The Dark Knight (2008)

[Overstreet]

LatinoReview, where the news first broke about Routh as Superman, is now reporting with confidence that an offer to play the Joker has been made to Heath Ledger.

[SDG]

LatinoReview, where the news first broke about Routh as Superman, is now reporting with confidence that an offer to play the Joker has been made to Heath Ledger.

YIKES!

Wrong A Knight's Tale player!!!

[Mark]

I'm just relieved they're not going with Robin freakin' Williams.

[Overstreet]

I was hoping for Adrian Brody or Sean Penn, personally.

[Clint M]

Well, they got the wirery hair angle right. I just wonder if he can pull off the unpredictability angle of the character right.

[Clint M]

I was hoping for Adrian Brody or Sean Penn, personally.

Either of those--well, especially Penn--would have been interesting.

Has Ledger ever given a manic performance?

Ned Kelly comes to mind, althought that wasn't very manic. Maybe his part in Lords of Dogtown. Honestly, I can't see him playing the Joker... except if he were stoned out of his mind.

DIdn't we have an earlier discussion in this thread about how Heath Ledger shouldn't be playing this character? Personally, I thought if they went with a younger Joker, they should have picked Jake Gyllenhall. He's played that kind of character before.

Edited July 20, 2006 by Clint M

[Mark]

Personally, I thought if they went with a younger Joker, they should have picked Jake Gyllenhall.

Or they could reunite Ledger and Gyllenhaal and change the name of the movie.

Jokeback Mountain?

Brokeback Batcave?

[SZPT]

Personally, I thought if they went with a younger Joker, they should have picked Jake Gyllenhall.

Or they could reunite Ledger and Gyllenhaal and change the name of the movie.

Jokeback Mountain?

Brokeback Batcave?

Schumacher already dragged us in that direction. Thank you very much for the painful memory.

[Jeff]

As it turns out, Gyllenhaal was considered for the role of Bruce Wayne during Batman Begins' preproduction (according to Greg Schmitz at Yahoo's Upcoming Movies). Imagine Gyllenhaal as Batman and Ledger as the Joker; that would've occasioned an interesting, uh, subtext.

Then again, wasn't there a slight gay subtext between the Joker and Batman in The Dark Knight Returns? I seem to remember something about that, though it's been three years since I've read it.

Edited July 20, 2006 by Jeff

[Peter T Chattaway]

Link to Batman Begins thread.

Jeffrey Overstreet wrote:

: I was hoping for Adrian Brody or Sean Penn, personally.

Brody, I could see, at least in terms of face or physique. But Penn? Ugh. Plus he'd be insufferably serious about the whole thing.

[Anders]

Link to Batman Begins thread.

Jeffrey Overstreet wrote:

: I was hoping for Adrian Brody or Sean Penn, personally.

Brody, I could see, at least in terms of face or physique. But Penn? Ugh. Plus he'd be insufferably serious about the whole thing.

I'll just take this moment to say that I agree with Peter completely.

And I'll just remind everyone how much I dislike Sean Penn. Dislike very, very much.

[Overstreet]

Meanwhile, I like Penn very, very much... in spite of Mystic River... and I can't wait until All the King's Men.

But Penn? Ugh. Plus he'd be insufferably serious about the whole thing.

... Which would clash with Nolan's Batman how exactly? Batman Begins pushed seriousness about as far as a comic book movie can go without becoming aggravating. I'm not complaining--I loved it. But that's why I think Penn might have been a good choice. Of course, he's quite a bit older than Ledger, and might not be athletic enough...

[Peter T Chattaway]

Jeffrey Overstreet wrote:

: : But Penn? Ugh. Plus he'd be insufferably serious about the whole thing.

:

: ... Which would clash with Nolan's Batman how exactly?

I refer you to Ebert's comment about Superman Returns and the need to see actors taking some joy in the parts they play. ALL of the actors in Batman Begins took at least some joy in their characters. But Penn is about as joyless as they come, both on-screen and off-screen -- and the Joker is nothing if not a character who en-joys his own villainy, his own insanity.

[Plankton]

I'm just relieved they're not going with Robin freakin' Williams.

Or Jack Black. *phew* Thank goodness Nolan's not stupid.

Am I the only one who was hoping for Johnny Depp?

As it turns out, Gyllenhaal was considered for the role of Bruce Wayne during Batman Begins' preproduction

Whoa. Bruce Darko. Consider:

BATMAN: Why do you wear that stupid scarecrow suit?

SCARECROW: Why are you wearing that stupid bat suit?

BATMAN: Uh, 'cause it's AWESOME?

If anyone has a better spoof, please post it. That was pathetic.

Gyllenhaal as Scarecrow I can imagine, but not as the Bat.

[Mark]

Realizing I am the only Sean Penn fan in these here parts, but ... he has actually turned in some playful performances (see Sweet and Lowdown) when directed properly in suitably "lighter" material.

[Russ]

Sean Penn's too good for a BATMAN movie.

[Buckeye Jones]

At least it won't be Robby Coltrane in a Viking suit.

[Overstreet]

Mark said:

Realizing I am the only Sean Penn fan in these here parts,

Mark, what part of "I like Penn very, very much" was unclear to you?

[Mark]

Mark said:

Realizing I am the only Sean Penn fan in these here parts,

Mark, what part of "I like Penn very, very much" was unclear to you?

Ha, I missed that line, as it was above the quote in your last post. The only part I saw was the line about Penn's self-seriousness fitting in well with Nolan's tone.

[Plankton]

At least it won't be Robby Coltrane in a Viking suit.

I think I'd prefer Robin Williams to that.

Another thought: will there be multiple villians? In the last one we got Scarecrow, Ra's al Ghul, and Falcone. Will there be others besides Joker in the Bat Sequel?

[Clint M]

At least it won't be Robby Coltrane in a Viking suit.

I think I'd prefer Robin Williams to that.

Another thought: will there be multiple villians? In the last one we got Scarecrow, Ra's al Ghul, and Falcone. Will there be others besides Joker in the Bat Sequel?

It will also include the Penguin, the Riddler, and Catwoman. The source material for this sequel comes from the seminal 1960's film Batman: The Movie.

Edited July 21, 2006 by Clint M

[Plankton]

It will also include the Penguin, the Riddler, and Catwoman. The source material for this sequel comes from the seminal 1960's film Batman: The Movie.

Of course. Nolan knows the magic combination.

[Clint M]

Someone on another board wondered if the Joker's on-again-off-again sidekick, Harley Quinn, would be involved in the film, and if so, hiring Brittney Murphy for that role.

That would be a nice twist - considering that Harley Quinn wasn't introduced in the comic books, but in Batman: The Animated Series in the 1990's.

Edited July 21, 2006 by Clint M

[Jeff]

Rumors on AICN and other fan sites indicate that Harvey Dent/Two-Face will put in an appearance. I bet the Scarecrow will be back also.

I'm not sure how I'd feel about Harley Quinn...she'd probably end up functioning as an innocent sidekick to the villains, like Parker Posey in Superman Returns. I guess as long as her lines are funny and she isn't too over the top, the concept could work.

[Overstreet]

It will begin with a slow pan down to a small desert island.

Lex Luthor will be sitting there with a vague smile on his face.

There will be a cardboard box sitting next to him, sealed shut.