DISQUS

/Film: The Dark Knight: Early Joker Concept Art

  • Ken · 1 year ago
    People think the movie was twisted? What if that first concept Joker was used. Creepy.
  • TommyMetropolis · 10 months ago
    Zombie Joker.
  • Chance · 1 year ago
    i think the 1st or 2nd one would have been really creepy to use, but im glad they used the version they did. it made Heath stand out more and let him use his facial expressions. the 2nd picture concept wouldn't have allowed him to do that.
  • Hana · 1 year ago
    aaaaaagh those are creepy. Though I do agree with Chance - I think more emphasis on the scars would have made it harder for Ledger to act through the makeup.

    ...still though, they're pretty fucking intense. Particularly that first one. Yeesh.
  • cup · 9 months ago
    Nah, trust an actor like him to do his job. Give the man some credit. He is a complete actor, who uses his entire body and - more importantly - his entire being to inhabit and enable the characters. Fuck, that'd be scary as hell.

    This art remind anyone of that shot of Hannibal Lecter in the ambulance in Silence when he's wearing the cop's face, before he pulls it off? Oooh, snap!
  • Retro · 1 year ago
    Hell yeah awesome concept art. I love the 1st and 2nd I think they shouldve used those instead. But, only if it didn't interfere with Ledgers acting. Creepy, intense, and maniacal.
  • Eli · 1 year ago
    Considerably creepy.
  • Jason · 1 year ago
    the first one is creepy as hell but it doesnt look like what the joker would in my opinion. at a quick glance it looks like an intruder from "the strangers". i think they went as far as the could while still making it look like the joker in tdk...
  • Captain Awesome · 1 year ago
    Holy shit, that first one is crazy-looking.

    But the end result ended up being the most striking. I love when you can see the evolution of a great design. And where it comes from.
  • guylikeme · 1 year ago
    I would like to see more scans from this book
  • Captain Awesome · 1 year ago
    Also that first one isn't as far off as what we ended-up getting. The reason why it sticks out so much, especially the scaring. Is that he doesn't have any of the clown-make-up on. So the emphasis is heavily on the overlit, giant, wounds.

    If you remember. In TDK there's that one scene when Gordon gets shot and Ledger has no clown make-up on. And it looks really fucked up.
  • Bob · 1 year ago
    ooooooooooooo crrrrrrrreeeeeeeeepppppppppyyyyyy
  • Brody · 1 year ago
    Is that Elijah Wood in the bottom right frame.
  • Marvin · 1 year ago
    I read in a interview they went with a more dirty, gritter look because they saw Joker as someone who doesn't care about himself. So maybe that was the reason for the change
  • Ghost · 1 year ago
    Why do the first couple of them look like Gary Oldman's character from Hannibal?
  • Brian Rodden · 1 year ago
    The first ones look really scary, more like a horror movie.
  • M&Co · 1 year ago
    Far out. Maybe these could still be used as the basis for the Riddler? Part punk, part aristocrat, all creep.
  • Captain Awesome · 1 year ago
    Marvin,

    Yes, and that's why I loved Ledger's Joker. His attitude in character manifested so well on him and onto others. I did love the small things he did. Like comb his hair back when he saw Rachel or trying to drink from the empty glass of champagne when he spilled it all out?

    haha
  • charles · 1 year ago
    My God!!!
  • Liz · 1 year ago
    Interesting. They ended up going with a sloppier color design than any previous Jokers that I can think of, including the conceptual one here. I wonder when the idea of the smeared makeup came into the planning process?
  • BobMikki · 1 year ago
    I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure pic #3 is a photoshopped pic of Sid Vicious from the sex pistols.
  • orange cinema · 1 year ago
    those first two really make heath's 'speaking like a ventriliquist doll' approach seem very logical. with scars like that, he would've been forced to adjust the way he spoke - they up and down way the dolls mouth moves - like nolan has said. but i prefer the what they chose to go with.
  • Tatsui · 1 year ago
    Those are cool, but I don't think Heath would have been able to do the little things that people liked, such as lick his lips, possibly talk, and more.
  • Rory · 1 year ago
    Looks like LEATHERFACE
  • A.J. · 1 year ago
    Wowee! And to think I thought Heath's Joker was creepy when I first saw him. These concepts are Crazy!
  • [A] · 1 year ago
    Yeah, first couple pictures are "sick"!
  • Yevacles · 1 year ago
    The second one is my favorite, looks very thin manny.
  • ajt8503 · 1 year ago
    #3 looks like the bass player from Green Day and #4 defintely looks like Elijah Wood.
  • Donivan · 1 year ago
    #1 and #2 creepy.#3 and #4 could have been his henchmen. They all cut their mouths and dress the same to show strength and unity.
  • andy · 1 year ago
    creepy. yet wonderful.
  • Bea · 1 year ago
    "I did love the small things he did. Like comb his hair back when he saw Rachel or trying to drink from the empty glass of champagne when he spilled it all out?"

    Is it wrong that I found that utterly charming?
  • JiveTurkey · 1 year ago
    Scott Weiland.
  • artgood · 1 year ago
    If anyone ever does a Batman movie as a really gritty drama/horror film, that first Joker would be perfect.
  • tom · 1 year ago
    wow, they're so much different.
  • Aaron · 1 year ago
    I dunno... they're cool, but clearly more in the vein of Jack's Joker back in the day, more calculated and less completely insane. I wouldn't change Heath Ledger's Joker for the WORLD, he is hands down one of my favorite characters from ANY movie I've seen.
  • Dess · 1 year ago
    Im used to the Joker being really handsome and creepy
    I remember watching the old Batman shows (the cartoon ver.)
    he was crazy and handsome..
    and hey!! what happened to Harley Quinn?!
  • Vinnie · 1 year ago
    I'm pretty sure the one on the bottom right is Thom Yorke from Radiohead!!
  • David · 1 year ago
    Vinnie I think you are right about it being tom
  • harry · 1 year ago
    So much more creepy!
  • Joe | A New Band A Day.com · 1 year ago
    As great (and terrifying, in the case of the first two) as these concept pictures look, I'm glad they went for a more grungy, less slick and butchered-looking joker. The fact that he was grubby and lank made him seem genuinely deranged as opposed to just a purely evil figure.
  • travis · 1 year ago
    I'm sorry, he looks like Good Charlotte. The one they picked was clearly the best choice and it fit Heath the best.
  • iSilly · 1 year ago
    That is a pretty cool idea! I like it just as much as the actual concept, if not more.
  • Derek R. · 1 year ago
    Amazing book written by a good friend of mine from DC Comics, definitely worth the money to have all the pre-production stuff in one place, not to mention the shooting script.
  • JW · 1 year ago
    I'm glad that Ledger got the part because his rounder facial features made him look more like this evil cherub. The concept are shows this thin ghoulish character that looks too disconnected from humanity.
  • pinay sexy · 1 year ago
    heath's character was creepier!
  • Jake Phlieger · 1 year ago
    Loving these so much.
  • sdf · 1 year ago
    The only scarier one is the first pic. And that reminds me of the Shinigami from Death Note anime/movies.

    Twisted.
  • erichansa · 1 year ago
    i prefer the one they went with
  • Captain Awesome · 1 year ago
    Bea,

    Not at all :)
  • KibbleMike · 1 year ago
    The hastily thrown on makeup, shabby clothes, and disheveled hair kept his appearance mild, that set the stage for his personality be the true shocker. I'm glad some directors are finally catching on to this. When a character's initial appearance is the most interesting thing about that character, it can only go downhill from there. Thinking about previous superhero flicks with shiny rubbery costumes and perfectly groomed hair makes me sick now -they've set the bar high on this.
  • tdz · 1 year ago
    PARECE O SUPLA!!! HAHAHAAHAHAHAHA
  • Oscar · 1 year ago
    That fourth pic looks like Elijah Wood.
  • tdz · 1 year ago
    WHY SO SERIOUS, PAPITO???? WHY SO SERIOUSSSSS, PAPITO!!! YO!!!
  • MovieFan · 1 year ago
    this one looks a lot like The Joker in Lovers And Madmen (my favorite), I would of love to see this one in action.
  • Melissa · 1 year ago
    I'm glad they went for the tame version - this new search engine actually shows Heath's joker on their homepage: www.Newsflashr.com .... together with a few WMDs for good luck
  • grargh · 1 year ago
    Personally, I like the third one the most out of all these. The last one features the most of Joker's trademarks, but just seems wrong, somehow. And the one on the top right likes like a creepy version of Klaus Nomi. Haha, actually, that would have been pretty cool.
  • b-nasty · 1 year ago
    @ peter

    is there much in the shooting script that didn't make it into the final cut? perhaps future deleted scenes?
  • Milliner · 1 year ago
    I'm sorry, but 1, 2, 3, and 4 are all the same concept by the same artist, just from different angles and the last with make-up on. They aren't different and one isn't "creepier" than the others or vise-versae.
  • Captain Awesome · 1 year ago
    Milliner folks,

    Telling us how we should "feel".

    Thank you my internet overlord!
  • ridiculouslyunnecessarilylongs · 1 year ago
    oh man that first one is wicked cool.
  • LeCrash · 1 year ago
    Ichi the joker?
  • A Better Class of Criminal · 1 year ago
    Wow, I just now saw this and Wow, creepy...

    Personally I like Nolan's final decision. It perfectly balances creepy realism and grittiness with the theatrical hillarity of the comic-book Joker.
    These might have worked if TDK was rated R and was meant to be a Horror retelling of the Batman story...
    As cool as this looks, I'm more than happy and satisfied with the final Joker look.
  • subcorpus · 1 year ago
    i wud have oved to see these concepts made real in the movie ...
    gasp ... cant wait for the blu-ray ...
  • tHE wEIRD kID · 1 year ago
    Hm, I like the first one best, personally. I think they should have used that instead of what they used with Heath, because it follows (dare I be a nerd and say) the comics, because he is described as "having his cheeks & mouth burned & pulled back into a permanent grin", due to his origins. The hair & suit that Heath wore, perfect, but the face could have been done somewhat like the first scan, maybe with the red make-up around his mouth.
  • Johnny Reb · 1 year ago
    They should've used the Johnny Rotten looking version here. At least it didn't look like Ledger's fucking drag queen.
  • scotty · 1 year ago
    I could see the Joker evolving into appearing like the last two concept pictures above, should the character make an appearance in the next movie. After having spent time in Arkham, he starts to evolve his look into a "cleaner" one (i.e. puts on his make-up evenly; wears his hair shorter, neatly combed; dresses more fine).

    Yes, I think the character should return -- I thought Ledger was fantastic -- but I'm okay with another actor taking over the role and playing the part as the next evolution of the character.

    Thus, Ledger would have played the Joker as a young man -- all wild. But another, older actor could take over and play the Joker as the older, more refined looking Joker we are familiar with from the comic books.
  • Captain Awesome · 1 year ago
    Johnny Reb,

    But Johnny Rotten already looks like a drag queen. More like an elderly bull dyke really.
  • Isshiah · 1 year ago
    Wow...the best one is the first one.

    Heaths version was awesome....but i imagine the police would take his makeup of when he is in the Asylum/prison, so the first one could be what the Joker looks like if he is used in Batman 3.
  • what the hell? · 1 year ago
    Something no one seems to be taking into consideration here is that these are obviously "touched up" with color and shading in something like photoshop, so viewing the creepy looking ones as the original pic i'm sure they aren't near as creepy. The only thing creepy about #2 and 3 is the way the tones are altered around the face, especially the eyes. Still cool to see though, just probably exaggerated for the book. Glad they went with the final.

    What i'd also like to see is Two-face concept art.
  • Tan The Man · 1 year ago
    The last picture on the right makes the Joker look slightly British...
  • Pete McC · 1 year ago
    Anyone know how he got the 'Chelsea Smile' scars on his face then?? Who did it to him in the story??? Cheers :o)
  • Aradia LeCrone · 1 year ago
    Yowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwtch! I read the graphic novel so I am not surprised to see the Joker look like that, I mean it ain't Jack Nicholson's version BAA BEE!
  • starscream9289 · 1 year ago
    whoa that first joker looks freaking wicked!!!!
  • Aradia LeCrone · 1 year ago
    StarBlazer 101

    TELL me about it dude!!
  • Frederique COUTURE · 1 year ago
    "Quite horrible !"

    Oh ! Just like all the e p i s i o t o m i z e d Y o n i s...
    It is a bad joke !
    )o(
  • Andreia · 1 year ago
    i think that the first and second concept are both a little bit bad, cause if Nolan wanted to trought Batman's stories form a more realistic concept with that kind of character's image would be impossible.Cause when i see this pics they only remenber me , zoombie's cahracters not anything associated with the Joker.
  • smalls · 1 year ago
    These would definitely make a great future joker, maybe as a comeback in batman 4 or 5, coming out of the asylem, older and more matured but with potential for a maniacal relapse, possibly provoked by harley quinn somehow.
  • Diddly · 1 year ago
    The two on the bottom look like The Joker from the recent "Batman: Lovers & Madmen", which is a re-telling of his origin (different than The Killing Joke. Multiple Choice!) and his first encounter with Batman.


    Creeeeeepy! But I think they did the perfect choice (though emphasizing the glasgow smile a bit more couldn't have hurt)
  • GiantYoda · 1 year ago
    Hmmm..pretty cool. Kinda like the Joker meets Michael Myers. I still love the look/style of the Joker in the old Arkham Asylum graphic novel.
  • Empire · 1 year ago
    I wish they would have used the first concepts, especially because they played the Joker as realistic as possible.

    Of course, who knows what that first concept would have looked like on Heath's wider face. They probably had to adjust it to fit his face.

    Either way, classic movie!
  • Narbin McGroaber · 1 year ago
    It's really brilliant to see David Bowie posing for all kinds of different stuff than his normal album covers. I don't understand all the scarring stuff but he looks cool still.
  • Richard · 1 year ago
    come on people! the actual costume and makeup isn't creepier at all, it's the damn lightning and photography that's creepy. those first 2 pictures look like something from the texas chainsaw massacre. put the Heath Ledger joker in that kind of artistic setting and it'd be even creepier.
  • JAd · 1 year ago
    He looks like a punk in the 2 last ones.
    No good.
  • fgsdf · 1 year ago
    The final design settled on is most definately the best. The first two look like something out of a horror movie. Not like the joker at all.
  • husky · 1 year ago
    someone ever thought of the first pictures just being the joker without make-up and haircolor. so the ones who made the movie get a closer look how the joker would look like without makeup with the scars and so on.
  • Nascar · 1 year ago
    There all creepy looking if you ask me. Talk about talent though, they look like real scars. He definitely does like like a punk in the last two. The first one is the scariest of all.
  • JOE · 1 year ago
    OMG! D:

    Scary yo.
  • ThePit · 1 year ago
    That is some pretty cool art.
  • jeram · 1 year ago
    the premier joker is creepier and have more sentimental value
  • aNz · 1 year ago
    sO scary..
    disgusting tOo much..
    yarrkk....!!!!
  • germ-13 · 1 year ago
    I'm not gonna lie...I liked the (s)laughter t-shirt concept joker a bit better than the one they went with.
  • batman · 3 months ago
    That is abosultely sick, but awesome. Ive never seen those before. I wonder what the fans would have thought if they had stayed like the first picture