Warner Bros. has really hit the ground running with their upcoming Joker movie, which was made official just the other week and is now beginning to fill up its cast. It was mere hours ago when we received confirmation of Robert De Niro’s involvement and now, The Hollywood Reporter brings word that Deadpool 2 star Zazie Beetz is being eyed for the role of “a single mother who catches the interest of the man who will become the Clown Prince of Crime.”
This tidbit arrives on the heels of the studio’s big announcement for the project, when it was revealed that Joker, directed by Todd Phillips (The Hangover, War Dogs) and starring Joaquin Phoenix in the title role, will see a release on October 4th, 2019 – five short weeks before the arrival of Wonder Woman 1984.
Well, we did say Joker was being placed on the fast-track, and with filming set to commence in New York City this September, it won’t be long before we catch a glimpse of Phoenix dressed as Gotham’s worst nightmare. And he’ll seemingly be standing alongside Beetz and De Niro when that happens, which makes for one heck of an impressive ensemble. Not to mention that casting is far from finished.
Plot details for the Joker pic are practically non-existent at this point, of course, but the studio’s described it as a “gritty character study,” with the official synopsis reading as so:
Under the direction of Todd Phillips, the film centers around the iconic arch nemesis and is an original, standalone story not seen before on the big screen. Phillips’ exploration of a man disregarded by society is not only a gritty character study, but also a broader cautionary tale.
Beyond that, we know that The Killing Joke is said to have been earmarked for inspiration, though it’s likely that Todd Phillips and his team already had a rough story outline in place – otherwise they would’ve risked losing Joaquin Phoenix. Alas, the same can’t be said for two-time Academy Award winner Frances McDormand, who supposedly “passed on playing Phoenix’s mom” in the origin movie late last week. Oh, what could have been.
Regardless, Joker is still a project teeming with potential and you can readily expect all the latest updates as Warner’s spinoff begins to gain a sense of momentum.