Dent instead of Crane? Cool!
Dent is alive, secretly kept for 8 years in Blackgate. Finally free, he turn the Act named after him against - amongst the other - Gordon himself!

But I think the judge scene was for the Joker. Obviously, Nolan and Co. keep saying that there was nothing written for TDKR when TDK was released but I think that the plot of the third chapter was already planned out in their mind.

Anyway, we also thought of edit that scene and insert the Joker but I respect Nolan as a director so much that I'd like not to modify anything he done in the movie, just *add* something and using the Joker to explain one particular moment in the movie that a lot of people see as a plot hole.

PS: still waiting for a Joker soundalike for the voice!
In the next weeks I think I'll post some screen test, anyway!