Is Johnny Depp The New Joker? The Truth About The Rumored Casting — And What About Joaquin?
Will he play opposite Robert Pattinson's Batman?
Getty Images As more announcements about the cast of the highly-anticipated Batman reboot — with Twilight star Robert Pattinson taking over the Bat-Suit left vacant by Ben Affleck — the word about the casting of the Caped Crusader's arch-nemesis, The Joker, is causing quite a stir amongst comics aficionados all over the world. Who could possibly be suitable to play the manic, impressive clown murderer in this new film? Especially after the Oscar-winning performance given by Joaquin Phoeniz?
Well, word has just been released that one actor, in particular, is in strong contention for the role, and the news is being well-received by fans and journalists alike.
So, is Johnny Depp the new Joker? Let's look at what we know about this exciting possible casting.
1. Is Johnny Depp the new Joker? He's reportedly being "eyed" for the role.
According to some sources close to the production of the new Batman film, which has Robert Pattinson in the role of the Caped Crusader, Depp is reportedly being "eyed" for the role of the Joker. However, this is not the first time he'd been eyed for the role — prior to the late Heath Ledger winning the role in his Oscar-winning turn in The Dark Knight Rises, Depp was reportedly a "fan favorite" for the role, as was Adrien Brody.
2. Depp's Joker is reportedly a "campy" Joker in the vein of Cesar Romero's version of the character.
In the classic 1960s television show about Batman — which featured the late Adam West donning the Bat-Suit — Cesar Romero played a "campy" traditionally clown-like version of the Joker (a far cry from the more sociopathic versions of the Joker that would be played on film by Ledger and Phoeniz). Depp's Joker — if indeed he gets the role — is slated to be in the Romero vein of the character.
3. The last actor to play the Joker was Joaquin Phoenix.
As we all know, Joaquin Phoenix was the last actor to don the clown suit and play the Joker. His role in the film of the same name — which was directed by Todd Phillips — earned him praise from both the industry and the fans, and it culminated with Phoenix taking home his first Academy Award for playing the role.
4. Twitter users are excited about the prospect of Depp as the Joker.
Needless to say, when word got out that Depp was being seriously considered for the role as the Joker, the Twitter-verse exploded with joy about the prospect of Depp making such a great comeback. You can check out some of the more exciting reactions below.
5. If he's cast in the role, Depp will join other luminaries in the much-anticipated Batman reboot film.
If Depp does, in fact, become the Joker, he will be joining a list of other Hollywood A-listers on the project. In addition to Pattinson as Batman, Zoe Kravitz is slated to play Cat Woman, and Paul Dano is slated to play The Riddler. Colin Farrell was also announced as The Penguin not long ago, and Jeffrey Wright will play Commissioner Gordon.
6. Depp has not officially commented about the prospect of being the Joker.
As of this writing, Depp has not issued a comment about the prospect of being the Joker and neither has Phoenix. However, it's definitely very exciting news for fans of the comic book genre of films, and we will definitely keep you posted on any developments and official announcements as they are made.
Bernadette Giacomazzo is an editor, writer, publicist, and photographer whose work has appeared in Teen Vogue, People, Us Weekly, The Source, XXL, HipHopDX, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, BET.com, and more.