Joaquin Phoenix will follow in the footsteps of Heath Ledger and Jack Nicholson by playing Batman villain the Joker, according to reports.
The Walk the Line star is reportedly in talks for the lead role in the upcoming standalone Joker movie by The Hangover filmmaker Todd Phillips.
The director told Variety that Phoenix is his "top choice" for the job, while unnamed sources say the actor - who has long been averse to mainstream blockbusters - has agreed.
Phillips' film will be a DC Comics adaptation for Warner Brothers, but won't be part of the DCEU shared universe that Justice League and Suicide Squad are part of.
It's instead to be a prequel, a Joker origin story that will supposedly be a gritty '80s crime film.
Jared Leto will continue to play the Joker in the DCEU.
Leonardo DiCaprio was rumoured to be playing the Joker in Phillips' film, but that apparently didn't work out.
Newshub.
