Warner Bros. currently has a lot of DC Comics adaptations on the way, with the likes of Batgirl, Shazam, Nightwing, Justice League Dark, and countless others all in various stages of development. However, clearly determined to milk this comic book universe for all its worth, we learned this week that the studio is now working on a Joker movie which will tell the origin story of the iconic Batman villain.
However, it won't be Jared Leto suiting up and explaining where those tats and teeth came from. The studio is setting The Joker in its own world with an aesthetic unlike any other comic book movie.
Confused? Well, what you'll find here is an in-depth look at everything we know so far about this movie and the reasons we believe it's a mistake. That may sound harsh at this stage but once you learn who's involved, the creative direction it's heading in and more, we're pretty sure you'll definitely agree...
8. It's An Origin Story Which Will Be Set In The Early '80s
While The Killing Joke is widely accepted as The Joker's actual origin, the Clown Prince of Crime doesn't have a cast iron history which is referred to on a regular basis. That's part of what makes him such a great character but regardless of whether or not this movie delves into his stint as the Red Hood and Batman's involvement with that, the plan apparently is for it to provide an origin story of some sort for one of the most iconic comic book villains of all-time.
However, the setting is going to be very different; Warner Bros. don't want it to feel like a typical DC Comics movie and the plan instead is to set it in the 1980s and give it the same feel as something like Taxi Driver or Raging Bull. That's an interesting concept but does this mean Batman operated in this era in whatever world this movie takes place in or that he doesn't exist at all a la Venom and Spider-Man? Either way, while the intention is for this to be a standalone feature, it sounds very confusing and doesn't necessarily match The Joker's regular aesthetic.
7. The Joker Doesn't Need An Origin Story
As a result, it's not clear whether Warner Bros. is planning on telling a brand new story, picking bits and pieces from the comic books, or adapting something like The Killing Joke for film. Either way, they're looking to create an origin story for a villain who doesn't actually need one and the response from fans to the news that this movie is in the works has in fact mainly revolved around the fact that they don't want to know The Joker's past. Simply put, there's just no need to tell this story.
6. Warner Bros. Is Planning A Series Of Standalone DC Movies
You might think that this Joker movie is a one-off from Warner Bros. as they look to make some money off from the popularity of Batman (especially with Ben Affleck's future as the Caped Crusader in doubt) but it's actually the first of an entire wave of very different DC Comics movies. A new banner has been created to cover these - it doesn't have a name yet but some sort of official announcement is probably on the way - with the plan being to "create unique storylines with different actors playing the iconic characters."
It's basically like their TV shows as we'll have multiple versions of the same characters in live-action all in different live-action settings. There's no way this won't confuse moviegoers, though, as it's a bit like Chris Evans playing Captain America in all the Avengers movies and another, younger actor taking on the role in solo films which have a different setting and tone. We don't know which other characters will appear in these but it's a safe bet that Batman's rogue's gallery isn't safe!
5. Jared Leto Won't Be Playing This Version Of The Joker
When you first saw the headline about a movie revolving around The Joker, you probably assumed it would star Jared Leto, right? After all, he's a Clown Prince of Crime who clearly has a lot of history, including the murder of a Robin and some very weird tattoos (all of which no doubt have a story behind them). However, it's been confirmed that Leto will not star in this spinoff but will remain on as the villain in both the Suicide Squad sequel and that Harley Quinn solo outing which is either Gotham City Sirens or Joker vs. Harley Quinn depending on who you believe.
The plan for this movie is to cast a younger actor and tell a story which has nothing to do with any previous big screen iteration of The Joker so forget about getting any sort of origin story for a version of the villain we're actually familiar with. It's a strange move but one which keeps this solo outing completely separate from the DC Extended Universe and makes this a tale which stands apart from anything else. Will the actor they cast be better or worse than Leto, though? And can they possibly hope to top Heath Ledger?
4. It Probably Won't Feature Batman
It's clearly still early days for this movie but it should be noted that there was no mention of Batman in Deadline's report or any of the other trades that ran stories about this project being in development. While we know Warner Bros. views this movie as being separate from the connected tales in the DC Extended Universe, we don't know if they're doing a Sony and focusing on characters with ties to big name heroes without actually including them.
Just like Silver & Black and Venom will seemingly take place in a world without Spider-Man (which makes no sense, particularly where the former is concerned), is the same going to be the case for The Joker when it comes to Batman? Ben Affleck obviously won't be suiting up for this spinoff regardless of whether he intends on starring in The Batman so will another actor be chosen to play a role in the Clown Prince of Crime's origin story or is this tale going to be totally self-contained in a Gotham City where Bruce Wayne hasn't suited up yet? If it's the latter, it sounds a little too much like Gotham for my liking...
3. It Has One Weird Creative Team
The Joker movie doesn't have a release date but it is currently being written by Todd Phillips (The Hangover) and Scott Silver (8 Mile). That alone is a very strange combination but perhaps Warner Bros. believes this mixture of someone with a comedic background and a writer who has experience of the "streets" is just what's needed for the Clown Prince of Crime. Phillips is also going to take the helm of this project and whether or not he's a good fit for the role depends on just how much you like his work!
The one thing that got fans really buzzing, though, is the fact that Martin Scorsese (The Departed) is going to produce the project. His work is being used as a basis for how this movie should feel and his involvement surely guarantees that this will at least be somewhat good, right? Not so fast. The Hollywood Reporter claims that the filmmaker's role in The Joker is far from a done deal and that he's not signed on as of yet. That may change things in a big way...
2. It's Going To Confuse The Hell Out Of Moviegoers
When people hear about this Joker movie, they're going to assume that it has something to do with Jared Leto. However, they'll then see that it's a different actor but it's just because it's an origin story right? Nope, it won't take long until it's made clear this is a different totally Joker to the one hanging around with Harley Quinn and that just leads to a lot of frustration and confusion as they try to figure out why. Movies like this are going to sour people on the genre as they realise it might not be worth the effort of trying to keep up with what's going on and they struggle to follow the stories of multiple versions of one hero or villain.
1. Warner Bros. Is Stretching Itself Too Thinly
Wonder Woman was an amazing film which deserves every bit of its success. However, it took Warner Bros. a long time to find the right approach to these DC Comics adaptations after Man of Steel was met with a mixed response and both Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad were panned by critics. Even now, the signs are pointing to Justice League being a mess with two filmmakers at the helm and extensive reshoots so why on Earth is the studio expanding its already massive (and mostly undated) slate with these spinoffs?
With the DC Extended Universe still finding its feet, the attention of execs should remain on those so that they ultimately find the same consistent level of success as Marvel Studios but churning out a whole new wave of standalone movies stretches their resources, leads to multiple versions of the same characters being in movies at the same time, and generally just seems like they're taking on too much, too soon. Warner Bros. has not earned the trust of fans, hence why the news of a Joker movie has been met with grumbles rather than cheers.
How do you guys feel about a solo movie for the Clown Prince of Crime? As always, let us know your thoughts on that and the points made here in the comments section down below.