A few months ago, Sony announced that a Venom movie and Sinister Six movie were in the works- since that announcement there has been speculation as to how these characters will be brought to the big screen, but also the question as to whether or not a villain-centric movie could work. Well, given that in comics there are countless villain focused comics and miniseries around to better flesh out the bad guys, and given that more often than a villain has to share to screen time with the hero in the hero’s respective film, I think it’s fair to say certain villains are definitely deserving of their own movies to better flesh them out and to give us fans a fix to sate our urges.
Now, moving on, since Sony’s announcement I personally started thinking of what villains could work/deserve their own movie, and whilst a few names came to mind, the first name that popped up was; the Joker. I can honestly say there is quite possibly no other fictional villain better deserving of a film than the Clown Prince of Crime, so here I’ve basically outlined a wish list (of sorts) of how I’d like the Joker to return to the big screen (now that we’ve got our new Batman) for the next live action incarnation of the character.
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What Should Be the Influence?
So, what comic arcs would I like to influence the next live screen incarnation of Clown Prince of Crime? Well, admittedly it’s a relatively extensive list, but when it gets down to it, it ultimately comes down to 6 comic arcs in particular; Alan Moore’s
The Killing Joke, Ed Brubaker’s
The Man Who Laughs, Michael Green’s
Lovers and Madmen, Brian Azzarello’s
Joker, and Scott Snyder’s
Death of the Family and
Zero Year. A fairly extensive list admittedly, but quite frankly I think a marriage of the depiction of the Joker (and the Red Hood) would make for a perfect and new incarnation of the iconic villain; I personally imagine such a combination would not only be iconic but result in a Joker who is as unpredictable and dangerous physically as he is mentally- a rare change from the usually depiction of the Joker we’ve often seen.
Moving past which comics I’d like to influence the next on screen portrayal of the Joker, let’s talk about which previous actor’s depictions I’d like to somewhat carry on; Mark Hamill (more so his characterisation as opposed to the weird semi-British accent), Heath Ledger and John Dimaggio. Now before I go any further, I get some of you might be crying ‘sacrilege’ given that I haven’t included Jack Nicholson’s incarnation, but personally speaking, whilst I liked it, his take on the Clown Prince of Crime always felt more like a slightly more eccentric ‘Jack Nicholson performance’ rather than a ‘Joker performance’, if that makes sense… Nonetheless, personally I’d like to see the humour and charisma of Hamill’s take combined with the darkness and dread of Ledger’s alongside the sadistic ‘creepy uncle’ vibe of Dimaggio’s- quite frankly, this with a voice influenced more so by Ledger and Dimaggio’s incarnations, would definitely help build a brilliantly scary new take on the Joker.
How Should It Be Done?
Now, how would I like it done? Well, part of the Joker’s appeal is the mystery surrounding him, so personally, I wouldn’t want too much of a spotlight shed on his pre-transformation life or for him to have a real kind of identity, but do like how he was originally presented in
The Killing Joke and the idea of him going by the name Joe (Scott Snyder’s
Death of the Family people). So… I imagine Joe had a troubled childhood; an abusive fiend of a father and subjugated mother, leading to him killing his father in defence of his mother and her in turn, taking the blame resulting in him moving to Metropolis (just a little nod to an interconnected DC universe) to live with an aunt, but remaining forever damaged by the event; immersing himself with questionable activities and becoming involved in crime throughout his teenage years. This leads to a stint in prison/mental intuition (Belle Reve perhaps?), where after years of pills and therapy Joe leaves having fallen for a nurse, only to return to Gotham upon his mother’s death to settle her estate.
Upon his return to Gotham, I imagine Joe has a life similar to his depiction in
The Killing Joke; he’s an unfunny dead end comedian who works at bar run by a small time mob boss looking to make more of a name for himself. Prior to the Joe’s return however, the mob boss has been plagued by a masked robber (no witnesses so all he knows is ‘it’s some guy in a mask’; actually 2 of his underlings. As Joe continues to work at the club, the robberies continue, with suspicion falling on him- the underlings take this as opportunity to frame Joe with all the heat closing in, using a red hood mask prop/collectible in his apartment as ‘evidence’ (I imagine the Red Hood identity coming about as a gift from the Joe’s wife- the character originating from a cheesy old horror movie Joe and his wife shared a fondness for).
With Joe set up, he’s made an example of to elevate his boss’s status in Gotham’s crime hierarchy. His (pregnant) wife is killed in front of him, he’s beaten to a pulp and tortured with a ‘Cheshire grin’ and left for dead/killed in a rundown rotting, labyrinth-like old chemical plant (A.C.E. Chemicals); notorious as the number 1 spot where people go missing in Gotham yet left untouched by the police out of fear.
After a few months pass, enter the Red Hood. Having survived, Joe takes his revenge against all those he deems guilty, off his pills now and far removed from the calming influence of his wife he’s blaming every crook and corrupt cop in Gotham, forming his ‘Red Hood Gang’ forcing people to fight in his name via red hoods with bomb collars attached to them- obviously, this soon gets the attention of the Batman, now in his 2nd year. After eventually tracking the Red Hood to his base (A.C.E.) Batman and the Hood go at it leading to the destruction of A.C.E. and the Hood’s toxic bath and eventual rebirth a year later as Batman’s true nemesis.
Who Should Play the Part?
Now then, I’ve covered how I’d like the character’s future depictions should be influenced and how I’d like his history to be presented, but who should play him? Well, as you guys may have guessed by the above image, I personally am very fond of Sharlto Copley in the role.
Why? Well, not only does he share quite the resemblance with the traditional version of the character but given that we’re getting an older and established Batman, I think it’s a safe bet we’ll have a Joker who’s a little older too, but ignoring that he’s a really underrated and very capable actor who I feel has yet to truly shine in a role, but undoubtedly has the most potential to revolutionise the role like Ledger did before him. From his work in
The A-Team,
Elysium and
Old Boy in particular I think Copley would absolutely own the role, bringing the right balance of badassery, creepiness, intellect, madness, humour and intimidation. I genuinely believe if Copley is cast, then he’d own as he is literally one of the very few actors who could bring the right kind of balance between the Jack Nicholson/Mark Hamill’s evil prankster, Heath Ledger’s agent of chaos and John Dimaggio’s creepy psycho uncle, and really just own the role and in particular act as the perfect choice to give us a Joker who is as capable and dangerous physically as he is mentally and emotionally.
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So, whilst I acknowledge that most of this ‘wishlist’ will never come to fruition, this is just something I had to get off my chest. End of the day, I’m a huge fan of Batman, and his villains, and as mentioned before, with Sony’s announcement of villain-centric films recently, I can’t help but want a Joker film. Quite frankly, whilst I’m guessing we’ll never quite get a Joker like this, I do hope the next incarnation of the Clown Prince of Crimes shapes up to be at least half as interesting as what I have in mind, but in the meantime, it is just a matter of waiting and seeing, so hopefully we will get something down the line that shuts us up and keeps us entertained.