Editorial Staff
Not surprisingly, since he’s the bottom half of his celluloid Human Centipede (Bobby De Niro up top, of course), Martin Scorsese wants Leonardo DiCaprio for the recently announced ‘Joker’ origin pic that he will produce, oversee and assumingly punch into epic shape for Todd Phillips (“War Dogs”) to direct.
The movie, which will likely play more like a gangster epic headlined by a Smoky Eye pencil salesperson than comic book movie, is said to be disconnected from “Suicide Squad” and the other various DC movies in the works. As such, Jared Leto’s version of The Joker will apparently be staying put over in shitsville while DiCaprio’s Joker pops his cherry in classtown.
Naturally Leto, who is attached to reprise his Joker for several projects (including a two-hander that’ll see him bumping fishnets with Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn), none of which feature an award winning director (at this stage), is a little pissed that he hasn’t been asked back for the Scorsese movie. But again, this film is apparently being crafted as a one-off, standalone movie about a Maybelline-thieving rogue who just happened to end up one of Batman’s adversaries. Emphasis in this film will likely be on what leads to him “cracking”, as opposed to the various maniacal methods he’ll later use to snare the Caped Crusader. So almost makes sense Leto’s half-cocked Joke, sorry, Joker appear in the film.
Leto might be leaving F-bombs on his agents’ phones for no reason, anyway – after all, DiCaprio hasn’t accepted the offer yet. Could go nowhere. For all anyone knows, the “Gangs of New York” star won’t be interested in doing a comic book (ish) movie. I’m sure many have tried many times before to entice him into a cape and cowl. I believe the closest he’s ever come to doing one was way, way back in the ’90s when James Cameron was going to cast him in his soon abandoned take on “Spider-Man”. There’s obviously a reason we haven’t seen DiCaprio in such a film. Just mightn’t be his bag. But I know.. those others also didn’t have Scorsese behind the wheel. And that’s assumingly what WB is thinking too by getting Scorsese involved – he’s the conduit who could get potentially get them the ace Joker they need here.
(Personally, I’d much rather see Scorsese do a grimy, gritty, grounded (the three g’s) sequel to the original Batman films – or maybe it’s just a stand alone unconnected to any previous incarnation – one where an older Joker (played by his old muse De Niro) takes on his old nemesis, a now retired and slightly soured Batman. Imagine “The Dark Knight Returns” meets “Cape Fear” by way of “Goodfellas”.)
How did this beast come about? Well seems Warner Bros have been trolling Twitter and reading all those “DC movies suck donkeys balls” and “Suicide Squad and Batman vs Superman are two of the worst films ever made not with ‘Academy’ in the title” comments and decided it’s time to take their superhero movies seriously. So while they’ll continue doing the lesser comic book movies – the Leto-starring Joker movies, and the “Suicide Squad” sequel, for instance – they’re also looking at doing “non-traditional takes on the heroes and villains of DC, and hopefully, attract actors and filmmakers who don’t typically toil in the comic-book movie world.” Matt Reeves’ “The Batman” looks to be the first of those new standalone movies, particularly now that Ben Affleck is said to have departed his post as Batman. That new movie will serve as somewhat of a (bloody hell) reboot of the Caped Crusader, with a new face making his codpiece debut. By all accounts that film is also said to be a much different piece than the other recent Bat-movies, with statements like “it’ll be a gritty detective movie” being thrown about.
If “The Batman” starts to come together, and the studio are able to wrangle a big name award-night favourite star into taking on the title role, maybe The Joker movie will be able to pin down DiCaprio and become the all-engines blazing reality that’s keeping Jared Leto drinking throughout the bank holiday weekend!?
Via ‘THR‘
