Frances Conroy (“The Mist”, “American Horror Story”) is in talks to play the Joker’s mother, Penny, in Warner Bros.’ Joker, says TheWrap.
Joaquin Phoenix is set to play the titular character, while Deadpool 2 star Zazie Beetz is in talks to join the cast as a single mother who catches the attention of the Joker prior to his transformation into the nihilistic Gotham City villain. In Alan Moore’s version of the Joker’s origins, the villain was an unnamed failed comedian who struggles to make ends meet for his pregnant wife. When his wife is killed in a freak accident and a robbery he is forced to take part in disfigures his face, the comedian snaps, becoming the infamous Joker.
While story details are being kept under wraps, it has been previously reported that the origin story for Batman’s nemesis will be more of a mid-budget crime thriller than a superhero blockbuster, and that it will be based at least loosely on the origin story for the character depicted in Alan Moore’s “The Killing Joke.”
This morning, it was also reported that Robert De Niro was in talks to join as a talk show host who plays a role in the Joker’s origins.
Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow will co-produce the film, with Todd Phillips directing.
The film will be released on October 4, 2019, with production set to begin in New York in September.
