Top 5 Actors Who Almost Played Joker

Tim Burton’s 1989 feature film Batman is considered by many fans of the Caped Crusader to be the quintessential film about the character. Though some would question Burton’s casting choices early into development, notably Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne, the quality of the film would justify his decisions. Not only was Keaton an amazing Batman, but Jack Nicholson killed it as a flawless Joker in the film as well.

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When the film was first announced, however, famous funnyman Robin Williams took an interest and lobbied for the role of the Joker. Because Nicholson was initially hesitant to sign on, Warner Bros. then began to consider casting Williams. Unfortunately for the Mork and Mindy star, however, Nicholson then had a change of heart and opted to take the part after all.

When it comes to voicing the animated version of the Joker, there’s none better than Mark Hamill. Starting with the role in the animated series from the ’90s, Hamill continues to voice the villain in various films and video games. It’s almost impossible to imagine another actor leading the charge the way Hamill has – no matter how legendary they are.

This includes Tim Curry, one of the greatest actors of all time. As Curry himself revealed in a 2017 interview, he was originally given the part, likely based on his performance as Pennywise the Dancing Clown in the It mini-series. However, Curry developed bronchitis during the initial recording sessions, and before he could recover, producers replaced him with Mark Hamill. “That’s life,” Curry surmised about the situation.

Back in 2005, Steve Carell had just been catapulted into Hollywood stardom with the lead role in The 40-Year-Old Virgin. He was also entertaining audiences on the small screen by playing eccentric boss Michael Scott on the NBC series The Office, which premiered that year as well. The comic actor was quickly becoming a major star, and his future was very bright.

2005 also saw the highly-successful release of Christopher Nolan’s Batman origin film, Batman Begins. With the ending of the movie hinting towards the introduction of the Joker in the sequel, Carell revealed he wanted to play the part. The actor joked about having a “showdown” with Sean Penn for the role if that’s what it ended up coming down to.

However, Heath Ledger had been in heavy consideration for the role from the very start, and Nolan had firmly made the choice to cast him early on into pre-production.

In 2016, the DCU was looking to expand by introducing several new iterations of their comic book characters in Suicide Squad. Many notable casting choices were made here, including Will Smith as Deadshot and Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn. WB wanted to cast another big name as the Joker as well, ultimately going with Jared Leto.

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Originally, however, the part was offered to A-list superstar Ryan Gosling. Picturing the actor in the role really isn’t hard to do, and Gosling could have potentially made a great Joker. The rumor is Gosling turned it down as he was unwilling to commit to a contract with options for multiple movies. WB moved on to their next choice in Jared Leto, who signed on and appeared in the film.

Todd Phillips’ Joker is an origin story for the Clown Prince of Crime, released in October 2019. In a story about how a failed comedian turns to a life of crime, Joaquin Phoenix stars as the titular supervillain. We knew from first-look photos of Phoenix in character that the actor would carry the role well. However, another big Hollywood name was considered.

Initially, Phoenix had shown interest in playing the role but declined a meeting with Warner Bros. Pictures when this film began pre-production. WB then turned to Leonardo DiCaprio, although the chance to play Joker stuck with Phoenix. After taking a look at the actual script, Phoenix was impressed, officially signing on as the new Joker.