Christopher Nolan Asked WB to Change the Ending of JOKER As to Not Mimic Heath Ledger’s Version

As a long-time fan who’s seen every incarnation of the Joker since his inception, I must say, the evolution of this iconic character has been nothing short of extraordinary. The Glasgow smile, as popularized by the late Heath Ledger, was a chilling addition to the Joker’s repertoire that left an indelible mark on me and countless others.


For over 8 decades, various portrayals of the Joker have enriched his mythos. One particularly striking depiction was Heath Ledger’s “Glasgow smile” in “The Dark Knight,” a chilling twist on the villain’s signature grin. However, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Todd Phillips almost had Joaquin Phoenix’s character adopt the same scar in his Joker movie, but Christopher Nolan, director of the Dark Knight trilogy, intervened, believing that element should be exclusive to Ledger’s portrayal. In the upcoming “Joker: Folie a Deux,” they’ve reintroduced the Glasgow smile, but not on Arthur Fleck this time.

Initially, the final scene of the first movie was intended to depict Arthur Fleck self-mutilating his face in front of a crowd, following a live television murder. However, director Christopher Nolan objected to this, and since he held significant influence at Warner Bros., they agreed with him. Now that Nolan has left Warner Bros., the studio has allowed for a similar ending in the sequel Joker: Folie a Deux, where instead of Fleck, an unnamed Arkham State Hospital inmate carries out the self-mutilation.

In the finale of ‘Joker: Folie a Deux’, an unidentified inmate (Connor Storrie) fatally stabs Arthur following his abandonment of the Joker persona during a court trial broadcast. The maniacally laughing inmate then uses the same knife to carve a grin into his face, suggesting that this is the true Joker. This character eventually becomes Batman’s arch-enemy and “the Clown Prince of Crime” years later. Some viewers interpreted this scene as setting up ‘Joker: Folie a Deux’ as a prequel to ‘The Dark Knight’, but there are inconsistencies in the Joker’s continuity with Christopher Nolan’s trilogy. Despite individual opinions on the film, it seems that enough time has elapsed for this portrayal of the Joker to be passed down to future actors.

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2024-10-09 18:02