Jared Leto’s Joker may not be the only clown prince of crime on the big screen. DC and Warner Bros. may have grander ambitions for Batman’s nemesis, and they’ve brought together an unlikely pair to develop a Joker origin film: The Hangover director Todd Phillips and cinematic legend, Martin Scorsese!
Deadline was the first to report this extremely bizarre turn of events, which will apparently be the first in a series of out-of-continuity DC related films. In comic book terms, this would be an Elseworlds tale that would take place in the ’80 and chart the rise of a young man before he became the Joker. It’s worth noting that the Joker does not have a definitive origin in the comics, although Alan Moore and Brian Bolland’s The Killing Joke suggested that the Joker was a failed comedian who was driven insane after the loss of his family on ‘one bad day.”
Also: Why Jared Leto’s Joker is the Joker We Need
Reportedly, Phillips and Scorsese want to give the Joker the same kind of tone and feel as Scorsese’s crime epics, with the story set in the ’80s. Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight took a similar approach, but this movie would probably not involve Batman at all. That said, the idea of a Scorsese crime epic set in Gotham City definitely has some appeal.
As for Leto, he appears to be set for both the Harley Quinn spinoff, Gotham City Sirens and Suicide Squad 2. However, this expansion does carry the risk of overexposing the DC characters, while the DCEU is still unfolding in a not entirely successful way. We’re not sure if this is a good idea, but we will be closely following this story to see what develops.
What did you think about this potential Joker movie? Let us know in the comment section below!
