Joaquin Phoenix To Play Clown Prince Of Crime In DC’s THE JOKER Standalone Film?!
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Holy… moly. Okay, now that I have gotten my personal reaction out of the way, we have received some breaking news that will satisfy any Joker fans appetite. With DC now beginning to expand its own film universe into standalone films for certain characters; The Joker will be the first standalone film out of the gate which is to be directed by Todd Phillips (The Hangover Trilogy, Road Trip and Old School).
Now, while studio negotiations have not begun as of yet, Phillips has been very clear that Joaquin Phoenix (The Master, Her, Inherent Vice) is the top choice to star and according to sources with Variety, Phoenix has accepted the role. WB has made no official comment as of yet.
This news may sound odd, as what could this possibly mean for Jared Leto who played The Joker in Suicide Squad? According to insiders, Leto’s Joker will remain undisturbed within the DC Universe and that Phoenix’s rendition of the character will be a one off for the origin story alone. I guess we’ll have a weird Quicksilver thing going on? Ah well. The more Jokers the merrier! Rumors were circulating that Leonardo DiCaprio was first approached to play the iconic villain but it seems negotiations didn’t go anywhere.
The movie itself will fall under a new umbrella of DC Comics films that will allow the studio to expand on any characters they wish while introducing unique story angles without it affecting the current cinematic universe. Leto will more than likely reprise the role of the tattooed, psychotic villain that he created in the next installment of Suicide Squad but will have nothing to do with this origin film.
I must say that it is interesting to now be on Joker #3 in 10 years since the gap between Jack Nicholson’s Joker in ’89 and Heath Ledger’s in 2008 were 19 years apart (this is not including voice actors as there are a metric ton of us voicing the character, though Mark Hamill’s is THE Joker to me). Again, for me, the more Joker’s the merrier as we’ll get to see yet another take on the character that may be mind blowing to us. This is the beauty of actors, especially actors like Leto, Phoenix and Ledger. They all came from different training, different films and all see the character in their own light and will bring them to life as they see him.
I am intrigued to see how Phillip’s will go about this film and am left wondering if he will at all mine The Killing Joke for any origin material or will this be a completely new look at the origin of this beloved and yet mysterious character. Either way, Batman fans should rejoice that this character is getting so much love. Especially since we all have our own favorites. My favorites are below.
Fave Batman – Michael Keaton/ Fave Joker – Ledger/ Fave Batman Voice – Kevin Conroy/ Fave Joker Voice – Hamill
Who are your favorites and what do think about this casting news? Sound off in the comments. I’ll be waiting!
SOURCE: Variety
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Doesn’t this throw a wrench in your report of the current slate for DC? This Todd Philips Joker movie was crossed off the list in that report. Also this newly announced Lobo venture with,,,,Michael Bay (I feel dirty just typing that).
I mean, what the hell is going on over there? I thought they were going to move towards Wonder Woman direction. But now we got Michael Bay in the DC fold? WTF?
Not necessarily. The slate, when written, was about films that had the official go-ahead; The green light that would power it into production.
Anything left off of that slate was still in gestation. Anything not on there was in that “If it comes together, we’ll make it” category WB likes so much, where they have tons of different potential projects getting kicked around.
If these reports about the Joker film are true, all that means is the studio must be happy with the way it’s coming together and they’re inching it towards a green light.
With that said, I’ll believe this film is actually happening…when it actually happens.
So…is this the 5 Joker movie/3 HQ movie type of leak, or the newly narrative control “leak” you talked about 2 weeks ago?
Variety is an official channel, and an ally to the studios. So if they’re reporting it, it’s because WB wanted them to.
As for WHY they wanted them to? That remains to be seen. All I can guess is that Phillips must’ve walked in and blown them away with what he’s put together in the last week or so.
Yet a part of me is still skeptical that this will ever fully come to fruition. We shall see 🙂
Cheers.
I’m actually to see Joaquin as the Joker =P
Side question – so THR, Deadline and The Wrap, are they allies to the studio as well?
THR and Deadline are up there with Variety. The Wrap isn’t in that league. It’s new, and they’re prone to some clickbait.
As much as I love Kevin Conroy, and he’ll never be usurped from his throne, I’ve really been enjoying Bruce Greenwood as Batman lately. Then again, I just plain love Bruce Greenwood period.
I just don’t see this movie being made though. This sounds like another Gambit debacle in a way. I won’t be surprised if this project fizzles out. Also, I’m so sick of prequels and origins. Stop trying to pull back the curtain on legendary characters. I hated it when they did so with Wolverine and we don’t need an in depth portrait of the Joker’s past. Just stop. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/c0040f35343aecd6bed1d248552c48b37f346553b447d1acaee4c2bfc8fe311e.jpg
I’m interested to see how this movie is made with what kind of tone. Either way, DC has to keep trying new things and this aproach seems to be more their style, just like the DC animated movies.