Am I the only one who thinks Jim Carrey should play The Joker?

[Fyraltari]

FWIW, I think Clooney was fine as Bruce Wayne, he just didn't work as Batman. I'm not sure that I've ever found anyone convincing as both Bruce Wayne and Batman; Keaton was probably the closest.

Bruce Wayne is not supposed to work as Batman either!

I don't know about Carrey, but I have a good feeling about this Joaquin Phoenix person.

[Wraith]

FWIW, I think Clooney was fine as Bruce Wayne, he just didn't work as Batman. I'm not sure that I've ever found anyone convincing as both Bruce Wayne and Batman; Keaton was probably the closest.

Kevin Conroy. People tend to think of him as a voice actor, but he's quite heavily built and also 6'2" which makes him only second to Ben Affleck in terms of tallest person to portray Batman.

That he also helped pioneer The Voice to portray Bruce Wayne effectively and has a history of acting along side Mark Hamill... Damn, Kevin Conroy as Old Bruce, Mark Hamill as Old Joker and a new comer as Terry McGuinness? That's a movie I'd like to see.

[Peelee]

Kevin Conroy. People tend to think of him as a voice actor, but he's quite heavily built and also 6'2" which makes him only second to Ben Affleck in terms of tallest person to portray Batman.

That he also helped pioneer The Voice to portray Bruce Wayne effectively and has a history of acting along side Mark Hamill... Damn, Kevin Conroy as Old Bruce, Mark Hamill as Old Joker and a new comer as Terry McGuinness? That's a movie I'd like to see.

Conroy Batman is best Batman. Dude's pretty skinny though.

[Wraith]

Huh, I remember him as being pretty big. He is in his 60's now though, so maybe it was an older picture that I was remembering.

Still, as Old Bruce it still kind of works. He doesn't look frail, but he'd no longer be the barrel-chested Olympic-grade athlete that he used to be.

[Peelee]

Huh, I remember him as being pretty big. He is in his 60's now though, so maybe it was an older picture that I was remembering.

Still, as Old Bruce it still kind of works. He doesn't look frail, but he'd no longer be the barrel-chested Olympic-grade athlete that he used to be.

I'm a huge fan of Batman Beyond, and I wholly support dude as a live-action Old Bruce.

[Willie the Duck]

Yup, Peelee is a ninja. But I'm leaving my text there too...because I think Pfeiffer did have some Newmar in her Catwoman.

The 1989 Batman movie was almost going to be a comedic take on the subject (don't knock it, at that point, no one knew serious super hero movies could work). There are little bits of that DNA still lingering in the two Burton movies. That's why I'm not sure about Carrey as the Joker. Jack Nicholson used what Carrey would bring to the role as minor subtext to his main portrayal, like he was mostly a serious villain with a bit of a clown quirk after having a breakdown when his face got acidized, but now there's a nugget of a truly insane, Carey-like character in the edges of that madness. I don't know that having a full-on version of that let loose would add anything to that already done portrayal.

And though it's been some years since I last watched Batman Forever, I think I remember hating Tommy Lee Jones as Two-Face more than I hated Carrey as the Riddler. At least Riddler had some characterization - Tommy Lee Jones pretty much just laughs all the time. Did someone tell him he was playing the Joker?

Tommy Lee Jones did the movie because his son loved Batman comics, and it would be a cool way to make a living while also pleasing his son (and if you've seen Jones' imdb page, he clearly thinks of acting as a job and isn't afraid to do something for the paycheck). He got to the shoot and discovered that he wholly and truly loathed Jim Carrey, and realized that it would be a horrible movie and that it could damage his career. So I think what you are seeing is Jones (and or the director) trying to paper over/hide behind a simple mask so no one sees the 'what the hell did I get myself into?'-expression on the actor's face.

[Peelee]

The 1989 Batman movie was almost going to be a comedic take on the subject (don't knock it, at that point, no one knew serious super hero movies could work). There are little bits of that DNA still lingering in the two Burton movies. That's why I'm not sure about Carrey as the Joker. Jack Nicholson used what Carrey would bring to the role as minor subtext to his main portrayal, like he was mostly a serious villain with a bit of a clown quirk after having a breakdown when his face got acidized, but now there's a nugget of a truly insane, Carey-like character in the edges of that madness. I don't know that having a full-on version of that let loose would add anything to that already done portrayal.

If you've played the Arkham games, I basically saw the Riddler of those as exactly what we'd get out of a serious Jim Carrey Riddler. Also, Arkham Riddler is my favorite Riddler, which does support my bias towards Carrey here.

Tommy Lee Jones did the movie because his son loved Batman comics, and it would be a cool way to make a living while also pleasing his son (and if you've seen Jones' imdb page, he clearly thinks of acting as a job and isn't afraid to do something for the paycheck).

All of which, far as I'm concerned, makes Tommy Lee Jones even more awesome.

[Psyren]

I really want a live action Batman Beyond movie where Keaton plays old Batman and either Goldbloom or Hamil playa old joker. Make all of the old robins former Batman actors, it would be hilarious.

I did not know I needed this but I do.

Keaton (or possibly Clooney) as old Bruce in a Batman:Beyond movie would be fantastic.

MovieBob had this very suggestion as a spinoff from the Flashpoint movie as a way to tie it into the DCEU (if that continues being a thing, anyway.)

[Peelee]

Keaton (or possibly Clooney) as old Bruce in a Batman:Beyond movie would be fantastic.

Agreed. I think the biggest challenge in Old Bruce would be the kind of person who could convincingly pull of the "that's not what I call myself" line from the Shriek episode. I can see Keaton and Clooney doing it. Keaton I've always loved as an actor, Clooney's gotten better with age (both his and mine, IMO).

[Willie the Duck]

I can see Keaton and Clooney doing it.

I caught this page load out of the corner of my eye while doing something else, didn't engage fully with the subject, got the last name associations wrong, and then re-engaged with the thread. All that lead my to the idea of a B&W Buster Keaton, Rosemary Clooney take on pre-code, gun wielding, criminal-killing Batman.

[Mordar]

I would say Schwarzenegger as Mr. Freeze was the worst. And though it's been some years since I last watched Batman Forever, I think I remember hating Tommy Lee Jones as Two-Face more than I hated Carrey as the Riddler. At least Riddler had some characterization - Tommy Lee Jones pretty much just laughs all the time. Did someone tell him he was playing the Joker?

I assume we're limiting to the Tim Burton/Joel Schumacher films? If not, I can add Anne Hathaway's Catwoman, Tom Hardy's Bane, and Jared Leto's Joker to the list as well (not necessarily in that order).

I give Freeze more of a pass, particularly since both Freeze and Ivy were done camp-style. That movie's Bane was just a larger-than-average goon doing "monkey work". Bane is one of the three best Batman villains (IMO) and to see him so undercut in Forever was forever flawed. Hardy's Bane was better, right up until you realize he's just being somebody's toadie once again.

I thought Hathaway was fine (her opening sequence made a good first impression, even if that was by far the best we were going to get for her)...I liked Scarecrow a lot. Hrm, now I feel compelled to make a list of worst-to-least-worst Batman film villains. Maybe later

- M

[hamishspence]

I give Freeze more of a pass, particularly since both Freeze and Ivy were done camp-style. That movie's Bane was just a larger-than-average goon doing "monkey work". Bane is one of the three best Batman villains (IMO) and to see him so undercut in Forever was forever flawed.

Freeze, Ivy, and Bane, are all in Batman & Robin, not Batman Forever.

[Darth Ultron]

I don't think Jim Carrey should play The Joker.

Jim Carrey's big strength is his comedy....he is a great comedian. Both in lines and action, he over does it to 11....but it works. He has done some serious stuff, but still that is not his strength.

But as a villain.....worse as a 'funny' villain.....he just does not work. His comedy is just way too typecast: he has not comedy range. He does his brand of comedy great...but only his brand. Pick any good Carrey comedy character: that is what the Joker would be.

Like would Johnny Knoxville be a good joker?

I would like to see a Leonardo Dicaprio Joker myself...

[Mordar]

Freeze, Ivy, and Bane, are all in Batman & Robin, not Batman Forever.

Thank you for the correction. Both of those movies mush together for me...

- M

[Velaryon]

Tommy Lee Jones did the movie because his son loved Batman comics, and it would be a cool way to make a living while also pleasing his son (and if you've seen Jones' imdb page, he clearly thinks of acting as a job and isn't afraid to do something for the paycheck). He got to the shoot and discovered that he wholly and truly loathed Jim Carrey, and realized that it would be a horrible movie and that it could damage his career. So I think what you are seeing is Jones (and or the director) trying to paper over/hide behind a simple mask so no one sees the 'what the hell did I get myself into?'-expression on the actor's face.

I did get a bit of an "I don't want to be here" vibe from Tommy Lee Jones in Batman & Robin, but I get that from him in a lot of movies, so I thought it was just my imagination.

I give Freeze more of a pass, particularly since both Freeze and Ivy were done camp-style. That movie's Bane was just a larger-than-average goon doing "monkey work". Bane is one of the three best Batman villains (IMO) and to see him so undercut in Forever was forever flawed. Hardy's Bane was better, right up until you realize he's just being somebody's toadie once again.

I thought Hathaway was fine (her opening sequence made a good first impression, even if that was by far the best we were going to get for her)...I liked Scarecrow a lot. Hrm, now I feel compelled to make a list of worst-to-least-worst Batman film villains. Maybe later

- M

I honestly didn't even recognize that character as Bane the first time I watched Batman & Robin. There's no possible way Hardy could fail to top that. He was still a long way from good, though, starting with that ridiculous "Sean Connery with a chest cold" voice he was doing.

I didn't find Hathaway believable as Catwoman for even a moment. At no point did it feel like Selina Kyle was on screen, just Anne Hathaway trying to shed her good girl image a little bit.

I totally agree with you about Scarecrow though - he was great, at least in Batman Begins. Less so with each successive appearance, though.

[Particle_Man]

If you want to see Michael Keaton as an old superhero/villain, you could see him as Birdman (in the movie of the same name) and as the Vulture in Spiderman: Homecoming.

And yeah, if Michael Keaton decides to play old Batman, I will see that.

That said, the Joker has gone through so many interpretations in the comics and other media that to answer "Should Jim Carrey play the Joker?" we first need to ask "Which Joker?" The Killing Joke version? The "rip my own face off" version? Another version? I mean, I love Mark Hamill's Joker and Heath Ledger's Joker, but those are two very different takes on the character.

[Rogar Demonblud]

There's a reason I suggested Joker-as-crime-lord. It's a version that hasn't been done in a movie, cartoon or TV show yet. Heck, I don't think it's appeared in the comics in at least 20 years.

[dps]

There's a reason I suggested Joker-as-crime-lord. It's a version that hasn't been done in a movie, cartoon or TV show yet. Heck, I don't think it's appeared in the comics in at least 20 years.

That's probably because the Penguin fits that role better. Not that the Joker can't fit the part. In fact, I'd argue that some of the movie Jokers have elements of it.

[Rogar Demonblud]

Well, the joke is that the Joker was originally a DC take on the 'crime lord with a gimmick' thing from **** Tracy.

[Traab]

Well, the joke is that the Joker was originally a DC take on the 'crime lord with a gimmick' thing from **** Tracy.

You know, my original example of a joker who is aware of the 4th wall, doesnt outright break it, could fit quite well with the crime lord setup as well. After all, his entire strategy would revolve around planning the perfect crime, then obsessing over something he just knows he, or one of his goons, forgot, that will bite them in the rear during "the third act" So he needs minions to work with to pull it off. And if that really was the original reason he was written, it would make for an excellent call back while playing into that original reason for him to exist. Having him be crazy, but brilliant would explain why he HAS all these minions, his obsession with doing everything right in an attempt to defy the whole three act structure of the universe would translate into being a very successful crime lord so everyone wants to work for him. You know, right up until the batman movie starts.