Yesterday evening it was announced that DC and Warner Bros. were green lighting a Joker Origin story. With Todd Philips (The Hangover, War Dogs) directing and to Co-Write with Scott Silver (8 Mile, The Fighter) and, most interestingly, Martin Scorsese (Taxi Driver, The Departed) would be producing. It was also confirmed that it would not feature Jared Leto's interpretation of the character. But will have a different actor in the role and will not be a part of the DCEU continuity. Personally, I believe that this is a very bad idea. There is just so much going against this. Both in terms of the DCEU and also the mythos of the character himself.
Jared Leto's Joker
One thing that will definitely become apparent is that DC's film department will become A Tale Of Two Jokers. Many critics were not kind to Leto's interpretation of The Joker, saying it lacked in comparison to other versions of the character, such as Heath Ledger's go in The Dark Knight (2008) and Jack Nicholson's in Tim Burton's Batman (1989). Whilst I feel like Leto didn't get enough screen time or the right kind of script to properly shine as the character, having a new actor come in to play the exact same character is going to divide critics and audiences. I wouldn't be surprised if Jared Leto felt betrayed when first hearing about this news, as critics could use this new actor as an excuse to shoot down Jared Leto. It's already happened, with many using Cameron Monaghan's portrayal of The Joker in Fox's TV show Gotham to tear down Leto's Version. Granted, Monaghan's version is pretty good. But, having a third Live-action Joker I feel will only make things worse and will just open the door for more criticism of Leto and create in-house competition in the DC film division.
DCEU Continuity Confusion
Another point against this film is that it's not part of the DCEU. This will be the first film for a line of DC related movies that won't tie into the bigger universe. I have little doubts that this would work. I believe if DC did this for some of their D-List heroes or their Vertigo line of comics then it would work out very well. But the first character that their choosing for this lineup already has a cinematic version of himself. I feel that this will be more confusing for audiences more than anything else.
It also appears that it won't just be The Joker who will get this treatment. It will also be others, allowing different interpretations to many other iconic characters. Which is more or less stabbing the DCEU in the back. Granted, their films haven't received the best critical reception but they were finally finding their audience with Wonder Woman, but this really undermines the DCEU a lot. Many fans have argued that this is just like in the comics where you have different versions of the same character and you're drawn to your favourite interpretation. But here's the thing. Comics and films are two different mediums. Different versions work in comics but they really wouldn't work on films. It will just be confusing for non-comic book readers.
Joker's Origin
Perhaps the biggest point against this idea is that it's a Joker Origin story. Whilst Burton's Batman did attempt to give the Joker an origin, even giving him a real name. One of the biggest defining characteristics of The Joker is that no one truly knows his origins. This was even established in Alan Moore's The Killing Joke. After showing flashbacks to what readers thought was the Joker's official origin, Moore downplays it having The Joker say to Batman "Sometimes, I remember it one way, sometimes another... If I'm going to have a past, I prefer it to be multiple choice!" And so to give The Joker an origin, and audiences will consider this his official origin, would be to rob the character of this layer of mystery behind him. I am well aware that DC will be doing The Joker's origin in their Rebirth comics, but that I feel is a mistake. I believe The Joker's Origins must always remain a mystery.
Silver-Lining
Whilst, as a Comic book fan and Joker fan, this is a very bad decision. As a film-making fan, this is actually quite interesting, particularly with the team behind the camera. Todd Phillips directed War Dogs (2016) which I thought was a good movie, and if he can bring the energy that that film had to this then maybe it could be good. Also, co-writing is Scott Silver who's written award-winning films, so that could also work in this film's favour. And Martin Scorsese is producing. The creative team has gone on record saying that the story will be set in the 80's and will be similar to Scorsese's early work, such as Taxi Driver (1976). From a film-making point of view, yes. This could work. But only from that point-of-view. If this film wasn't a DC film and didn't feature the Joker then I would be excited. But it is. So I'm not.
Conclusion
I am not a big fan of this idea. I feel it invites more issues for DC/WB than solves them. It will take away a big part of what makes The Joker work as a character and it'll just be confusing for audiences. If Phillips and Scorsese decide to not make it about The Joker but have it be its own thing then I would be happy to watch it. But I'm just not excited but the idea of a Joker Origin Story.
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