Hailed as one of the most iconic portrayals of a comic book character, Heath Ledger’s turn as the clown prince of crime in 2008’s The Dark Knight was one the finest bits of casting in recent memory. An odd choice, as before this Ledger was generally cast in the role of the heartthrob. Initial reactions to Ledger’s casting was not met with an open mind by most fans. With the success of 2005’s Batman Begins, many fans thought Ledger would ruin the franchise. Christopher Nolan’s directorial vision far exceeded anything fanboys could have imagined. With his latest film, Dunkirk, Nolan has once again caused a stir with his choice of casting. The film, is the story of a massive World War II evacuation, the innovative director has cast Harry Styles, who is best known, if not only known, for his being part of the British boy band, One Direction.  Not a lot is known about Style’s character in the film, except that he is a soldier. This will be Styles’ first role in a feature length film.

“When I cast Heath Ledger as the Joker [in The Dark Knight], it raised a lot of eyebrows and caused a lot of comment,” said Nolan speaking with Entertainment Tonight. “I have to trust my instincts, and Harry was perfect for this part.”

Nolan, who I assume doesn’t have any One Direction albums in his collection really didn’t know much about Styles before he cast him.

“I was new to Harry. I mean, I’d heard his name from my kids, but I wasn’t really familiar with him. What I was seeing [when Styles auditioned] was a very charismatic guy who clearly had a truthfulness and a subtlety in his ability to perform as a film actor.”

With how well Nolan casting Heath Ledger as the Joker worked out, I think us fans have to give Nolan the benefit of the doubt on this one and wait until we have seen the movie before judging his decision (Yeah, like that will happen). Dunkirk hits theaters on July 21. What do you think of Nolan casting a pop star in his World War II drama? Let us know in the comments down below!

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