13 Actors You Didn't Know Almost Played The Joker

By Jack Pooley /

4. James Woods

James Woods was considered for The Joker in Tim Burton's Batman, and Sam Hamm said of him, "James Woods would be good and wouldn't need any makeup, which would save a couple of hours' work every morning." Go figure. Would It Have Worked?: Probably. One gets the impression that Woods wouldn't have to make much of an effort to portray a convincingly creepy Joker, what with his distinctive voice and potentially creepy persona. His iconic roles in the likes of Videodrome and Once Upon a Time in America show that he can go to the dark places necessary for a character like this, but that he can also nail the serious dramatics that might be needed from time to time. As for the campiness of Burton's Batman? That might be a little more difficult to picture.