Following the film wreck that is “Suicide Squad,” Hollywood is looking into another anti-hero story to develop, and it seems that they found their muse in Batman’s nemesis. An origin story about The Joker is in the works with Todd Phillips (The Hangover) set to write and direct the film.
Working with Phillips is Scott Silver, whose notable work included Eminem’s “8 Mile.” Martin Scorsese is also reportedly involved as a producer alongside Phillips in the Warner Bros., and DCEU-produced project.
Jared Leto not part of new Joker film
Despite his commitment to playing Batman’s nemesis, the new Joker movie will not involve Jared Leto because it is not supposed to be an origin story of any existing iteration of the character.
Instead, it will be part of a new DC Films imprint that is set to tell one-off stories of the favorite canon characters. The new DC Comics banner head could give the studios the opportunity to expand their stories with new angles yet to be explored in the current universe. This way, the release of the film will not affect other projects, such as the possibility of Leto’s appearance in “Suicide Squad 2" and other Justice League-related projects in the future.
Will DC abandon Marvel-like approach to film?
This strategy could solve the problem Warner Bros and DCEU is facing regarding their cinematic universe. The movies that have been released so far had audience scratching their heads: “Man of Steel” and “Batman v.
Superman: Dawn of Justice” were deemed too dark, while “Suicide Squad” is nearly overreaching its comedy. The inconsistency in their tone and treatment at this point will unlikely make a good combination in future films. “Wonder Woman,” alone managed to stand on its own to good reviews, but there is no saying what will happen to the two “Justice League” films and others already in the lineup.
Many took the new Joker film as a sign that the studios may be abandoning their Marvel-like strategy. Movies scheduled for the next few years, however, have not been canceled so far.
The new Joker film could act as a way for the studios to take a complete turn in their larger strategy. They can focus on telling only the interesting and film-driven stories based on the characters, without the need to worry about the narrative consistency that Marvel managed to do with their “Avengers” films. At the very least, DCEU could boast a prestigious Scorsese-produced film in their lineup, something that Marvel was not able to secure despite their many Blockbuster titles.
