Comedians Marc Maron & Bryan Callen Joining Joaquin Phoenix’s ‘Joker’

It appears that Joaquin Phoenix’s “Joker” is going to give the Clown Prince of Crime a proper origin story. And if they use bits and pieces from the popular Batman story “The Killing Joke,” as well as what’s being reported, it makes sense that a couple of stand-up comedians have been cast in the film.

READ MORE: Joaquin Phoenix Says ‘Joker’ Film Is “Unique” And “Scares The F—ing S–t Out Of Me”

According to Variety, “GLOW” star (and great stand-up) Marc Maron has been cast in the upcoming DC film. The report says that Maron will play a booking agent for a talk show (hosted by Robert De Niro’s unnamed character) that will book Phoenix’s pre-Joker character for an appearance. And judging by the fact that Phoenix turns into a homicidal maniac, we’re going out on a limb and guessing his appearance doesn’t go well.

Maron has been quietly building up some quality roles in his short acting career. As mentioned, he’s probably best known for his podcast “WTF” and his stand-up, but Maron has acted in the aforementioned Netflix series “GLOW,” as well as his own titular series on IFC and in the Netflix show “Easy.”

Joining Maron in the cast is another comedian, Bryan Callen. He revealed on his “The Fighter & The Kid” podcast that he has also been cast in the upcoming Todd Phillips film. He says that it’ll be a small role, and only take “a couple days.” It’s not terribly shocking that Callen is expected to show up in Phillips’ film, as he’s already appeared in two installments of the filmmaker’s popular ‘Hangover’ films.

As mentioned above, the general speculation is that “Joker” will tell the story of the iconic villain’s origin as a failed stand-up comedian that turns into the deranged killer. A version of that story has already been done in the comic books, in Alan Moore and Brian Bolland’s “The Killing Joke.” We’ll have to see how much of that story is adapted, and how much is actually brand new.

“Joker” is expected to begin production soon, in time to hit theaters on October 4, 2019.