Leonardo DiCaprio Was By no means Thought-about for Joker Function, Says Director
Joker director Todd Phillips says Leonardo DiCaprio was by no means in consideration for the lead function. Again in 2017, when phrase of a standalone Joker origin film first broke, DiCaprio was mentioned to be Warner Bros.’ first option to star. This was when Martin Scorsese, DiCaprio’s frequent collaborator, was reportedly eyed to supply, and the thought was Scorsese would be capable of persuade DiCaprio to painting the long-lasting villain. Nevertheless, Joker was made with neither Scorsese or DiCaprio changing into concerned as the 2 stored busy with different initiatives.
Many have identified Joker takes heavy inspiration from Scorsese classics like Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy, so it might have been very attention-grabbing to see DiCaprio discover this sort of materials. That mentioned, it seems the Oscar winner’s potential participation in Joker was exaggerated, and he was by no means severely within the operating for the job.
Proceed scrolling to maintain studying
Click on the button beneath to begin this text in fast view.
Talking with the New York Occasions about Joker, Phillips briefly addressed the preliminary DiCaprio rumors and made it sound just like the intention was to solid Joaquin Phoenix because the Clown Prince of Crime all alongside:
“We wrote the film for Joaquin.”
Joker would have been a really completely different kind of flip for DiCaprio, who usually performs the hero/protagonist in his movie. To be truthful, he is performed some shady characters prior to now (The Wolf of Wall Avenue’s Jordan Belfort will not be a “good man”), however DiCaprio hasn’t tackled something just like the twisted and demented Arthur Fleck earlier than. The closest comparability might be wickedly evil slave proprietor Calvin Candie in Django Unchained, one of many few outright villain roles in DiCaprio’s filmography. Moreover, DiCaprio has by no means appeared in a comic book e-book film; he is one of many few A-listers with out a franchise to his title, however the standalone nature of Joker may need been interesting to him. Phoenix was in the identical boat, turning down Physician Unusual within the MCU earlier than agreeing to play the Joker.
Even with Phoenix incomes sturdy opinions for his Joker efficiency, DiCaprio’s had a fantastic 2019 himself. Making his long-awaited return after his Oscar win for The Revenant, DiCaprio acquired a lot reward for his efficiency as Rick Dalton in Quentin Tarantino’s As soon as Upon a Time in Hollywood. Proper now, each DiCaprio and Phoenix are within the operating for a Finest Actor nomination at this 12 months’s Academy Awards, and cinephiles would like to see the 2 go head-to-head in an awards race. After all, there’s plenty of time remaining earlier than nominations got here out, however even when each DiCaprio and Phoenix come up quick, they are often pleased with the work they did this 12 months.
Supply: New York Occasions
Key Launch Dates
Joker (2019) launch date: Oct 04, 2019
Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (2020) launch date: Feb 07, 2020
Surprise Girl 1984 (2020) launch date: Jun 05, 2020
The Batman (2021) launch date: Jun 25, 2021
The Suicide Squad (2021) launch date: Aug 06, 2021
DC Tremendous Pets (2022) launch date: Might 20, 2022
Aquaman 2 (2022) launch date: Dec 16, 2022
