Martin Scorsese Is Joining Forces With Warner Bros To Craft "Gritty" Joker Movie
A Martin Scorsese Joker movie ... can it be?
Batman's deadliest villain is set to get a whole new dimension added to his backstory story with reports that Warner Bros and DC are in talks with Martin Scorsese to produce the standalone origin movie.
An early 80s Gotham City will set the backdrop for the movie which will explore how Batman's arch-nemesis came to be an evil mastermind. The Hangover’s Todd Phillips will direct and co-write the film (yet to be titled) with Scott Silver, whose credentials include 8 Mile and The Fighter.
Martin Scorsese on board to produce a 1980's Gotham City crime film based on the origins of the Joker? You have my attention... #TheJoker
— Jesabel (@JesabelRaay) August 22, 2017
While Jared Leto recently brought the twisted character to life in David Ayer's Suicide Squad, according to Deadline's Mike Fleming Jr, the Martin Scorsese Joker movie “will launch the character with a different actor, possibly younger."
“The intention is to make a gritty and grounded hard-boiled crime film that isn’t meant to feel like a DC movie as much as one of Scorsese’s films from that era, like Taxi Driver, Raging Bull or The King Of Comedy,” he says.
Holy #Batman news! Martin Scorsese is producing a #Joker movie without Jared Leto: https://t.co/0sidLFvKZd pic.twitter.com/yRPQtfgdZH
— Nerdist (@nerdist) August 22, 2017
The iconic role has previously been played by an array of big names with Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger in particular excelling as the psychotic villain (Nicholson in 1989's Batman and Heath Ledger in 2008's The Dark Knight).
While the script for the movie is said to be in the making, there's no sign yet when it will be released. Either way, we can't wait to see the exploration of the complex character come into fruition - with Scorsese working his wizardry, the bar for the DC franchise will be raised significantly.