Here's why Jack Nicholson was "furious" after he was replaced as the Joker by Heath Ledger's iteration in The Dark Knight. From the beginning Nicholson felt like perfect casting for a live-action take on the Joker, but despite this, many other actors were considered for the role in 1989's Batman. Performers such as John Lithgow, Willem Dafoe and Robin Williams were in contention for the part, but Nicholson eventually signed on after securing a very healthy deal for himself. While this might sound like he took the role for the money involved, not only did he fully commit to Batman, he deeply enjoyed playing The Joker.
Not only did the comic supervillain allow him to go over the top, he later stated that with the Joker there was no top. In a move that would likely never happen with a modern comic blockbuster, Batman '89 ended with Nicholson's Joker being very dead. Later sequels cast A-listers like Jim Carrey, Michelle Pfeiffer and Arnold Schwarzenegger to play various villains from the Caped Crusader's rogues gallery. Nicholson never returned, however, though there were plans for him to cameo during a hallucination scene in the unmade Batman Unchained.
Mark Hamill's take on the Joker from Batman: The Animated Series became iconic in its own right, but Nicholson's Joker became the dominant image of the character in pop culture. That made it hard to imagine anyone stepping into his shoes, and news of Heath Ledger being cast as Joker in The Dark Knight was largely met with confusion at the time. Of course, Heath Ledger's Joker was a masterstroke piece of casting, with the late actor delivering a chilling and hilarious turn. In an interview with MTV before the release of the sequel and Ledger's passing, Nicholson stated he was "furious" about never being asked to return as Joker.
Why Jack Nicholas Never Returned As Joker
During the 2007 interview, Nicholson revealed he had never been asked about a Batman sequel involving the character. He also stated he didn't understand the reason why, but that "Maybe it's not a mistake. Maybe it was the right thing, but to be candid, I'm furious." When asked about The Dark Knight itself, the actor said "I'm not inclined to watch it because of what I said. But if it's a good movie, I'll catch up with it somewhere." Nicholson also revealed he felt Warner Bros had driven the original franchise into the ground and that Tim Burton was a genius.
Nicholson's anger over the recasting wasn't in any way directed at Heath Ledger, but the fact the Joker was one of his most famous parts but he was never asked to reprise it. His take on the character wouldn't really have fit Christopher Nolan's version for The Dark Knight movies, but it's a shame he never played the role again after 1989's Batman.