@Blattsy: These new Batman movies have nothing to do with the four older films. This is a relaunched, new franchise and a completely different continuity and aren't prequels. For comparison, the recently released Superman Returns was a true sequel to Superman and Superman II...right down to Marlon Brando coming back from the dead to reprise his role.

Forget about the death of Joker/Pengy from the Burton movies. Joker has been around for almost 70 years, so I think we can have another incarnation..it'll certainly be more accurate than Nicholson's silly take. It's already been stated that this Joker will be nothing like Nicholson's. It will be "very creepy and very extreme." In other words, as it should be. He won't even show up until halfway through and will have a full backstory.

Anyway, these new films are much better(assuming TDK maintains the high standard set by the perfect BB) and although some liberties have been taken, they are for the best and enhance instead of detract. Begins was very popular and many rank it as one of the best if not the best film of that year. It also made a ton of money with a very small advertising campaign(one of the smallest for this sort of film).