We tell children to dream big, but in the movie business, working with adults, there’s a difference between being aspirational and being plain delusional. Warner Bros. hasn’t quite sorted out that balance with their continually messy development plans for DC Films, and today comes another indication everyone involved is throwing stuff at the wall and seeing what sticks.
When it was revealed last week that WB and DC were making an origin story movie about The Joker, not starring Jared Leto, the early chatter was that Martin Scorsese was going to produce the film that’s being directed by Todd Phillips (“The Hangover,” “Old School“). It didn’t take long for that claim to be blunted, with word circulating that Scorsese’s involvement in a superhero movie is far from a done deal. However, it would seem that the legendary director would be acting as bait for another big fish.
According to THR, WB is hoping that if they can get Scorsese on board The Joker movie, he can help lure Leonardo DiCaprio for the starring role. Which, lol. The Oscar winning actor is already picky with his projects, and I don’t see any scenario where he jumps into a flailing superhero franchise, no matter how much money they put in his driveway. Frankly, even the loose idea — which will see the classic villain portrayed as “a gritty crime boss in a Scorsese-esque Gotham underworld” — sounds ridiculous. The entire premise of the character is his unpredictability and anarchic nature, which is best served in smaller doses, but that’s just me, and that’s about as nerdy as I’m going to get with this.
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And yes, the studio already has an actor playing The Joker in Jared Leto, and he’s apparently none too pleased about more than one Joker existing in the DC Films universe (remember, the studio will be launching a new banner of spinoff movies, that won’t follow the continuity of the main series), which is pretty understandable. That said, he’s not upset enough to bail entirely on DC Films, as he’ll be starring with Margot Robbie in the Joker and Harley Quinn movie that’s brewing.
If all of this wasn’t enough to make your head hurt, the trade also says that Ben Affleck won’t be starring in Matt Reeves‘ “The Batman,” which will also be part of the spinoff strand of movies.
I’m not sure of the wisdom of WB/DC spreading themselves thin when to date, they’ve only had one movie in their superhero stable that managed to please both critics and audiences — “Wonder Woman.” But if it wasn’t clear just how desperate they are to catch their rivals at Marvel, and establish the kind of mega-franchise opportunities of Lucasfilm, the picture is certainly coming into focus.