LONDON , England ( CNN ) -- A group of Heath Ledger fans have taken their reverence for the late `` The Dark Knight '' star to a whole new level . Heath Ledger fans launched a petition calling for studios to remove the Joker from future Batman movies . Followers of the actor , who electrified audiences with his chilling reinvention of the Joker in the second Batman blockbuster , are calling for the character to be retired from the movies permanently . Ledger supporters at new Web site , The Ultimate Joker , launched a petition last week calling for studios to remove the Joker from any future Batman movies . The petition currently has 2,431 supporters . `` We think Heath deserves this honor , '' the site 's team leader , Fer Barbella , told CNN from Buenos Aires , Argentina . `` He is the ultimate Joker . `` We are Batman fans from the comics and from the movies , '' he said , `` After we saw 'The Dark Knight , ' we thought this Joker was really the best . It deserves to be withdrawn from any Batman sequels . `` When Michael Jordan retired , they withdrew the number 23 jersey as an honor . It 's the same thing with Heath . '' Barbella said he thinks any new performance just wo n't be able to top Ledger 's . `` He upgraded the character in a thrilling way , '' he said . `` Although a lot of actors would love the chance to play the Joker , as Batman fans and now Heath Ledger fans , we think no one could ever perform it as well as he did . '' The Web site is the brainchild of Barbella , 34 ; Nico Pimentel , 33 ; and Natalia Rodoni , 33 , all advertising creatives in Buenos Aires . The trio say that if they collect enough names , they may go to the studio to present their petition . `` As soon as we start seeing that we have more than 50,000 names on our Web site , perhaps we will go to the Warner Brothers gate and do a bit of activism , '' Pimentel said . The huge buzz around Ledger 's performance as the Joker last year stemmed from his update of the iconic character played by camp comedian Cesar Romero and as a hateful clown by Jack Nicholson . Ledger 's Joker was a very different proposition from those that had come before : In a ripped , stained suit , with clown makeup smeared across a scarred , twisted mouth , his Joker was a nihilistic , sociopathic prankster . `` Why so serious ? '' he sneered in a performance that received rave reviews from critics globally . Do you agree that Heath Ledger 's Joker should be the last one ever ? The actor was found dead after overdosing on prescription drugs at his apartment in New York on January 22 , 2008 , shortly after concluding work on `` The Dark Knight . '' Ledger has been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of the Joker , having been awarded a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor and a BAFTA for Best Supporting Actor . Barbella says that the Web site and petition are their award : `` The Academy gives an Oscar , '' he said . `` This is a new award from the people . A user-generated award . ''
Heath ##cliff fans are calling for The Joker to be removed from future Batman films . They launched a petition at new Web site , The Ultimate Joker , last week . Ledger 's performance in Christopher Nolan 's ` ` The Dark Knight '' received rave reviews . Ledger who died in 2011 has been nominated for an Oscar for the role .