Warner Bros. & DC Developing Joker Prequel Film

Holy origin story, Batman, Warner Bros. is developing a Joker prequel film!

Every hero has a story before they discovered their powers and suited up to save the world. But so does every great villain before they terrorize our beloved heroes, including Batman’s greatest enemy, The Joker. While most interpretations of the iconic Batman rogue don’t go too deep into the backstory, it appears that Warner Bros. is planning on telling the birth of the Joker on the big screen.

Deadline broke the news that the studio is in early stages of developing a Joker prequel film, from Martin Scorsese who is attached as executive producer. The screenplay is being written by Todd Phillips (The Hangover) and Scott Silver (8 Mile). Phillips is also set to helm the DC picture which would be part of a new DC related banner from Warner Bros. where it would allow the studio to launch franchises that don’t directly connect to the present franchises in the DC Extended Universe.

The prequel is reportedly set to tell a fresh new story on how this man became one of Gotham City’s most famous criminals of all time. They intend to not borrow or adapt from any established DC story, which most likely excludes the famous Killing Joke graphic novel. Jared Leto, who took on the role in Suicide Squad, would not reprise the role in this particular installment as the studio is intending to go with a younger actor to play a young version of this character.

Leto will, however, return for the Suicide Squad sequel and is now, according to Deadline, set to appear in the Gotham City Sirens film, starring Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn. The prequel is described as “a gritty and grounded hard-boiled crime story, set in Gotham City during the early-80s”. What’s interesting is that Warner Bros. is intending to not make it feel like a DC film and more like a Scorsese film, hence his involvement.

The Joker prequel marks as the fifth Batman-related picture in development, with Robbie’s Gotham City Sirens, Matt Reeves’ The Batman, Joss Whedon’s Batgirl, and Chris McKay’s Nightwing. Based on what Deadline is describing, this new DC banner would be used as a way to do one-offs, similarly to how Lucasfilm and Disney are executing the Star Wars anthology films, like Rogue One, the untitled Han Solo movie and more, where they aren’t directly tied to the present franchise.

What are your thoughts about a Joker prequel film? Let us know in the comments below and stay tuned at Nerdeek Life for all the latest on Warner Bros’ DC films!