The Batman Trilogy’s Joker Will Reportedly Be Like Birds Of Prey’s Black Mask

Much like Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy, Matt Reeves’ The Batman is saving its Joker for a future installment. With the Clown Prince of Crime a very hot property in the wake of Joker‘s wild success, plans are already being formulated for how this version will distinguish itself from the competition. Right now, we’re hearing that Warner Bros. want Johnny Depp (or someone like him) for the role, but now we’ve heard a little as to how they envisage this new Mr. J.

Sources close to WGTC – the same ones that said a Green Lantern show is coming to HBO Max and Kevin Conroy was playing Kingdom Come Batman in “Crisis” – tell us that Warner Bros. liked what Ewan McGregor did with Black Mask in Birds of Prey. They’re not looking for a carbon copy of that performance, but it seems the new Joker will contain something of his specific mix of flamboyance, theatricality and remorseless depravity.

Those qualities are all pretty standard for the Joker, of course, but The Batman‘s take on the villain will have to be different to the vulnerability of Joaquin Phoenix, the punk-pop of Jared Leto and the anarchic social engineering of Heath Ledger. By the time he eventually appears, we may have even more Jokers, with the Joker sequels rumored to see pretenders to Arthur Fleck’s crown and The Flash featuring the Flashpoint Martha Wayne Joker.

As we’ve only seen the Batsuit and Batmobile, it’s difficult to nail the precise aesthetic that Reeves is going for with this incarnation of Gotham City. However, there’s a definite sense of realism, so expect a tone that’s more Nolan than Burton. If they follow that through with their Joker, they’d better hope that he doesn’t feel over-familiar, as if there’s one thing that the Joker can’t be, it’s predictable.