Yesterday, we brought you the report from Variety that Academy Award-nominee Joaquin Phoenix was in talks to star as The Joker in Todd Phillips’ untitled, Martin Scorce-producedded Joker origin story.
Furthermore, insiders stressed that Jared Leto, who currently plays the Joker in the DCEU, is still portraying the character in that section of the cinematic universe. Simply put, Phoenix’s potential casting has absolutely no effect on Leto’s role.
Yeah, it’s confusing to say the least.
And it’s also a TERRIBLE idea for about a dozen reasons, but we’ll just run through the main one: that the appeal of The Joker is that even BATMAN HIMSELF can’t figure out who the hell he is or where the hell he came from.
What makes the character of the Joker so enthralling is his ambiguity — in fact, some Batman stories have wondered if the Joker is a manifestation of eternal evil — so putting a real name to the Joker’s iconic white face only undermines everything the character is actually about.
While the prospect of Phoenix in this roll is a tantalizing one, I just don’t have the faith in Warner Bros. to pull it off.
Why An Origin Story About The Joker Is A Terrible Idea
