More comic book characters than ever are coming to the small screen courtesy of new streaming service DC Universe, and Alan Tudyk will play more than one of them. The Firefly and Rogue One alum will bring the Joker to life in the upcoming Harley Quinn animated series on DC Universe. Diedrich Bader, who is voicing Batman for the series, dropped the news, saying this:
Alan Tudyk is Joker and is hilarious. I did a session with him a while ago and he's very funny as Joker.
The news that Alan Tudyk would be part of Harley Quinn was actually confirmed weeks ago with the announcement that Kaley Cuoco of Big Bang Theory fame would voice Harley herself, but there were no details about who exactly he would be voicing. He has voiced characters like Green Arrow and Leonard Snart on animated DC projects in the past, so it was possible he would reprise one of his past roles. Diedrich Bader is reprising a role himself, having voiced Batman on The Brave and the Bold.
Instead, Alan Tudyk will voice the Clown Prince of Crime. Diedrich Bader revealed Tudyk's role during a chat with The Mutuals Interviews, and it should get DC fans even more excited than ever for Harley Quinn. The series will obviously focus on Harley, and the first look at the new series didn't feature the Joker at all. In fact, the premise of the series is that Harley and the Joker broke up, and she decided to become the "criminal Queenpin of Gotham City."
The end of Harley's relationship with Joker could have meant Joker doesn't appear on the show. Gotham City is full of other villains who could turn up, and it seems that Poison Ivy will be Harley right-hand woman. There may have been no room for the Joker. Instead, Harley Quinn will indeed feature the Joker, which could mean relationship drama for the leading lady.
Given that Diedrich Bader did a recording session with Alan Tudyk, it's probably safe to say that Batman and the Joker will have scenes together in Harley Quinn. The new show is poised to be irreverent in just about every way, so it's possible we'll get a Joker/Batman dynamic unlike any before, especially since neither is actually the star of the series. Who knew we'd someday get a Harley Quinn show with Batman and the Joker as supporting players?
Harley Quinn marks the second DC Universe series that will feature Alan Tudyk. He also boarded Doom Patrol to play a villain by the name of Mr. Nobody, who lost his former identity after experimentation by ex-Nazis in Paraguay. At this point, I'm curious to learn if Tudyk will reprise one of the roles he voiced during the original run of Young Justice for the DC Universe revival.
On Young Justice, Alan Tudyk voiced Green Arrow, Psimon, and Leonard Snart. Young Justice or not, DC Universe is poised to be a better fit for Tudyk on DC projects than NBC was.
Only time will tell. As of now, Titans is the only DC Universe original series that has premiered so far. No release date has been released for Harley Quinn yet, but there are plenty of DC superhero options on the small screen thanks to the Arrow-verse on The CW.
