Joker Is a Failed 80s Comedian in Scorsese's Origin Movie?

DC’sJoker Origin Moviewill reportedly feature the villain as a failed standup comedian in the 1980s, drawing inspiration from Allen Moore’sBatman: The Killing Joke graphic novel and theMartin ScorseseclassicKing of Comedy. It was previously reported that Todd Phillips’Jokerorigin movie is going to take place in the 1980s, but this is the first that we’ve heard about the comedy background from the Moore’s origin tale in the iconic graphic novel. The standalone movie has a lot of mystery surrounding it at this time, especially since no actor has been officially confirmed to take on the role of the Clown Prince of Crime.

Alan Moore’sThe Killing Jokeis one of the better-known origin stories for the Joker, so some form of adaptation of the story seems logical. However, it isn’t clear how much theJokerorigin movie will draw on the material. The new report also claims that the movie is influenced by Martin Scorsese’sKing of Comedy, which also makes sense considering that the legendary director is also producing the project.

As far as an actor to portray the Joker in the movie,Joaquin Phoenix is heavily rumoredto be the frontrunner. But, in a recent interview, Phoenix claimed that he had not even heard of theJokerorigin movie, which could be the actor keeping the mystery going. If so, Phoenix is doing a great job keeping everybody in suspense, especially since he has turned down roles in comic book movies in the past. On the other hand, Joaquin Phoenix might not be attached to the project at all. Leonardo DiCaprio was also rumored for the part when the project was announced late last year.

The Killing Jokefeatures the Joker’s origins as afailed standup comedianwho ends up getting involved in a robbery after his wife dies. The character leaves his steady engineering job to attempt the comedy route and it quickly fizzles out and the Joker’s life falls apart, which leads him to plot a robbery of his old boss. He quickly leaves the scene and ends up meeting up withBatman, where he falls into a chemical vat and transforms into the Clown Prince of Crime. Again, it isn’t clear just how much director Todd Phillips will take from Alan Moore’s story.

Production for theJokerorigin story isexpected to begin in May, so an actor will have to be announced very soon along with the rest of the cast. If the story decides to follow Killing Joke story, another actor will have to be chosen forBatmanas well. The origin movie has been described as “super dark and real,” so a focus on comedy would be kind of weird. This is a developing story and more news is expected to drop soon. For now, you can head over toThe Wrapto read the original report.