Particularly for its gory update of Batman’s ultimate enemy, the Joker, Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” is currently acknowledged as one of the best superhero movies of all time. One that has eclipsed all previous and subsequent portrayals of the Joker is Heath Ledger’s startling performance as the antagonist in question.
Unexpectedly, not everyone embraced Ledger’s version; Jack Nicholson, who portrayed the villain in Tim Burton’s “Batman,” is said to have been “furious” about it. It makes sense that he is possessive of the role; in 2007, he told MTV, “The Joker comes from my youth. I first became involved with it in that way. I’ve always felt that I should play that role.
Even though Nicholson always had a connection to the Joker and even wanted to play the role in a follow-up movie, it was Burton who initially encouraged him to accept the role in the 1989 movie. The actor proclaimed, “Tim Burton is a genius.” “I made the movie for that reason. I based the film on only one conversation I had with him.”
The Joker Should Be Humorously Dark
Working with Tim Burton clearly appealed to Nicholson, and it all started with their shared background in animation. Nicholson also began his career as an administrative assistant at MGM Animation before moving on to work with Burton at Disney’s animation studio, which is well known.
They both had “similar ideas” regarding their interpretations of the Joker as a result. Tim suggested that [the Joker] has a comic dark side, according to Nicholson. That’s essentially the unifying characteristic of every Joker performance, but Burton’s direction was reportedly the key component. Jack Nicholson comes from a large family! The illustrious actor has had six kids throughout his previous relationships.
“I don’t think they ever really captured Tim Burton’s spirit,” Nicholson continued. “They kind of drove the franchise into the ground.” One has to wonder what the actor thought of Joel Schumaker’s sequels, or whether he’s seen any other Joker performances since.
It’s been 15 years since Heath Ledger took his place as the Clown Prince of Crime, and the role has been recast three times over — through Jared Leto, Joaquin Phoenix, and Barry Keoghan, respectively.
Lilly Myers tweeted that Joker (Jack Nicholson-Batman 1989). You can see below:
Joker (Jack Nicholson-Batman 1989) pic.twitter.com/2XBHm7zB7V
— Lilly Myers 🎃🔪🖤🦇💋 (@Lilithmyers97) February 26, 2022
At the time, it didn’t seem like Nicholson didn’t enjoy any of the Caped Crusader’s films after “Batman Returns,” and though he hadn’t completely written Nolan’s films off, he wasn’t in a huge rush to check out “The Dark Knight,” either. As well as the full list of upcoming films and television shows produced by DC Studios and directed by James Gunn and Peter Safran has been made public.
“I’m not inclined to watch it because of what I said. But if it’s a good movie, I’ll catch up with it somewhere.” Probably depends on how well the Los Angeles Lakers are doing.
