The Dark Knight Is The Joker Hype reaching ridiculously high expectations?

[Hole Shot]

This feels weird just saying it, but what about Leonardo DiCaprio as the Joker? You'd have to dirty him up real good but think about it for a second. He has the energy and the insight as an actor to get deep into a role; he can do very different roles but he's never played a villain; he can do a twisted version of his usual charming and happy self, and he has the appropriate facial features and physique. I actually think he'd be very unnerving and surreal.

I remember a quote from Berjemo about Ledger "They took Hollywoods pretty boy and just completely fcked up his face!....that's such a Joker thing do". The quote shouldn't be just taken literally it also descibes a much broader quality that makes Ledger as the Joker so intruiging. I think the same would apply to Leo just as much.

That's not a half bad idea at all, you got the age and physique right and I certainly believe he has the acting ability and it would be a casting very much in the same spirit as Heath's in the way you described. From the initial reaction of Heath's casting to the actual product he's given us so far with the character, I could honestly take the "Faith in Nolan" line with a Leo casting as Joker.

Anyone want to give a swing at a manip?

 

[Nightwing1977]

One unescapable fact: Nolan would never cast Johnny Depp for the Joker.

-TNC

Yep. Nolan made the smart move with getting an actor that you wouldn't expect in a role like Joker (especially with how Ledger supposely hate comic book movies) & it seem to be working with how great Ledger seem to be doing so far from the trailer & prologue.

 

[saberewok]

The hype around Ledger is so ridiculous. It will be interesting to see how professional critics will be. Ledger is not the greatest actor that has ever graced Hollywood. Are they gonna based his performace on emotions and sympathy factor?

 

[TheDarkVictory]

The hype around Ledger is so ridiculous. It will be interesting to see how professional critics will be. Ledger is not the greatest actor that has ever graced Hollywood. Are they gonna based his performace on emotions and sympathy factor?

im sorry- have you seen any of the trailers or prologue?

 

[HUMANIMAL]

is the joker hype reaching rid.......NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!;-) mat damon and leo ...both jokerized????

 

[donk70]

The hype around Ledger is so ridiculous. It will be interesting to see how professional critics will be. Ledger is not the greatest actor that has ever graced Hollywood. Are they gonna based his performace on emotions and sympathy factor?

Exactly.

I'm dreading it as we get closer to July 18th as there will be more PR released and the press and WB is going to be stirring the pot. Then after the release we're going to have to hear how fanboys watched the movie with tears in their eyes.

Don't get me wrong, I'm excited to see the movie and plan on going to the midnight showing, but I can do without all of the extra fanfare. Let the man rest in peace. Please, enjoy his craft and the performance that he turned in, but please also be unbiased when watching his performance. I don't think any actor would want you to enjoy their role just because it was one of their last ones. They want you to enjoy it for the effort and talent that they put into it.

 

[Pfeiffer-Pfan]

The hype around Ledger is so ridiculous. It will be interesting to see how professional critics will be. Ledger is not the greatest actor that has ever graced Hollywood. Are they gonna based his performace on emotions and sympathy factor?

I disagree about his acting ability... I think Heath Ledger was a rare talent in Hollywood. A great actor who choose his role carefully and not just for publicity or money.

And he was 28... he would have grown even more as an actor as he got older.

 

[HUMANIMAL]

I disagree about his acting ability... I think Heath Ledger was a rare talent in Hollywood. A great actor who choose his role carefully and not just for publicity or money.

And he was 28... he would have grown even more as an actor as he got older.

yeah they always better think ...:"am i better than ledger could have been" ????

 

[kyuubijavi1]

How can we really say the hype is getting to high when the only thing we know for sure about this movie is how great Joker will be

I mean damn we all saw the first 6 mins of the movie by now and that plan could have only been cooked up by the mind of are white faced friend

we know he takes control of the mob by the looks of the 3rd trailer

he burns down all there money

kills two of the top figure heads in gothom

drives batman to the brink of destruction holds the whole city hostage

and all this might just be half of what he really does in this movie that is some major stuff we dont need to worry bout the hype when we know its getting delevered

Heath's performance is great so far his voice is raspy and scary the way he walks talks moves even licking his lips makes you go damn that guy is crazy

so this joker will please almost all the fans so I'm sure i can guaranty that if your looking for something to let you down bout the joker it will only be that he cant come back in the next film cause of tragic events in real life

 

[Omega Wizard]

Yes, yes it is.

Nuff said.

 

[Die Laughing]

There wouldn't be any hype if the bits and pieces that Warner Brothers have given us of the Joker weren't so wicked looking. I don't think the hype is too much. I think it more as deserved excitement.

Interesting (above somewhere) on the choice of replacing Heath with Leo. But if the joker does appear in the next movie, it is either going to be a play up as closely to Heath as possible, or totally come out with yet another style of the Joker. Even though your a good actor an imitation job is going to look sappy (in my view) no matter how hard you try. Everybody has different strengths and should draw on those.

-Ahahahaha!

 

[super17]

I'm a little bit concerned regarding the whole issue about the amount of screen time The Joker will have in this movie. I'm aware, as everyone else is, about how the movie is primarly focused on Bruce/Harvy, where the Joker shows up through the movie in a "Jaws-like" fashion. But exactly what does that mean, how much of the Joker will we acually see? From what people are saying vs what I've seen in the trailers, and other promotional adds, I'm pretty confused...

Will he have about as much screen time as Scarecrow did in the previous film? ...Or, will he have say, the amount of screen time that Falcone, Scarecrow, and Raz had combined in Begins...being the primary focus of the Villian side in TDK.

I'm not expecting a Batman '89 remake in any way, regarding the Joker, but I just don't want to see one of my favorite fictional characters of all time play so small of a role, ala Scarecrow in Begins...

Some feed back would be awsome ...

 

[Die Laughing]

I'm a little bit concerned regarding the whole issue about the amount of screen time The Joker will have in this movie. I'm aware, as everyone else is, about how the movie is primarly focused on Bruce/Harvy, where the Joker shows up through the movie in a "Jaws-like" fashion. But exactly what does that mean, how much of the Joker will we acually see? From what people are saying vs what I've seen in the trailers, and other promotional adds, I'm pretty confused...

Will he have about as much screen time as Scarecrow did in the previous film? ...Or, will he have say, the amount of screen time that Falcone, Scarecrow, and Raz had combined in Begins...being the primary focus of the Villian side in TDK.

I'm not expecting a Batman '89 remake in any way, regarding the Joker, but I just don't want to see one of my favorite fictional characters of all time play so small of a role, ala Scarecrow in Begins...

Some feed back would be awsome ...

Good point. I am happily assuming that the Joker will steal half the movie (my wish). We know that he has so many different appearances from the trailers; I think he will have far more screen time than the Scarecrow did in BB.

But yea, I totally agree, it would suck if the movie felt as if there could have been more of him. But then again, BB eluded to the Joker solely, so I think in that gesture, we should get a good amount.

-Ahahahahaha!

 

[redfirebird2008]

Exactly.

I'm dreading it as we get closer to July 18th as there will be more PR released and the press and WB is going to be stirring the pot. Then after the release we're going to have to hear how fanboys watched the movie with tears in their eyes.

Don't get me wrong, I'm excited to see the movie and plan on going to the midnight showing, but I can do without all of the extra fanfare. Let the man rest in peace. Please, enjoy his craft and the performance that he turned in, but please also be unbiased when watching his performance. I don't think any actor would want you to enjoy their role just because it was one of their last ones. They want you to enjoy it for the effort and talent that they put into it.

I was blown away by it BEFORE he died and my feelings about it have not changed at all. As soon as I saw some footage (trailer and prologue), I knew that he had done a great job.

 

[Manosman]

Depp would be a fine Joker but you'd know exactly what to expect. Probably just a darker version of Jack Sparrow!!!

I for one am against re-casting the joker for this franchise.

If Ledger does as well as most of us think hes going to do, someone replacing him mimicking his joker won't be as good, and if they do their own thing, it would screw up the "consistency" of the franchise, (holmes/maggie is fine by me, because that character is not the joker)

on the other side of things, if they do their own thing or even mimick him and actually do it better or on par as heath (looks almost impossible to do) it would be like, oh well heaths performance wasnt that great I mean look depp or leo did it just as good if not better, kind of disrespectful to heath.

I don't see Nolan recasting, if he does I don't see him choosing depp, but if he did I dont see depp accepting, he's already doing a tribute to him in dr. padfrafddafwree (whatever its called) so I don't see him wanting to be a "heath replacement" in another movie, (even though what he's doing for DR. P is a great gesture of respect)

Just the way I see things.

 

[Mr. Superhero]

This feels weird just saying it, but what about Leonardo DiCaprio as the Joker?

My friend, I've maintained for a long time that Di Caprio would make a fantastic Joker, only he lacks Heath's height.

You stick this guy in some crazy make-up and there's your Joker.

 

[Banquet]

DiCaprio would have the "look" of Heath's Joker but I'll be pretty disappointed if the part is recast for a third movie. I wouldn't go see it, as far as I'm concerned now. But luckly I don't really see that happening anyway.

 

[Jokers_Wild]

I was blown away by it BEFORE he died and my feelings about it have not changed at all. As soon as I saw some footage (trailer and prologue), I knew that he had done a great job.

Exactly. People act as if the only reason you'd enjoy his performance is because the man died, but not because it was ever that good. That is going to seriously get on my nerves. If Ledger is nominated for awards, people will say it's out of sympathy and emotion, not because he truly deserved it. The buzz about Heath's take on the Joker was coming out last summer when filming was still going on, and the trailer that rocked the fanboys world was released in December. All the plaudits he will receive, he will justly deserve for the performance, not because he died tragically.

 

[DaRkVeNgeanCe]

My friend, I've maintained for a long time that Di Caprio would make a fantastic Joker, only he lacks Heath's height.

You stick this guy in some crazy make-up and there's your Joker.

Oh ya that easy huh? I really dont think so!

 

[The Joker]

I'm a little bit concerned regarding the whole issue about the amount of screen time The Joker will have in this movie. I'm aware, as everyone else is, about how the movie is primarly focused on Bruce/Harvy, where the Joker shows up through the movie in a "Jaws-like" fashion. But exactly what does that mean, how much of the Joker will we acually see? From what people are saying vs what I've seen in the trailers, and other promotional adds, I'm pretty confused...

Will he have about as much screen time as Scarecrow did in the previous film? ...Or, will he have say, the amount of screen time that Falcone, Scarecrow, and Raz had combined in Begins...being the primary focus of the Villian side in TDK.

I'm not expecting a Batman '89 remake in any way, regarding the Joker, but I just don't want to see one of my favorite fictional characters of all time play so small of a role, ala Scarecrow in Begins...

Some feed back would be awsome ...

I think what Nolan meant when he compared Joker to the shark in Jaws, is that Joker is the primary cause of all the murder and mayhem in the story. He just shows up without any backstory or explanation as to who he is or where he came from, and causes havoc. It's quite obvious he has alot of screen time judging by the trailers alone. I hardly think he meant Joker is going to have as much screen time as the shark did in Jaws lol.

Oh and think of Batman, Gordon, and Dent as Quint, Chief Brody, and Matt Hooper

 

[abcdefz]

My friend, I've maintained for a long time that Di Caprio would make a fantastic Joker, only he lacks Heath's height.

You stick this guy in some crazy make-up and there's your Joker.

He can be an autistic Joker.

"WE'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE!!!"

 

[starscream]

i still have not seen te prologue


edit: oke i saw the pro

 

[DaRkVeNgeanCe]

He can be an autistic Joker.

"WE'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE!!!"

LOL

 

[The Senator]

I'm just afraid that after all this hype, I might leave the theater wanting or expecting more. It seems like folks have put Ledger's performance on a pretty high pedestal. I don't want this to be a case where the weight of the performance doesn't match the hype.

 

[abcdefz]

I wouldn't have been too nuts if I'd heard months of hype about Anthony Hopkins before I saw Silence of the Lambs when it dropped. Even with all the good will in the world, I probably would've read that performance as hammy. Luckily, the Ledger footage looks pretty fresh and inventive, mostly, so hopefully the performance will hold.

Plus, he really is solid: Lords of Dogtown, Brokeback Mountain, Monster's Ball... heck, he (and Bettany) even managed to make A Knight's Tale watchable, and lord knows Ledger's role there was pretty one-dimensional and thankless, and that movie shouldn't havee worked at all...

I think we'll be okay.