Joker has been officially greenlight by Warner Bros and will enter production in just a couple of months. Joaquin Phoenix has already signed for the role, with Zazie Beetz being close to signing as the main love interest.
It isn't said if the character portrayed by Beetz will also see in Joaquin Phoenix's character a potential love interest. But we guess that this is also a point where drama could emerge and send the character on its path to becoming the Joker.
In an ample report on the movie, That Hashtag Show revealed quite a few other details concerning the movie. And all of them seem crucial for the man who will become the Clown Prince of Crime. In this way, we have found out the name of the man behind the Joker.
Joaquin Phoenix is the Joker (The Wrap)
Previously, in Tim Burton's Batman, he was Jack Napier. This time around, Todd Philips has decided on another name: Arthur Fleck.
Fleck will return to his home city, which is a heaven for criminals of all kinds. He will be reunited with his ailing mother, who is on her death bed. The director is searching for a big name to play the mother, with Frances McDormand already declining to take on the role.
And here comes the most important detail: the mother, Penny, used to be a beautiful woman, obsessed with her former employer. That Hashtag Show speculates that this employer is none other than Thomas Wayne, who will also appear in the film.
From Fleck's point of view, Wayne is a tanned and cheesy old man.
According to the website mentioned above, Arthur Fleck is the product of a relationship between Penny and Thomas Wayne! So this would be a really surprising twist on the tale of the supervillain.
Zazie Beetz in Atlanta (IMDB)
As said, Zazie Beetz is supposed to play the love interest of Arthur Fleck. She is a single mother and, as the website implies, she may be aiding Penny.
That Hashtag Show also reveals that Robert De Niro was indeed cast in the Joker. He will play late night-TV host Murray Franklin. The website speculates that he will invite Wayne at the show and, when seeing him again on the small screen, Penny will reveal his son who his father is.
Robert De Niro (Cop Land)
Of course, these are mostly speculation. However, we already know that the movie won't adapt a particular storyline from the comics. But, given the fact that it isn't set in the DCEU, these details could turn out to be true.
