Johnny Depp has been rumored during most of his career for the Joker. Before Heath Ledger being declared as The Dark Knight’s Clown Prince of Crime, Depp was a fan favorite for its part (along with Adrian Brody). Now, it feels like this decades-old bit of fan casting may finally bear fruit, as sources close to WGTC — the same ones who said Viola Davis would reunite to get The Suicide Squad and Transformers is being rebooted advised me that Warner Bros. has begun eyeing actors for the part in sequels to The Batman and Depp is among the prime candidates to the Joker.
The fact he’s even being considered for the part is perhaps an indication that his latest career troubles might be concluding. The long and acrimonious legal battle with Amber Heard was turned on its mind after an audio recording emerged that appeared to corroborate Depp’s side of the story. Given his prior performances, the bizarre Joker would appear to be a natural fit for him. Maybe we may even find some blend of the villainy of Grindelwald in the Fantastic Beasts movies together with the wild unpredictability of Jack Sparrow?
In any scenario, it feels like that the 2020s is set to be the decade of the Joker. WB is reportedly pressing ahead with sequels into Todd Phillips’ origin film, creating what is being dubbed the’Jokerverse.’ The follow-ups may see Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck battling for supremacy against a rival Joker (with The Punisher’s Ben Barnes seemingly eyed for the part). Beyond this, Warner Bros. will wish to get a sequel to The Batman moving as soon as possible, so expect to find a different version of Mr. J because of the movie (likely in 2024).
It is strange to think that it’s been more than ten years since we witnessed that the Caped Crusader square off against the Joker on display. The nearest we got was that the Harley Quinn flashback scene in Suicide Squad at which Ben Affleck’s Batman pursues Jared Leto’s Clown Prince of Crime in the Batmobile, but the two characters have not shared a live-action scene as The Dark Knight. Therefore, I think it’s about damn time we attracted the hero and villain pairing in superhero history and watching Depp square off from Pattinson will certainly be exciting.
We’ll worry, though, the Pirates of the Caribbean celebrity is only 1 celebrity being assaulted and our resources have confirmed that there are several others. Who they might be, we do not yet know (the aforementioned Barnes has been thought to be just one, however apparently he’s being eyed for the Jokerverse instead), but given that these are the very same sources that told us Disney is creating an Aladdin sequel and that Han would reunite to the Fast & Furious franchise, we’ve no reason to doubt them.