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

5. He Wasn't Always Going To Be Played By Heath Ledger

The Joker card at the end of Batman Begins was less a tease to a sequel (remember, Nolan doesn't think that far ahead) and more a symbol of where the reboot had left the hero - in the real world and ready for the more well-known adventures to begin (the League of Assassins are so obscure their name was changed to Shadows and nobody noticed)

Still, even ten years ago the internet was ready to dive on any and all easter eggs that had potential plot implications, so you can bet that one shot was one of the most dissected from the film. Everyone took it as proof positive a sequel (Batman Continues?) would feature a new, realistic version of the mad clown (read: no dancing to Prince). And who would be the man under the make-up? Well, according to reports at the time, none other than Sean Penn.

Reported by Batman On Film, Penn was offered the role, although in retrospect that seems a bit exaggerated - that Warner Bros. were already casting goes against how Ledger got the part. Still, like most rumours, it probably comes from a seed of truth - Warner probably wanted the Oscar-winner for the role, but were overpowered by a creatively in control Nolan.

Penn was certainly a popular choice for the part, the subject of a mobilised fan campaign (turn down your screen brightness before clicking that link), which likely only made the strong initial backlash against Ledger stronger.