Welp, that was super fast. Earlier this week, it was announced that Alec Baldwin would be playing Thomas Wayne in Warner Bros.‘ “The Joker” film starring Joaquin Phoenix. Well, it appears either that news was premature, the left hand wasn’t talking to the right, or the notoriously impulsive Baldwin just gonna Baldwin.
The actor told USA Today, rather haughtily, that he would not be involved with “The Joker” movie and gave it a dissing kiss off with his goodbye statement. “I’m no longer doing that movie,” Baldwin told USAToday, citing “scheduling.” “I’m sure there are 25 guys who can play that part,” Baldwin added.
READ MORE: ‘The Joker’ Movie: Alec Baldwin Cast As Batman’s Dead Dad
“The Joker” is set to start shooting on September 10, so Warner Bros., DC Films, and the movie’s director Todd Phillips will have to scramble for a replacement. “The Joker” is an origin story of the clown prince of crime and will star Joaquin Phoenix in a narrative about how he became to be a criminal mastermind.
Robert De Niro, “Atlanta” and “Deadpool 2” star Zazie Beetz and “GLOW” actor and popular podcaster Marc Maron are already part of the cast. The movie, a gritty standalone story, not connected to the current DC Extended Universe that already features Jared Leto as the Joker and Ben Affleck as The Batman, is due out Oct. 4, 2019.
Earlier this week, trades reported that this version of Thomas Wayne, Bruce Wayne, aka, Batman’s father, would paint “Thomas Wayne as a cheesy and tanned businessman who is more in the mold of a 1980s Donald Trump.” Perhaps that was already too close to Baldwin’s Emmy award-winning satirical portrayal of President Trump on “Saturday Night Live“?
“The Joker” is expected to arrive under an as-of-yet-unannounced “dark and gritty” DC Films banner that would indicate how… uh, dark and gritty these kinds of films are intended to be; more mature, for adults and not costing mega-millions (“The Joker” is budgeted for a modest $55 million shoot). Matt Reeves‘ version of “The Batman” which features no star yet—but again, would be featured in a universe that exists outside the current one with Affleck—is expected to come out under that banner as well, but nothing is official as of yet.