10 Potential Castings We're SO Glad Didn't Happen
1. Heath Ledger As Batman (Batman Begins)
This is a great one for two reasons. One, it allowed us to get Christian Bale’s take on Batman, but secondly it meant Heath Ledger himself could be cast as Joker.
When Christopher Nolan was casting for Batman, he had a lot of names in his mind. Christian Bale turned out to be a great choice in the end, but without a doubt the Joker is the star of the trilogy, and he’s only in the second film.
Nolan’s trilogy without Ledger’s Joker would be a massively different animal, so him not landing Batman was definitely for the best. Ledger actually turned down the role initially, claiming he’d never star in a superhero film.
However, once Batman Begins came out, Ledger was completely sold on Nolan’s version, and signed on as Joker before the sequel had even finished the script. It wasn’t really until Brokeback Mountain (which came out the same year as Batman Begins) that Ledger really started in a prestige picture, so Nolan spotted his talent before most.
Not so much a bullet dodged here, more being grateful that Ledger was saved for one of the most iconic roles ever.