When pre-production was in full swing on Tim Burton’s original Batman, Warner Bros. knew exactly who they wanted for the pivotal role of the Joker. Not many things were certain on the set of Tim Burton’s accidental masterpiece; the fact the 1989 film would define multiple generations of comic book movies is a retroactive feat no one at the time could have known (unless they had a secret Bat-time Machine). Michael Keaton’s gothic antihero needed his arch-nemesis for a good story, yes. Still, studio executives allegedly wanted a bankable co-star to guarantee box office gold and balance out Keaton’s relative lack of experience. The brass’ mindset was essentially “go big or go home,” and they went after a big actor with gusto: Jack Nicholson. The problem was, their actor of choice wasn’t interested. Persuading Nicholson to don the clown makeup took effort on Warner Bros.’ part, and possibly some less-than-wholesome negotiation tactics. And while Nicholson was dragging his Oscar-winning feet, a beloved comedian actively sought the part — Robin Williams.
COLLIDER VIDEO OF THE DAYSCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT

Robin Williams was an avid comic book fan and had just exploded into wider cultural consciousness with 1987’s Good Morning, Vietnam. Warner Bros. even offered the Joker role to him, and Williams accepted — so how did Nicholson become the Clown Prince of Crime after all?

RELATED: This ‘SNL’ Cast Member Was Terrified of Being Upstaged by Robin Williams

Why Didn’t Warner Brothers Choose Robin Williams as Their Joker?
Image via ABC

According to New York Times culture reporter Dave Itzkoff’s biography Robin, Warner Bros. offered Robin Williams the Joker after the actor had wrapped on Dead Poets Society. At this point in Williams’ career, he had starred on the remarkably popular sitcom Mork and Mindy and transitioned into leading man roles with Popeye in 1980 and an underrated performance in 1982’s The World According to Garp. His star-making turn in Good Morning, Vietnam secured Williams his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor while the film was one of 1987’s most profitable movies. Williams, an existing fan of the Batman comics as well as video games, anime, and author Isaac Asimov’s Foundation trilogy, was incredibly interested in bringing the Joker to life. Whoever won the part would be the first live-action actor to assume the villain’s iconography after Cesar Romero’s comedic interpretation of the 1960s Batman television series.

Williams’ recently proven success wasn’t enough to appease Warner Bros. insistence upon hiring a certified “movie star,” however. Nicholson won the Best Actor Oscar for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and headlined the modern classics Easy Rider, Chinatown, and The Shining before winning his second Oscar for Terms of Endearment in 1983. But between Williams’ interest and Nicholson’s disinterest, Warner Bros. asked Williams to step in and play their Joker…but not really.

Robin Williams Missed Playing a ‘Batman’ Villain Not Once, but Twice!
Image via Touchstone Pictures

According to Robin Williams, Warner Bros.’s offer — which Williams accepted — likely wasn’t sincere. He believes they did it to force Nicholson’s hand. If so, it worked: Nicholson relented and signed on for Tim Burton’s gothic, shadow-drenched drama. With their preferred actor secured, Williams’ acceptance of the offer fell through. In his words, “I replied, but they said I was too late. They said they’d gone to Jack over the weekend because I didn’t reply soon enough. I said, ‘You gave me till Monday, I replied before the deadline.’ But it was just to get Jack off the pot.”

Losing the Joker wasn’t the only time Williams came within a hair’s breadth of playing a Batman villain. In an interview discussing his performance in Christopher Nolan’s Insomnia, Robin Williams had nothing but praise for the director and cited his work on The Dark Knight trilogy: “I’d play The Riddler in the next Batman, although it’d be hard to top Heath as a villain […] plus, the Batman films have screwed me over twice before: years ago they offered me the Joker and then gave it to Jack Nicholson, then they offered me the Riddler and gave it to Jim Carrey. I’d be like, ‘Okay, is this a real offer? If it is, then the answer’s yes.”

What Would Robin Williams’ Joker Have Been Like?
Image via Miramax Films

Jack Nicholson turned in a legendary performance full of menace and mayhem, but just like other near-miss castings, it’s fascinating to wonder what the cinematic world might have seen from Robin Williams in Nicholson’s place. Would both actors have balanced extravagantly emphasized humor with frightening chaos? After all, Williams was known and loved for his unpredictable, fluid improvisation; he recorded approximately thirty hours of on-the-spot dialogue for the Genie in Aladdin, while most of his work on Good Morning, Vietnam was also invented during filming.

Alternatively, would Robin Williams have hewn darker and tapped into his gravitas side? Dead Poets Society, Patch Adams, Good Will Hunting (his Oscar-winning role), Awakenings, The Fisher King, and What Dreams May Come, among many others, proved he was a dramatic actor of equal if not superior, caliber to his renowned humor. The few times Williams played a villain were bone-chilling: the aforementioned Insomnia positioned him as a goading, far-too-clever serial killer going up against Al Pacino’s weary detective, while his terrifying performance in One Hour Photo showed a desperately lonely individual influenced by childhood trauma. Being a Batman fan likely would have informed Williams’ interpretation as well.

Regardless of how he might have approached the role he sought, accepted, and lost, there’s no doubt whatsoever that Robin Williams would have been joyful. His talent was a spark akin to no other actor. Even in his darkest turns, Williams embodied the comforting, delightful, and healing wonder that is the art of filmmaking. All cinephiles can do is speculate, shake our heads at studio negotiation tactics, and appreciate the talents of both men — particularly Williams, who will always be desperately missed, dearly loved, and wholly unique.