MovieChat Forums > Batman (1989) Discussion > What if Jack Nicholson wasn't cast as th...

What if Jack Nicholson wasn't cast as the Joker?

posted 3 years ago by TMC-4 (19416)
17 replies | jump to latest

Somebody commented on AV Club that Jack Nicholson definitely shined a spotlight on the film and piqued general public interest in it in a way that maybe a less famous actor (like say John Lithgow or Tim Curry) probably wouldn’t have done. Nicholson would have been the difference between getting it on the cover of People Magazine before release instead of just in it, or leading off Entertainment Tonight instead of just a later segment.

https://film.avclub.com/1844175827

More importantly, getting a major star like Nicholson probably made the studio more open to letting a young wunderkind director like Tim Burton spend pallets of cash to make something truly new and original.

[–] djangounlamed (1769) 3 years ago

ya I think a mediocre other actor would have made this flop and be garbage. it think I just downloaded it on 4k... may watch it

[–] CoachGainz (453) 3 years ago

I gotta say I love Jack.

However, who would have ever thought Heath would have been just as good? Health wasn't known for his acting chops and before the TDK and look how that turned out.

[–] Costumer (1786) 3 years ago

See, not everyone agrees with that. Personally, while I think Heath made a very effective villain, I thought he was a horrible Joker. I didn't see anything Jokerish about him.

Folks can disagree, of course. I know many think Nicholson was bad. Its a matter of taste.

[–] FootOfDavros (6720) 2 years ago

However, who would have ever thought Heath would have been just as good?

Heath Ledger would have been no good in this whatever. He was only ten years old when this film came out!

[–] bozo_500 (12223) 3 years ago

Yeh he was the biggest name imaginable from the potential jokery types that would've been in the running for the role and elevated the movie to a real event status like Brando did with Superman,

[–] TMC-4 (19416) 3 years ago

Batman: Robin Williams Almost Played Joker & Riddler (Why He Didn't)

https://screenrant.com/batman-movies-joker-riddler-robin-williams-not-play/

[–] LiquidOcelot (2300) 3 years ago

STOP SPAMMING THE BOARD YOU GODDAMN LOSER!

[–] wrlord (1081) 3 years ago

When I learned about his casting way back in '85 or so I was against it. I thought we had already seen him do crazy; he had nothing new to bring to the role.
I was right, but it worked a lot better than I had expected.

[–] TMC-4 (19416) 3 years ago

Robin Williams did this film called One Hour Photo, where he played a really creepy, mentally unbalanced photo developer, who targets a middle-class family. That's pretty much how I would've imagined him as Edward Nygma.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdU3vEh3qfs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URquvu9F3jo

[–] wearsalan (5554) 3 years ago

Mark Hamill would have done a good job. As would Robin Williams. But Nicholson was a big star and as such the studios probably felt they needed a big star for the movie to succeed.

[–] ThrillerTalk (1118) 3 years ago

I think Jack did good and all, but looking at Ted Danson, I think he had the perfect look for the role. Especially in comparison to the 90s animated model that came later on, and had the personality to match based on his character called "Michael" in the good place. Sure that was many years later, but I'm sure he'd have had that ability to bring it like that as the Joker back then.

[–] Jones70 (6195) 3 years ago

I think Willem Dafoe, John Malkovich or Anthony Hopkins would have been good.

[–] DoctorThirteen (10226) 3 years ago

I watched Exorcist III (made the year after Batman) the other day, and thought that Brad Dourif would have made a good Joker.

[–] Jones70 (6195) 3 years ago

Rutger Hauer would have been awesome.