Warner Bros already has the DC Comics front covered in 2019 with Shazam! and Wonder Woman 1984, but along with those DC Extended Universe installments, next year will also see the release of the standalone Joker movie, starring Joaquin Phoenix as the man who becomes the Clown Prince of Crime. Since Phoenix's involvement was confirmed, casting news for the project has been pouring in, including earlier this week when it was announced that GLOW star Marc Maron has a role. Maron has now confirmed that he will indeed appear in Joker, noting that the main reason he joined was so he could work with Robert De Niro, which has been a dream of his for a while. Maron explained:
How long have I been thinking about that? Most of my life! So, given that the time that we live in does not put a lot of resources into films like The Deer Hunter, or even I would say, Raging Bull, or certainly not Taxi Driver, but probably not even Goodfellas really at this juncture in history. So given that this is the timing, that this is where it's at, once given the opportunity that it was going to happen, that I got this gig and I'm gonna do a couple of scenes maybe with Robert De Niro and Joaquin Phoenix, the next in the line of succession in great actors, fuck yes I'm going to do that. Of course I'm going to do that. This is the movie that it's going to be in, and hopefully it will make the cut, and honestly, it's a pretty great script.
Marc Maron talked about his involvement with Joker in the most recent episode of his podcast, WTF with Marc Maron, noting that while he has been critical in the past about the "slow corruption of our culture and arts" by big blockbusters, particularly superhero movies, consolidating the moviemaking space, getting to star in Joker is another example of his life taking unexpected turns. When the opportunity came along for him to act in a movie alongside Robert De Niro, he understandably jumped on it. Everything that's been revealed about Joker indicates that it will not be a typical comic book movie, so no doubt that helped catch baron's eye, but it was De Niro being part of the movie that was the icing on the proverbial cake.
Specific plot details for Joker haven't been revealed yet, but it's been described as a "dark character study" that appears to be taking a Killing Joke-type approach with depicting how the eponymous character became one of the greatest villains in comic book lore. Robert De Niro is reportedly playing a talk show host who plays a part in driving Phoenix's character to madness, while Maron is said to be playing the booking agent who books Phoenix on De Niro's show. The cast also includes Frances Conroy as Joker's mother, while Zazie Beetz is in negotiations to play a single mother who catches the interest of the future Clown Prince of Crime.
Joker is schedule for release on October 4, 2019, so keep checking back with CinemaBlend for continuing coverage. In the meantime, look through our 2018 release schedule to learn what movies are hitting theaters later this year.
