The Dark Knight is mostly ed for Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker, but given the popularity of the character, he wasn’t the only actor interested in the role. Batman and the Joker have an interesting history on the big screen, and the first time these two shared the spotlight was in the 1966 film Batman, based on the Batman series from the decade, with Adam West as Batman and Cesar Romero as the Joker.
The Clown Prince of Crime got one of his most unforgettable adaptations in Tim Burton’s Batman, in 1989. Jack Nicholson was in charge of portraying the iconic villain, whose real name was Jack Napier and whose goal was to terrorize Gotham through a chemical called “Smylex”, which caused victims to die laughing. Dark Knight trilogy introduced a psychopathic criminal mastermind with a sadistic sense of humor – a much darker yet realistic version than Nicholson’s Napier.
Heath Ledger was in charge of playing the iconic villain, and though viewers were initially skeptical about his ability to portray Batman’s archenemy, Ledger’s performance proved all doubters wrong. Ledger ended up winning a posthumous Academy Award for his role as the Joker, and though it’s now hard to imagine someone else playing the role in The Dark Knight, Ledger wasn’t the only one interested in it.
The Dark Knight: Paul Bettany Was Rumored To Play The Joker
When Christopher Nolan offered Heath Ledger the role of Batman, but they both agreed that he was not the right one for it. However, Nolan kept him on his list, and was his first option when casting the Joker for The Dark Knight. Still, Nolan reportedly met with many other actors before casting Ledger, but they were reluctant to accept given the popularity of Nicholson’s performance. When it was announced that the Joker would be the villain in the sequel to Batman Begins, Paul Bettany was rumored to be playing the part. Bettany did show interest in the role, but it’s unknown if he met with Nolan or not.
Other actors interested in playing the Joker in The Dark Knight were Lachy Hulme, Adrien Brody, Steve Carell, and Robin Williams. The latter had a difficult history with DC Comics and the Batman universe, as he was approached to play the Joker in Joker and The Dark Knight, and he had also wanted to work with Ledger on a number of projects in the past, and this was the perfect opportunity. Ledger’s performance ended up being one of the best versions of the character, and it helped elevate the film even more.
