Lately, it feels like there’s just a never-ending supply of news surrounding Batman’s greatest villain, the Joker. Whether it’s the various pictures that Todd Phillips is sharing from the set of his upcoming ‘Joker’ or news about Jared Leto’s unfortunate turn as the character in “Suicide Squad,” there’s been no shortage of news about the Clown Prince of Crime. Today’s requisite Joker news is a little different, but just as crazy, as it involves Tommy Wiseau.
Several months ago, Nerdist brought fans an audition tape of the famous writer/director/star of “The Room” portraying Heath Ledger’s version of the Joker. It was batshit crazy, for sure, but also kind of brilliant. Now, they’ve gone a full step further to show a full scene with Wiseau spouting Ledger’s lines during the famous interrogation scene from “The Dark Knight,” playing opposite Greg Sestero as Batman.
Sure, it’s weird. No, it’s not nearly as great at Ledger. But still, there’s something really amazing, and inspired, by Wiseau’s portrayal. All the eccentricities and oddities that make the actor such an interesting person to watch on screen come through perfectly in the Joker. The accent, the weird way he enunciates, and the emphasis he puts on odd words makes the performance as manic and strange as you want to see from someone who wears clown makeup and terrorizes a city.
It’s difficult to actually say, but Wiseau is actually…good…as the Joker.
On the other side of the acting spectrum, but potentially, better than anyone who has played the role before him, Joaquin Phoenix is in the middle of shooting his film ‘Joker.’ When director Todd Phillips released the first look at the actor in full Joker makeup, people were excited. He looks unique. He definitely looks creepy. But more than anything, it’s clear that Phillips and Phoenix have a real take on the character.
One of the biggest fans of his look is former DC Entertainment president Diane Nelson. But boy, did her love of Phoenix and Phillips backfire.
In response to someone asking what she thinks of the new version of the Joker, Nelson tweeted (via Screenrant), “LOVE IT! Great story, great actor, specific and string vision from talented director. What DC should have been doing since Nolan. Even if die hard fans struggle with his vision.”
Instead of people praising her for her honest assessment of the DC film situation, the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut bros came out in full force to bash Nelson for her statement. They assumed that because she didn’t fully endorse Snyder from the beginning, she was obviously bashing his work on the characters. She replied, “I happen to count Zack Snyder among those things, if you are insinuating otherwise. No snake here.”
However, as we know from social media nowadays, once the hounds have been released, there’s no putting them back in their place. And with that, she kept getting barraged with supposed fans attacking her on Twitter. So, Nelson did what so many others have done before her, when faced with the trolling actions of toxic fandom — she deleted her Twitter.
Nelson joins a long list of people that toxic fans have scared off social media. And this time, it happened because she praised a DC film. Go figure.