9 Actors Who Could Play Martin Scorsese’s Joker

To misquote the Clown Prince of Crime himself, everyone lost their minds recently when it was revealed that Warner Bros. are working on an origins movie for the Joker. It will be written and directed by Todd Phillips (The Hangover) and - here's the bit that people can't get their heads around - produced by the one and only Martin Scorsese. Intriguingly, the movie is set to exist outside the confines of the DCEU and will begin a "a new banner... in which WB can expand the canon of DC properties and create unique storylines with different actors playing the iconic characters." As such, it won't see Jared Leto reprise his role from Suicide Squad. Instead, the movie will have to find someone new to be the fifth version of the Joker to hit the big screen. So, who could it be? It's too early to have any idea who WB are considering, of course, but we do have a few suggestions of our own, and you can find them on the next page. 9) Leonardo DiCaprio There's one actor that modern movie audiences associate with Martin Scorsese the most: his five-time leading man, Leonardo DiCaprio. Given that Scorsese is producing the Joker origins movie, there's a chance - however small - that DiCaprio could play a Batman villain. Something comic book movie lovers have been calling for for years. Back before The Dark Knight Rises came out, fans wanted Christopher Nolan to cast the Inception star as Edward Nygma/The Riddler. His connection with the franchise doesn't begin there, though, as Leo was offered the part of Robin in Batman Forever back in 1995. Could he finally be about to appear in a Batman-related movie? Unfortunately, we wouldn't put money on it. With Scorsese's stamp of approval, DiCaprio might be willing to take the plunge into the DC universe, but he's probably too busy. It would be a shame if he wasn't at least considered, though. And for those who don't believe he could pull off the role, watch him as the despicable but charismatic Calvin Candie in Django Unchained. 8) Cameron Monaghan Even before the announcement of a Joker origins movie, Jared Leto was still not the only live-action Clown Prince of Crime currently on our screens. Over on Fox's Gotham, Cameron Monaghan plays Jerome Valeska - a young serial killer who's heavily hinted to be the adolescent Joker. His brilliant performance has been acclaimed by fans, too - so you know he'd be terrific at bringing the Joker to the big screen. In many ways, it makes perfect sense to cast Monaghan, as it would be a natural progression of his role on Gotham. While he plays a proto-Joker on the Batman prequel show, he would then get to perform Joker's origin story in the movie. We're not suggesting the film would be set in Gotham's universe, just that it would be a nice link from the actor and the fans' point of view. Sadly, this sort of cross-pollination between DC's movie and TV divisions is highly unlikely, given how separate the two have always been in the past. After all, fans have previously campaigned for the likes of Tom Welling and Grant Gustin to make the jump to the movie world before to no avail, so we unfortunately don't see this happening. 7) Will Poulter An actor of Monaghan's age group would certainly be appropriate for this project. Seeing as it will depict Joker's origins story, it could easily cast the character as a young man in his twenties, and if this is the direction the film goes in, it would be a very different portrayal of the villain from those we've seen on the big screen before. Instead of the established names that have previously played the Clown Prince, then, an upcoming talent should be awarded the role. Following this train of thought, 24-year-old Will Poulter comes to mind as an excellent candidate. The British actor's star has been on the rise for while now, as he's made his name in kid-friendly franchises The Chronicles of Narnia and The Maze Runner over the years. However, in his more mature roles - e.g. The Revenant, Detroit - he's proven that he has the chops to go darker. In fact, Poulter was once linked with the part of Pennywise the Clown in It. Perhaps the best reason he should be considered for the Joker, though, is that Poulter has said he's always wanted to play a Batman villain ever since watching Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight. 6) Bill Skarsgard One of the Skarsgard acting dynasty (see also: Stellan, Alexander and Gustaf), Bill Skarsgard currently only has a few movie roles under his belt - supporting turns in the likes of Anna Karenina and The Divergent Series, for instance - but his career is surely about to skyrocket thanks to his part in the upcoming remake of Stephen King's It. And, by the looks of things, Skarsgard might have managed the impossible and portrayed an even scarier version of Pennywise than Tim Curry, the man who made us all wet our beds for years in the old 1990 miniseries. Now, that's the sort of actor you need to play the Joker. Based on what we've seen so far, some critics have even favourably compared Skarsgard's performance in It to Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight. You can't get higher praise that that. The only problem here is that Skarsgard might be worried about typecasting if he was to play another villainous clown right after It. Likewise, WB might assume he's too obvious a choice and look elsewhere. Let's hope not, though, as it's clear that Skarsgard would make a deeply unsettling Joker. 5) Matt Smith Matt Smith might be beloved by sci-fi fans the world over from his time as the loveable, bow-tie-wearing Eleventh Doctor, but he's a versatile enough actor to warrant being cast in an even bigger franchise in a very different role. After all, his old Doctor Who teammates Karen Gillan (Guardians of the Galaxy) and Arthur Darvill (Legends of Tomorrow) have already gotten into the superhero game, and Smith himself deserves a turn next. We're already used to him playing an eccentric clown who's really a genius alien, so we know he would be a natural at playing an eccentric clown who's really a demented psychopath as well. In fact, we've already had a glimpse at Smith turning to the dark side, back in Terminator: Genysis. While that movie was atrocious, it's telling that Paramount planned to have Smith star in a major role in the sequels as the personification of Skynet. On a purely aesthetic level, there's also something about Smith's distinctive profile that would be a perfect fit for the Joker. With his prominent features, the actor kind of looks like he's just walked off a comic book page as it is. 4) Dan Stevens Once known for his role in cosy period drama Downton Abbey, Dan Stevens has really proven himself as a gifted, chameleonic actor in recent years. Superhero lovers, in particular, will know him from his turn as David Haller in Fox's Legion, a tangent of the X-Men universe. As David, Stevens gives an energetic, magnetic performance as a man with extreme mental health issues who sees the world in a unique way from anyone else. Does that description sound like a certain pale-faced supervillain to you? While David is a heroic character, you can easily imagine Stevens transplanting the skill he's shown in that role into a villainous part like the Joker. In fact, fans have already campaigned to see him suit up as the Reverse-Flash in Flashpoint. The only thing is that Stevens might already have a comic book antagonist role lined up. It could lead to nothing, but rumor has it that he might be joining Legion showrunner Noah Hawley for the Doctor Doom solo movie, as the Fantastic Four's nemesis himself. 3) Michael Pitt If we look past Leonardo DiCaprio, there's another, lesser-known, Scorsese actor who could be a brilliant fit for the Joker. Michael Pitt previously worked with the famed director on both family film Hugo and TV series Boardwalk Empire. If you've seen Pitt's performances, you'll know that he's a very intense, committed actor who could really shine in a role like the Joker. The best work of Pitt's to demonstrate how good a Joker he would be is his sickening turn on Hannibal as disfigured serial killer - ring any bells? - Mason Verger (a role played by Batman franchise alum Gary Oldman in the movies). Hannibal showrunner Bryan Fuller even described Verger as "the Joker to Lecter's Batman." How many more hints do you need? Plus, it's not to do with his acting, but Pitt is allegedly very difficult to work with on set. It's not a requirement, but most of the previous actors to have played the Joker have had... unorthodox personalities. Need we remind you of Jared Leto's disgusting gifts that he sent his Suicide Squad co-stars? 2) Jake Gyllenhaal One name that you'll see on many wishlists of actors to play the Joker is Jake Gyllenhaal. The hugely versatile performer has had a variety of roles over the years - from his breakout turn in Donnie Darko to his acclaimed part in Nightcrawler - so you know he could challenge himself yet again and don the white face paint and green hair of the Joker. Like DiCaprio, Gyllenhaal is also an actor who's been skirting the comic book movie world for so long that he deserves to finally nab a role in one. He has, in fact, been in the running to play both Batman and Spider-Man before - something not many actors can say. And if you think the reason he hasn't taken those roles is because he's one of those people who turns their nose up at superhero movies, that couldn't be further from the case. "Superhero movies have inspired me," he once said. "They are so moving and important." Are you listening, WB? Someone give him a call. We'd like to think he'd have the stamp of approval of his old Brokeback Mountain co-star Heath Ledger as well. 1) Caleb Landry Jones Comic book movie viewers will most know Caleb Landry Jones for his role as Banshee in 2011's X-Men: First Class. If you didn't think much of his rather forgettable character in that movie, though, don't let that put you off. Landry Jones has proven himself a very capable actor elsewhere. In particular, he seems to have a knack for playing sinister people. In Get Out, for instance, the actor delivered perhaps the creepiest moment in an already highly unsettling movie, when Daniel Kaluuya's Chris meets his girlfriend Rose's clearly unhinged brother Jeremy. Landry Jones' performance as Jeremy is the sort of magnetic turn that launches an actor into the spotlight. Could his next big break be the Joker? Landry Jones certainly has the suitable looks for the part. At 27-years-old and as not too famous a name as yet, he also fits in with the requirements for the role we mentioned earlier. Giving us a lesser-known young actor as the new Joker would be a refreshing change from previous portrayals, and Warner Bros. couldn't do much better than casting Caleb Landry Jones in the part.