Tim Burton’s Batman is a memorable version of the Dark Knight for its gothic style and also for Jack Nicholson’s performance as Jack Napier a.k.a. the Joker, but Nicholson wasn’t the only actor in consideration when Warner Bros. was looking for the one to play the iconic DC Comics villain. Back in 1989, Tim Burton decided to bring his style to Gotham City with the film simply titled Batman, introducing Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne/Batman.
The film followed the Caped Crusader as he battled Jack Napier, a sociopathic criminal who fell into a vat of chemicals that left him disfigured and with a permanent grin, which drove him insane. Napier then assumed the name of “Joker”, and his plan was to terrorize Gotham through a chemical called “Smylex”, which caused victims to die laughing. Batman was a critical and financial success, making way for a sequel, Batman Returns, and inspired the now classic Batman: The Animated Series.
Nicholson’s performance as the Joker was praised by critics and fans, and it was considered the best version of the character for years – but with the recent portrayals of the famous villain, who’s the best Joker will depend on who you ask. However, he wasn’t the only choice for the role, and Batman could have had a very different Joker.
Batman 1989: Robin Williams Almost Played The Joker
Robin Williams had a tough relationship with the Batman universe. He campaigned hard for the role of the Joker in Batman and accepted it, but the studio’s top choice had been Jack Nicholson since 1980. Nicholson wasn’t that interested, and when the producers approached him again and told him Williams would take the role if he didn’t, he finally agreed. Robin Williams was understandably upset for how he was used and demanded an apology from the studio. Aside from that particularly uncomfortable moment, other actors were also in consideration for the role, either when Burton was already on board as director or before.
One of Burton’s choices to play the Joker was Brad Dourif, best known for voicing Chucky in the original Child’s Play, but the idea was rejected by Warner. Ray Liotta was offered the roles of Harvey Dent, Bruce Wayne, and the Joker, but decided to play Henry Hill in Goodfellas instead (though he later admitted to regret that decision given all the opportunities he missed). At one point, Batman was visualized as a comedy, very much like the TV series with Adam West, and Tim Curry was the studio's first option to play the Joker. Other notable names in contention for the role were David Bowie, John Lithgow, and James Woods.
It’s hard to say if Batman’s impact and success would have been different had the Joker been played by another actor, or if any of the aforementioned names would have made a better Joker than Jack Nicholson, but the studio’s decision ended up being a very good one – the sad part is how they used Robin Williams to get what they wanted.