It’s no coincidence that the most popular villain in DC history has seen the likes of Jack Nicholson, Heath Ledger, Jared Leto, and most recently, Barry Keoghan play him in live-action adaptations. Supremely talented actors who might otherwise have avoided the standard superhero fare have again and again been seduced by the darkly complex and chaotic energy that is the Batman villain, Joker.
The ultimate adversary of Batman, no other comic villain than the Joker has commanded the eclectic and varied talents of such a rich selection of actors, and few other recurring roles are coveted and anticipated so highly as the Clown Prince of Crime. Nicholson’s portrayal may not have been taken that seriously, and possibly for good reason, but ever since Ledger outshone everyone in Christopher Nolan’s 2008 Batman Begins sequel, The Dark Knight, it’s become a hugely sought-after role.
Embodying wanton carnage, unpredictable violence and a master-criminal level of deranged intelligence, the Joker has given actors something juicy to work with and has seen him portrayed as a camp and carnivalesque, a nihilistic philosopher, and as an LA gangbanger. With Keoghan’s hint of the newest on-screen iteration of the character teased at the end of Matt Reeves’ hugely successful The Batman last year, we can expect to see more of him in the upcoming sequel.
For now, however, we must satiate our cravings with the what if’s of the Joker canon, the would-be villains who so very nearly graced our screens. Without further ado, here are the ten actors who almost played the Joker.
10 actors who nearly played the Joker:
10. David Bowie
Having proven his acting chops in the late 1970s and 1980s with films like The Man Who Fell to Earth and Labyrinth, it wouldn’t have been unreasonable to see the late, great David Bowie jump into a superhero film given the right circumstances.
In a production that never got to see the light of day, The Batman would have been a 1985 film by Superman writer Tom Mankiewicz and Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman. The proposed casting choices raise some eyebrows, such as Bill Murray as the hero himself, but one can’t help but imagine that their plan to bring Bowie on board as the Joker would have yielded some particularly strange and unique results.
9. Adrien Brody
Whilst Adrien Brody is a phenomenally talented and fairly versatile actor, one can’t be too disappointed with this one. The Pianist actor would have no doubt offered something interesting, but the race he was in the running for was none other than for Nolan’s second Batman film.
We can lament missing a Brody Joker, but we must thank the gods of cinema that we received Ledger’s Joker in his place.
8. Frank Sinatra
Can you imagine The Dark Prince of Crime as played by the Sultan of Swoon? Give it a try because Frank Sinatra threw his hat in the ring fairly early on, with that ring being Adam West’s 1960s Batman show.
Ol Blue Eyes never made the cut, with the role ultimately going to Cesar Romero, but it was reported by Burt Ward, the actor who played Robin, that “Frank Sinatra was very upset because he couldn’t play The Joker.”
7. Willem Dafoe
When it was confirmed that Willem Dafoe would be joining the DC universe for Justice League in some capacity, many thought he would be portraying the definitive villain for Warner Bros’ attempt at matching Marvel. You don’t have to search far online to find opinions about how Dafoe would be perfect for the role.
Unfortunately for some, Dafoe’s part was relatively small; he played ‘Nuidis Vulko’, an Atlantean ally to Aquaman. He was, however, considered for the Joker part almost 20 years prior. The actor went up for the role in Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman; as we know now, the role went to Jack Nicholson.
6. Tim Curry
With his blood-chilling performance as Pennywise in the 1990 IT miniseries, it’s really very easy to see how this demented and scary-clown energy could be brought to the role of the Joker. And as it turns out, he did, albeit not in live-action form.
Batman: The Animated Series has a huge and fervent fan base, many of whom consider it to be the greatest depiction of the caped crusader and his rogue’s gallery to ever play on a screen. Mark Hamill would come to be known and praised by the Bats community for his voice work as the Joker on the series. For a few early episodes, however, Curry played the Joker before contracting bronchitis and having to drop out of production.
5. Robin Williams
This is one of those casting decisions that could have changed the face of Batman forever. The late Robin Williams, known primarily for his exceptional comedy performances in the likes of Mrs Doubtfire, Jumanji, and The Bird Cage, was considered by Burton for the Joker role in his 1989 adaptation.
Whilst Jack Nicholson’s version was certainly twisted, one can’t help but wonder what Williams could have brought to the table, especially having demonstrated his ability to tackle serious roles with Good Will Hunting and his capacity for outright villainy with Insomnia.
4. Paul Bettany
Back when his involvement with comic book films was simply as a voice for JARVIS, the AI computer in Iron Man 1 and 2, Paul Bettany may well have been able to straddle both the Marvel and DC franchises.
Another great actor contending for the Joker in Nolan’s second Batman film, Bettany was obviously beaten to the finish line by Ledger. Considering how his career flourished in the MCU, however, becoming the android ‘Vision’ as an official member of the Avengers and taking a co-starring role in Disney+’s Wandavision, we think Bettany ended up doing alright.
3. Ryan Gosling
When David Ayer was lining up Suicide Squad, and everyone thought DC’s version of their own cinematic universe was about to officially launch, the role of the Joker was being taken very seriously. Having last seen an Academy Award-winning performance turned in, filmmakers were eager to at least try and aspire to a similar level of gravitas.
Enter Ryan Gosling. Whilst we’ve still not seen the man turn in an ‘evil’ performance, his steely determination in Drive and the complex and deeply layered performance he would give a year later in Blade Runner 2049 more than proved the actor’s range. However, not wanting to sign on for a multi-movie deal, the actor declined, and Jared Leto swooped in to take his place.
2. John Lithgow
Alongside David Bowie, there was a possibility of The Crown actor John Lithgow donning clown make-up for the unproduced Batman film in 1985. Alongside Ivan Reitman, director Joe Dante (of Gremlins fame) was considered by the studio to lead the project.
During this period of consideration, Dante already had his Joker decided, recalling: “The Joker was a major character in it. I wanted to hire John Lithgow for that part because I had met him on The Twilight Zone movie.” Whilst a very capable actor with a bunch of excellent credits to his name, losing out on a Lithgow Joker is probably the least mourned out of this list.
1. Leonardo DiCaprio
When Todd Phillips gave us Joker in 2019, he wore his Martin Scorsese influences on his sleeve. Channelling some serious Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy energy, Phillips’ take on the Joker as an isolated, disenfranchised, mentally vulnerable everyman-turned-villain felt like it took place in the same universe as Scorsese’s 1970s and 1980s films. It even had Robert De Niro play a significant role.
It’s no surprise, then, with his strong ties to Scorsese, that Leonardo Di Caprio’s name was thrown about when the film was in pre-production. We all know that Di Caprio is one of the most versatile, immersive and engaging actors of his generation, matched only by several — one of whom being Joaquin Phoenix, who gave us the most interesting Joker since Ledger over ten years before. Would Di Caprio have been better? We’ll never know.