The movie world is abuzz over Heath Ledger portraying The Joker in The Dark Knight. But one prominent name in Hollywood is far from thrilled over the development.

"I'm furious," Jack Nicholson told MTV over being left out of the follow-up, considering he originated the role in the original Batman movie.

The actor's voice rose as he continued:

"They never asked me about a sequel with the Joker. I know how to do that! Nobody ever asked me."

The main reason Nicholson is so perturbed? The fact that The Joker is incredibly personal for him.

"The Joker comes from my childhood," he said. "That's how I got involved with it in the first place. It's a part I always thought I should play."

The multiple-time Oscar winner added that Warner Bros. "kind of drove the franchise into the ground," and that he was unlikely to see The Dark Knight.