Heath Ledger died before I'm Not There was cast.
Heath Ledger . Posthumously he shared the 2007 Independent Spirit Robert Altman Award with the rest of the ensemble cast , the director , and the casting director for the film I 'm Not There , which was inspired by the life and songs of American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan . Ledger died on 22 January 2008 from an accidental intoxication from prescription drugs . A few months before his death , Ledger had finished filming his performance as the Joker in The Dark Knight . His death occurred during editing of The Dark Knight and in the midst of filming his last role as Tony in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus . His untimely death cast a shadow over the subsequent promotion of the $ 185 million Batman production .