Instead Jack Nicholson became the first Joker to lead a feature film (Cesar Romero’s Joker from the 1960s Batman TV series was part of a villainous ensemble in the 1966 Batman movie).
The actor was actually in the running for Joker back when Tim Burton was casting the role for his 1989 film starring Michael Keaton.
Willem Dafoe has previously said he had conversations with Batman’s screenwriter Sam Hamm about the role.
Hamm told him he would be “physically” “perfect” for the role, but it was never offered to him.