Joker Origin Movie: 10 Reasons Fans Should Be Worried
Why it could be a laughing matter.
Villains are all the rage these days. Thanos is about to take centre-stage in Marvel's Avengers: Infinity War, a Doctor Doom solo outing is in the works at Fox, and Tom Hardy is about to cover himself in black goo for Sony's Spider-Man spinoff Venom.
Warner Bros and DC's film division are also getting in on the act with an origin film about one of the greatest comic book villains of all time, The Joker, and news of its development has pissed off as many fans as it's excited.
The Hangover's Todd Phillips is scripting the Mister J movie and the word on the street suggests Martin Scorsese is on board to produce, with the creative team aiming to deliver a hard-boiled crime film set in early-80s Gotham City.
Reports suggest Warner is eyeing up Oscar-winner Leonardo DiCaprio for the lead role, which is ambitious and within the realms of reality considering his long-time collaborator Scorsese is believed to be involved.
On paper, it sounds like a dream team. Phillips will bring the comedy elements, Scorsese the gritty crime and DiCaprio the A-list talent - but with Warner and DC's track record in recent years, the fans still have cause for concern.
10. The Demystification Of The Joker
There are many reasons why The Joker is one of the most iconic villains, like, ever. He's a dark mirror for Batman, a twisted enigma and more of a chaotic force of nature than an actual human being.
Telling the Clown Prince of Crime's origin story will only rob him of the latter qualities. Nobody wants to see Mister J humanised, because that would almost certainly lower the stakes in the Dark Knight's endless battle against him.
Health Ledger's Joker described himself as an "unstoppable force", and that's what made him so formidable when pitted against Batman's "immovable object".
Mere mortals are fallible, predictable and usually operate with rhyme and reason, and the fact none of this applies to Mister J is what makes him such a compelling villain.
Comic book writers and filmmakers have attempted to give The Joker a backstory in the past, with varying results, but the definitive version of the Clown Prince will always be the one whose past is shrouded in mystery.
The moment the fans think 'oh, that's why he's so messed up' - that's when Mister J will have been robbed of his essence.