Shekhar Kapur, on his buddy Heath Ledger

We're told Heath Ledger called Shekhar Kapur his elder brother.

Kapur, 62, told The Daily Telegraph in a new interview that he had planned a film called The Nine O'Clock War -- about a television reporter who was turning a war into a reality TV show -- which now lies in limbo because he had planned for his buddy Ledger, 28, to play the lead role.

'He was jet-lagged, but he was looking forward to the next day,' a devastated Kapur says, being the last person Ledger spoke to before his death last month. 

'We were talking about meeting up, and laughing about synchronicity because I had booked a massage for him at three o'clock, and he'd booked one for himself at the same time. He told me to call him in the morning. I said, 'I won't disturb you if you're tired.' But he said, 'No, call me. Wake me up, and we'll meet.' There was nothing he said that gave me the impression he was depressed. But then something happened overnight, something... And, by the time I called, he was gone.'

Kapur agrees the Ledger's work as The Joker in the forthcoming The Dark Knight had the actor stressed. 'You're in that make-up all day and you want to give a performance beyond the make-up. And [original Joker actor Jack] Nicholson was a tough act to follow.'

Heath Ledger and The Killing Joke

Considering that, and the fact that Heath was depressed over his separation with Michelle Williams, Kapur feels it wasn't surprising that he was taking sleep medication. 'Then what happens is the doctors give him prescription drugs, and in the end [he still can't sleep]. When you're stressed out, and your body is tired, you wake up after three hours, so you take two more pills. We've all done it.'

Ledger and Kapur worked together in Four Feathers, a film also starring Djimon Hounsou, seen with them in the picture above, from the 2002 film's premiere. Over the last few months, Shekhar and Heath had discussions about the new film. Kapur says when he wrote the film, Ledger was too young to play the character. 'But, when he got to 27, 28, his face had matured. He was becoming just right for the part.'

Johnny Depp to complete Heath Ledger's last role

Photograph: Getty Images