JOKER Adds AMERICAN HORROR STORY Star Frances Conroy As Joaquin Phoenix’s Mother
Hot on the heels of this morning's Robert De Niro announcement, we have another big piece of Joker casting news as it's being reported that American Horror Story star Frances Conroy has joined the cast.
The Wrap is reporting that Golden Globe-winner Frances Conroy has joined the cast of Warner Bros.' Joker as the mother of the future Clown Prince of Crime.
She joins a cast headlined by 3x Academy Award-nominee Joaquin Phoenix (Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot), who will star as the titular villain. Zazie Beetz (Deadpool 2) and 2x Academy Award-winner Robert De Niro (The Irishman) are also both currently in talks to the join the ensemble. Beetz will play a single mother who catches the eye of Phoenix's character before his descent into madness while De Niro is expected to play a talk show host that plays an integral role in the Joker's origin.
Todd Phillips (The Hangover) is helming the standalone feature, which carries a modest $55 million production budget, with a script he co-wrote alongside Scott Silver (The Fighter). Plot details remain under lock-and-key at Arkham Asylum, but the story is expected to be set in Gotham City during the early 1980s.
Production is expected to begin this September in New York and WB has already dated the film for an October 4, 2019 release.