Heath Ledger Says To Expect A Very Different Joker

Entertainmentwise ^ | today | James Luxford

[Rodney King]

Heath Ledger has discussed his new role as the Joker in the next Batman instalment, revealing he had a “different take” on the famous villain.

Speaking to US magazine Newsweek regarding about his recent casting as The Joker (played previously by Jack Nicholson) in the forthcoming Batman movie ‘The Dark Knight’.

Ledger told the magazine: “I've been bouncing around like a lunatic for four months. I definitely have a different take on him, but I've yet to do a proper makeup run. It's on the agenda”.

When asked if he’d been practising his laugh, Ledger simply replied “I’d be lying if I said I haven’t been”.

‘The Dark Knight’ is set for a summer 2008 release.

[NordP]

THEY HAVE...

--and it was NOT funny!

[Petronski]

The comparison will, nonetheless, be unavoidable.

[pcottraux]

The original ‘Batman’ a snorer???

You’re joking right???!!!

Does he look like he's joking? >:p

And he's right, anyway.

[mamelukesabre]

Does it matter? Poker or pokee, they’re both disgusting.

[NordP]

I see what you’re seeing, but I still wouldn’t have EVER posted that. Truly wrong.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

If this film is introducing the story of the Joker, it is remaking that part of 89 classic with Jack Nicholson.

This is a completely new Batman series, totally rebooted.

[who knows what evil?]

Thanks for the heads up!

[pcottraux]

Wising up to this, WB kicked their marketing in high gear early on. They've used a viral campaign to establish a "new and different" Joker. In this regard, at least, the character's personality has been perfectly captured.

Here is a list of the "Joker's websites." Many of them, at the time they were released, required fan participation to achieve a "prize." The one at San Diego Comic-con (rent-a-clown), for example, required a scavenger hunt around the city.

www.whysoserious.com
www.whysoserious.com/personalityprofile
www.whysoserious.com/mausoleum/
www.whysoserious.com/theperfectgetaway/
www.whysoserious.com/outoftime/
www.rent-a-clown.com
www.rorysdeathkiss.com
www.ibelieveinharveydenttoo.com (highlight around the Page Not Found area).

Check out this site first:
www.thegothamtimes.com

Then look at the "defaced" version:

www.thehahahatimes.com

They also have created a ton of buzz by releasing the first 7 minutes of the movie as a "prologue"...the Joker's introduction...before the IMAX showings of "I Am Legend."

Here is a review of Ledger's performance as seen thusfar:

[OldEagle]

I didn’t make a Brokeback joke. It was a Batman/ Robin pun.

[Boiler Plate]

They hyped Enron too.

[pcottraux]

Whatever, while we won’t know for certain until July, I’d say it’s a safe bet that this movie is going to be a big deal at the box office. This and Indiana Jones 4 are shaping up to be the big movie events of 2008.

[Boiler Plate]

To be honest this is the first I have heard of the Batman movie, while I have known about IJ 4 for quite some time.

[pcottraux]

One need not look far to find lots of hype for The Dark Knight.

Both are highly anticipated; in some polls I've seen, TDK is the winner for most hype, some Indy 4. TDK did win the Spike TV Scream Awards for Most Anticipated movie of 2008, and that was back in October.

[new cruelty]

I agree, everyone will look to make comparisons between Ledger’s Joker and Jack’s Joker. Still, I already see a vast improvement in Christopher Nolan’s take on the Dark Knight over the efforts put forth by Tim Burton or Joel Schumacher.

[pcottraux]

While I agree with you, at least one could put forth an argument in Burton’s favor.

Schumacher, on the other hand...

[LexBaird]

Word to the wise: never sign on for a remake in which you will play the character Nicholson played before you. Just. Don't. Do. It.

Ever see him in the Hammer Studios "The Raven"? Let's just say he hadn't perfected his craft quite yet. But, then again, he was opposite Peter Lorre, Boris Karloff AND Vincent Price, in the role of the boring Juvenile.

[BillyBoy]

>> For example, more in line with the classic comic books (which 89 was NOT) <<

Original comic book depiction of Joker:

1989 movie depiction of the Joker:

2007 movie depiction of the Joker:

Sorry, no dice. Nicholson's joker as a grinning psychotic with clown makeup is about 10X closer to the comic book source material than Heath Ledger's smug metrosexual weirdo, who looks like a reject fan constume for The Crow comic convention.

>> this Joker will have no origin story <<

For over five decades, the Joker's past has consistantly been a pretty criminal who commits theft and is transformed into a sadist unhinged murderer seeking venegance after he is dropped into a vat of chemical waste by Batman and emerges with chemical burns and a bizarre grin permantely etteched into face. This was told in Detective Comics in 1951, and retold in 1988's The Killing Joke, which was strongly used as source material for the 1989 Batman film.

If Ledger's joker isn't formerly a petty thug, doesn't have a smile permantely stuck on his disfigured face, and isn't a victim of falling into a vat of chemicals, then Nolan is ignoring basic Batman continunity from the last 50 years. Which is quite ironic since the whole selling point of his "Batman Begins" movie was saying the death of Bruce's parents was closer to the original comic book than the 1989 film. Now it seems to be the opposite.

Count me as one person who is NOT interested in the new Batman movie at all. Batman Begins worked because doing a "Batman: Year One" concept on film and using Scarecrow and Rah Al Guhl as the main villans was a great ORIGINAL concept using elements from the comic books. Now it seems Nolan wants to "reinvent" the Joker and do Brokeback Batman. Shades of Halle Berry's "reimaging" of Catwoman. Ugh.

Creatively is dead in Hollywood. They should have realized nobody could top Nicholson's iconic portrayal of The Joker and done a live action BATMAN BEYOND (elderly Bruce Wayne, played by Clint Eastwood type, must recruit and train someone to replace him as Batman) movie instead. Now THAT would be something to see in theathers!

[BillyBoy]

>> "Nobody can beat Nicholson as the Joker...he stole that movie right out from under Batman....." Roger that. Jack's Joker set the standard every comic book movie villan will be measured by from now on. Any other attempt to play the Joker is somewhat like painting a moustache on the Mona Lisa. <<

Ditto here. I was also a youngin' when the original 1989 movie came out and Nicholason's portrayal of the Joker scared the crap outta me. Nicholason forever blew away the old Adam West campiness and introduced a new dark gothic Batman that mirrored the original comic book stories.

I'll take Nicholason over a wimpy like Ledger anyday. That "Joker" makeup on Ledger doesn't even remotely LOOK like Joker's persona. Since when did Joker have blond hair and dark black rings around his eyes and a normal mouth smeared with lipstick? It follows the Batman "source material" as closely as this one:

[BillyBoy]

>> Word to the wise: never sign on for a remake in which you will play the character Nicholson played before you. Just. Don't. Do. It. <<

Nonsence. Steve Webber's portrayal of Jack Torance in the 1997 remake of The Shining was sooooooooo much better than the 1980 classic with Jack Nicholson. < /sarcasm>

H-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-r-e's Stevey!

[LexBaird]

I think you meant to respond to the original poster.