“I explained to him what I wanted to do”: Heath Ledger Wanted Nothing To Do With Joker, Rejected Appearing In $373M Christian Bale Movie

Renowned for playing Batman’s biggest rival Joker, Heath Ledger has a fame wall of his own. The late Australian actor is still widely remembered for portraying the criminal mastermind in the most iconic way to date, which even won him an Oscar for his outstanding performance. But little do people know that before getting cast into the franchise as Joker, Ledger was initially offered to play the titular role in the $373M movie.

However, the legendary actor completely rejected to appear in the $373M movie Batman Begins at all, and the role was eventually offered to Christian Bale. But then, how did Heath Ledger end up playing Joker in The Dark Knight, of all people?

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Heath Ledger Was Initially Offered The Role Of Batman In Batman Begins (2008)

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Judging by how his name is now almost synonymous with the comic book villain Joker, Heath Ledger certainly did a fantastic job while playing him. But while the character might have been the Australian star’s best one of all time, there was a time when he was offered to play Joker’s rival AKA Batman in the DCEU instead.

Batman Begins (2008) director Christopher Nolan revealed in an interview how he was highly impressed with Ledger and had developed a soft spot for him after watching his movies, the reason behind him considering the late star for the titular role. However, Ledger had different plans and ended up rejecting the role when Nolan offered it to him for the $383M movie. Revealing the former’s reaction to his offer, Nolan said,

“He was quite gracious about it. He said, ‘I would never take a part in a superhero film’.”

Thus, the role of Batman ended up going to Christian Bale instead, whose portrayal of the character is still regarded as the most remarkable one ever.

Also Read: Mel Gibson Broke His Friendship With Heath Ledger Because of MCU Star Only to Regret It Later: “I should have called him years before”

So How Did Heath Ledger End Up Playing Joker In The Dark Knight?

While Heath Ledger was firm on his decision to not star in any superhero movie, Christopher Nolan believes Batman Begins might have helped change his perspective on comic books altogether. Recalling what made the late star accept the role of Joker in The Dark Knight, Nolan said,

“I explained to him what I wanted to do with ‘Batman Begins’ and I think maybe he felt I achieved it.”

Thus, the iconic star ended up playing the comic book villain in Christian Bale’s The Dark Knight, which even won him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, although, very sadly, Heath Ledger couldn’t live up to receiving it.

You can stream Batman Begins and The Dark Knight on HBO Max.

Source: Looper