Holy odd casting! Heath as The Joker?

[Frederick]

Holy odd casting! Heath as The Joker?

Jano Gibson
July 21, 2006 - 10:33AM

Batman rumours ... Heath Ledger and, inset, Jack Nicholson in the 1989 film

He's played everything from a gay cowboy and helmet-clad bush ranger to a con-artist and heroin junkie. But are rumours that Heath Ledger will star in the next instalment of Batman just a big joke?

A report on film website Latino Review, which was first to break the news that Brandon Routh would star in the latest Superman flick, says it has been informed by a "very trusted source" that the Australian heart-throb has been offered the role of The Joker in the sequel to Batman Begins.

Ledger follows Robin Williams and Mark Hamill as actors rumoured to reprise the role that Jack Nicholson played in Tim Burton's 1989 Batman feature.

But the idea of the 27-year-old playing The Joker has some movie critics scratching their heads.

"Ledger seems spectacularly unsuited to the weirdness of The Joker," writes Josh Tyler on the Cinema Blend website.

" If you're casting Ledger in a Batman movie, I'd start by considering him for Robin, not the caped crusader's most lunatic villain."

Ledger might seem like an odd choice for an evil clown-like character but movie database website, IMDb, says he played a minor role as a teenager in the 1992 film Clowning Around alongside Ernie Dingo, Rebecca Smart and Noni Hazelhurst.

Ledger has also appeared on soap opera Home and Away and in films such as Blackrock, Two Hands, A Knight's Tale, Casanova, and Candy.

Last year the former Bronte resident was nominated for his part as a gay cowboy in Brokeback Mountain.

He is reportedly involved in pre-production for the upcoming Bob Dylan feature, I'm Not There.

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Anyone think he could pull it off if he got the gig? I for one dont. I consider his personality to be too dead-pan for a role like this. But that's just my opinion.

 

[newtownbluebags]

Heath Ledger!............:lol: He should have come home after the Patriot imo!!!!:crazy:

 

[Booyah]

He might go alright.

Alot of people didn't think Christian Bale would be any good as Bruce Wayne but I thought he was outstanding and probably the best Batman on the big screen since Keaton in the Original.

 

[Frederick]

He might go alright.

Alot of people didn't think Christian Bale would be any good as Bruce Wayne but I thought he was outstanding and probably the best Batman on the big screen since Keaton in the Original.

Not hard, seeings as the others were played by Val Kilmer and George Clooney :|

 

[newtownbluebags]

Jack Nicholson - The ONLY Joker!

 

[strewth_mate]

A performance by Robin Williams could be interesting (a la The Fisher King) but people just don't like him. Heath doesn't seem as natural for this kind of role.

 

[LESStar58]

Jack Nicholson - The ONLY Joker!

I am in TOTAL AND UTTER agreement with you on that NBB!

 

[Generalzod]

Jack Nicholson - The ONLY Joker!

Totally agree give the role to him...

 

[simostorm]

I think he will be good actually.

 

[nöyd]

 

[Phillips]

another crap movie on its way..

 

[LESStar58]

WTF!?

Production hasn't even started on the sequel yet! Where the f**k did u pull that from?

 

[nöyd]

lol

From all reports it's just a fake, albeit a damn good one.

 

[lolesi]

Jack Nicholson - The ONLY Joker!

You are right, he so far has been the only Joker!, who is to say Heath can not to a better job?
That was Jack Nicholson playing himself, now you take Heath who has been a gay cowboy, to Ned Kelly, a Knight and a slave, he has played each part pretty well, and i think he would make a great Joker.

 

[lolesi]

And Christian Bale is 10 times better then that statue Michael Keaton.

A master stroke by the producers who casted Bale.

 

[elyod138]

lol

From all reports it's just a fake, albeit a damn good one.

It's a fake somebody made a few months ago.

It isn't even Heath Ledger, it's Conrad Veidt. The original joker in the 1940's was based off his character in "The man who laughs".

Here's a pic from that film:

And the original that fake came from:

http://www.sunrisesilents.com/Images/TMWL.jpg

 

[LESStar58]

And Christian Bale is 10 times better then that statue Michael Keaton.

A master stroke by the producers who casted Bale.

1. Bale
2. Keaton

daylight....

the other 2 morons.....

 

[nöyd]

the other 2 morons.....

I disagree slightly.

I didn't mind Kilmer as the Batman considering what he had to work with - reports were that he actually walked off the set a few times and refused to return as he was unhappy with the way the movie was turning out, (he must've realised it was going to be a sh*t heap early on) only to be forced into returning thanks to Warner Bros. and their big-wig lawyers, threatening to sue the hell out of him for breach of contract etc.

The less said about Clooney (as Batman) the better, but for mine the blame lays fair and square on the head of Joel Schumacher.

Put a gay man in charge of a comic book film and what do you get? Nipples on the batsuit.

ffs :roll:

I'll give Heath every chance (if the rumour is in fact true) but at the moment I just can't see him in the Joker role at all.

 

[elyod138]

I disagree slightly.

I didn't mind Kilmer as the Batman considering what he had to work with - reports were that he actually walked off the set a few times and refused to return as he was unhappy with the way the movie was turning out, (he must've realised it was going to be a sh*t heap early on) only to be forced into returning thanks to Warner Bros. and their big-wig lawyers, threatening to sue the hell out of him for breach of contract etc.

The less said about Clooney (as Batman) the better, but for mine the blame lays fair and square on the head of Joel Schumacher.

Put a gay man in charge of a comic book film and what do you get? Nipples on the batsuit.

ffs :roll:

I'll give Heath every chance (if the rumour is in fact true) but at the moment I just can't see him in the Joker role at all.

It isn't a rumour any more, it was confirmed last week. I think he will do a great job, Chris Nolan knows what he wants.