WB's chances of landing Leonardo DiCaprio as the 'Joker' are slim to none
Somehow, the internet found a way to state otherwise....
We've all played the game where you sit in a circle with a dozen or so people, the first person kicks it off whispering a sentence to the person sitting next to them, and the same sentence is to be whispered down the line until it reaches the last person. The game's reveal comes when the last person declares in front of the entire group what was whispered to them. The rub? The declaration is unlike anything close to the original sentence.
So let's play the game. A few days ago The Hollywood Reporter's piece titled: "Warner Bros. Wants Class, Cachet and Maybe Leonardo DiCaprio" further detailed the studio's intentions of bringing legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese as a producer for the Joker spinoff with a two-fold claim - one, to legitimize the studio's contributions to the genre (I can sorta buy that) and two, to lure long-time collaborator, Leonardo DiCaprio "into the world of comic-book movies".
Here's THR's angle:
"Sources say Warners will make an ambitious attempt to use Scorsese to bring Leonardo DiCaprio into the world of comic-book movies. Certainly, Scorsese’s involvement in The Joker film, which The Hangover filmmaker Todd Phillips would direct, could elevate and diversify the studio's contributions to the genre, creating the potential to make awards-worthy films such as Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight trilogy."
Legit question - How exactly does a powerhouse studio such as Warner Bros. "use" a well-respected artist such as Scorsese to lure DiCaprio? Don't answer that. Before the hype machine could go any further, THR quickly tempered the possibilities "There's no offer for DiCaprio, and sources say Scorsese's deal to produce isn't even done yet. The chances of landing DiCaprio could be slim to none." End of story right?
All it took was the mention of Leonardo DiCaprio and social media blew the doors right off the hype train:
- Leonardo DiCaprio emerges as the frontrunner to play the Joker
- Will Leonardo DiCaprio give the greenlight to Joker movie?
- Leonardo DiCaprio emerges as early frontrunner to play The Joker in new Martin Scorsese-produced film
- Martin Scorsese produced Joker movie wants Leonardo DiCaprio to Star
Let's back up for a second. One, there is no deal in place for Scorsese and two, an insider claiming the desire for the Studio to land a name actor such as DiCaprio has no merit. But I get it and in some respects we're all guilty of contributing to the current zeitgeist fueled by click-thru's, likes, favs, and RTs.
Above all else, perhaps we should concern ourselves with Warner Bros. and DC's ability to pull off two Joker films in separate universes, portrayed by resident Joker, Jared Leto (whom was apparently "caught off guard" by news of WB's plan - so are we) and possibly the king of the world?
So in the spirit of the whisper game, we started with "Warner Bros. Wants Class, Cachet and Maybe Leonardo DiCaprio" and some how ended with "Warner Bros. is going to cast Leonardo DiCaprio in Martin Scorsese's Joker spinoff." Somewhere Fabrizio is no longer smiling aboard the Titanic.
