Ledger is Joker

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That rumor about Heath Ledger being cast as the Joker in the next Batman movie has turned out to be true. A Warner Bros. publicist told me ten minutes ago the next Batman flick for Warner Bros. will be called The Dark Knight, and that Chris Nolan will again direct, and that Ledger will indeed play the infamous cackling twisted baddie who has it in for Batman, etc. Big payday for Heath, obviously -- doing it for his kid, and because he always seems to enjoy going weird and quirky. An official release will be sent out tomorrow. The publicist told me to call her for more details but she didn't include her extension or her cell and...forget it. I'll post the rest tomorrow.

comment #1

Daniel Zelter says ...

Ledger's a bland actor who doesn't exude the sardonic persona required for the part. Warner should have gone with Carrel.

comment #2

travis b. says ...

i think this will work if they play the joker as a serial killer and not as an over the top baddie like in the original batman. but carrel as the joker? that's a good one

comment #3

Jeff not wells says ...

Cinescape is reporting that Ryan Philipee is being considered for Harvey Dent. I hope Nolan knows what he's doing.

comment #4

Daniel Zelter says ...

Hell, Brad Pitt proved he could be amusing and psycho in Fight Club. Why didn't they go with him?

comment #5

Aladdin Sane says ...

Best movie news of the day!
If they are gonna do the oft rumored lead in to no. 3 with Harvey Dent becoming Two-Face...and I wanna know, who are they gonna cast as Dent.
I vote Ryan Philippe...I think he'd be an interesting choice...(but that's just me)

comment #6

Richard Jensen says ...

Ledger's not a bad choice. But I was still hoping Sean Penn might take the leap. I know he hates big budget popcorn movies but he would have made a kick ass Joker.

comment #7

Aladdin Sane says ...

okay, Jeff Not Wells, didn't see your comment cos I'd left the page, and that's just weird! Anyhow, hope that comes to fruition.

comment #8

Jeff not wells says ...

I would have loved to see Ed Norton or Sam Rockwell cast as either one. Two solid, proven, and young actors that would have made great foes for Bale. But that's just me.

comment #9

Daniel Zelter says ...

Philippe would be horrible as Harvey Dent, partly because he doesn't have the voice to pull it off, and partly because he's too "metrosexual". Mickey Rourke would be perfect, though.

comment #10

travis b. says ...

i'm also hearing that philip seymour hoffman's been offered the role of the penguin. anyone else hearing this? they're playing him as a british arms dealer . . .

comment #11

Cory says ...

travis,

I've read the same thing about Hoffman being offered the role of the Penquin. Personally, I think that's brilliant. Hopefully, there is some truth to it.

comment #12

Mike Gebert says ...

Cripes, not the Joker and the Penguin again. Best thing about Batman Begins was a pair of villains who postdated the TV show and hadn't been done to death.

comment #13

says ...

The press release already went out. They spread this info like wildfire. No need to call anyone.

comment #14

Rod says ...

All these gripes about who you think would be a better choice mean nothing. We all have favorites who we think would do well...I'll go with Nolan's track record and his choice. Seems to me I remember a bunch of bitching and griping about a certain actress getting the part of "Catwoman" after the demise of both Sean Young (fired) and Annette Bening (pregnant), and no one hit it out of the ballpark more than Michelle Pfeiffer. Naysayers beware...

comment #15

Daniel Zelter says ...

But all Pfeiffer had to do was look good in a catsuit. Ledger has to be funny, and he's not even amusing.

comment #16

travis b. says ...

i don't think they're going for funny with the joker in this one. since his last appearance in a batman movie, the joker has been played as more of a serial killer who gets a laugh out of murder. not a really funny character

comment #17

travis b. says ...

i don't think they're going for funny with the joker in this one. since his last appearance in a batman movie, the joker has been played in the comics as more of a serial killer who gets a laugh out of murder. not a really funny character

comment #18

says ...

You gotta have a large enough piehole to pull off the looks of the Joker which Ledger certainly has.

comment #19

Shawn says ...

The guy has gone from 10 things I hate about you to brokeback mountain. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.

As far as Two-Face, I think Ryan Phillipe could work. Rourke wouldn't really work because he's a bit older. If Dent is a pretty boy, it would help explain his transformation after being scarred that much more plausible.

Finally, just trust in Nolan. He has a track record of getting the most out of young actors. Guy Pearce, Christian Bale, Cillian Murphy, etc. I will admit, though, when he's wrong, he's way wrong. Katie Holmes almost killed Batman for me.

comment #20

Donlee says ...

Sean Penn would've owned as the Joker, and it would've been worth breaking the piggy bank to get him, if he could be got.

I'll say this though, a certain type of kudos is in order for surprising us with the casting of the Joker.

No one saw Heath Ledger coming, partially because he seems like a mediocre as hell choice on paper, and especially because Oscar winning names like Sean Penn, Adrien Brody, and Robin Williams have been bandied about and it would seem to me at least, that actors of their caliber would be far more interesting.

That being said, since Ledger has been cast as the Joker, he's not backing out, and I'm already disappointed with this choice, I sincerely hope that Nolan will listen to the fans for the role of Harvey Dent. For some time now, Liev Schreiber has been the top choice for the role, and casting anyone but seems like a silly choice to me.

Thoughts anyone?

comment #21

Alex says ...

Being one of many young men who’ve grown up with Batman as one of their heroes, I can say that I completely trust Christopher Nolan and his choices regarding this film. Hiring his brother Jonah to write the flick was a great move (If you’ve read Memento Mori, you’d agree) and casting Heath Ledger is also a great move (Adds another Oscar caliber actor to support Bale).

That said, I’m getting sick of the people out there who wanted to see Sean Penn, Crispin Glover or Adrian Brody take the role of The Joker. Yes, each of these guys would look good as the Clown Prince of Crime, but each of them brings too much expectation as to how they would perform. And the thing is, Nolan and David Goyer and Michael Uslan have stated that the Joker will be a lot darker and more in tune with the comics (i.e., homicidal and psychotic) than most people have ever seen. In other words, forget what you’ve seen before (Romero, Nicholson) and be prepared to see The Joker, not “Actor X” in white face-paint and a wig.

As for Harvey Dent, Phillipe would be good but I’m personally holding out for Liev Schreiber. He would be amazing as the tragically doomed District Attorney of Gotham.

P.S. Calling the Film The Dark Knight: Brilliant.

comment #22

danmo says ...

I think the idea of reprising a villian already cast (via Nicholson) in the public conscience is a mistake and certainly underwhelming. Just look at Spacey and Luthor. After Hackman truly owned the role, it was a total snore to see Mr. Spacey try to do something different, especially when what came across onscreen was unfocused.

And I don't want to hear people say these characters are so iconic they warrant multiple interpretations. Comic books definitely ain't Shakespeare. In fact, I"m a little bummed to see someone as talented as Nolan taking on Batman for another go around. Heck, I thought Batman Begins was cool (albeit bordering on ridiculous in the third act, i.e. Gordon driving the bat mobile)--but why not produce and let someone new offer a different interpretation with a new villian. Maybe Alex Proyas & Man-bat?

comment #23

Nick says ...

Pop Quiz: Which website leads in the morning with the headline, Batman just can't quit the Joker?
Im guessing USA Today puts it in print.

comment #24

Nice choices says ...

Ledger will be cool. But one need only watch the first film to realize Nolan probably doesn't intend to play the Joker part to the hilt. Over the top, cackling, maniac with corny props is probaly not in the cards. Menacing, serial killer probably is. I think Nolan is interested in making Batman films. Not pictures about the Bat's bad guys. He knows what happened when other filmmakers tried that and it gradually became a disaster. I'm sure he's smart enough to avoid the same trap.

As for Dent? I think Guy Pierce is the better way to go. Phillipe has shown some willingness to go interesting/dark places, see "Igby Goes Down", but he still carries the stigma, and resume, of being mostly a bland pretty boy.

comment #25

says ...

"Comic books definitely ain't Shakespeare". And how many gawd-awful interprtations of the Bard's work have we had to suffer through? In case you haven't noticed, characters such as Batman and Superman and Spider-Man exist on film BECAUSE of comics, and many filmmakers cite comics as part of their insperation. Nolan has even said he wouldn't be doing this if he didn't love the character so much.

comment #26

Aladdin Sane says ...

the idea of Leiv Schrieber as Harvey Dent is a cool one. I hadn't heard that, but it makes sense. I just hope they work in the fact that him and Bruce are good friends, because when he finally does become Two-Face, it makes it all the more tragic.
Anyhow, I still like the idea of Phillipe too though. Batman's my favourite comic book hero, and I do trust Nolan on his casting choices. Katie Holmes doesn't get any easier to digest mind you, but you can't win 'em all.

comment #27

bob says ...

who gives a shit about this movie? i'm so sick of comic book adaptations I could scream. America is proving to the world how childhish a culture it is by deliverying this immature crap in major doses. Memo to Hollywood - stop recycling and reinventing tired ass comic book franchises and try something new!

comment #28

Daniel Zelter says ...

danmo: I liked Spacey as Luthor, but he just wasn't given a decent script.

comment #29

Davec says ...

Doing it for his kid? While I'm sure there is a substansial payday involved, I very much doubt that Ledger has taken the role of Joker just for the money. This is a high profile role in a sequel to a successful and critically acclaimed franchise reboot. Heath would be a damn fool to turn this down. I think this situation is a whole lot different than say, Halle Berry taking the Catwoman role or 007 or Hilary Swank doing The Core after their respective award runs.

As for Heath being well cast? I can think of at least ten actors I would have preferred but I trust Nolan's judgment. I just have a sinking feeling that Bale is going to blow him off the screen. Ledger just doesn't seem to have the screen presence to go toe to toe with Bale's Dark Knight. And we all knew it would never be Crispin Glover.

comment #30

disney's folly says ...

David Poland should be Harvey Dent - judging by his Ammo restaurant vids.

comment #31

Rich S. says ...

After Tom Cruise did a reasonably decent Lestat (in your face, Anne Rice!), I've learned not to pre-judge any actor on any role, especially if there's a decent director involved. I guess we'll just have to see how Ledger does. His Brokeback role focused on internalizing the character. To me, he hasn't been as successful when he has had to emote more openly, as in Brothers Grimm. The Joker can be played many ways, but internalizing emotions isn't one of them. From his very first appearance, he has been over-the-top, even when at his most homicidal. As I recall, he was laughing his ass off when he beat Robin #2 to death with a crowbar. I always thought Michael Keaton would make an interesting Joker, though it would probably resemble his Beetlejuice a little too much.

Though the jokes are a little too easy, I'm wondering whether they didn't look at Ledger because of Brokeback. Both Alan Moore and Frank Miller (in Dark Knight) have at least hinted that the Joker is a homosexual with a crush on Batman. They would have to be extremely careful working that angle, though, to avoid a flamboyant stereotype.

comment #32

Sean Richardson says ...

" Ledger has to be funny, and he's not even amusing. "

Gotta disagree. Before the studio got their mitts on 'Brothers Grimm' and excised virtually every trace of Terry Gilliam from it, he was very, very funny in it.

(I'm not saying that movie was perfect before they fucked it up; it was sort of a mess. But it was a Terry Gilliam mess. They removed the Terry Gilliam, but kept the mess.)

comment #33

Joel says ...

The first time I heard this rumor, I felt like I was saying goodbye to the newly-reinvigorated Bat franchise. I can't stand his acting or his bad American accent. On the other hand, I like what Nolan did with the first one, so I'm willing to keep my mind open. Still, I have this feeling that this is going be a bad move for the franchise.

comment #34

Mike Schaefer says ...

"Pop Quiz: Which website leads in the morning with the headline, Batman just can't quit the Joker? I'm guessing USA Today puts it in print."

or: "Jokeback Mountain".

comment #35

Sarah. S. says ...

//"Comic books definitely ain't Shakespeare". And how many gawd-awful interprtations of the Bard's work have we had to suffer through?//

Not that many. I much rather see a well done "Hamlet" than a well done "Silver Surfer." Give it break, little boys.

comment #36

Joe Tate says ...

Ledger will be good, he knows being dark, and that will what being The Joker will be in the world Chris Nolan has created. Remember Monster's Ball and the sad moments of Brokeback Mountain?
Also, read The Killing Joke by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland. He's be perfect.

comment #37

Kurt says ...

I think Heath will be terrific. He's much better than most people realize. If he didnt read well and describe the concept of the part well Nolan wouldnt go there.

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