Joker once seemed like a risky outlier of Warner Bros.’ DC franchise, but after critical acclaim and over $1 billion earned at the box office, it’s now one of the crown jewels of their recent stable. It’s no surprise, then, that there’s been a lot of talk of not just a sequel happening but also an extended Jokerverse which will offer dark, gritty takes on other DC supervillains.
Of course, Superman’s nemesis Lex Luthor is one character who’s popped up before and We Got This Covered has now got hold of a name that the studio is apparently considering to play Luthor in the Jokerverse. According to our sources – the same ones who said Diana will have her golden eagle armor in Wonder Woman 1984, Black Adam will be in Shazam! 3 and that Kevin Conroy would be playing Kingdom Come Batman in “Crisis,” all of which have since been confirmed – Adam Driver, recently seen as Kylo Ren in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, is on their list.
As his role as Darth Vader’s grandson suggests, Driver’s a star who’s managed to balance big blockbuster parts with successful indies like BlackKkKlansman and Marriage Story, so you can see how he’d be a good fit to join the Jokerverse. Sure, he’d be a bit of a left-field choice for Lex. But then again, so was Joaquin Phoenix as the Clown Prince of Crime.
To clarify, Driver’s involvement is far from locked in at this stage as our sources – who also told us a Green Lantern show was coming to HBO Max – say that he’s only one name out of several on WB’s wishlist. Apparently, though, we can expect to see Lex in a small role in Joker 2, which will set up a solo film for the billionaire businessman. This project’s already been touted, too, with it said to be a political thriller, just as Joker is a psychological thriller
We’ve likewise been informed that Joker 2 could jump forward a few years after the events of the first one so that it can explore Bruce Wayne as an adult, meaning we might have another Batman on our hands. So far, we’ve heard that Bradley Cooper and Ryan Gosling are linked to the part, but neither’s been approached as of yet, from what we understand. Of course, Joker 2 is also yet to be officially announced, but some concrete news surely can’t be far away now.
Tell us, though, do you have any interest in seeing Adam Driver as Lex Luthor in the Jokerverse? If not, who would be your pick? Share your thoughts in the comments section down below.