One of the biggest questions audiences had after Joker was how would Batman fit into this new universe? The film dropped enough hints about the character: showing Arthur Fleck meeting a young Bruce Wayne and the riot he inspired indirectly leading to Thomas and Martha Wayne’s murder. As such, it seems inevitable then that any Joker sequel will have to deal with the introduction of Batman and his ties with Arthur.
Obviously, we have no concrete details on how that would work, but despite what Deadline has said in recent weeks, a follow-up is definitely in development – The Hollywood Reporter, who broke the news, is sticking by their story, too – and according to our sources – the same ones who told us about the Joker sequel weeks before THR announced it, and that an Arrow spinoff was happening way back in March – Batman’s indeed expected to appear in either that film or, if plans change, then in Joker 3, as Warner Bros. is apparently planning to make a trilogy. But what’s even more interesting is that Bradley Cooper is said to be high on Todd Phillips’ wishlist when it comes to who should play the Dark Knight, as the director “really wants” him in the role.
Of course, Cooper would be an excellent Batman, especially if he was playing a more realistic and believably psychologically damaged take on the character. However, you might point out that he isn’t exactly the right age for the Jokerverse Batman. We know that Arthur Fleck was born in 1946, making him 35 years old when Joker takes place. The actor that played the young Bruce Wayne, meanwhile, is 9 and Bradley Cooper is currently 44. So, if you do the math, it doesn’t really work out. But from what we’ve been told, the studio isn’t too concerned about that, and here’s why.
For one, Cooper already looks younger than Phoenix, despite the fact that they’re almost the same age and a bit of movie make-up can amplify that fact even more. But let’s also remember that in Hobbs & Shaw, we see Deckard and Hattie as children shown to be around the same age, yet in real life, Jason Statham and Vanessa Kirby, the actors who play the characters, are more than 20 years apart in age. Simply put, Universal just didn’t care and apparently, neither does WB. We’re told they’re not too worried about the apparent age gap and are more concerned with getting the right person for the role.
Besides, it’s also unclear how heavily Batman would factor into a potential Joker sequel. From what we’ve heard, the focus will still remain very much on Arthur Fleck, meaning we may not even see much of Bats. Which brings us to the fact that Cooper is also said to be one of the names on the list for Hal Jordan in Green Lantern Corps. And while it’s unlikely he’d go on to land both roles – Hal and Batman – our sources say it’s not impossible.
As we know, Hal is only going to be in the first Green Lantern film as he’ll be killed off at some point during the movie, while again, Bats isn’t expected to have a major part in the Jokerverse. So, it wouldn’t be a massive time commitment to do both, while it’s also important to remember that despite Zazie Beetz appearing in Joker, she was also under serious consideration to play Catwoman in The Batman at one point.
In any case, Cooper is just one name on the list right now and far from a lock, but given that this intel comes to us from the same sources who told us Viola Davis would return in The Suicide Squad, J.J. Abrams has been offered a Superman and/or Green Lantern movie, Jonah Hill and Mahershala Ali were attached to The Batman before dropping out, Black Adam will appear in Shazam! 3 and the Justice Society of America will be in Black Adam, all of which we now know to be true, there’s no reason to doubt it.
Tell us, though, who would you like to see play Batman in Joker 2? Sound off down below with your thoughts.
