6 Famous Actors Who Almost Played the Joker in a DC Movie or Show

Hollywood has a few roles guaranteed to change an actor’s life (mostly for the better). Whether it’s James Bond or Spider-Man, any actor who gets cast as these characters gets to be a constant part of media headlines.

The Joker also fits into this category. Jack Nicholson set the bar high when he played the DC villain in Tim Burton’s Batman, and Heath Ledger pushed it even higher with his Oscar-winning performance in The Dark Knight. Today, every actor who plays the Joker gets all the scrutiny. But whether they succeed or fail in giving a great performance, they can be thankful that they got to play the Clown Prince of Crime. Others came close, only to miss the opportunity, while others declined for various reasons. The opportunities might have flown away, but it’s hard not to imagine what the DC landscape would have been like if the following actors had played the iconic villain.

For this list, we shall ignore actors whose castings were mere speculations or those who expressed interest but were never considered by members of the production team. For example, Todd Phillips debunked the long-standing rumor that Leonardo DiCaprio had been a strong contender in Joker. Sean Penn also denied reports that Christopher Nolan had offered him the part in The Dark Knight. A few decades ago, Frank Sinatra wanted to play the Joker in the 1966 Batman show, but the role was never officially offered to him.

Here are 6 actors who came close to playing DC’s most famous supervillain, Joker.

6

John Lithgow

Movie: Unmade 1980s Batman Movie

Before Tim Burton took charge, Warner Bros. had plans for a Batman movie directed by Joe Dante (best known for Gremlins). Dante wanted the Dexter star to play the Joker. Surprisingly, Dante lost interest along the way. He told Psychotronic Cinema:

“I wanted to hire John Lithgow for that part because I had met him on The Twilight Zone movie. And for whatever reason, I started to gravitate more towards The Joker than towards Batman. And I actually woke up one night and I said to myself, ‘I can’t do this movie — I’m more interested in The Joker than I am in Batman, and that’s not the way it should be. So I went and told them that I couldn’t do it, and they looked at me like I’d completely lost my mind”

Bad move? Absolutely! Lithgow was mistaken.

The Future Proved That the Joker Is the True Star

Dante’s reason for dropping out made sense, but little did he know that he had a great idea. He was right to fall in love with the Joker because he, indeed, is the most interesting character in the Batman universe. Every future movie pitting Batman against the Clown Prince of Crime has confirmed this. At the time, Dante might have felt that people wanted to see more Batman than the Joker, but he was wrong. Does he regret it? Hopefully not.

5

Willem Dafoe

Movie: ‘Batman’ (1989)

Willem Dafoe was in red-hot form in the ‘80s, thanks to his performances as Sgt. Gordon Elias in Oliver Stone’s Platoon and Jesus in Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ. Unsurprisingly, he emerged as a strong candidate for the Joker during Batman’s planning phase. He told The Hollywood Reporter:

“Screenwriter Sam Hamm said something about how physically I would be perfect for the part.”

Unfortunately for him, he lost the part to Jack Nicholson. Despite that, his career turned out just fine.

Dafoe Is Still One of Hollywood’s Reliable Actors

Casting Nicholson made sense as he was among the most popular ’80s actors. Per The New York Times, he was the studio’s top choice from as early as 1980, so it all depended on him saying yes or no. Given these circumstances, Dafoe never stood a chance.

All factors considered, Dafoe would have made a perfect Joker. He has talent, the appropriate facial structure, and has been the subject of numerous Joker fan art images over the years. His brilliant portrayal of the Green Goblin further proves that he can handle superhero business with ease.

4

Ryan Gosling

Movie: ‘Suicide Squad’ (2016)

Ryan Gosling isn’t known for playing villains, yet The Wrap discloses that he was the first-choice actor to play the Joker in David Ayer’s doomed Suicide Squad. According to the report, he turned down the opportunity because he didn’t want to be tied to a multi-picture deal. It was only after he rejected the opportunity that Jared Leto was cast.

Dodged a Bullet?

Instead of Suicide Squad, Gosling starred as a jazz pianist in La La Land, a role that earned him a Best Actor nomination at the Oscars. Best decision ever by an actor? Leto’s performance was well-received, though his method-acting got on his co-stars’ nerves. Unfortunately, the film had a poor script and poor production values, so his good work ended up counting out for little in the end.

3

Robin Williams

Movie: ‘Batman’ (1989)

In 2010, Robin Williams told Empire that he had been in the running for not one, but, three different Batman villain roles on the big screen. In 1995’s Batman Forever, both him and Michael Jackson were considered for The Riddler, a role that went to Jim Carrey. Additionally, Christopher Nolan considered him for the Joker in The Dark Knight. However, Tim Burton’s and Warner Bros. rejection hurt him the most as he had lobbied hard to play the Clown Prince of Crime in the 1989 Batman film.

Williams Had the Smile

The Joker needs a good smile and Williams sure had it. This was evident in all his films, even when he was playing a serious character. Even better, Williams was a staunch Batman comic fan, hence he could have portrayed the Joker passionately. And, just like Jack Nicholson, he had the star power to draw people to theaters. But the studio only ever wanted Jack Nicholson, so the actor was courted until he said yes.

2

Adrien Brody

Movie: ‘The Dark Knight’ (2008)

In the mid-2000s, Brody, fresh from the success of The Pianist and King Kong confirmed speculation that he was in the running to play the Joker in The Dark Knight. He revealed that he had met with director Christopher Nolan, and that talks had proceeded nicely. However, Nolan and Warner Bros. ultimately chose to go with Heath Ledger.

Brody Feels Neglected

One only has to look at Peaky Blinders to see how good Brody can be as a villain. His portrayal of the mobster Luca Changretta in the BBC gangster series won him plenty of praise, and, as per his own confession, he would like to take on similar roles, especially in the superhero arena. Sadly, studios rarely approach him.

He told Metro:

“Studios don’t offer me those roles. If there is an opportunity to do something like that and play a comic book hero or villain, that’s not something I’m fundamentally opposed to.”

Hollywood sure is a tough place. But we still dream of the day when we will see Brody as the Joker.

Related

Every Live-Action Movie Featuring the Joker, Ranked by Tomatometer

The Joker has appeared in live-action almost as many times as Batman. Here is how the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer scores look for his movies.

1

David Bowie

Untitled Batman Movie

David Bowie is best remembered for his music, but he was a consistent actor too, starring in over 20 films. Before Tim Burton, Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman had been tapped to direct a Batman movie, starring Bill Murray as the Dark Knight, and Bowie as the Joker. Eddie Murphy was also singled out as a potential Robin in the film. Regrettably, the idea was scrapped.

Comic Writers Consider Bowie the Perfect Joker

Bowie might have missed out on playing the Joker, but he will forever be tied to the DC villain. Comic book writer Grant Morrison confessed that the musician influenced his version of the Joker in the “Batman RIP” storyline, with one comic book issue even getting the title, “The Thin White Duke of Death.” Author Neil Gaiman also told Wired in 2009 that Bowie would be his preferred Joker actor in an adaptation of Frank Miller’s Batman: The Dark Knight Returns.