Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy is among some of the best Batman movies. Along with the DC superhero, fans also loved the villains featured in the films, including the iconic portrayal of Heath Ledger’s Joker. His extraordinary performance as Joker not only won over critics but fans were also blown away with his performance. Ledger’s portrayal of Joker is considered the best portrayal of the DC villain.
Considering the response his performance has received over the years, it would be hard to believe that anyone was offended by his casting in The Dark Knight. However, something similar happened, and following the huge backlash surrounding his casting, the director also started having doubts about the same.
Christopher Nolan Did Not Plan The Batman Begins Sequel
Considering the huge success it was, many would assume that Christopher Nolan must have planned The Dark Knight Trilogy precisely. However, according to the Oscar-nominated director, he did not have plans to continue with a sequel after the 2005 film.
During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he shared that revealing the Joker card at the end of Batman Begins “felt like the appropriate ending.” However, fans took it as a hint for the sequel and were eager to learn who would be the Clown Prince of Crime in the sequel of the 2005 DC film.
Contrary to fans’ expectations, Nolan was not planning to set up a sequel. “It wasn’t really about setting up a sequel,” he said. However, months after the film’s release, he was also curious “to know who the Joker is?”
And when he finally found the perfect actor for the character, many raised objected and questioned his choice as they did not believe that Heath Ledger could do justice to the infamous DC villain, Joker.
Christopher Nolan Trusted His Instincts
The news that Heath Ledger would be portraying the character of Joker in the sequel to Batman Begins was not very well received by many. Along with fans, Christopher Nolan’s brother, Jonathan Nolan, and the studio were also not supportive of his casting decision.
However, the Interstellar director was sure about casting the Brokeback Mountain star, which is still considered one of the best portrayals of the DC villain so far. Charles Roven, one of the producers of The Dark Knight, recalled everyone questioning Ledger’s casting as Joker.
“When we cast Heath Ledger, it was like, ‘What? Heath Ledger? What, as The Joker? Are you kidding me?” he said. But there were no doubts about it after the release of the film. Jonathan Nolan also shared that with this, his brother taught him to learn to trust his instinct.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
