Todd Phillips’ Joker solo film might have found its Clown Prince of Crime: according to Variety, Joaquin Phoenix (Her, Inherent Vice) is currently in talks for the role.
Though Phoenix hasn’t been confirmed just yet, sources say that he’s Phillips’ top choice for the Joker and has been approached.
The film, which is currently untitled, is being produced by Warner Bros and is set to tell of the Joker’s origins. Phillips, who is best known for comedies like his The Hangover trilogy and War Dogs, is directing and co-writing with Scott Silver (8 Mile, The Fighter).
It will be the first film “under a new banner that has yet to be named in which WB can expand the canon of DC properties and create unique storylines with different actors playing the iconic characters.” As a result, whatever happens to the Joker in the origin film won’t affect Jared Leto’s version of the character in the DC Extended Universe.
The untitled Joker origin film doesn’t yet have a release date. Get all the latest comic book movie news with every issue of SciFiNow.