Warner Bros. announced yesterday that they’re currently developing a new movie that will tell the origin story of the Joker. The new film, which is part of a new banner that will expand the DC Universe independently of the “DC Cinematic Universe,” is set to be directed by Todd Phillips.
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Though the popular super villain is presently being played by Jared Leto, who is expected to return for Suicide Squad 2, Gotham City Sirens and the recently-announced Joker and Harley Quinn movie, the new origin film is looking for a younger actor to take up the Joker’s sinister smile.
But who might Warner Bros. choose to play the young Joker? Read on for four actors who could play the young Clown Prince of Crime.
Finn Wittrock
Best known for his appearances in multiple seasons of the FX horror anthology series American Horror Story, but it’s his role as Dandy Mott in American Horror Story: Freak Show that really has us thinking that Wittrock would make an incredible Joker. Wittrock’s Dandy was a sick, twisted killer, playing the role so well that he was almost too-believable.
And if believably playing a psycho isn’t reason enough to consider Wittrock for the young Joker, we already know what he looks like dressed up as a sadistic clown so we can already see him in the role.
Martin Wallström
Martin Wallström’s Tyrell in Mr. Robot is a complicated, cunning and dangerous character in the same vein of American Psycho‘s Patrick Bateman. That level of complex insanity is exactly what we’d like to see in the Joker’s origin story. After all, an origin story implies that there’s a time when the Joker wasn’t “The Joker” and Wallström would be an excellent choice to bring chilling nuance to a character that might start out seemingly normal, but have something sinister simmering beneath the surface just waiting to explode.
Iwan Rheon
Yes, Iwan Rheon is playing Maximus in Marvel’s The Inhumans so we know that it’s incredibly unlikely that he’d have a turn at The Joker. However, the actor’s turn as Ramsay Bolton on Game of Thrones could be summarized as Westeros’ own Joker, complete with maniacal laughter, crazy eyes, and a penchant for torture. Rheon might be a long shot for the role, but we know that he could definitely play the part and make us squirm uncomfortably while doing so.
Zayn Malik
The former One Direction singer doesn’t really have much in the way of acting experience unless you count a cameo in the upcoming Ocean’s Eight so we can’t say how well Zayn Malik would do portraying the Joker, but if we’re casting on looks alone then he is a serious contender. Malik once dyed his hair a color that could only be called Joker Green. The bold color move immediately drew comparisons of Malik to the Batman villain so if filmmakers decide to go more towards the Jared Leto incarnation of the Clown Prince of Crime we at least know that Malik would look the part.
