8 Best Batman Movie Villains You Didn't Get To See

7. Sam Rockwell's Joker

The Film: The Dark Knight

There’s no getting around the fact that Heath Ledger’s performance as The Joker was transformative and several different kinds of genius, but at the time of his casting, it was considered something of a joke. Sure, Michael Keaton's casting as Batman had been controversial before turning out to be incredible, but Ledger was a different prospect entirely. And it really didn't help that names like Sam Rockwell's were being suggested as in the running too.

And even with Ledger's performance working out so well, it's hard not to wish just a little that Rockwell had got the role. He's a prodigiously gifted actor with a particular knack for slightly grubby, unhinged characters (see The Green Mile) but also major method acting credentials. He would have enveloped himself in the role as much as Ledger and given the performances he's put in since The Dark Knight, there's no way it would have been anything but a joy to behold.