I know, I already did another thread about changing that particular franchise. But I was wondering about this recently.
To convince Nicholson to play the Joker, Warner Brothers had to offer him a considerable amount, and even with such offers, it took Nicholson a long time to agree to play the part, at least from the studio and Tim Burton's perspective.
Nicholson's involvement was also a major factor, perhaps the major factor for why Batman was such an enormous hit.
So let's say that from the studio and Burton's point of view, the worst happens. Negotiations with Nicholson break down, or he's already signed on to do another film, etc. Point is, pretty much everyone involved's top choice to play the Joker is unavailable. Instead they are forced to go with their second choice pick-Robin Williams.
Is the resulting movie still a success? How does a Nicholsonless "Batman" fare against its competition in the summer of 1989?
What does the resulting film look like and how does the substitution of Williams for Nicholson alter the plot?
The Joker as mobster element seems like it was designed for Nicholson, and would not be as good a match for Williams, indeed, the Joker would probably be a different character entirely here. The wounded narcissist element works well with Nicholson, but wouldn't work as well with Williams. Therefore, if that element was not written into the script after Nicholson signed on in the first place, I can see the character being altered to create a more appropriate character for Williams to play, and that might well alter the whole plot of the film.
To convince Nicholson to play the Joker, Warner Brothers had to offer him a considerable amount, and even with such offers, it took Nicholson a long time to agree to play the part, at least from the studio and Tim Burton's perspective.
Nicholson's involvement was also a major factor, perhaps the major factor for why Batman was such an enormous hit.
So let's say that from the studio and Burton's point of view, the worst happens. Negotiations with Nicholson break down, or he's already signed on to do another film, etc. Point is, pretty much everyone involved's top choice to play the Joker is unavailable. Instead they are forced to go with their second choice pick-Robin Williams.
Is the resulting movie still a success? How does a Nicholsonless "Batman" fare against its competition in the summer of 1989?
What does the resulting film look like and how does the substitution of Williams for Nicholson alter the plot?
The Joker as mobster element seems like it was designed for Nicholson, and would not be as good a match for Williams, indeed, the Joker would probably be a different character entirely here. The wounded narcissist element works well with Nicholson, but wouldn't work as well with Williams. Therefore, if that element was not written into the script after Nicholson signed on in the first place, I can see the character being altered to create a more appropriate character for Williams to play, and that might well alter the whole plot of the film.
