Well, I guess I could understand him feeling hurt. But I'm looking forward to seeing what Ledger does with the role, and what I've seen suggests this is a fairly different interpretation, possibly one that calls for a certain level of athleticism which wouldn't be credible with Nicholson.
I thought Nicholson's Joker was one of the greatest strengths of 1989's Batman. But that was that movie. This is a fairly different imagining of the universe.
Posted by Elmer's Glue (Member # 9313) on :
I wanted Adrian Brody to play the joker.
Posted by EmpSquared (Member # 10890) on :
Michael Keaton's not playing Batman either, Jack. It is a fairly different re-imagining of the character and the universe.
Frankly, he's being a baby. Marlon Brando was (probably) never asked by every Broadway producer to return to Streetcar just because he played the character in a high profile part.
Posted by docmagik (Member # 1131) on :
Adrian Brody would have been great--that was my choice, too.
Nobody will ever top Nicholson as the Joker, though. He really was amazing. It really was the part he was born to play.
His best line from the script didn't make the final cut:
While holding Vale hostage: "Oh, can't I keep her? I'll feed her! Honest!"
Posted by Puffy Treat (Member # 7210) on :
quote:Originally posted by docmagik: Nobody will ever top Nicholson as the Joker, though.
Mark Hamill did gave a superior performance in Batman: TAS, I thought.
Nicholson's Joker was just someone who did whatever he wanted.
Hamill's Joker actually seemed like a crazy genius. Posted by Rakeesh (Member # 2001) on :
Nicholson's Joker was a great character, a great villain. I enjoyed watching him. He was funny, he was frightening, he was angry and twisted.
But...he wasn't quite the Joker, at least, not to me. Time will tell if Ledger's will be.
Posted by Shanna (Member # 7900) on :
Nicholson in any role just seems like Nicholson in x-costume or y-makeup.
The "Nicholson character" always just reads too strongly in most parts I've seen him in. Whenever I see him on screen, I forget the name of the character he's playing. He should be credited as "Nicholson, as Himself."
I'm also excited to see what Ledger brings to the role. He's an actor that I think will surprise people with his range one day.
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
quote:Originally posted by Puffy Treat:
quote:Originally posted by docmagik: Nobody will ever top Nicholson as the Joker, though.
Mark Hamill did gave a superior performance in Batman: TAS, I thought.
Nicholson's Joker was just someone who did whatever he wanted.
Hamill's Joker actually seemed like a crazy genius.
I agree that Mark Hamill BECAME the voice of the joker. But Nicholson did a very good job of playing the part in a movie. I'm betting Heath bases his voice work mostly on Hamill even if his persona is different.
Posted by Elmer's Glue (Member # 9313) on :
I thought Brody would have played the Joker as a more evil, more insane Joker. It would have been great... I never really cared for Nicholson's performance.
Posted by sylvrdragon (Member # 3332) on :
I have mixed feelings about new takes on old Characters, ever since I (regrettably) watched the new "Charlie and the Chocolate factory" with Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka... Some things are best left untouched, but I supposed only time will tell.
Posted by Olivet (Member # 1104) on :
I can't really watch Nicholson in anything anymore. He looks just like my dad. I didn't know he was in The Departed, and found it rather traumatic. "Daddy? What are you doing with all those hookers and drugs?" O_O
When my dad was still alive, I barely noticed the resemblance, but now even the funny roles make me cry. Just catching glimpses of Anger Management flipping through the channels makes me tear up.
Not that that has anything to do with Batman-- I'm just always disappointed when Jack is cast in aything that seems like it will be good, because I won't be able to enjoy it.
Posted by Launchywiggin (Member # 9116) on :
I get that "Oh God it's my dad" feeling with Gene Hackman. Especially the "angry" Gene Hackman, like in A Few Good Men, Crimson Tide, Enemy of the State...
Posted by Glenn Arnold (Member # 3192) on :
While reading the article, it occurred to me that Nicholson probably isn't so much mad that he isn't in the current movie, but that his character was killed at the end of the Burton version, and therefore couldn't appear in a sequel.
quote:“They never asked me about a sequel with the Joker. I know how to do that! Nobody ever asked me.”
Posted by brojack17 (Member # 9189) on :
I loved Jack in Batman. I didn't really watch the TV show as a kid, so I didn't have anything to compare his performance to. I thought he did a great job. That performance made me a real Jack Nicholson fan.
I'm not a fan of the new adaptation of the Batman franchise. I saw the Batman Begins on an airplane and was not impressed. I think it is because I do not like Christian Bale. He creeps me out. I don't really care much for Heath Ledger either. I did like "A Knights Tale" though.
Posted by Nighthawk (Member # 4176) on :
quote:Especially the "angry" Gene Hackman, like in A Few Good Men, Crimson Tide, Enemy of the State...
Uh... what? Two out of three; he wasn't in A Few Good Men...
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
quote:Originally posted by Nighthawk:
quote:Especially the "angry" Gene Hackman, like in A Few Good Men, Crimson Tide, Enemy of the State...
Uh... what? Two out of three; he wasn't in A Few Good Men...
Coincidentally it was Jack Nicholson who was in A Few Good Men.
Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :
Adam West was upset when they didn't ask him to try out for the Batman movie.
But what do they expect? This was the franchise that had three different Catwomans during the TV run.
Posted by Javert Hugo (Member # 3980) on :
Oh, good grief. Nicholson is not athletic, too old, and it's been done. Did he actually think he'd be appropriate? He's grandfather age. Old grandfather age.
I think he's starting to believe his own press.
Posted by Dan_Frank (Member # 8488) on :
quote:Originally posted by BlackBlade:
quote:Originally posted by Nighthawk:
quote:Especially the "angry" Gene Hackman, like in A Few Good Men, Crimson Tide, Enemy of the State...
Uh... what? Two out of three; he wasn't in A Few Good Men...
Coincidentally it was Jack Nicholson who was in A Few Good Men.
You can't handle the truth!
How could you forget one of his most quoted lines, ever?
Posted by Puffy Treat (Member # 7210) on :
Huh? I don't see anything in that article indicating he doesn't remember playing Two-Face, just that he didn't know Dent was going to be in the movie. (And didn't know that Batman Begins is totally restarting the series, so the character isn't dead.) Am I missing something?
--Enigmatic
Posted by Puffy Treat (Member # 7210) on :
quote:Originally posted by Enigmatic: Am I missing something?
That I didn't write "he doesn't remember"? Posted by Enigmatic (Member # 7785) on :
Okay, I see nothing in the article indicating that he "barely remembers" playing Two Face. Better?
--Enigmatic
Posted by docmagik (Member # 1131) on :
Regarding Willy Wonka, I have to say that, while Depp was no Wilder, upon repeated offspring-induced viewings, I have been converted to Deep Roy as the Oompa Loompas.
Oh, and as for how I rank Nicholson's Joker Vs Hamill's Joker, I think Hamill does a great job, but he also has the advantage that his Joker is so much better written. Man, what Nicholson could have done with some of the lines they've written for a so-called "kids" cartoon.
But I agree, Hamill is great.
As for Jones--Jones was a brilliant casting choice for Harvey Dent. He could have played that part unforgetably. But that would have required somebody, somewhere, in some postion anywhere on that movie remembering there was such a thing as "subtle."
Instead, they just had everybody play an amped-up, desperate version of Nicholson's Joker. I think it was all they could to to keep from making Batman act like a bad impression of the Joker.
So I guess they did draw a line somewhere.
Posted by The Rabbit (Member # 671) on :
quote:Originally posted by sylvrdragon: I have mixed feelings about new takes on old Characters, ever since I (regrettably) watched the new "Charlie and the Chocolate factory" with Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka... Some things are best left untouched, but I supposed only time will tell.
I hated the original Willy Wonka movie because it was so grossly unfaithful to the book.
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
quote:Originally posted by The Rabbit:
quote:Originally posted by sylvrdragon: I have mixed feelings about new takes on old Characters, ever since I (regrettably) watched the new "Charlie and the Chocolate factory" with Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka... Some things are best left untouched, but I supposed only time will tell.
I hated the original Willy Wonka movie because it was so grossly unfaithful to the book.
"Grossly unfaithful?"
edit: What I mean is could you illucidate why you feel that way?
[ November 09, 2007, 03:02 PM: Message edited by: BlackBlade ]
Posted by theamazeeaz (Member # 6970) on :
I hated the new Charlie movie because it was so grossly unfaithful to the book.
Posted by Javert Hugo (Member # 3980) on :
I hated the Charlie book because it was so grossly unfaithful to the movie.
Posted by Ginol_Enam (Member # 7070) on :
Going back to the Jack/Joker article, I read it and thought Jack was furious that they simply didn't consult him on how to do the role, not that he wasn't cast.
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