For years, streaming had been a great home to canceled series, revivals, and sequels. However, an attempt to get Netflix to bite on a sequel to the late Heath Ledger’s medieval rom-com “A Knight’s Tale” was recently passed on thanks to a clinical computer assessment. According to the original film’s director, Brian Helgeland (“Payback,” “Legend”), in an interview with Inverse, the filmmaker had recently shopped around an “A Knight’s Tale 2” sequel to Sony and Netflix.

Continue reading Brian Helgeland Says Netflix Scrapped ‘A Knight’s Tale’ Sequel Based On Their Algorithm at The Playlist.

In this week’s episode of The Discourse, host Mike DeAngelo stays up late to discuss the film “Late Night with the Devil” with producer and star David Dastmalchian (“The Dark Knight,” “The Suicide Squad.” The film follows a fledgling late-night host (Dastmalchian) who decides to invite some spooky guests on his struggling 70’s late-night show to boost ratings—unleashing evil in front of the whole world.

Continue reading ‘Late Night With The Devil’: David Dastmalchian On His Horror Hit, ‘The Dark Knight,’ ‘Oppenheimer,’ & More [The Discourse Podcast] at The Playlist.

While 2000’s “The Tipping Point” was writer Malcolm Gladwell‘s first book, it was 2005’s “Blink” that put him on the map. And the bestseller, all about the adaptive unconscious, captured the public’s imagination so much that Gladwell and screenwriter Stephen Gaghan had plans to make the book into a feature film. But tragedy derailed those plans, and THR reports that the pair talked about the unproduced screenplay for “Blink” on a new limited series for Gladwell’s podcast “Revisionist History.”

READ MORE: The Most Anticipated Films Of 2024

The premiere episode of “Development Hell,” all about Hollywood projects that never managed to get greenlit, hits close to home for Gladwell and Gaghan.

Continue reading Stephen Gaghan Reveals ‘Blink’ Project Was Originally Set To Star Leonardo DiCaprio, Heath Ledger at The Playlist.

Is 2023 the year Jonathan Majors becomes a household name? With “Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania” and “Creed III” in theaters soon and “Magazine Dreams” doing well with critics at Sundance last month, it sure looks that way. And for Majors, it’s the fruition of a dream whose inspiration comes from a seminal moment as a high-school senior, when he watched Heath Ledger‘s legendary performance as The Joker in Christopher Nolan‘s “The Dark Knight.”

READ MORE: ‘Magazine Dreams’ Review: Jonathan Majors Shoulders The Weight Of This Incel, Bodybuilder Drama [Sundance]

IndieWire (via EW) reports that Majors’ first viewing of Ledger in Nolan’s 2008 film fueled his ambition to become an actor.

Continue reading Jonathan Majors Says Heath Ledger’s Joker In ‘The Dark Knight’ Inspired Him To Become An Actor: “I Went, ‘I’m Coming For That. I’m Inspired.'” at The Playlist.

Baz Luhrmann‘s latest movie, the dazzling and operatic rock ‘n roll biopic “Elvis,” is in theaters now. And it’s wow-ing critics and audiences alike.  Austin Butler‘s lead performance as Elvis Presley is the highlight, but Luhrmann’s inimitable penchant for spectacle is a close second. The movie knocked the blockbuster juggernaut “Top Gun: Maverick” out of the top box office slot its opening weekend, taking in $68.3 million worldwide.

Continue reading Baz Luhrmann Says Heath Ledger & Jake Gyllenhaal Auditioned For ‘Moulin Rouge’ at The Playlist.

“No Country For Old Men” is easily one of the better modern western thrillers made in the last twenty years and it’s sort of shocking to realize that actor Josh Brolin, who played the morally questionable protagonist of the film, almost didn’t join The Coen Brothers film. How Brolin ended up being cast in the film is a pretty fascinating story as he got help from two genre directors for his audition tape but even that wasn’t enough.

Continue reading Josh Brolin Says ‘No Country For Old Men’ Was Originally Heath Ledger’s Part, But He Needed A Break From Acting at The Playlist.

Netflix‘s latest limited series “The Queen’s Gambit” is a show about tragedy, trauma, and self-doubt, on top of being about a chess prodigy. Turns out, there is a longer story behind the show, including the fact that Heath Ledger was trying to make the story of Beth Harmon into his directorial debut right before he died in 2008.

READ MORE: ‘The Queen’s Gambit’: Anya Taylor-Joy Shines In Scott Frank’s Absorbing Tale Of Genius, Addiction & Redemption [Review]

As The Independent reported in 2008 following the passing of Heath Ledger, screenwriter Allan Shiach was working with Ledger on a film adaptation of Walter Tevis‘ 1983 novel “The Queen’s Gambit.” Ledger was reportedly looking to make this his directorial debut, and to direct Ellen Page as Harmon.

Continue reading Heath Ledger Was Trying To Make Directorial Debut With ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ Before He Died at The Playlist.

It’s hard to believe that it’s been over 12 years since the sudden passing of Academy Award-winning actor Heath Ledger. And though his legacy seems to be highlighted by one of his final performances as a psychotic, anarchist clown in “The Dark Knight,” many will fondly remember him for his variety of roles, including his Academy Award-nominated performance in the award-winning film, “Brokeback Mountain.”

READ MORE: Pedro Almodovar Was Tempted To Make A More “Animalistic” Version Of ‘Brokeback Mountain’

And though the film might draw some snickers and the odd, tone-deaf joke, even 15 years after its release, co-star Jake Gyllenhaal recalls a time when Ledger was not here for those stupid comments.

Continue reading Jake Gyllenhaal Says Heath Ledger Turned Down An Oscars Appearance Over ‘Brokeback Mountain’ Jokes at The Playlist.

Jake Gyllenhaal is one of the premier acting talents in Hollywood today. Not only can he pull off some of the strangest characters in film (just look at “Nightcrawler” for perhaps Gyllenhaal’s best example of this), but the actor is also able to elevate what could be a standard superhero trope character in “Spider-Man: Far From Home” and create something truly special. But really, to see where the massive growth in Gyllenhaal’s career came from, we have to go back to Ang Lee’s “gay cowboy” film, “Brokeback Mountain.”

Of course, we use “gay cowboy” not as an insult, but as a way of showing that most people think of the Oscar-winning film as just that, the gay cowboy movie.

Continue reading Jake Gyllenhaal Says Heath Ledger Hated ‘Brokeback Mountain’ Jokes & Would Call Out People Who Made Fun Of The Film at The Playlist.

There’s a lot to admire about “Black Panther.” A huge financial success for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, “Black Panther,” directed by Ryan Coogler captured the zeitgeist by crafting a complicated story and delivering three-dimensional, humanistic comic book characters. But the one element that reverberated most, and ultimately contributed to the film’s success, was its antagonist: Erik Killmonger.

Played by Michael B. Jordan, Killmonger deeply resonated with audiences and was called one of Marvel’s best, most compelling villains yet by various outlets.

Continue reading Empathy Matters: How ‘Black Panther’ Creates One Of The Best Superhero Movie Villains Ever at The Playlist.

“Brokeback Mountain” is viewed as a masterpiece for filmmaker Ang Lee. Nominated for countless awards, and winning three Oscars, the film about two men falling in love in the American West is looked at today as a truly special piece of filmmaking. So, when we hear from a creator involved in the film, and she talks about how the film struggled to get produced and almost looked very different, it’s almost mind-boggling.

Continue reading ‘Brokeback Mountain:’ Matt Damon And Joaquin Phoenix Were Originally Courted For Leading Roles at The Playlist.

When “The Dark Knight” was released nearly ten years ago, the big story wasn’t necessarily Christopher Nolan‘s seamless, atmospheric direction, which was and still is a landmark of the superhero genre. Instead, Heath Ledger‘s turn as The Joker stole the movie from everyone involved, so much so that he won a well-deserved posthumous Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his work. Of course, Ledger’s sudden death just a few months before the film’s release only brought forth more attention towards his role and how it had consumed his every being.

Continue reading Heath Ledger Was Reportedly Planning To Return As The Joker In ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ at The Playlist.

Heath Ledger‘s beautifully unhinged performance as the Joker in Christopher Nolan‘s “The Dark Knight” already has an aura of myth around it. Not just because it would be the actor’s final role before his tragic passing, but also because of his dedication to creating a villain unlike anything superhero movies have seen before (or since). And to illustrate just how determined Ledger was to push the envelope, Christian Bale has a pretty incredible anecdote about making the movie.

Continue reading Heath Ledger Wanted Christian Bale To Hit Him In ‘The Dark Knight’ at The Playlist.

When was the last time you thought to yourself, “gee, I can’t wait for a Spike TV documentary?” It’s not that Spike isn’t good at… erm, what they do for their audience—cable channel programming for male adults—but let’s face it, their reality TV and sports programming (shows by Adam Carolla, Dave Navarro’s tattoo show and “Lip Sync Battle”), doesn’t actually scream captivating documentaries that make their debut at reasonably prestigious festivals like the Tribeca Film Festival.

Continue reading The Stirring ‘I Am Heath Ledger’ Frames The World Through The Lens Of An Artist [Tribeca Review] at The Playlist.

Spike TV is perhaps best known for their constant stream of reality shows dealing with tattoos and bars. They’re also the home of the “Guys Choice Awards,” which presents such awards as “Our New Girlfriend” and “Unstoppable Jock.” With that in mind, you may be surprised to know that the latest bit of original programming from the network is a heartwarming feature length documentary focusing on the life and career of Heath Ledger.

Continue reading Trailer For Documentary ‘I Am Heath Ledger’ Shows A New Side To The Actor at The Playlist.

Well, the Oscars are nearly upon us, but this year, the story of method acting that gobbled up the most attention wasn’t from the likes of Christian Bale or Daniel Day-Lewis or any other respected titan of the full-bore technique. Instead, it was surprisingly unsurprising: Jared Leto. And method he went. The stories from the set of the foul “Suicide Squad” abounded and ranged from normal (Will Smith said he never met Jared Leto, only The Joker) to strange (Leto sent Margot Robbie a live rat) to the sexually harassing (sending cast members used condoms).

Continue reading 10 Actors Who Took Method Acting Way Too Far at The Playlist.

This weekend, moviegoers will get the chance to see Jared Leto’s method-acting take on The Joker, the popular comic-book villain played by Cesar Romero, Jack Nicholson, Mark Hamill and Heath Ledger before him. Reviewers are split on his performance, with our own Rodrigo Perez noting in his review that Leto “doesn’t come close to matching the iconic performance” given by the late Ledger.

Continue reading Explore The Deranged Philosophy Of The Joker at The Playlist.

Much like “Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice,” the story around “Suicide Squad” is becoming much more interesting than the film itself. In fact, Margot Robbie signing up to star in the movie before there was even a script or cast, might be the tamest part of a production that saw Jared Leto earn headlines for his method-acting approach where he antagonized his fellow cast members in order to better play The Joker.

Continue reading ‘Suicide Squad’ Cameo Leaks, Jared Leto Talks Heath Ledger, Condom Controversy Explained, And Much More at The Playlist.

Watch: Take A Peek Into Heath Ledger's Joker Diary For 'The Dark Knight'

Continue reading Watch: Take A Peek Into Heath Ledger’s Joker Diary For ‘The Dark Knight’ at The Playlist.

George Miller Says He Courted Heath Ledger To Lead 'Mad Max' In 2006, Reveals Title For 'Fury Road' Sequel

Continue reading George Miller Says He Courted Heath Ledger To Lead ‘Mad Max’ In 2006, Reveals Title For ‘Fury Road’ Sequel at The Playlist.

Bennett Miller Originally Considered Ryan Gosling, Heath Ledger And Bill Nighy For 'Foxcatcher'

Continue reading Bennett Miller Originally Considered Ryan Gosling, Heath Ledger And Bill Nighy For ‘Foxcatcher’ at The Playlist.

5 Things You Might Not Know About 'The Dark Knight'

Continue reading 5 Things You Might Not Know About ‘The Dark Knight’ at The Playlist.

'The Dark Knight Rises' Won't Reference The Joker At All, Plus More Revelations From Empire's Extensive Feature

Continue reading ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ Won’t Reference The Joker At All, Plus More Revelations From Empire’s Extensive Feature at The Playlist.

The 5 Best Heath Ledger Performances

Continue reading The 5 Best Heath Ledger Performances at The Playlist.

The most recent installment focuses on “Salt” director Philip Noyce, and near the end of the 30 minute interview, he gives a hint on what he hopes will be his next project.

Continue reading Russell Crowe & Philip Noyce Prepping ‘Dirt Music’; Crowe Contributing Original Songs at The Playlist.