Paul Bettany for the Joker?

PaulBettany.jpgAlthough we’ve got one post talking about Batman sequels and characters I thought it of particular interest that there is talk out there of who is going to play the Joker.

Actually, having not seen it and deliberately avoiding the reviews I didn’t realise the return of the J-meister was pitched so strongly, so here we are with some of the latest rumour.

From IMDB:


Crispin Glover was an early favorite, along with Star Wars’ Mark Hamill, who provides the voice of The Joker in the Batman animated series and Aussie actor Lachy Hulme, and now Bettany has got the fans’ vote. An insider tells website Batman-on-film.Com that the A Beautiful Mind star is officially in the running to play the evil character.

So let’s concentrate on who is to play the Joker character, and who you specifically think is right. Having seen Bettany in Ganster No. 1 I think he has some of the insanely manic qualities that might just make it work. What do you think?

28 Comments

  • 1. Simone replies at 24th June 2005, 6:23 am :

    Thanks for the topic Richard. ;-) How are ya?

    I was leaning more on to Christian Slater to play it, if we want another Nicholson-esque Joker of course.

  • 2. John Campea replies at 24th June 2005, 9:14 am :

    Crispin Glover! Crispin Glover! Crispin Glover! Crispin Glover! Crispin Glover! Crispin Glover! Crispin Glover! Crispin Glover!

  • 3. Robert Merritt replies at 24th June 2005, 10:14 am :

    I couldn’t contain myself if Mark Hamill was cast as the joker. I realize there are better actors and people more deserving of the role but come on, its freakin Mark Hamill. They got to cast him.

  • 4. Coleman replies at 24th June 2005, 10:24 am :

    Crispin Glover. Once you guys mentioned it then i cant get him out of my head as the perfect Joker. Tall, Thin and capable of being really creepy. The joker is his density…

  • 5. lizardfreak12 replies at 24th June 2005, 10:33 am :

    -PERFECT!!!-

  • 6. ghani replies at 24th June 2005, 10:50 am :

    After seeing Bettany in Dead Babies, i think he’d be perfect for the joker - he was creepy as hell in that film.

  • 7. sam replies at 24th June 2005, 10:52 am :

    ever since i saw Cillian Murphy in Begins i thought he was being prepped to become the Joker. he looks EXACTLY like Miller’s Joker in Dark Knight Returns. it was freaky. of course Cillian’s Scarecrow but i thought they were messing around with storylines. and i would let them. it was freaky how, 15 years later, they’d gotten the perfect actor for it. aw, well. Bettany would be my second choice, though. almost perfect. of course i don’t know how Glover would play the Joker, but he may lose some of the ’sanity’ of the character as written by Miller and go too far, too obvious. dunno. we’ll have to see, i guess.

  • 8. Meli replies at 24th June 2005, 12:01 pm :

    Hi Simone! How are you?

    I can’t say I would be in favor of Christain Slater playing the Joker. I think it would be in the best interest of the next film to stay away from trying to “remake” Jack’s Joker performance. It was fabulous in it’s own right and should remain on it’s own. Especially since Batman Begins is far grittier and realistic than any pervious Batman movie.

    My first choice for the Joker is Crispin Glover. I think he’d do a fabulous interpetation of the character.

    Mark Hamill - he has the Joker’s voice hands down. I love him voicing the Joker, it’s perfect, but to actually have him play the Joker on screen? I don’t know. I can’t particularly seeing it working.

    Paul Bettany - I could accept him as the Joker. He’s a fantastic actor and I do believe he could pull off the role.

    My crazy idea:
    How about they cast Crispin as the Joker and dub in Mark Hamill’s voice?? I don’t know how well that work OR if even Crispin would agree to something like that. It’s kind of insulting, but at the same time it’d be the best of worlds.

  • 9. Simone replies at 24th June 2005, 2:10 pm :

    Hiya there Meli, I’m okay, I still owe you an email, please bear with me okay? ;-)

    Realistically speaking introducing the Joker character at this stage is way too early, and the thought of having the Joker not being Nicholson is going to be weird. I just thought he was AWESOME as Joker in the first Batman film! But hey, there are other options now.
    Maybe it’s just me but I loved the Batman movies at least the first 2 made by Tim Burton, I enjoyed Batman Begins though.

  • 10. Teabaggins replies at 24th June 2005, 2:39 pm :

    Slater would suck and try to imitate Nicholson even more than he normally does. I think Guy Pierce might make a good Joker. He should lose about 15-20 pounds so he looks really gaunt and freaky. He’s extremely versatile if you see the wide array of roles he’s played. Plus, he’s already worked with the director so I’m sure Nolan has already thought of him.

  • 11. Mark replies at 24th June 2005, 4:27 pm :

    Age is probably going to be a factor in the casting of The Joker. As much as I love Crispin Glover, I think he may be considered too old, believe it or not, for the part. Bettany has the right look and, cast against Bale’s Bruce Wayne/Batman, is about the right age.

    As for the whole Jack Nicholson Joker, most Batfans don’t see his portrayal of the character as faithful to the comics. Frankly, as blasphemous as this sounds, Nicholson is overrated as The Joker. Joker is supposed to be creepy as fuck when you see him, and he has an origin story which dares you to sympathesize with the person he was before he became The Joker. He wasn’t a petty, tubby thug who murdered Bruce Wayne’s parents. He was a luckless man, whose dreams of being a comedian failed, and his pregnant wife died tragically. And we the reader were never told his name. Thus, his origin is similar to Batman’s — they are yin-yang to one another. Joker is insane, but so is Bruce Wayne, a fact which Bale conveys subtly very well in his performance. Wayne is schizo — balancing between his id and super-ego. The Joker, however, is all id, and he brings out the worst in Batman.

    If I was conceiving the basic story for this sequel, I’d definitely use Alan Moore’s “The Killing Joke” (which covers Joker’s origins) as the basis for The Joker. I’d put in Harley Quinn, and cast Kristen Bell (star of the UPN series “Veronica Mars”) for that role. Then I’d try to convince Scarlett Johansson to take up what would essentially be an extended cameo as Pre-Joker’s wife in the flashbacks.

    And I’d put in Clayface. In the current Batman animated series, “The Batman,” The Joker is responsible for helping to create Clayface.

  • 12. bond, james bond replies at 24th June 2005, 11:20 pm :

    i think james bond should play the joker.

  • 13. bigwig replies at 24th June 2005, 11:31 pm :

    bettany would make a better ridler.

  • 14. nicholasgichu replies at 25th June 2005, 1:54 pm :

    why cant they just look for another villain-too much comparison will be made to Nicholson…for cryin out loud get another villain!

  • 15. Whiteboi replies at 6th July 2005, 10:00 pm :

    WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING TEABAGGINS? GUY PIERCE? come on now. hes not weird. crispin glover is the JOker. hes perfect. and i agree with you bigwig, bettany would make a better riddler. i thought myself that cillian murphey would be a good joker but they cant bring him back tho he did escape but GLOVER man its gonna be GLOVER, CRISPIN, NOt DANNY by the way

  • 16. inonothing replies at 6th July 2005, 10:02 pm :

    JACKIE CHAN AS THE JOKER! WHAT NOW BITCHES!

  • 17. Episode666 replies at 11th July 2005, 11:50 pm :

    Someone, I don’t know who, said on another thread that Robin Williams should be cast as Joker. Thinking about it, it wouldn’t be too bad…he has the funny side down and has also had experience playing darker, creepier roles (1 hour photo, Insomnia). He may be a tad old for the role, but I think he’d do it justice standing next to Nicholson.

  • 18. tyler replies at 13th July 2005, 1:50 pm :

    for a while now i have been thinking who should play the joker in relation to the comics, i agree paul bettany is a fine actor and would be far more suited to the role of riddler, but i think zach braff would be an ideal choice as he has all the sensibilities of the character and definately suits the look…you need someone to match the power and intensity that bale provides…..ok let the tirade begin

  • 19. Dom replies at 14th July 2005, 2:00 am :

    who cares…no one can match Jack nicholson

    try and prove me wrong

  • 20. poison replies at 18th July 2005, 8:56 pm :

    i’ve got two words for all of ya’ll…

    christopher walken

    who cares if he’s too old? he’s fricking great.

  • 21. Sean replies at 21st July 2005, 5:23 pm :

    Hello all

    OK if your going to have a good JOKER Candidate then I would say Crispin Glover might work and everyone else mentioned ummm NOOOOOOO remember The Joker is Cycotic he’s Crazed, a maniac/scitzo he’s dark and very Evil he goes after batman and people he cares about also. He is the worst of all of the batman villians and you have to do this character justice. This New Joker must be portrayed the way that it should be portrayed in a very dark,sinister,evil,uncarring and unfealing manner and Good Job on Jim Gordon please let’s bring back Gary oldman as Gordon Great job there Remember all The Joker is Insane,crazed,nuts and he’s a homicidial maniac and who ever plays him must understand that and understand some of his weapons that he enjoys using like the Exploding Jack in the box,the Joy buzzer the Electrocutes people, his deck of cards that are Razor Sharp and can cut people, Joker loves to use Gas and Explosives, and Joker thinks of himself as Highly intelligant and smarter then the other crimminals and he loves to taunt batman. Bottem line this Joker Should NEVER dissapoint the fans and this Joker should be truly Crazed and Evil as I am a true Batman fan and NO NO NO ROBIN NO NO NO.

  • 22. satan 666 replies at 24th July 2005, 6:09 pm :

    Give Tim Roth some lifts and he is the joker thats it.

  • 23. Hank McD replies at 1st August 2005, 4:47 am :

    I thoroughly enjoyed Batman Begins, with the obvious exceptions and one not-so-obvious exception. I do not claim to be any sort of Bat-expert, but I have enjoyed reading graphic novels in the past where Scarecrow was a “bigger” or more central character. I admit I wanted Jeremy Irons to play him, though I can’t tell you why. Crazy?

  • 24. Jordana replies at 1st August 2005, 10:53 pm :

    Oh, Mark Hamill. Every kid who grew up on Batman: The Animated Series should know that Mark Hamill needs to get this role, hands-down. He was a PERFECT Joker.

  • 25. lizardfreak12 replies at 2nd August 2005, 3:34 am :

    He was the perfect VOICE of the Joker. Hamill doesn’t have the looks or the moves to play the Joker. Any actor who has ever played a successfull bad guy role should get the part for the Joker. Granted they would also have to have Hamill’s sinister Joker laugh and the unique moves and gestures of the Joker we knew in the comicbooks. Add all of that to the actor and let them add their own take and BOOM, you got yourself the perfect Joker. So right now it’s anyone’s game.

  • 26. Jeff replies at 19th August 2005, 9:42 pm :

    ANDY DICK ! ANDY DICK ! ANDY DICK ! ANDY DICK ! ANDY DICK should be cast as The Joker. Everyone repeat with me… ANDY DICK !

    Also, Jessica Simpson (so great in “Dukes…”) as Harley Quinn. I can see Ashton Kutcher as a smug, pretty boy Harvey “Apollo” Dent.

  • 27. Pyro replies at 25th August 2005, 6:12 am :

    no doubt a remake of the killing joke joker would be great however at the end of the begins movie joker is already a homicide..they could make him a crazy homicide which would suit joker better rather then a serious..it will have to be this creepy sinister dark looking evil joker instead of jus a comedian..

    this is how i would like for the next two sequels for begins..

    glover plays jack napier who is this theatrical psychopath homicide and has an obsession somehow with a joker card..

    somewhere during the movie we know that he will transform into the joker and it will suit him alot as he is a psychopath..

    in the end batman will not kill him but capture him..harvey dent whom could be played by collin farrell is the person responsible for joker’s sentence in arkham. then in arkham he would meet a woman who is affectionate falls for joker and thus becomes harley quin(thought i’m not sure who would be perfect for the role) and helps joker escape from arkham in the second sequel..

    this is where joker will revenge on harvey and turning him into two-face…in the third begins movie we will have 2 villains..harvey wants revenge on batman as he thinks batman is the man responsible that turned him into a monster..

    joker creates havoc and angers batman to the point he is on the verge of killing joker..we could see a very dark batman and the relationship with joker would be the ultimate boiling point of hate..as harvey should be the next hot bachelor other den bruce thus making them the best of friends and have bruce losing a friend who is turned into a monster and is hunting down the batman..it does not necessarily mean that joker would die in the end though…

  • 28. ledzep replies at 9th October 2005, 10:29 pm :

    i like your story lines, but i would like to through out a new candidate for the joker. i was in a movie store the other day, when i piced up a copy of Fever Pitch with batman on my mind, when inoticed how pale jimmy falon’s face was and how red his lips were. he looked just like the joker in the animated cartoon that mark hamill did the voice of joker. face it jimmy has the kind of humor that could be made more dark, and he could alter his voise to that of a more jokerish feel that hamill gave us. just imagine jimmy’s face copletely white with green hair, and a huge smile. he is also very close to the actual size of the joker.