The Hangover and Birdman star Zach Galifianakis is in final talks to voice The Joker in Warner Bros.’ upcoming spinoff, The LEGO Batman Movie, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Should the deal proceed as planned, the part would have him star opposite Will Arnett and Michael Cera for the animated feature, who are on board as crime-fighting duo Batman and Robin, respectively. Buoyed by the success of last year’s surprise hit, Roy Lee, Dan Lin, Phil Lord and Chris Miller will all return to oversee the anticipated spinoff, which will help flesh out The Caped Crusader’s role in WB’s burgeoning, blocky universe.
[zerg]In terms of script, Seth Grahame-Smith returns from The LEGO Movie to help shepherd the spinoff to the finish line, while animation supervisor Chris McKay will be back behind the scenes.
Having lent his vocal chords to Bob’s Burgers and DreamWorks’ Puss in Boots, Galifianakis has weaned his voice acting skills long before The LEGO Batman Movie. And though fans of the comedic actor may question how well he will fit into the ensemble as what will surely be the darkest character, we’re hopeful that Galifianakis can give his interpretation of the Joker a larger-than-life aura to chime with the film’s more light-hearted beats.
Aside for Arnett and Cera, there’s not much more news in terms of casting, though it seems likely Chris Pratt’s Emmet will be used as a conduit to strengthen the ties between the original LEGO movie and 2017’s spinoff.
As things stand, The LEGO Batman Movie will be the next installment in the universe to hit cinema screens on February 10, 2017, as Warner looks to build its animated world brick by brick with the Ninjago spinoff and Chris Miller and Phil Lord’s direct sequel thereafter.