ROTTEN TOMATOES: Ledger's New Joker to Be Scrappy and Scary

Ledger's New Joker to Be Scrappy and Scary

by Scott Weinberg | April 18, 2007

If you were hoping for a Jack Nicholson-style Joker in Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight," then you might be disappointed by the adjectives being used to describe the new character design. Words like "raggedy" and "scary."

Apparently Warner Bros. will release a character photo this summer, just to prevent against lame "spy pics" from hitting the 'net, but for now all we know is that Heath Ledger's Joker will be "scary," "raggedy," and "will have grey skin with lots of scarring." So clearly this is not the broad and campy Joker we're generally familiar with.

And I think it's a pretty cool idea. Nolan made that freaky Scarecrow villain all sorts of creepy, and that tone worked pretty damn well in "Batman Begins." Clearly I'm not alone in that opinion.

Sources: IGN Movies, Batman on Film

Related Items

Celeb:	Christopher Nolan
	Jack Nicholson
	Heath Ledger
Movie:	The Dark Knight
	Batman Begins

(1-20 of 47 posts) | Reply

Xhrix writes:
on Apr 18 2007 01:01 AM

Regardless of makeup Heath = Sinister still doesn't equate for me..... or Heath = Funny either. I'm just gonna have to put my faith on Nolan for this one I suppose

(Reply to this)

jeremyd4 writes:
on Apr 18 2007 03:11 AM

Heath is losing his hair, I believe this will make him mad at the world, insanely MAD!! He also did not win the best actor award after kissing another man. This will all come through on screen, just wait and see.

(Reply to this)

BUCK69 writes:
on Apr 18 2007 05:27 AM

In reply to this comment (#861952)
Heath Ledger is a damn good actor. Nolan is a great director. We know how his vision of the whole Batman mythology translates to film. A darker, more violent Joker is a better fit. Jack Nicholson's interpretation worked perfectly for Burton's Batman. But this is an entirely different ball game. And I'm sure that Ledger and Nolan will hit it out of the park!

(Reply to this)

needles writes:
on Apr 18 2007 05:38 AM

Sounds gay.

(Reply to this)

Darth_Ninch writes:
on Apr 18 2007 05:54 AM

[b]Sounds awesome!!![/b]
I love it!

(Reply to this)

cgcbooks writes:
on Apr 18 2007 05:58 AM

In reply to this comment (#861954)
Which means what exactly?

(Reply to this)

Elixor writes:
on Apr 18 2007 06:07 AM

Excellent idea. They don't want to go down the goofy looking/acting Joker route again, although the Joker still has to be insane and crazy. It's just too hard to beat the innevitable comparisons that are going to be made to Nicholson's Joker if they portray the character in a similar light. It's similar to how Superman Returns made a more comic book accurate and serious Lex Luthor, which you then couldn't really compare to Gene Hackman's quirky Lex. This is definately the way to go, even if people end up liking this Joker portrayal less.

You also can't underestimate good acting. I remember thinking that Jack Nicholson was going to make a terrible Joker because to me he didn't look the part, but after watching the movie, I loved his portrayal.

(Reply to this)

Defmonkey writes:
on Apr 18 2007 06:18 AM

Hell, I think Ledger looks creepy to begin with. Its gonna be fantastic!

(Reply to this)

frogleg writes:
on Apr 18 2007 06:22 AM

In reply to this comment (#861956)
Check out his other posts; he just likes to bitch. Pay it no mind.

(Reply to this)

arpeggio191 writes:
on Apr 18 2007 06:42 AM

this will rule

(Reply to this)

digitalsoul68 writes:
on Apr 18 2007 07:05 AM

Caesar Romero will always be the best Joker, but I will expect great things from Nolan AND Ledger. This sounds cool.

(Reply to this)

beast09 writes:
on Apr 18 2007 07:42 AM

Yeah I think Nolans joker is going to look similar to the joker from batman: the animated series. Physique wise anyways

(Reply to this)

dylan21484nj writes:
on Apr 18 2007 08:00 AM

sounds great so far. going with the stark-white Joker skin seems a little unrealistic for a film series that has been so grounded in reality by Batman Begins. making a lanky, wiry Joker with sickly pale gray skin seems much more realistic and creepy. i wonder how red his lips will be and how green his hair will be, if at all.

(Reply to this)

think_first writes:
on Apr 18 2007 08:10 AM

[b]I think he should stay in character...[/b]
...and continue his role from Broke Back Mountain. The Joker is a clown who wears make-up, souds pretty queeny to me. Ledger could also continue to do his own stunts, really getting into the gritty action. Batman would become Bi-Curious, and gets caught picking up a male hooker who looks exactly like that giant alligator man from the animated series (just to follow cannon, for the fanboys ya know).

(Reply to this)

Merlin235 writes:
on Apr 18 2007 08:21 AM

In reply to this comment (#861964)
Didn't they already make that movie? I thought it was called Batman & Robin

(Reply to this)

stevegilpin writes:
on Apr 18 2007 08:27 AM

I just hope that the hand-to-hand combat (if there is any) in The Dark Knight doesn't look as choppy and impossible to follow as in Batman Begins.

(Reply to this)

narcissusbleh writes:
on Apr 18 2007 09:02 AM

I'm uncertain about Ledger playing the Joker. I just don't see it in my head. Despite that, I am fully confident that Ledger and Nolan know what they're doing.

(Reply to this)

Mattmovies writes:
on Apr 18 2007 09:17 AM

I really can't wait to see a picture of this this summer.

Sounds perfect. I want the homocidal maniac Joker. Though I don't think Harley Quinn will fit in this mythology. :(. Oh well.

I think Heath Ledger looks the part, you just have to find the right drawing.

http://harlanonline.org/~r3mdh/blog/archives/movies/joker.jpg

(Reply to this)

sharpless writes:
on Apr 18 2007 09:39 AM

Ledger will do fine. I trust Chris Nolan.

(Reply to this)

cgcbooks writes:
on Apr 18 2007 09:47 AM

In reply to this comment (#861959)
Thanks for the heads up.

(Reply to this)

Related Links

Christopher Nolan

Related Articles

Most Discussed

Latest News

Latest Interviews

Latest Features

Sponsored Links