Heath Ledger remains an unforgettable star in the hearts of fans. Initially known for teen heartthrob roles, he transitioned to diverse and challenging characters across genres. While his career featured many great performances, his iconic portrayal of The Joker in The Dark Knight stands out prominently.
It is unfortunate that Heath Ledger wasn’t with us to witness the acclaim he received for his role as The Joker, which earned him a posthumous Academy Award. The Australian actor passed away at the age of 28, leaving his promising career unfinished. In fact, Ledger was actively working on a movie at the time of his death, and the director of that film recently shared memories of his time with Ledger.
Heath Ledger Passed Away With Stephen Gaghan’s Script By His Side
Heath Ledger was involved in a project that never materialized due to his tragic passing. Director Stephen Gaghan and Ledger had plans to collaborate on a film adaptation of Malcolm Gladwell’s book, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking. Ledger’s death in 2008 prevented Gaghan from continuing the project with another actor.
During a conversation with Malcolm Gladwell on the Revisionist History Podcast, Gaghan shared details about the unfinished project. Ledger’s father even called Gaghan after his son’s death because Gaghan’s phone number was on the script that Ledger had with him on his deathbed.
“They were there with the body, and our script was in bed with him, and your book was on the bedside table,” Gaghan shared. “I think my number was on the script — like written. These guys are in, as you can imagine, they are in shock. And they dialed that number, and I don’t know why.”
“I literally just collapse. It’s never happened to me before or since. My feet went out from under me. I just literally sat down because I was like, ‘What? What?’ What they were going through I should not have been a party to in any way, really, and yet as a human and somebody who just cares, I just was there and I was listening. My wife was looking at me. I remember her face and I was just speechless. I just listened and listened and listened. It was just really, really sad. And it’s still sad.”
The planned Blink movie, based on Malcolm Gladwell’s book, was set to explore psychology and brain behavior, delving into the events that could unfold in the blink of an eye. The prospect of seeing Heath Ledger in such a film would have been a delight for fans. However, fate had different intentions, and Ledger’s untimely death prevented the realization of this project.
Blink Might See The Light Of Day After All
Stephen Gaghan shared how he initially considered Leonardo DiCaprio for the role in the planned Blink movie. While DiCaprio was interested, revisions to the script that made the character younger led to his exclusion from consideration.
Gaghan explained that he later met Heath Ledger and developed a close connection with him, leading him to envision Ledger as the main character. Despite the project not materializing at the time, Gaghan expressed excitement and a sense that they would make several movies together. Although Blink didn’t come to fruition then, revisiting the script has reignited Gaghan’s belief in its quality.
As they explored the idea, Gladwell suggested that the adaptation could still happen, and he expressed readiness to contribute.
“I got it out right before we got on. I was reading it. I was just like… ‘I could be crazy, but I think this script is really good,”’ he told Gladwell on the podcast. “We really had something really special, and we might’ve been ahead of our time or something.”
”Maybe it’s time to bring Blink back to life,” he said. “If there’s someone listening in some big office somewhere in Hollywood, I will get on a plane tomorrow if that’s what it takes.”
Stephen Gaghan extended the invitation to anyone in Hollywood who might be interested in making it happen, so we’ll have to see if it will happen in the end.
