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Joaquin Phoenix has revealed that he spoke with filmmaker Christopher Nolan about playing Joker which ultimately went to Heath Ledger.


The 50-year-old actor - whose latest flick Joker: Folie À Deux could be streamed now - got candid about potentially playing the supervillain before he actually portrayed him.

Joaquin recently appeared on Rick Rubin's Tetragrammaton podcast as he revealed that he spoke to the 54-year-old Oscar-winning filmmaker Nolan about portraying Joker over a decade before.

He said: That didn't… wasn't going to happen for a number of reasons. I wasn't ready then.

'That's one of those things sometimes where you go: "Why am I not doing this project? What is stopping me from doing this? Well it's not about me, there's something else. There's another person that's going to do something that's like, I can't imagine what it would be if we didn't have Heath Ledger‘s performance in that film."'




Joaquin Phoenix has revealed that he spoke with filmmaker Christopher Nolan about playing Joker which ultimately went to Heath Ledger





In 2020, Joaquin earned the Best Lead Actor Oscar for Todd Phillips directed Joker which was 11 years after Ledger (pictured) posthumously earned Best Supporting Actor for The Dark Knight in 2009




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Joker: Folie À Deux heading to streaming after box office flop


In 2020, Joaquin earned the Best Lead Actor Oscar for Todd Phillips directed Joker which was 11 years after Ledger posthumously earned Best Supporting Actor for The Dark Knight in 2009.

Joaquin continued: 'I don't know whether Christopher Nolan was coming to me saying, "You are definitely the person." 

'I can't remember the context of how we met. But I know that we met, and my feeling was, "I shouldn't do this." But maybe he also was like, "You're not the guy." I couldn't say.'

Heath died in a New York City apartment on January 22, 2008, after accidentally overdosing following months of physical and mental exhaustion.

The Dark Knight actor died aged 28 after taking a fatal ***tail of drugs, leaving behind his daughter, who was two years old at the time.

Meanwhile Joker: Folie À Deux can now be streamed, just weeks after its theatrical release. 

The movie, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga, is now available to rent from home starting October 29, in an effort to recoup some of Warner Bros. investment into the film, as per Variety.

The musical, which bombed at the box office, is 'poised to lose at least $150 million to $200 million in its theatrical run' according to the publication.




Joaquin recently appeared on Rick Rubin's Tetragrammaton podcast as he revealed that he spoke to the 54-year-old Oscar-winning filmmaker Nolan (pictured in January) about portraying Joker over a decade before





Heath died in a New York City apartment on January 22, 2008, after accidentally overdosing following months of physical and mental exhaustion. Pictured Heath in 2006




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The movie studio spent about $200 million to produce the film and about $100 million on marketing and distribution, according to the report.

It would need to gross about $450 million at the box office to break even — when factoring in the cut taken by theaters — though Warner Bros. sources claim the number is $375 million.

A Warner Bros. spokesperson responded to the report, saying 'Any estimates suggested by anonymous "insiders" or "rival executives" are grossly wrong and continues a trend where rumor is reported as fact.'

'The film continues to play in theatrical release, included with this week's opening in China, and will continue to earn revenue throughout its home viewing and ancillary run.'

So far, the musical about Batman's nemesis has grossed $51.5 million domestically and $165 million globally after two weeks of release.

In comparison, the first Joker grossed $96.2 million domestically and $248.4 million globally after three days of release.

The hotly-anticipated sequel to the 2019 billion dollar Oscar-winning film was considered a surefire hit for Warner Bros Pictures, yet ended up being slammed by critics and failed to ignite at the box office. 

Joker: Folie À Deux has garnered the lowest CinemaScore in comic book movie history as the film bombed at the box office on opening night. 

The psychological musical thriller — which has been criticized as 'bleak' and 'disappointing' — officially released in theaters on Friday, October 4.









Joker: Folie À Deux, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga, can be streamed now, just weeks after its theatrical release; Phoenix and Gaga seen in a still





The movie will be available to rent from home starting October 29, in an effort to recoup some of Warner Bros. investment into the film, according to Variety 





The film is 'poised to lose at least $150 million to $200 million in its theatrical run' according to the publication





The sequel to the 2019 billion dollar Oscar-winning film was considered a surefire hit for Warner Bros, yet ended up being slammed by critics and failed to ignite at the box office





Phoenix reprised his role as the Joker in the sequel, which had earned him an Oscar for his portrayal in the 2019 film, while Gaga took on the role of Harleen Lee Quinzel (Harley Quinn)







Phoenix reprised his role as the Joker in the sequel, which had earned him an Oscar for his portrayal in the 2019 film, while Gaga took on the role of Harleen Lee Quinzel (Harley Quinn).

However, Joker: Folie À Deux has been given a D rating on CinemaScore — the lowest score for a comic book movie.

Madame Web — which notably also flopped in theaters earlier this year and also received terrible reviews — holds a higher score with a C+.

On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie currently holds an audience score of 31% and a critic score of 32%.

The sequel has been roundly criticized for being a musical and 'ignoring' the DC fanbase - with an agent familiar with director Todd Phillips' process telling Variety he 'wanted nothing to do with DC' during the making of the film, with DC bosses James Gunn and Peter Safran notably absent from the film's LA premiere afterparty last month. 

A source said: 'If the first movie was about some down-on-his-luck, mentally ill guy in a downtrodden city, it makes maybe $150 [million] worldwide. Not a billion. People showed up because that guy was Joker.'

In an apparent snub by Phillips, the opening sequence of the film does not include a DC Studios logo.

A Warner spokesman added that a DC logo appears at the end of the Joker sequel, while Phillips declined to comment to the publication.

Several frictions are said to have developed between Phillips, DC and Warner- with claims that Michael DeLuca, Chairperson of Warner Bros. Entertainment, and CEO Pamela Abdy seemed 'unwilling' to say no to Phillips due to his huge past successes.

It is claimed Phillips would 'only' speak with DeLuca and Abdy rather than Gunn and Safran - who took control of DC two months before production began on Joker 2 in December 2022.

Gunn and Safran did attend the first director's cut screening for the studio but Phillips fueled rift speculation when he told a reporter: 'With all due respect to them, this is kind of a Warner Bros. movie.'

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav also met with Phillips shortly after WarnerMedia and Discovery merged in April 2022 and was 'open to filming in Los Angeles if the director would make the sequel at a lower price point.'

The studio wanted to film in London which would have cost around 20 per cent less.




A source directly involved with the film recently shared: 'The one thing about genre stuff: If you don't listen and pay attention to what the fan expectations are, you're going to fail'; director Todd Phillips seen with Gaga and Phoenix at the LA premiere September 30







However, Phillips insisted on filming in LA with the budget remaining static.

A Warner spokesman told the publication the studio 'supported the decision to film in Los Angeles'.

A source directly involved with the film said: 'No one could get through to Todd. And the one thing about genre stuff: If you don't listen and pay attention to what the fan expectations are, you're going to fail.

Insiders also claim studio bosses did not want to premiere the film at the Venice Film Festival, but Phillips pushed back - with a Warner spokesman saying the studio 'fully supported the decision to bring the film to Venice. 

Along with Gaga and Phoenix, other stars that had appeared in the sequel include Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Zazie Beatz and Steve Coogan. 


Christopher NolanJoaquin Phoenix

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Hamas' leader Yahya Sinwar could have given an order to execute all the hostages who remain in Gaza if he died, a top Israeli negotiator has claimed. 

Sinwar died on Wednesday after the IDF encountered him by chance, sending a drone to kill the terror leader. 

Gershon Baskin, the Israeli negotiator who oversaw Sinwar's 2011 release from an Israeli prison, along with 1,026 Palestinian prisoners, in exchange for the return of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shilat, said that his death was a 'moment of either opportunity or a moment of doom.'

'A moment of doom because there are rumours that Sinwar instructed people holding hostages that, should he be killed, they should kill their hostages,' he told the Telegraph. 

At the time of Sinwar's death, just over 100 hostages remained in Gaza, with 60 thought to still be alive. 

Those who remain alive are at risk of never being returned to their families, according Haaretz, which reported on Sunday that top US officials, including Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, have assessed there is a slim chance of a deal being brokered, given the tensions between Israel and Hamas. 




Sinwar (pictured) died on Wednesday after the IDF encountered him by chance, sending a drone to kill the terror leader





Protesters attend a demonstration against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and demand a deal to release all hostages held in Gaza, during the Israel-Hamas conflict, near Netanyahu's private residence in Jerusalem June 20





People protest against the government, to demand a ceasefire deal and the immediate release of hostages kidnapped during the deadly October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas, in Tel Aviv, Israel

A senior Israeli official told the newspaper on Sunday, several days after Sinwar's p***ng: 'There are currently no serious cease-fire talks, and Blinken is fully aware of this.'



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They added: 'It's unclear how Sinwar's death will impact any potential negotiations, if they even exist at this stage.'

While Baskin told the Telegraph that it wasn't possible to confirm whether Sinwar had a kill order on the hostages, he said the rumours ought to be taken seriously, given how little Hamas appears to care for them. 

He cited the horrific killing of six hostages in tunnels under Rafah in late August. 

Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said the six were 'cruelly murdered by Hamas just a short time before we got to them.'

The six dead hostages were identified as Eden Yerushalmi, 24, Carmel Gat, 39, Almog Sarusi, 26, Alex Lubnov, 26, Ori Danino, 25, and Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23.  

Five of those who were recovered had been attending the Nova music festival when Hamas terrorists began slaughtering festivalgoers, while taking others hostage.
Gat was at her family kibbutz when she was captured.









The time on the clock by the end of the footage is 1.32am, just five hours before the first terrorists were spotted breaching into Israeli territory





This is the moment Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar's wife is spotted seemingly holding a $32,000 bag in the tunnel leading to his secret lair





Footage of his wife seems to show her entering the tunnel to the lair, carrying a Birkin bag, the day before the horrendous tragedy. She is seen appearing to smile at the camera





People pass by a newly painted graffiti depicting Hamas Leader Yahya Sinwar, days after he was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024

Goldberg-Polin lost his arm when a grenade exploded during the carnage.

'We saw the six hostages killed when Israel was entering the tunnel. That could be the case now. We just don't know,' Baskin said. 



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He said the return of the hostages depended entirely on whether Israel is able to make a deal with Hamas. 

'It's a moment of opportunity where Israel should be issuing a very clear call that anyone who's holding a hostage that releases them will be given free passage for themselves and their family out of Gaza to another country, as well as a lot of money.

'In order to encourage them to do that, Israel should also be reaching out to Egypt and Qatar and tell them to renew the negotiations quickly, not on the deal that's been negotiated without success for almost four months, but on a deal that would bring the hostages home quicker and would obviously require Israel to end the war.'

He said a deal would likely mean the release of Palestinian prisoners, a controversial point for many Israelis who believe that their release would simply lead to another October 7-style attack in the future. 




A Yemeni man looks at an artwork depicting the Hamas' Political Bureau Head Yahya Sinwar





Sinwar's lair, discovered by Israeli soldiers in the Tel al-Sultan area, was well-resourced, with food, water and other supplies to help him survive for months underground





These are the disquieting images that show Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was callously hiding out in relative comfort from his underground lair as he ordered his terror group to carry out the bloodiest massacre Israel has ever endured 

But Baskin said it was a mistake to think like this: 'October 7 wasn't because of Sinwar. [It] was because we're occupying another people for 56 years without enabling them to ever believe that they're going to be free, or locking two million people in Gaza under poverty and telling them that they'll never be able to leave Gaza.'



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He said he hoped the deadly attack would ultimately force Israelis to 'confront the fallacy of basing its policies, vis-à-vis the Palestinians, on military force'.

'For Palestinians, the lessons learned must, first and foremost, be that there should no longer be an armed struggle as part of their liberation strategy.

'Right or wrong, the armed struggle primarily brings death and destruction.'

He added: 'Every person living between the river and the sea must have the same right to the same rights.

'From that principle, we can move forward. Freedom, self-determination, security, and dignity for all.'


HamasIsrael