are going to catch up with him. He's a class act and handled the situation really well, is doing fine, and car accidents are liable to happen at his age statistically speaking.

Coincidences happen, like the French journalist publishing the same article with the same layout. Telepathy? Hardly.

Curses are sound and fury signifying nothing, and fateful coincidences are simply coincidence.

[jerry]

I THINK THE BATMAN MOVIE HAS GAINED TOO MUCH POWER AND THE GOVERNMENT OR THE PEOPLE WHO ARE COMMANDING AND SHIFTING THE DESTINY OF OUR SOCIETY ( IWILL REFER TO THEM AS THE GOVERNMENT FROM NOW ON) IS SCARED OF ITS POWER, BECAUSE THE BATMAN MOVIE IS USING THE SAME CONCEPT THAT THE GOVERNMENT USES FOR A EVIL THING AS A GOOD THING.THE POWER OF TELEVISION AND TURNING WORDS INTO PICTURES. BATMAN IS USING THE SAME TECHNIQUES AND TELLING THE SOCIETY THE TRUTH ABOUT THE SOCIETY IN HIDDEN MESSAGES, ONLY IS NOTICEBLE TO THE WATCHFUL EYE AND THE SUBCONSIONS OF EVERY HUMAN BEING, SO WEATHER YOU REALIZE IT OR NOT YOU ARE LEARNING THE TRUTH BECAUSE ONCE YOUR SUBCONSIONS GETS A HOLD OF SOMETHING IT WILL NEVER LET IT GO UNTILL YOU UNDRESTAND IT, THIS IS WHY THE GOVERNMENT IS TRYING TO DISTROY THE BATMAN MOVIES , THEY DO NOT WANT ANYMORE SEQUALS, THEY ARE NOT TRYING TO KILL OFF THE STARS OF THE MOVIE, THEY ARE TRYING TO KILL THE CONCEPT OF BATMAN, A REVOLUTIONARY CHARACTER, THE GOVERNMENT IS SMART THEY UNDRESTAND THE CORNER STONES OF THE BRAIN AND THEY KNOW WHAT AFFECTS IT. WHEN WE HAVE ENOUGH PEOPLE IN OUR SOCIETY THAT BECOME AWARE OF THEIR SURROUNDINGS AND SOCIETY WE WILL MAKE AN UPRISING, AND DESTROY THIS CONCEPT OF THIS SOCIETY CONTROLLING IDEAS OF LIFE. WAKE UP PEOPLE WAKE UP, THIS IS OUR WORLD

[adel]

i think that this is a curse/howba " which is farsi and arabic for restless soul of some who has passed away"heath" among the 3 and we all know 3 is the magic number. god help all!!!!!blessedbe!

[PS]

Get real. Seriously.

[Rachel]

This is ridiculous. Do I need to pull out the interview where Heath said it was the MOST FUN ROLE HE'D EVER PLAYED? Where he LAUDED the shooting schedule because it gave him time to SURF? You people are so caught up in how disturbing YOU'D find the role that you're ignoring how HE dealt with it. Ask any of the actors involved; he was HAPPY. He was showing off his daughter and hanging out listening to music. He was NOT haunted by the role.

[TL]

TK, you must have been dropped on your head as a baby...or maybe you've just taken too many drugs in your life...maybe both. The government is not trying to destroy a fictional character. If they wanted to, they would have done so when the comic books were first released. Now, on to those of you who think there really is a "curse"...you are equally out of your minds. I don't deny that odd things happen in this world, and I don't say that every single one of them is a coincidence, but coincidences DO happen...this is one of them. There is no secret government agency at work trying to destroy the cast/crew or the character of Batman, there is no "curse", and there is no divine being causing these things to happen to the cast and crew of the movie trying to show us the "wickedness of our ways" or some other such bullshit. It is nothing more than a series of unfortunate events. Coincidence and nothing more is what these things amount to.

[Matt]

It's definitely a curse! I'm scared! : //

[Sisi]

It's ridiculous but I can add Edison Chen porn photo scandal that shook the Hong Kong entertainment industry in early 2008,he finally made a public apology, and also announced resignation from the HK entertainment industry. Btw, check him out at Hong Kong scene. One minute appearance cost him his lifetime career...

[Sisi]

Yes,it is ridiculous but I can add up Edison Chen porn photo scandal that shocked Hong Kong early this year,he finally apologized and announced resignation from HK entertainment industry. U can checked him out at HK scene. One minute appearance cost him his lifetime career.

[KELSO]

i dont think there is a curse...heath's incident was sad....very sad...he was a great actor...christian bale(srry if mispelled)....well...ppl are violent...nothing strange there...and morgan freeman's incident was also bad...he is also a great actor....but car accident are not rare...and just because he is a celebrity...ppl think he is invincible....but it is not so rare he happened to have a car accident....and rachel...i agree...ppl think they would be disturbed by playing that certain role....but i for one would be like heath and have so much fun playing that role...but perhaps that is because i am stranger than my other family membersO.O

[Starlite]

i definitely thinking something is up but its scary cause heath ledger died which i think was just unbelievable and hurting for everyone. We will never know why all of this is happen it could be a curse but lets hope its not, its real scary when you thnk about it.

[rich]

its all a coincidence-bad things happen all the time to everyone- 3 people at work have fallen over in the last month on the stairs-does this mean that the stairs i walk down have become cursed-to really give credence to curse stories really isn't going to do anything to further our thinking-if you blame these boogymen when 3 people have a bad time then your not goning to blame actual causes of problems...overdose...stress....speeding...divorce...any number of reasons..its all the omen/exorcist curse crap rolled out for another film which may be a bit darker than people expect

[L]

WHO CARES, THIS IS FOOLISH - WOOOOO - WOOOOOOO - WOOOOOOOO

IDIOT

[Steven]

Remember also that around the time this movie came out a kid in Atlanta was decapetated by the Batman ride at Six Flags over Georgia!

[Simply Just Bekuz]

Nonsense Stupid rIDICULOUS you people are retarded ther is no such thing as curses things just happen bkuz thats life death kums after everyone sum people dodge him sum dont Christian chose to assault them thers no curse people find other explanations for this event it is sad wat happened to Heath may he rest in peace and Morgan Freeman may he recover and get back on his feet. i think some one is just trying a little to hard to find a story

[Bart]

Maybe they showed people something in the movie that someone (perhaps not singular) with a lot of power didn't like.

[Jessica]

Obviously, if these incidents had happened to three other people or celebrities, it would be just that: a series of unfortunate incidents. To have them happen to three people who all starred in the same movie...I don't know if it's a "curse," but I have to admit it's eerie.

[Sherlyn]

I don't think there is a "Dark Knight" curse, but the cloud that reigns over the movie is scary. This makes me wonder, "Is playing Batman that disturbing? If so, that would explain why Michael Keaton didn't return". When someone gets so wrapped up in a role that they find it hard to get back to reality in hindsight it may not be the roll for them. I think Heath Ledger did an excellent job as the Joker. In my opinion he made the movie, and for the record I think Michael Keaton was the best "Batman".

[TLenz]

First the Kennedy curse, then the Bruce Lee curse, and now the Batman movie curse. What next? If all coincidences start being chaked up as curses, then most of us are cursed or have been cursed at one time or another. Actually, this is not even a coincidence. It's not like they all died. Now, that would make for a better story...and cursed would seem more appropriate.

[Jorge B]

Truley sad, the tragic death of Heat Ledger . And simply a missundertstanding with Mr. Bale, As for Morgan Freeman an unfortunate event. The Dark Knight is a remarkable movie of its time, And will be remebered till the end of time. As for the comment made about the goverment, Its just another grasp of hope of what the world is hoping, a savior in times of Darkness,,,,,,, JB

[the moon]

this is just a publicity stunt to make batman more popular. get well soon morgan freeman

[Heymoron]

There is no curse. To elmo, or whatever his nickname is, it's really funny that you're pretending that you have a clue but it's obvious that you don't. Heath died of an ACCIDENTAL overdose, and if you actually read the autopsy report that is PUBLIC, you wouldn't be saying that he was an addict. The autopsy report COMPLETELY contradicts your theory, and that's all it is, a theory. Yeah, like wikipedia is a great source for FACTS. lol. Wikipedia claims celebs as half-Jewish when there is no such thing, real reliable you are. Do not project your own self-loathing on other people and pretend that it's concern, when you obviously know nothing about the subject.

[Lilliana]

Omg. If there is a curse with Batman, then I don't want Johnny Depp playing as the Riddler! Though it was a fantastic movie!!

: )

[mj feulner]

hahahahaha
u people make me laugh!! all these stories of suspicon, curses, and other such nonsense is quite entertaining and utterly disturbing at the same time. People, bad things happen to good people and there's nothing we can do about who gets what out of life. If you want to waste your life away in fear is your choice, but I however will just keep living as I always have. I think Mr. Ledger's death is terrible, that Mr. Freeman's car accident was unfortunate and clearly an ACCIDENT and as far as Mr. Bale and his abuse charge, well it could be true....it could be a conspiracy...i don't know him or his family so im not going to judge him. Look, Batman is a movie about a FICTIONAL character helping a FICTIONAL city and saving them from FICTIONAL danger....so its not real...the ideas are valuable but nothing to get upset about. And I also believe that the reason im writing is to help someone out w/ this silly thing. I hope I won't hear about this anymore and I pray that u all just forget about this ridiculous article.
Take care people and think truly to yourself!
-m.j.
my my what arguments a simple statement would bring up!!

[JJ]

Strange how so many people feel compelled to comment on whether this is a "Curse" ever thought about what the hell are they doing reading this stuff if they don't believe it? Go and read something else if it does not please you, you crazy people!!

[Jane]

Yeah

[Sherrianne]

I am dieing to see the new movie, is that a curse. I think it is silly. Things happen and it is a tragery. tHE ACTORS are really good and it is ashame to loose any one esp. Heath Legar. My prayers are with you Mr. Morgan, you are one of the best.

[Adam]

Let's just wait and see what happens or does not happen to Maggie Gyllenhall, Aaron Eckhart and Michael Cane.

[JFP]

Go Watch The OIympics! You all have entirely too much time on your hands!

[Pengchon]

1. The Bruce lee curse.
2. Kennedy curse.
3. Batman Curse
4. Superman Curse
5. Curse of the Mummy?