The Dark Knight Sean Penn WAS up for The Joker; more Joker info

[thorstone]

God, I wish Penn had accepted the part.

 

[Octoberist]

nah

 

[batman44]

http://www.insomniacmania.com/news_default.php?id=3543

Good news just keeps coming....GOD bless Nolan.

 

[thorstone]

His face, his nose is perfect for the character, he has the muscles they are wanting so he can fight Batman, and gasp, he is a great actor.

 

[Two-Face]

Too old tho.

 

[ultimatefan]

God, I wish Penn had accepted the part.

If he had accepted, it´d be for the money, and he´d have phoned it in. If the guy doesn´t have any passion for the role, he´s not the right guy. Period.

 

[xanberkeley]

I dont mind Sean Penn but then again I also liked Edward Norton or a younger Christopher Walken. I forgot he was on BR already; must have slipped my mind because I thought that movie was a dud.

 

[Kleric]

ultimatefan you hit the nail on the head, if your going to use a character actor then they need to be passionate about the roll otherwise you might as well use Tom Cruise or some other cookie cutter celeb.
Bale is a perfect example. He did not grow up a fan of the character but now knows knows it inside and out and seems to really enjoy the role, and has given the definitive performance that I believe he will only improve upon.
That's the kind of passion I like to see for a Batman film.

 

[antmanx68]

Penn is old and stiff. really. Just cuz he is a "great actor" doesnt make him good for Joker. I find him very annoying anyway.

 

[StorminNorman]

Ledger > Penn any day of the week my friends.

 

[Thespiralgoeson]

I'm glad he turned down the part. A young Penn probably would've been great, but for the new franchise, I'd really prefer someone under 40. That's why I just couldn't buy the idea of Robin Williams. I love the idea of a younger joker, which is why I love the Ledger casting.

 

[silentflute]

^^^

Well, if TDK is the title, it doesn't mean everything will look like TDKR.

Um...and where did I say that?

 

[E-Mack]

If he had accepted, it´d be for the money, and he´d have phoned it in. If the guy doesn´t have any passion for the role, he´s not the right guy. Period.

Alright. So if he HAD accepted, why exactly would you think he would "phone it in"? And Penn off all people...

The fact that he did decline, does show he has some disinterest, but if he did accept, there is no reason in my mind at all that he would have turned in a great performance rivaling/surpassing Nicholson.

 

[Cinemaman]

Um...and where did I say that?

Post #55 in this thread.

 

[antmanx68]

It makes you wonder though, what is it that Nolan sees in Ledger that would make him the ideal choice for the Joker?

Not that Joker is gay, but would anyone agree that at times he is portrayed with gay tendencies?

If so, maybe there were some mannerisms the Ledger displayed in Brokeback that would transfer to Nolan's Joker. I'm reaching here because I've never seen the movie.

Yes, I think that the Joker should have some feminine/gay mannerisms. He is definitely "flaming" in a disturbing kind of way wether or not he likes men or not. A big part of Joker's character is that he is pervers and shocking in most everything he does... and being flirty and suggestive to other male characters is part of this.

BUT

NONE of this could be seen in Ledger's Brokeback Mountain character. He isnt "fruity" at all. He doesnt display any of the stereotypical signs of being gay. In fact other than him kissing and having sex with another guy, he's pretty much a man's man. So no, Nolan didnt see any of Ledger's gayness in brokeback mountain as something useful for playing the Joker.

 

[Cinemaman]

I'd like to see Joker being unpredictable almost in everything for his victims.

In my vision, he would be: mad, but also smart; crzy, but also scary; have a sarcastic sense of humour, but also very dark person.

 

[ultimatefan]

Alright. So if he HAD accepted, why exactly would you think he would "phone it in"? And Penn off all people...

The fact that he did decline, does show he has some disinterest, but if he did accept, there is no reason in my mind at all that he would have turned in a great performance rivaling/surpassing Nicholson.

The fact that he declined showed he had no interest in the character. Therefore, the only other reason to make it would be money.

 

[ultimatefan]

Yes, I think that the Joker should have some feminine/gay mannerisms. He is definitely "flaming" in a disturbing kind of way wether or not he likes men or not. A big part of Joker's character is that he is pervers and shocking in most everything he does... and being flirty and suggestive to other male characters is part of this.

BUT

NONE of this could be seen in Ledger's Brokeback Mountain character. He isnt "fruity" at all. He doesnt display any of the stereotypical signs of being gay. In fact other than him kissing and having sex with another guy, he's pretty much a man's man. So no, Nolan didnt see any of Ledger's gayness in brokeback mountain as something useful for playing the Joker.

Some writers indeed make Joker do some sort of homoerotic humor towards Batman, where he either seems to have a perverted crush on him - DKR, Broken City - or he does that to tease Batman´s uptight attitude - Arkham Asylum.

 

[thorstone]

I prefer Joker to be older than Batman.

And Penn has more muscle than Bale.

 

[Two-Face]

I prefer Joker to be older than Batman.

And Penn has more muscle than Bale.

Well tough Joker is young this movie.


What's Penn's muscle got to do with Joker or Bale?

 

[silentflute]

Post #55 in this thread.

That's not what I said though.

 

[Fatal Hilarity]

The Old Sean Penn rumor is what got me addicted to Batman once again in my life. After seeing Batman Begins, I read about the rumor and thought of the possibilities that a sequal could hold. I have never enjoyed the guy, as he always acted like a prick, but the idea that this new series was going to revolve around good actors and not big name celebrities was great. In the same way that I wouldn't mind seeing Sean Penn, I would love to see Phillip Seymore Hoffman play the Penguin.

 

[Retroman]

Interesting..i'd like to hear why he turned it down.

 

[dharmadaughter]

boy Im relieved SP is out. Im not a fan of Ledger too in general nor that of Ryan P. because these are the among greatest villains to grace on the comics and screens so we need someone with proven acting chops but then again what do I know about directing and casting?