8 Ways Heath Ledger’s Joker Almost Turned Out Completely Different

6. The Original Plan Was To Do A Version Closer To The Killing Joke

The most defining post-Silver Age Joker story is The Killing Joke (although the recent Death Of The Family is a close second), Alan Moore and Brian Bolland's expose on the Clown Prince of Crime that still manages to make waves decades after first publication thanks to the ongoing question of whether Batman actually kills the Joker at the end.

When he first started talking about a Batman sequel starring the Joker, Nolan repeatedly stated the one-shot was going to be a key influence. While there's certainly elements present throughout, particularly the evaluation of the never-ending clash between the criminal and vigilante, in the finished film it's pretty slight. This isn't just Nolan being typically loose with an adaptation - he actually changed his approach. Once the film was actually in the bag, the biggest inspiration was now cited the very first appearances from the character in Batman.

That's a significant shift and one of the biggest tease to what the Joker could have been. And, like many great things to do with The Dark Knight, the reason it changed leads back to Ledger. The thing most out of kilter with The Killing Joke is rooted in Joker's mannerisms, which suggests that as the actor developed his distinct version of the character, the script adjusted to fit him.