A new (as yet untitled) movie is primed to begin filming in September featuring the origin of notorious Batman villain, The Joker. Very little is known so far about the plot of the stand-alone movie but a few details have been released to keep fans happy until shooting starts. Here's what we know so far...
Warner Bros. have confirmed that Her actor Joaquin Phoenix is stepping in to portray The Joker and the movie will be purely a stand-alone with no sequels or spin-offs. The film will be produced by legendary director Martin Scorsese, directed by Todd Phillips (The Hangover, War Dogs) with a screenplay penned by 8 Mile writer Scott Silver reportedly on a modest budget of around $55 million. The studio settled on Phoenix for the lead after considering James Franco, Bradley Cooper, Jake Gyllenhaal and even Star Wars actor Adam Driver. Leonardo DiCaprio was also strongly considered but turned down the role. With Quentin Tarantino's new production Once Upon a Time in Hollywood slated for release in 2019, DiCaprio is rushed off his feet as it is.
Robert DeNiro is reportedly also being eyed by the studio for a role in the movie. Given the legendary actor's flare for portraying historic mafiosos (and if the story is set in Gotham), could the role be Salvatore Maroni or Carmine Falcone? It remains to be seen.
The Joker has been portrayed by several great actors over the years. The character was originally played by Cesar Romero in Adam West's Batman TV series from 1966-68 and in 1966's Batman: The Movie. In Batman (1989) The Joker was portrayed by Jack Nicholson, then again in The Dark Knight (2008), with a legendary performance by the late Heath Ledger and finally by Jared Leto in 2016 movie Suicide Squad. Star Wars star Mark Hamill voiced The Joker in Batman: The Animated Series from 1992-1995 (as well as in the Arkham game series). A character named Jerome Valeska, thought by many viewers to be The Joker, was portrayed by Cameron Monaghan in Fox TV series Gotham (2014)
Related: The Dark Knight - 10 Years On
Joaquin Phoenix carries a reputation for being very picky about projects in which he chooses to involve himself. He's turned down multiple comic book roles, most recently of which was Doctor Strange, a role ultimately taken on by Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch. With Phoenix accepting this role, the implication is that the screenplay is of a high quality and the project is exciting and interesting enough to grab the attention of the fastidious actor. Perhaps a more interesting and certainly psychopathic character holds more appeal to his acting style.
A drastic rethink has almost certainly been on the cards for DC since some recent films have been tragically underwhelming and have left fans feeling sorely disappointed (except Wonder Woman, obviously). It looks like the new Joker movie may be a really exciting new project and may breathe some new life into the DC movie franchise; a series that has somewhat stagnated in recent years, unable to hold a candle to Christopher Nolan's powerhouse Dark Knight trilogy.
Related: Second Time Lucky - A Countdown of the Best Movie Sequels
Robert DeNiro is reportedly also being eyed by the studio for a role in the movie. Given the legendary actor's flare for portraying historic mafiosos (and if the story is set in Gotham), could the role be Salvatore Maroni or Carmine Falcone? It remains to be seen.
The Joker has been portrayed by several great actors over the years. The character was originally played by Cesar Romero in Adam West's Batman TV series from 1966-68 and in 1966's Batman: The Movie. In Batman (1989) The Joker was portrayed by Jack Nicholson, then again in The Dark Knight (2008), with a legendary performance by the late Heath Ledger and finally by Jared Leto in 2016 movie Suicide Squad. Star Wars star Mark Hamill voiced The Joker in Batman: The Animated Series from 1992-1995 (as well as in the Arkham game series). A character named Jerome Valeska, thought by many viewers to be The Joker, was portrayed by Cameron Monaghan in Fox TV series Gotham (2014)Related: The Dark Knight - 10 Years On
Joaquin Phoenix carries a reputation for being very picky about projects in which he chooses to involve himself. He's turned down multiple comic book roles, most recently of which was Doctor Strange, a role ultimately taken on by Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch. With Phoenix accepting this role, the implication is that the screenplay is of a high quality and the project is exciting and interesting enough to grab the attention of the fastidious actor. Perhaps a more interesting and certainly psychopathic character holds more appeal to his acting style.
A drastic rethink has almost certainly been on the cards for DC since some recent films have been tragically underwhelming and have left fans feeling sorely disappointed (except Wonder Woman, obviously). It looks like the new Joker movie may be a really exciting new project and may breathe some new life into the DC movie franchise; a series that has somewhat stagnated in recent years, unable to hold a candle to Christopher Nolan's powerhouse Dark Knight trilogy.
Related: Second Time Lucky - A Countdown of the Best Movie Sequels
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