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Willem Dafoe reveals that he had early talks to play The Joker in Batman ’89

February 8, 2018 by Jordan Jones

Originally published February 8, 2018. Updated December 19, 2019.

Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman film is regarded as one of the best comic book films ever made. While Christopher Nolan reached staggering heights with his Dark Knight Trilogy, plenty feel that the Gothic world that Burton created is far superior. Burton’s film still looks good today, and truly does feel like a comic-book brought to the screen.

However, aesthetics weren’t the only thing elevating the film to iconic status; Jack Nicholson’s Joker was unanimously praised at the time of the film’s release. Even in a post-Ledger world, many fans still prefer ole’ Jack as the Clown Prince of Crime. However, there were other actors considered too. One such actor was Willem Dafoe, and talking to THR, he briefly touched on that very topic of The Joker (via Cinema Blend):

“[Screenwriter Sam] Hamm said something about how physi­cally I would be perfect for the part, but they never offered it to me.”

Okay, so nothing profound, but it’s still cool to get a little more information about a near 30 year old film. Also, he is physically perfect for the part, and still isn’t too old to play the role by any means.

…You can find Jordan on Twitter, and Facebook.

Filed Under: Jordan Jones, Movies, News Tagged With: Batman, DC, Jack Nicholson, Tim Burton, Willem Dafoe

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