The Dark Knight

[Pariah]

If Ledger loses weight, I think he'll be very good. A more physical joker is always better, IMO. (ie. Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale's Joker)

 

[SunsTzu]

Is that the Weasel who played Luke Skywalker??

Yeah he did the Joker in the animated series. I thought he was awesome as Joker and would love to hear him play a darker version.

 

[abomb]

Ryan Phillippe may be set to take over from Tommy Lee Jones after reportedly landing the role of Harvey Dent/Two-Face in the upcoming Batman Begins sequel. Reese Witherspoon's husband will join Heath Ledger, who has signed on to play The Joker, and new Batman Christian Bale in The Dark Knight. Crash star Phillippe beat Liev Shreiber and Josh Lucas to the role of the scheming district attorney, played by Jones in 1995 movie Batman Forever, according to internet reports. Academy Award winners Sir Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman have also joined the cast, while fellow Oscar winner Philip Seymour Hoffman is in talks to play The Penguin in the new film.

Source: imdb.com

 

[vince56]

Two-Face, Penguin & the Joker?!

That's a lot of baddies for one film. It sounds like they're taking on the same approach as the new Spider-Man movie. If they make it a dynamic storyline & the actors look the part, awesome, but I'm worried that may be too many villians for one film.

 

[Chaplin]

Two-Face, Penguin & the Joker?!

That's a lot of baddies for one film. It sounds like they're taking on the same approach as the new Spider-Man movie. If they make it a dynamic storyline & the actors look the part, awesome, but I'm worried that may be too many villians for one film.

My guess is that Two-Face won't actually become Two-Face in this movie, until the very end, leading into the next movie. It is odd to have Penguin and Joker in the same film, arguably the two biggest Batman villains.

 

[Stout]

Wow, Ledger as the Joker? Blech.

 

[Mulli]

Wow, Ledger as the Joker? Blech.

 

[Brian in Mesa]

June 25th, 2005:

Katie Holmes dropped from "Batman Begins" sequel?
Source: Cinema Confidential, Page Six

PageSix.com (http://www.pagesix.com) is reporting that Katie Holmes' character will not be appearing in the "Batman Begins" sequel.

It is rumoured that her character is being ditched to make way for the more famous DA featured in the comics, Harvey Dent, who becomes Batman's enemy Two Face.

Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, and Morgan Freeman are all committed for a second Batman film.

Holmes' Spokeswoman on The Dark Knight
Source: The Wall Street Journal
January 26, 2007

A spokeswoman for Katie Holmes has given The Wall Street Journal a comment on why she won't be returning as Rachel Dawes in the Batman Begins sequel, The Dark Knight.

"We never got to the negotiating stage" for the film, said Julie Polkes, Holmes' representative. "Katie was offered ["Dark Knight"] but was unable to accept the role because of scheduling conflicts. She was in the process of negotiating for another project.

Instead, Holmes will star in "Mad Money" with Queen Latifah which starts shooting in a couple of months with a budget of only $12 million.

--------------------------------------------------

Weak spin control. Amost as soon as the first movie came out it was rumored that Holmes would not be in the sequel(s).

 

[Brian in Mesa]

http://www.arizonasportsfans.com/vb/showthread.php?t=55744

Merge please.

Thanks.

BIM

 

[Stout]

You think he'll do well? Why? I've seen nothing of the actor, other than a crap-eating grin, that makes me think he's up for it. The role of the Joker is an incredibly difficult one. Many actors who may be good in comedy would not be well suited for it. As Ledger isn't even known for comedy, I don't see this as a good role for him.

 

[Gee!]

What the hell??? Didnt Joker die in the 1st Batman? He fell off that huge tower..

 

[Gee!]

I just saw on a hip hop site a rapper will be in this movie i think.. lemme go look..

 

[Gee!]

Oh, guessit wasnt a rapper, but it was on a hip hop site under the rumors section...

Jamie Foxx is now considered to play scarred villian, Two-Face in Batman Begins sequel, The Dark Knight. Word to Frank Miller.

 

[Pariah]

Whoever plays the Joker in the next movie will be nothing more than a man standing before a firing squad. Cha, try and follow Romero and Nicholson...right!

I suspect whoever it is will play it different, and probably darker. Even Nicholson's take I thought was too "campy." I'd love to see him played deadpan with the frozen smile. Wry jokes, not over-the-top jokes. That, to me, is a scary joker.

 

[Evil Ash]

What the hell??? Didnt Joker die in the 1st Batman? He fell off that huge tower..

When Nolan took over the Batman franchise he said it would be as though the first group of movies didn't happen.

Besides characters coming back from the dead is pretty common in comics. For example, Doc Ock was killed at least 2 times but yet he just kept coming back

 

[Stout]

I suspect whoever it is will play it different, and probably darker. Even Nicholson's take I thought was too "campy." I'd love to see him played deadpan with the frozen smile. Wry jokes, not over-the-top jokes. That, to me, is a scary joker.

I will disagree about how excellent Nicholson was, but that's beside the point. The point is, is Ledger the best actor to even do what you describe?

 

[Pariah]

I will disagree about how excellent Nicholson was, but that's beside the point. The point is, is Ledger the best actor to even do what you describe?

Maybe I missed the point then. I made no mention of Ledger for a reason. I was responding specifically to this statement:

Whoever plays the Joker in the next movie will be nothing more than a man standing before a firing squad. Cha, try and follow Romero and Nicholson...right!

My point is that IF Ledger or whoever plays the Joker in the future tries to do him just as Nicholson did, then yes, he'll just be a shadow of that preformace. But, if they play it different, they could outshine them if they do it well.

Is Ledger right for the roll? Probably not. He doesn't seem like the type, but who knows. He doesn't seem like he'll be able to play a good "nicholson Joker," but maybe he can take it to a different place. I don't think he's a bad actor.

 

[Cardinals.Ken]

Just the idea of another Christian Bale Batman film has me stoked.

"Batman Begins" totally redefined and reinvigorated the franchise.

 

[Stout]

Maybe I missed the point then. I made no mention of Ledger for a reason. I was responding specifically to this statement:



My point is that IF Ledger or whoever plays the Joker in the future tries to do him just as Nicholson did, then yes, he'll just be a shadow of that preformace. But, if they play it different, they could outshine them if they do it well.

Is Ledger right for the roll? Probably not. He doesn't seem like the type, but who knows. He doesn't seem like he'll be able to play a good "nicholson Joker," but maybe he can take it to a different place. I don't think he's a bad actor.

I agree that he's a good actor. I was also a bit mixed up about which thread I was on (why do we have two, btw?), so I did miss your point there. Sure, he might outshine Nicholson in a different way, but it would have to be really frakkin' good. I don't think he will do so.

 

[Linderbee]

I will disagree about how excellent Nicholson was, but that's beside the point. The point is, is Ledger the best actor to even do what you describe?

I think Ledger's capable--it's going to be up to the director, imho, whether or not it happens.

 

[Mulli]

You think he'll do well? Why? I've seen nothing of the actor, other than a crap-eating grin, that makes me think he's up for it. The role of the Joker is an incredibly difficult one. Many actors who may be good in comedy would not be well suited for it. As Ledger isn't even known for comedy, I don't see this as a good role for him.

I am not sure if agreed then, but I agree with you now. A mumbling Joker? bleh.b

 

[Pariah]

As Ledger isn't even known for comedy,

I just caught this line of your post now (sorry).

My original point was that I don't think the joker should be played "funny." I think he ought to be an f'd up psycho killer that always has a smile on his face and laughs a lot at inappropriate times, maybe makes a wry joke here and there, but mostly his look of a clown is juxtaposed against his startlingly frightening demeanor.

The joker doesn't have to ACT like a clown, he just has to look like one.

Hell, how scary would he be if he didn't speak at all--just laughed, but was otherwise silent?

I think there are a lot of ways to play that character, and if the director is looking for a comedic actor, he's already increasing his odds of failure because, as you noted before, he'll be compared against Romero and Nicholson. If Ledger plays it different, he won't be to the same degree.

 

[jenna2891]

My original point was that I don't think the joker should be played "funny." I think he ought to be an f'd up psycho killer that always has a smile on his face and laughs a lot at inappropriate times, maybe makes a wry joke here and there, but mostly his look of a clown is juxtaposed against his startlingly frightening demeanor.

The joker doesn't have to ACT like a clown, he just has to look like one.

Hell, how scary would he be if he didn't speak at all--just laughed, but was otherwise silent?

oooo... i like that. you're right, that would be creepy as hell.

 

[Mulli]

I suppose there is no way that Ledger could be worse that K.Dunst or Ms. Holmes.

 

[Cardinals.Ken]

I think John Leguizamo would be good as The Joker as well (kind of a Ceasar Romero homage...)