Joaquin Phoenix has revealed that he spoke with filmmaker Christopher Nolan about playing Joker which ultimately went to Heath Ledger.
The 50-year-old actor - whose latest flick Joker: Folie À Deux could be streamed now - got candid about potentially playing the supervillain before he actually portrayed him.
Joaquin recently appeared on Rick Rubin's Tetragrammaton podcast as he revealed that he spoke to the 54-year-old Oscar-winning filmmaker Nolan about portraying Joker over a decade before.
He said: That didn't... wasn't going to happen for a number of reasons. I wasn't ready then.
'That's one of those things sometimes where you go: "Why am I not doing this project? What is stopping me from doing this? Well it's not about me, there's something else. There's another person that's going to do something that's like, I can't imagine what it would be if we didn't have Heath Ledger's performance in that film."'
Joaquin Phoenix has revealed that he spoke with filmmaker Christopher Nolan about playing Joker which ultimately went to Heath Ledger
In 2020, Joaquin earned the Best Lead Actor Oscar for Todd Phillips directed Joker which was 11 years after Ledger (pictured) posthumously earned Best Supporting Actor for The Dark Knight in 2009
Read More Joker: Folie À Deux heading to streaming after box office flop
In 2020, Joaquin earned the Best Lead Actor Oscar for Todd Phillips directed Joker which was 11 years after Ledger posthumously earned Best Supporting Actor for The Dark Knight in 2009.
Joaquin continued: 'I don't know whether Christopher Nolan was coming to me saying, "You are definitely the person."
'I can't remember the context of how we met. But I know that we met, and my feeling was, "I shouldn't do this." But maybe he also was like, "You're not the guy." I couldn't say.'
Heath died in a New York City apartment on January 22, 2008, after accidentally overdosing following months of physical and mental exhaustion.
The Dark Knight actor died aged 28 after taking a fatal cocktail of drugs, leaving behind his daughter, who was two years old at the time.
Meanwhile Joker: Folie À Deux can now be streamed, just weeks after its theatrical release.
The movie, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga, is now available to rent from home starting October 29, in an effort to recoup some of Warner Bros. investment into the film, as per Variety.
The musical, which bombed at the box office, is 'poised to lose at least $150 million to $200 million in its theatrical run' according to the publication.
Joaquin recently appeared on Rick Rubin's Tetragrammaton podcast as he revealed that he spoke to the 54-year-old Oscar-winning filmmaker Nolan (pictured in January) about portraying Joker over a decade before
Heath died in a New York City apartment on January 22, 2008, after accidentally overdosing following months of physical and mental exhaustion. Pictured Heath in 2006
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The movie studio spent about $200 million to produce the film and about $100 million on marketing and distribution, according to the report.
It would need to gross about $450 million at the box office to break even -- when factoring in the cut taken by theaters -- though Warner Bros. sources claim the number is $375 million.
A Warner Bros. spokesperson responded to the report, saying 'Any estimates suggested by anonymous "insiders" or "rival executives" are grossly wrong and continues a trend where rumor is reported as fact.'
'The film continues to play in theatrical release, included with this week's opening in China, and will continue to earn revenue throughout its home viewing and ancillary run.'
So far, the musical about Batman's nemesis has grossed $51.5 million domestically and $165 million globally after two weeks of release.
In comparison, the first Joker grossed $96.2 million domestically and $248.4 million globally after three days of release.
The hotly-anticipated sequel to the 2019 billion dollar Oscar-winning film was considered a surefire hit for Warner Bros Pictures, yet ended up being slammed by critics and failed to ignite at the box office.
Joker: Folie À Deux has garnered the lowest CinemaScore in comic book movie history as the film bombed at the box office on opening night.
The psychological musical thriller -- which has been criticized as 'bleak' and 'disappointing' -- officially released in theaters on Friday, October 4.
Joker: Folie À Deux, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga, can be streamed now, just weeks after its theatrical release; Phoenix and Gaga seen in a still
The movie will be available to rent from home starting October 29, in an effort to recoup some of Warner Bros. investment into the film, according to Variety
The film is 'poised to lose at least $150 million to $200 million in its theatrical run' according to the publication
The sequel to the 2019 billion dollar Oscar-winning film was considered a surefire hit for Warner Bros, yet ended up being slammed by critics and failed to ignite at the box office
Phoenix reprised his role as the Joker in the sequel, which had earned him an Oscar for his portrayal in the 2019 film, while Gaga took on the role of Harleen Lee Quinzel (Harley Quinn)
Phoenix reprised his role as the Joker in the sequel, which had earned him an Oscar for his portrayal in the 2019 film, while Gaga took on the role of Harleen Lee Quinzel (Harley Quinn).
However, Joker: Folie À Deux has been given a D rating on CinemaScore -- the lowest score for a comic book movie.
Madame Web -- which notably also flopped in theaters earlier this year and also received terrible reviews -- holds a higher score with a C+.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie currently holds an audience score of 31% and a critic score of 32%.
The sequel has been roundly criticized for being a musical and 'ignoring' the DC fanbase - with an agent familiar with director Todd Phillips' process telling Variety he 'wanted nothing to do with DC' during the making of the film, with DC bosses James Gunn and Peter Safran notably absent from the film's LA premiere afterparty last month.
A source said: 'If the first movie was about some down-on-his-luck, mentally ill guy in a downtrodden city, it makes maybe $150 [million] worldwide. Not a billion. People showed up because that guy was Joker.'
In an apparent snub by Phillips, the opening sequence of the film does not include a DC Studios logo.
A Warner spokesman added that a DC logo appears at the end of the Joker sequel, while Phillips declined to comment to the publication.
Several frictions are said to have developed between Phillips, DC and Warner- with claims that Michael DeLuca, Chairperson of Warner Bros. Entertainment, and CEO Pamela Abdy seemed 'unwilling' to say no to Phillips due to his huge past successes.
It is claimed Phillips would 'only' speak with DeLuca and Abdy rather than Gunn and Safran - who took control of DC two months before production began on Joker 2 in December 2022.
Gunn and Safran did attend the first director's cut screening for the studio but Phillips fueled rift speculation when he told a reporter: 'With all due respect to them, this is kind of a Warner Bros. movie.'
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav also met with Phillips shortly after WarnerMedia and Discovery merged in April 2022 and was 'open to filming in Los Angeles if the director would make the sequel at a lower price point.'
The studio wanted to film in London which would have cost around 20 per cent less.
A source directly involved with the film recently shared: 'The one thing about genre stuff: If you don't listen and pay attention to what the fan expectations are, you're going to fail'; director Todd Phillips seen with Gaga and Phoenix at the LA premiere September 30
However, Phillips insisted on filming in LA with the budget remaining static.
A Warner spokesman told the publication the studio 'supported the decision to film in Los Angeles'.
A source directly involved with the film said: 'No one could get through to Todd. And the one thing about genre stuff: If you don't listen and pay attention to what the fan expectations are, you're going to fail.
Insiders also claim studio bosses did not want to premiere the film at the Venice Film Festival, but Phillips pushed back - with a Warner spokesman saying the studio 'fully supported the decision to bring the film to Venice.
Along with Gaga and Phoenix, other stars that had appeared in the sequel include Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Zazie Beatz and Steve Coogan.
