Willem Dafoe Says He “Floated An Idea” To Warner Bros. About Him Playing A “Joker Imposter” Opposite Joaquin Phoenix

Batman fans have clamored for a while now that Willem Dafoe would be a great fit to play The Joker in a movie at some point. And Dafoe has acknowledged that interest, like in his monologue when he hosted “Saturday Night Live” last year. But it sounds like Dafoe remains keen on playing the Clown Prince Of Crime someday, or at least, some version of him…

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EW reports that on his “Tonight Show” interview on Tuesday night, Dafoe revealed to Jimmy Fallon he “floated an idea” to Warner Bros. to portray Batman’s arch nemesis onscreen someday. When Fallon mentioned that many movie fans want Dafoe to take on the Joker role someday, Dafoe initially responded “Hasn’t that been done?” Then Dafoe added, “You know, talk to Warner Bros. I floated an idea a while ago, but it didn’t quite happen, so…”

Fallon asked Dafoe to elaborate, and the actor clarified his previous comment. “Listen, I didn’t really float it to them. I just mentioned it in an interview and then it kind of went out on the internet. But I thought it would be cool for me to play an imposter – like slipstreaming his thing.” Dafoe as an imposter Joker, posing as Joaquin Pheonix‘s genuine article? That sounds pretty cool, but that’s not the plot for Todd Phillip‘s “Joker: Folie á Deux,” out in October 2024, which sees Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck/Joker meet Lady Gaga‘s Harley Quinn for the first time.

Could Dafoe’s idea still happen in another “Joker” sequel, though? Never say never. Dafoe elaborated on his idea to GQ in an interview last year. “There is something interesting about, like, if there was a Joker imposter,” the actor told the magazine. “So it would be possible to have not dueling Jokers, but someone that [claims] to be the Joker that isn’t the Joker. And that kind of opens up the possibility of an interesting story, particularly if you had Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker and then you had someone who was either imitating or riffing off what he did. I fantasized about that. But other than that I am not talking to anybody [about it]. You’re the first one.”

So, yes, Dafoe has an intriguing idea on how he could play the Joker someday, but it’s not as if he’s truly floated the idea to Warner Bros. But maybe Phillips will take Dafoe up on his premise someday. Catch Dafoe onscreen next in the unconventional heist thriller “Inside,” fresh off its Berlinale debut, when it hits theaters on March 17.