More details surrounding the new Joker movie starring Joaquin Pheonix have arrived.
Alongside the official title ‘Joker’ and Phoenix’s casting in the title role, little was known about the DC Comics movie.
Jared Leto’s portrayal of the Joker in Suicide Squad was met with a lack of enthusiasm.
However, Joaquin Phoenix has been tipped as the man to pull the Joker out of his slump.
Who is Alec Baldwin set to play in the Joker movie?
Baldwin has been tapped for the role of Thomas Wayne.
No, the last name is no coincidence.
According to Batman legend, Thomas is the father of Bruce Wayne, aka Batman.
The movie is being directed by Martin Scorcese.
Sources say the screenplay by Todd Phillips and Scott Silver Sources paints Thomas Wayne as a tanned businessman, similar to 1980’s Donald Trump.
Given the Batman saga is based in Gotham (only a thinly veiled metaphor for New York City), and Baldwin has risen to international stardom for his satirical portrayal of the US President, this seems likely.
However, Warner Bros has promised fans a much darker adaptation of their favourite painted-faced villain, so we doubt Baldwin’s portrayal of Thomas will be half as funny as his mocking of Trump.
The Phoenix Joker is not part of the DC universe but instead a larger and separate Warner Bros franchise focussing on the smaller budget and darker adaptations of comic book characters.
Alec Baldwin joins Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz (Deadpool 2) and Marc Maron (Glow) for the Batman villain’s origin story.
Baldwin is currently in cinemas in the sixth Mission: Impossible instalment, Fallout.
He recently wrapped filming a role in Motherless Brooklyn, a crime drama being made by Warners.
Nor is Baldwin’s appearance as Thomas Wayne the first take on Batman’s dad.
In the cinemas, Thomas has appeared in Batman (1989), Batman Forever( 1995), Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight Rises (2012).
Thomas Wayne also had a dramatic appearance in the relative flop, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice from 2016.
Superhero fans are used to seeing many actors play their same, beloved heroes, and while Marvel seems to have cracked the equation, WB still struggles.
The Joker movie, though not technically part of the overarching cinematic universe, hopes to bring a new level of critical acclaim to their DC-based films.
Joker is out in UK cinemas October 4, 2019.