10 Times Recasting Iconic Characters Actually Worked

2. The Joker

The Original: Jack Nicholson The Recast: Heath Ledger Given how universally praised Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker in superhero-crime epic The Dark Knight was, it's hard to remember that when he was first cast as the Clown Prince of Crime there was a massive backlash; how could an actor whose biggest recent role was a gay cowboy do this villain justice? The closest comparison is... well, actually the casting of Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne. Gee, what is wrong with Batman fans? As glimpses of his performance began to be released people began to be less dismissive of Ledger, although any praise was always uttered with the caveat, "he won't be better than Jack Nicholson though." Nicholson was a much more typical actor to fill the Joker's shoes, winning an Oscar for his ability to dip into psychosis. His take had been central to Tim Burton's Batman, with the caped crusader taking a backseat to Jack Napier (that film gave the character with an unknown past a backstory). It's a fine take on the character and stood out against all the scenery chewing that followed from the likes of Tommy Lee Jones and Jim Carrey. It was, for a long time, believed that it was the definitive version of the Joker, with anyone else who touched him on the big screen destined for second-best. How wrong we were. Little more needs to be said about Ledger's performance - if you're like us you've watched The Dark Knight more times than is healthy - which has totally replaced Nicholson's as an untoppable stroke of brilliance.