Who is the next Joker in DC’s Joker Origin movie?

He might be the one we’re waiting for.

 

It’s now official, “Gladiator” star Joaquin Phoenix has been officially cast as the greatest villain in Gotham City and Batman’s archenemy.

 

Warner Bros has just given its stamp of approval to Joaquin Phoenix taking on the role of the next Joker in the Joker Origin movie set to be directed by Todd Phillips.

 

This was announced by Warner Bros. According to them, the contract for Phoenix to act as the next Joker in its forthcoming Joker Origin movie that will be directed by Todd Phillips has been finalized. Back in February, Variety originally reported that the studio and its representatives were in talks with Phoenix about the role. The news of Phoenix agreeing to terms was first announced by The Hollywood Reporter.

 

Being the next Joker might be Phoenix’ most challenging role yet. Heath Ledger, Jack Nicholson, Heath Ledger and more recently Jared Leto in “Suicide Squad” have all appeared on the silver screen as the ever-grinning villain.

 

While critics are still divided on the merits of Leto’s performance, the studio has elected to base the next Joker primarily on Leto’s own version. According to THR, filming will start this September in New York, on a relatively shoestring budget of $55 million. The movie will as well be released in 2019 if everything goes according to plan.

 

Plans call for it to be rather different from its predecessors. According to the studio, the new movie is set to be a “gritty character study” and “broader cautionary tale” that explores who and what the Joker is and where he came from, rather than the standard superhero flick we have been used to.

 

With the “Justice League” so-so release last year, Warner Bros adopted a strategy that emphasizes self-contained movies that have little to do with its cinematic universe. As well as the Joker, other movies coming from its stables include “Aquaman” which is set for release later this year, “Shazam” and “Wonder Woman 1984” sometime next year, along with some other projects currently undergoing development.