Heath Ledger is hands down the best Joker in the history of Batman films. He embodied the joker. He was the joker. Except the late actor wasn’t originally set to play that role at all, but rather the complete opposite – he was to play the part of Batman in ‘The Dark Knight’.
That’s right, Christopher Nolan had his heart set on casting Ledger in the role of the protagonist, but Heath had zero interest in playing the bat. As a last resort, Nolan flipped the script and asked if he’d be interested in playing the joker – a role that he not only accepted but made entirely his own. After Ledger’s untimely death, false reports started circulating the web, indicating that landing that role is what ultimately led to his doom. Ledger’s family insists there isn’t any truth to that and he was super happy playing the role, as it was the kind he loved the most.
Val Kilmer: Captain America
You’re probably trying to figure out how it would’ve looked if Val Kilmer had played the new 'Captain America' rather than Chris Evans – but that’s not the film that we're referring to here. No, Kilmer was set to play the patriotic superhero in the 1990s version of the film, long before Chris Evans ever started acting (and probably before he even made it out of elementary school.)
Kilmer shot down the chance to play the part because he was set to star in 'The Doors' around the same time. And he probably doesn’t have a single regret about not taking the role, which was ultimately given to Matt Salinger. The first version kind of bombed, so he dodged a bullet there.
Alexander Skarsgård: Thor
Okay, here’s another perfect example of something that most likely would have worked out to be amazing – Alexander Skarsgård as 'Thor, the God of thunder'. Considering how badass the 'True Blood' actor was in 'The Legend of Tarzan', there’s no doubt he would’ve nailed the role. And apparently, that’s almost what happened – had it not been for Chris Hemsworth.
Skarsgård impressed in his auditions for the role, but not as much as the man who ended up with the hammer. He later expressed his gratitude for the chance to audition and called the entire experience “fun.” And he didn’t miss his shot at joining the MCU, either, because rumor has it that he’ll be appearing as Adam Warlock in 'Galaxy of the Guardians Volume 3'.
Jude Law: Superman
Law was up for the role of DC’s 'Superman' in Brett Ratner’s version of the film. He was in the running against some major contenders like Nicholas Cage and Josh Hartnett, but ultimately decided against continuing on with an audition.
According to an interview the star gave, he turned down the role for a few reasons. First, he wasn’t thrilled about the idea of gracing magazine covers in a spandex suit. He also told reporters that he didn’t want to spend his career being known as the “guy who played Superman.” That’s understandable.
Pierce Brosnan as Batman
Pierce Brosnan has played the hunky protagonist in his fair share of action movies, including his infamous role as 007 in 'Goldeneye' and 'The World is Not Enough'. But when he was given the opportunity to play billionaire vigilante Bruce Wayne in the 1989 film by Tim Burton, he shot it down – and just wait until you hear why.
Brosnan, ever the gentleman, told ABC that he couldn’t take the role seriously, which is why he turned it down. In fact, his exact words were, “any man who wears his underpants outside of his pants can’t be taken seriously.” But as it turns out, he may still turn up in the MCU after all, as Alfred in the upcoming 'The Batman' movie, starring Robert Pattinson. That’s a role that the distinguished actor is much more suited for, don’t you think?