The Dark Knight On Attack of the Show...

[Sun_Down]

So basically the title of this thread could be "Fanboy jackasses run their stupid mouths", huh?

 

[Comicfan]

You suit your name well.

I´m proud of my name t:

Come on... if they where making a movie about Jesus (I don´t know if you are christian or not), and the actor selected to play Jesus says that he have never read the bible, but he knows is a bout some guy in egipt, and how he was killed because he was delusional and belived himself the son of a god... would you be pissed?

(AND NO, I¨M NOT COMPARING THE JOKER TO JESUS, OR THE BIBLE TO COMICS, IS JUST THAT ALMOST EVERYONE KNOWS WHO JESUS IS)

 

[Stringer]

Meh the critics will be silenced(if its possible) soon enough.

 

[Katsuro]

Man... this really annoys me how come they never Pick actors who are familiarized with the Character, the source o even give a damn about his history

Or is just like they we embaresed to say that at any point of they live they actually read comics

I'd prefer a talented actor who didn't know a thing about the character over a fanboy who couldn't act.

As long as the actor is willing to learn, they can go in knowing nothing and i'm fine. Think about any movie not based on an exsiting property (i know, they almsot never happen anymore), but does an actor for a brand new, made up character require any previous knowledge?! Of course not! There is none! But they read the script, get into the mindset of the character, and research the role.

Ledger has been given comics to read, and has read them. That's ALL that matters.

 

[Abaddon]

did Bale read Batman comics?

 

[Comicfan]

Nicholson didn't read any of the comics, he based his Joker off Cesar Romero, who also didn't read any of the comics. At least Ledger is going to read a comic.



I like the chick who does The Feed better .

Wait a second... just yesterday i was watching the Batman specail edition extras, and Nicolson said that he grew up reading comics and the Joker was one of his favorite characters... and that he was proud to had the chance to be the Joker on a Batman movie...

But... I could be wrong... I might have to check it again

 

[Comicfan]

I'd prefer a talented actor who didn't know a thing about the character over a fanboy who couldn't act.

As long as the actor is willing to learn, they can go in knowing nothing and i'm fine. Think about any movie not based on an exsiting property (i know, they almsot never happen anymore), but does an actor for a brand new, made up character require any previous knowledge?! Of course not! There is none! But they read the script, get into the mindset of the character, and research the role.

Ledger has been given comics to read, and has read them. That's ALL that matters.

How about a fanboy who can act? t:

 

[ChrisBaleBatman]

I just the clip, and....well....it's wasn't so bad.

The thing that we need to remember was that the people who spoke weren't writers, or critics, or movie makers, or even part of G4TV.....they were actually viewers of G4 TV.

The first guy who made the "Brokeback Batman" joke might have just been trying to be funny, which I don't think got any laughs either, but he did say that the marketing for the Joker was awesome....and that the picture looked promising because of how creepy Ledger looked.

The second fellow seemed uninformed. He read an interview (supposedly) where Ledger admitted he wasn't a fan and that Nolan got him to read THE KILLING JOKE, which he "thought was about the begininng of the Joker". The reason his comments held no water, for me, was b/c you don't have to be a fan to do a good job. AND.....one can become a fan. It's never too late for that. Chrisitan Bale wasn't a Bat-fan before he played Batman. Neither was Michael Keaton, if my memory serves me correctly. Both are fans now, obviously. But those two are the best Batmen ever...they just didn't bs like most actors do in "acting" like they've been fans since 7 yrs old.

The third commenter, a pretty hot chick, just seemed to hate Ledger for A KNIGHTS TALE.

So.....what I GOT from the panel was what we've all known since Ledger got cast: Heath's got an uphill battle ahead of him. That's all, really. Nothing new.

I like the chick who does The Feed better

Sorry, but she said on the show that she's into chicks.

 

[MoonKnight Fan1]

Whoa! People actually watch Attack of the Show, I'm pleasantly surprised. I'm going to catch flak for this but I don't care. I apparently need to defend myself from being called things like a "a ***** bag who thinks he's a pirate".

I was one of those 3 panelists on the show Wednesday discussing this topic. Hi, Captain Smee, hey how you guys doing? I'm the one that was talking about Heaths lack of knowledge when it comes to the actual comic book history of Batman and the Joker. Saw this thread had some pretty vehemently mad people so I thought I'd post on here and try to clear some of this up.

First off, The Loop segment on Attack of the Show lasts 6 minutes, it covers 4 different topics, and the time is split between 3 people. So obviously one of our topics was Heath as the Joker and we had next to no time to discuss it. I tried to speak my part as fast as possible because I had so much I could have said on the topic but it's impossible to fit it all in in the time allowed on the air.

To clear up what I said was, Heath was interviewed after he was cast as the Joker and the interviewer asked him if he read the Batman comics, and Heath answered No, he's never really been a fan of comic books or comic book movies. I then said that the interviewer asked him if Nolan had given him any material to read. Which Heath said, yeah, The Killing Joke, I think it's going to be about the beginning of the Joker. That's what I said on air.

Here's the link to prove I wasn't making it up:
http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=90305

Yes, the interview is a tad old but it was the most recent interview I could find from Ledger talking about the role of the Joker therefore the most reliable information I could go on. Can't go on national television slinging hearsay about "I heard that he's become a fan of the comics since he read The Killing Joke." I don't know that for sure, it hasn't been printed anywhere to my knowledge so I didn't say that. But if it does turn out to be true or if it is true, fantastic.

Now if I had had more time to actually talk about Heath playing the role of the Joker I would have added that I love Heath Ledger as an actor. I don't care what anyone says, I love 10 Things I Hate About You, A Knight's Tale and Brokeback Mountain. And I like those films mostly because of Heath's performances. I'm just in the boat of fans right now that see this role as the Joker is something completely different from everything else he's ever done so I'm kind of worried. I'm not saying he can't pull it off. As a matter of fact he probably will because he's an extremely talented actor. I was just a little put off by the comments in the interview about not even getting to know the comic version of the Joker yet. But as for his acting skills I'm eagerly awaiting to see his performance.

Another thing that I would of mentioned if I had had more time is the fact that this film just like the first is co-written, directed and casted by Christopher Nolan. Batman Begins is absolutely phenomenal and one of my favorite films of all-time. With almost all the same people back writting, acting, and behind the scenes there is no reason why Dark Knight won't be just as good or better. But back to the casting. I have all the faith in the world in Nolan after seeing Batman Begins, so he must have seen something in Heath for him to go, "This is my guy, he's my Joker." I really want to see what it is that Chris saw in him.

This is one of my most eagerly awaited film releases of all-time so I would never do anything to bash it. All I simply said on the show Wednesday was, I was worried about Heath's performance because he wasn't familiar with Batman comics or the Joker. Not saying the role can't be pulled off not knowing the comic, that's completely and totally possibly, especially with Nolan directing. I personally would just prefer that he did have the background of the comics Joker, that's all I'm saying.

So there, hate me for my comments on the air or this post, that's fine. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Just wanted to get out my side of the story.

PS: That guy on the show with me Steve from L.A. who made the "Brokeback Batman" joke, completely out of line and absolutely preposterous. The man takes one daring role, acts it brilliantly is nominated for an academy award but gets labeled for the rest of his career, it's just stupid. The Brokeback jokes for both Heath and Jake need to end, now.

 

[Paste Pot Pete]

I was worried about Heath's performance because he wasn't familiar with Batman comics or the Joker. Not saying the role can't be pulled off not knowing the comic, that's completely and totally possibly, especially with Nolan directing. I personally would just prefer that he did have the background of the comics Joker, that's all I'm saying.

And all we're saying is.. "So?"

Few to none of the actors involved in these major adaptations have clue one about their characters beforehand. When asked, they all give the same answer - "I was aware of the character/comic, but I was never a 'fan' ".

They don't have to be. As long as they understand the character by the time the camera rolls, they'll be fine. They have their instincts as an actor, the director's guidance, and the script to help them. Studying the source material is a bonus, but if all the other elements are strong enough, it's far from necessary.

You may not be trying to "criticize" him, but it's kind of ridiculous to even bring such an issue up on television, as if it's some negligence on Ledger's part for not being able to quote from Detective Comics #475 or something.

 

[MoonKnight Fan1]

And all we're saying is.. "So?"

Few to none of the actors involved in these major adaptations have clue one about their characters beforehand. When asked, they all give the same answer - "I was aware of the character/comic, but I was never a 'fan' ".

They don't have to be. As long as they understand the character by the time the camera rolls, they'll be fine. They have their instincts as an actor, the director's guidance, and the script to help them. Studying the source material is a bonus, but if all the other elements are strong enough, it's far from necessary.

You may not be trying to "criticize" him, but it's kind of ridiculous to even bring such an issue up on television, as if it's some negligence on Ledger's part for not being able to quote from Detective Comics #475 or something.

No one should be able to quote any specific lines from a Batman comic, that's just ridiculous. But like I said, Heath will be able to pull off this role and probably be fantastic in it because of Nolan's direction even if he does know a minimal amount about the background of the Joker. I'm just saying as a huge fan of comic books and comic book movies I'd prefer if people playing big name characters like the Joker studied up on the comic history of their characters to get a better idea of who they are playing. Is it really so hard to buy a few key issues like The Killing Joke and give them a read through?

Most of the time actors always say they want as much info as they can on a character before they play them. Some actors work at the job their character in the movie plays just to get an idea of their mindset. So it just caught me off guard that Heath wasn't really reading up on his character when he has so much material at his disposal.

So in the end, he's not boned up on his Joker history and it bugs me a bit. But will he do a fantastic job in The Dark Knight knowing what he knows with Nolan directing him, yeah, most likely.

 

[Paste Pot Pete]

But how do you even know that? Wasn't that quote taken from pretty soon after his casting? He could be reading on set everyday (not that he has to).

He's a dedicated actor. I'm sure he's not shirking his chores.

 

[dark_b]

isnt it funny that a lot of people have a problem that ledger doesnt know the comics?
you do all know that he is the one who was honest right? you think it is true that tobey was a fan of spiderman,affleck a daredevil fan?
come on guys. 3 weeks ago i saw an interview with cage. he said that he is lucky that he didnt play superman because he like ghost rider. bull....it. he is one of the biggest superman fans. but studios tell those actors that in public they need to be comic fans.

ledger is honest and thats a problem?

 

[dark_b]

I'd prefer a talented actor who didn't know a thing about the character over a fanboy who couldn't act.

As long as the actor is willing to learn, they can go in knowing nothing and i'm fine. Think about any movie not based on an exsiting property (i know, they almsot never happen anymore), but does an actor for a brand new, made up character require any previous knowledge?! Of course not! There is none! But they read the script, get into the mindset of the character, and research the role.

Ledger has been given comics to read, and has read them. That's ALL that matters.

AMEN. !!!!!!

isnt it obvious that it is easier to buy comics and read them than to teach a comicfan acting?

 

[MoonKnight Fan1]

isnt it funny that a lot of people have a problem that ledger doesnt know the comics?
you do all know that he is the one who was honest right? you think it is true that tobey was a fan of spiderman,affleck a daredevil fan?
come on guys. 3 weeks ago i saw an interview with cage. he said that he is lucky that he didnt play superman because he like ghost rider. bull....it. he is one of the biggest superman fans. but studios tell those actors that in public they need to be comic fans.

ledger is honest and thats a problem?

Nicholas Cage has a Ghost Rider tattoo, I'd consider him a pretty large Ghost Rider fan.

 

[Nebins]

Honestly why does it matter if Ledger is a comic fan? He can read up on the character and make his own interpretation, bring something fresh to the table. Just because he isn't familiar with the character doesn't mean he won't be good as the Joker. Most of the actors who say they are comic fans are full of it anyway. They are just trying to please the fanboys/girls.

As for people saying Brokeback Batman, they are just being ignorant and jumping on the bandwagon of making fun of Brokeback Mountain. I wasn't a fan of the movie but it certainly wasn't bad and Ledger was exceptional in the film. Plenty of actors have played gay characters without this type of criticism that Ledger is getting. Hugo Weaving was a drag queen in Priscilla Queen of the Desert and no one talks about an effeminate Agent Smith or Megatron. Hell even Cillian Murphy was a transvestite cabaret singer in Breakfast on Pluto and no one mentions anything about the Scarecrow singing show tunes or flirting with Batman.

People need to give Ledger a break. He is being judged on nothing but a photo and speculation. Wait until we see him act in this film before people start hating him.

 

[dark_b]

Nicholas Cage has a Ghost Rider tattoo, I'd consider him a pretty large Ghost Rider fan.

isnt hes kid name kal-el?

if i remember correctly he himself said that he is oen of the biggest superman fans.

 

[MoonKnight Fan1]

isnt hes kid name kal-el?

if i remember correctly he himself said that he is oen of the biggest superman fans.

Yes his son's name is Kal-el. He is a huge Superman fan no doubt. I was just pointing out the fact he is a really big Ghost Rider fan too.

 

[cryptic name]

Maybe is because Bruce Wayne doesn´t have a really familiar or particular look, since he is second to Batman, and under the cowl, and as long as the Batsuit looks good, any good actor would do for the job, and Bale actually showed some good moves and fighting skills in Equilibrium

i could not agree with this less.

 

[HarlequinOfHate]

isnt it funny that a lot of people have a problem that ledger doesnt know the comics?
you do all know that he is the one who was honest right? you think it is true that tobey was a fan of spiderman,affleck a daredevil fan?
come on guys. 3 weeks ago i saw an interview with cage. he said that he is lucky that he didnt play superman because he like ghost rider. bull....it. he is one of the biggest superman fans. but studios tell those actors that in public they need to be comic fans.

ledger is honest and thats a problem?

Actually, Ben Affleck had been reading DD comics since childhood. That's why he signed on to do the movie before they even had a solid concept.

And there have been a handful of actors in general who were fans of the source material before they were asked to be involved with the films. Maybe not some of the characters that they would've liked, but you can find true fans in almost every comic movie out there.

And I agree with MoonKnight. Ledger's lack of knowledge on a pre-existing character is a bit unsettling. Especially one as infamous, and sensational as The Joker.
And while it IS true that you can bone up on your history, and read what the director tells you to read...that's just the thing. You take from it whatever you, as the actor, are told to.

All of this really relies on your faith in the actor himself, and the team creating the film. That in itself would tip the scales on your opinion of this project. Whether positive or negative.


~HoH~

 

[cryptic name]

isnt it funny that a lot of people have a problem that ledger doesnt know the comics?
you do all know that he is the one who was honest right? you think it is true that tobey was a fan of spiderman,affleck a daredevil fan?
come on guys. 3 weeks ago i saw an interview with cage. he said that he is lucky that he didnt play superman because he like ghost rider. bull....it. he is one of the biggest superman fans. but studios tell those actors that in public they need to be comic fans.

ledger is honest and thats a problem?

affleck was a daredevil fan, he wrote the intro to kevin smith's gaurdian devil collection years before he got the part.

 

[Steelsheen]

To the average moviegoing Joe-Public, Jack Nicholson IS The Joker.

THAT'S the hurdle Heath Ledger is really going to have to overcome. Not whether or not his mouth is scarred...

good post right here

 

[TheCaptain22555]

The third quote is the only one I respect, because it's actually a fair concern.

The other two just ooze ignorance.

I agree, the first two are pretty much just bashing the guy for previous work whereas the third one points out the one thing Ledger and all of us have to worry about: His possible inability to relate to the Joker as he's portrayed in the comics. I sure hope he's doing some cramming sessions while on set.

 

[TheCaptain22555]

sounds like more of an attack on Ledger than on the Joker look. and who really cares if an actor read the comic books and knows every bit of trivia inside and out before he got the role? big freaking deal.

Yeah, as long as he puts in the work to try to capture some of what makes Joker the Joker in the books, so that fanboys won't riot, then I'm cool. I'll be watching the movie with an openmind not entering with the idea that Ledger has already screwed up before appearing on the screen.

 

[Darknightnomis]

What's Attack of the Show?