The Joker is one of the most portrayed characters in the DC universe, so audiences have no trouble accepting different actors taking on the role. Even Joker, which features Joaquin Phoenix as a separate version of Bruce Wayne’s nemesis just three years after Jared Leto starred in Suicide Squad, hasn’t caused much confusion. The big screen might be about to get very crowded with Clown Princes of Crime, however, as we could potentially soon have three Jokers in the movies.
FandomWire has shared an extensive report on where Warner Bros. is headed with the DCEU, with particular regard to the future of the iconic villain on the big screen. And according to their sources, there’s a good chance we might get a third Mr. J in the coming years via either one of two ways.
First off, though the character won’t appear in The Batman, director Matt Reeves may wish to introduce the villain in sequels starring Robert Pattinson’s Dark Knight. As these films are separate from the DCEU, and Joker is confirmed to be its own universe, if Reeves did want to use Mr. J, he’d need to find a fresh actor to play the part.
Secondly, FW says that the Harley Quinn and Joker movie is still in development, something that We Got This Covered reported on as an exclusive scoop months ago. However, as has been much documented lately, there’s something of a wedge between WB and Leto right now over the existence of Joker, which the star felt insulted by. Apparently, if the studio can’t make amends, they’ll simply recast the actor and have someone else play the DCEU Joker opposite Margot Robbie’s Harley.
It’s important to stress that neither of these scenarios is set in stone, but either one sounds plausible. It’d be difficult to create a full Batman mythos without including the Joker somewhere, for example, so we can definitely see Reeves wanting him for one of the sequels. But would three versions of the villain be one too many? Let us know what you think in the comments section down below.