The next "Batman" flick is still a ways away, but thanks to creative casting, searches on the sequel have already taken flight. Heath Ledger is leaving beautiful Brokeback Mountain for gritty Gotham City, where he'll play the Joker. Queries on Ledger jumped 636% and searches on "batman sequel," "new batman movie," and "the dark knight" (the film's official title) all soared as well.

Other related spikes include director Christopher Nolan, star Christian Bale, and Jack Nicholson, who played the original Joker to critical acclaim and financial gain. While Ledger wouldn't have been our first choice to play Batman's fiercest rival (we were hoping for Mark Hamill), we're sure the Aussie actor will do just fine as the world's favorite homicidal clown. Do you bat-fanatics agree? Or would you have preferred the ghost of Cesar Romero?