The tentatively titled Joker's reception will also depend heavily on the actor who takes up the villain's iconic mantle. Despite early rumors that the studio was eyeing Leonardo DiCaprio for the role, Joaquin Phoenix has officially been tapped to play the Crown Prince of Crime. The casting is enough to send the message that Warner Bros. is trying to put the Joker film on the same prestigious level of Christopher Nolan's award-worthy Dark Knight franchise.
Phoenix will appear in the film alongside Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy, Josh Pais, and Marc Maron. Robert De Niro is also reportedly in talks to join the cast as a talk show host who has a hand in driving Arthur towards a life of crime, which has echoes of his 1982 film The King of Comedy.
