Warner Bros and Todd Phillips are working on an untitled origin story for the Joker, according to Variety. The latest actor tapped to play the main character is Joaquin Phoenix, though negotiations have not begun.
Who Else Could Joaquin Phoenix Portray?
Alright. Let’s talk Batman villains. This massive roster includes Bane, Penguin, Two-Face, Mr. Freeze, Riddler, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, Catwoman, Scarecrow…then you get into deeper cuts like Calendar Man, Man-Bat, Mad Hatter, Clayface and Kite Man. Just so we’re clear: I don’t read Batman comics. My favorite Batman, as it says in my bio, is Adam West, and I stand by that. I bring this up because this list was generated with minimal exposure to the Bat-verse.
So that means that there are very few people on this planet who think the Joker is the only villain standing between Bruce Wayne and a cleaner Gotham. Apparently, all those people live and work in Hollywood, and they believe we need another dive into the psyche of one of the most overplayed bad guys in the history of ever.
Here it is a little louder, hopefully someone will hear it: we need another Joker movie about as much as we need another reboot of Spider-Man. In addition to the Phillips film, Jared Leto will reprise his portrayal of the Joker in Suicide Squad 2.
Please Don’t Play it Again
The potential description for this project sounds like something we’ve heard before.
The movie would fall under a yet-to-be-announced new banner of DC Comics, which would give the studio the opportunity to expand the canon of the iconic comic-book characters with unique story angles that aren’t included in its current cinematic universe.
The film will reportedly “…delve into what it took for the Joker to become a mastermind criminal.” Unnamed sources also say that Phillips plans on setting his film in the 1980s, with a gritty crime drama aesthetic.
HOW ARE YOU EXPANDING A UNIVERSE BY DOING THE SAME OLD SONG AND DANCE?
We’ve seen multiple angles of the Joker already—from Mark Hamill and Heath Ledger’s deranged and dangerous all the way to Jack Nicholson and Cesar Romero’s goofier takes. Please, DC, if you’re creating an origin story for a Gotham villain, pick literally any other one. This repetition is enough to drive us batty.
Phoenix has turned down the roles of both Lex Luthor (Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice) and Doctor Strange (Doctor Strange). Whether he will accept the role of the Joker is yet to be seen.
The man was a highly-recognized and incredibly skilled surgeon till a car accident damaged the nerves in his hands, ending his career. Seeking treatment, he opted for the mystic arts and, over time, became the Sorcerer Supreme. Unreal. That alone is enough of a reason to want to write for this character, but it is what he does on a daily basis to keep our planet safe, like having to face world-shattering entities and villains, that is appealing. He has saved our realm countless times over while we’re walking our dogs and going about our daily routines.
Kent Nelson was the son of an archaeologist, taking on the craft as well. He turned in his greatest find, an ancient immortal, named Nabu, while exploring a pyramid in the Valley of Ur, in ancient Mesopotamia. He freed Nabu but accidentally killed his father in the process. Nabu took Nelson under his wing while molding him into Doctor Fate and gifting him his signature amulet, helmet, and cloak. What makes this character exciting to write about is how Fate runs in the family, as it has been extended to not only other family members but his wife as well. It’s a task that is seemingly passed on, which makes for great stories to tell, along with the fact that he is constantly doing battle with evil magical and mythical beings, all while also having served on the Justice League of America and Justice Society of America, among other affiliations.
Logan aka James Howlett aka Wolverine has always been a favorite character of mine (my first comic memory was reading the Spider-Man vs. Wolverine one-shot by James Owsley and Mark Bright). So if given a chance, I always wanted to write Wolverine. But lately, it is one particular version of “Ol’ Canucklehead” that has attracted my attention, and that is Old Man Logan. Old Man Logan was created by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven in the pages of Wolverine but was given life in his own title by Jeff Lemire recently. What I love about this version of Wolverine is the attitude. This is a Logan well past his prime, having seen much more than the ALREADY weathered younger man we all know. More akin to an aging western gunfighter or lone wolf ronin, Old Man Logan has enough pathos to fill issue after issue and his age would also allow you to tell some great flashback and parallel narrative tales. He is a man out of time twice over. I’m already getting ideas!
One of DC’s ‘cult’ characters, resurrected policeman Jim Corrigan/The Spectre has always fascinated me. Created during The Golden Age, and a big part of the JSA, Spectre has been used sporadically over the years in various degrees. To me what makes him special is the unique combination of the supernatural and the grounded the character brings. He is not only a streetwise cop but is also the freakin’ Judgement of God himself. This duality would open up the doors to tell stories on both a huge, magical epic scale and even ‘Law and Order’ style police procedurals. Think about it; you could have entire arcs about the DCU’s crazy magic world and then do a flashback about Corrigan, as a human, working a case. Plus the character is one of the coolest looking in DC with a great color scheme and costume.
I love a good anthology and so Marvel’s What If … comics were right up my alley. Like a comic book Twilight Zone, What If … were random stories of alternate timelines and the after effects. Like an omnipotent Rod Serling, Uatu the Watcher narrated every issue. What a fascinating character is Uatu? A race of super-beings who, lead by Uatu’s father, tragically helped another civilization annihilate itself. Ashamed, Uatu exiled himself to a distant part of the multiverse where he’d watch a place called Earth. It’s there that Uatu sees the same pattern of destruction facing the future of mankind and, posing as a human, begins to investigate the cause of humanity’s collapsing destiny; a mystery that will reach across multiple Earths.
All my life I’ve had a fascination with space and Mars (I’m @RMartian on Twitter). Martian Manhunter was always an interesting character, like Superman, he’s a complete fish-out-of-water. The origins of a character like Martian Manhunter are also murky and mysterious too. He’s far less defined than Superman, Batman, or Wonder Woman, leaving the door open to play around with a lot of interesting science fiction ideas. Taking the original premise, Manhunter is brought to Earth by a human experiment in a middle of a great war happening on Mars. With no way back, Manhunter goes into hiding, but his heroic nature makes it difficult for him to refrain from helping those in need while also looking for a way back home. Soon Manhunter discovers the fate of his people when White Martians arrive to kill the last Green Martian.
The product of an ancient assassin program, Azrael did what many only dream of by filling in for Batman. During his time as the Dark Knight, Azrael created an iconic suit of armor, became defeated Bane, but unfortunately went off the deep in the process. When a new series launched, Azrael was left to redeem himself from his past mistakes and move forward to prove he was worthy of being a part of the extended Batman family. The original Azrael, Jean Paul Valley hasn’t made an appearance in the Rebirth universe and this needs to be rectified. Yes, he did die and even was a Black Lantern for a time but the DC is filled with ways of resurrecting the dead. If I was able to bring him back, I’d have him work to fight against the Court of Owls, who would be working to resurrect the assassin creation program which made Azrael in hopes of creating a being which could bring Gotham under their control.