Sean Penn was offered the role of the Joker in The Dark Knight, a Warner Bros. source tells Batman on Film. Director Chris Nolan has denied the rumor but the source has stuck by his report. Heath Ledger got the role of the Clown Prince of Crime in the Batman Begins sequel.
Also, the source says a "full offer" was made to Oscar-winning actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman to play the Penguin in the film but turned it down.
"As I reported to you earlier, Hoffman was very cautious about accepting the role following his Oscar win, and has since declined the part," the source told BOF.
Meanwhile, returning star Christian Bale (Bruce Wayne/Batman) had this to say about the sequel: “We have the confidence now of knowing that how we saw the world of Gotham was one that other people embraced and liked, so we can be even bolder in knowing that. Beyond that I don’t have a clue because I totally trust Chris [Nolan], he lets me know what I need to know about, and beyond that I know nothing!”