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GOTHAM — Over the last few weeks, movie news from the DC/Warner Brothers camp has had everything to do with the upcoming “Suicide Squad” project.
If you’re unfamiliar with the property, let me sum it up by saying B-list DC villains are offered prison sentence reductions in exchange for their part in super secret missions for the U.S government. In the past, the crew has included characters like Deadshot, Poison Ivy, El Diablo and James Gordon, Jr.
Casting rumors for the chaotic team have been all over the place lately, as gossip sites drop names like Ryan Gosling, Will Smith and Tom Hardy for unspecified roles. Jared Leto was mentioned last week as a possible Joker, even though the Joker has never appeared as a squad member before. And this week, Margot Robbie was confirmed as Mr. J’s homicidal girlfriend, Harley Quinn.
If there’s any truth to the Leto news, it will be interesting to see a post-Ledger cinematic Joker. Though, like always, John Clyde and I have our picks for who we’d like to see in the role — no offense Jared, we’re sure you’d be good too.
Here are 10 actors we mostly disagree on that could play the Joker in DC’s “Suicide Squad” movie.
Travis’ list
Travis: I won’t lie to you. The idea of Tim Burton’s Batman playing Zack Snyder’s Joker makes my inner-geek giddy. Even if Keaton hadn’t played “Batsy” in the past, he’s still a pretty great choice for the clown prince of crime. He’s crazy, has a wicked grin, and would be about the right age for the retired Batman this new cinematic universe is embracing. But really, there’s that whole “who created who” theme that makes this choice too perfect for me.
John: I want to get after Travis because he wants Keaton to be a part of this new series so bad, but it's not gonna happen. With that said, I’d love to see this. It's almost too perfect to ever happen, however. Thanks for getting me thinking about it, Travis. Now there will be a void that will never be filled.
#poll1
#poll2
Crispin GloverTravis: As far as the tall, thin, absolutely insane Joker from the comics, Glover wears the character like a fine purple suit. Add to that all the rumors that Glover is actually crazy, and it makes the casting that much more inspired.
John: When Travis said this one, my brain melted a little. It seems so perfect. The dude is just strange enough to create a totally different and maniacally insane Joker. I would, however, just be waiting to hear, "What Lorainne? What?" the entire time.
Travis: Glover and Carrey are on my list for many of the same reasons. I don’t think we’ve actually seen the maniacal villain from the comics since Cesar Romero — and that guy wouldn’t shave his mustache. Carrey looks the part and has an intensity that would transfer well to the darker, quieter moments for the character. That and he really needs to redeem himself from his terrible Riddler. John: Nope. Nope. Nope.
I've got nothing against Jim Carrey, except when it comes to this role. Not OK with it. I was gaining respect for Travis' list, then this happened. Nope.
Travis: Spacey was the perfect Lex Luthor, and I’m still kind of annoyed he wasn’t given a better movie to shine in as a DC villain.
That said, we all know Spacey plays evil better than anyone. Even as an animated grasshopper, the guy terrifies me. The Joker’s bravado would be a bit bigger than Spacey’s usual villains, but deep down he’s a ham. Also, no one would question his capacity to paralyze Batgirl, murder Robin and kill Sarah Essen.
John: Spacey is an incredible actor and I agree with Travis that he killed it as Lex Luthor, but I don't see him as the Joker. Too subdued for me, and I'm just not vibing on a Spacey Joker. I have no doubt he could pull it off, but I'm just not feeling it.
Travis: You might have laughed at first, but let it sink in. Harrelson could play any version of the Joker, and he has the grin to back it up.
While it’s true he has some pretty terrible films on his resume, Harrelson is also an Academy Award nominee, and has already displayed Joker qualities in films like “Natural Born Killers.”
John: I'm all for this. His wit and dry humor could be just what the doctor ordered when it comes to the king of chaos. Harrelson may seem like an odd choice, but that's why he'd be great. The guy has proven himself as an actor and he could bring the right amount of dark humor that we'd hope for.
John’s List
John: Yes, Copley has had some misses recently, but I'm still going off of what he did in "District 9." I think Copley can bring just the right amount of crazy, humor and disturbed demeanor to create a new Joker. Copley has the ability to disappear into a character, and that's perfect for this challenging role. Travis: Yes, I liked him in “District 9,” no I don’t think he should play the Joker. Please see “The A-Team” and “Maleficent” for further evidence that I’m correct. In the right role, he’s great. The Joker is not that role.
John: Many of you may not know Walton Goggins by name, but when you see him you go, "Oh yeah. That guy."
Well, that guy can act, and he is strange enough to be Bats' arch nemesis. Goggins has a feel about him that is just a little off-putting, and I cannot think of a better compliment to pay someone who's going to take on the role of the Joker.
Travis: Left to my own devices, I would’ve never come up with Goggins. But since John brought him up, I can see it. I don’t think he’d fly off the pages as a traditional Joker, but he might actually be just what they’re looking for when it comes to the Suicide Squad. The classic clown would just be too unpredictable for the Squad’s backstory, so maybe Goggins is that middle ground they’re looking for that appeases fans and still works with “Suicide.”
John: He may be a little old for the part, but if Lex Luthor can look like a 14-year-old boy, why can't the Joker be pushing 70? Malkovich is a phenomenal actor and is bizarre enough to make us fall in love with the crazy and disturbing villain. The more I think about it, the more I want to see it. Malkovich has the off-putting smile and the dry delivery to bring a whole new level to the character we've yet to see.
Travis: Yep, I’d watch this movie. Malkovich is quite a bit older than Ben Affleck, so if we’re looking at one continual movie universe, he’d be a pretty old joker, but I’d look past that to see this happen.
John: This is almost too perfect. Yes, he was the Green Goblin, but who cares? Ben Affleck was already Dare Devil and now he's Batman. Dafoe has the perfect face and build for it and we know he can do comedy thanks to Wes Anderson films.
Dafoe is a proven screen villain and could possibly be the most effective, disturbing and delightfully creepy Joker we've ever seen.
Travis: My only problem, as John mentioned, is while I agree he could be stellar, he already played a crazed, laughing villain in that “Power Rangers” movie — I mean the first “Spider-Man” movie. So I get it. I even like it. I think I’d just rather see someone else on this list step up to bat … or to the bat. However you’d like to say that.
Tim RothJohn: Roth's career has been all over the map, but you rarely see the man play the same part twice, which means he's versatile.
Roth has the ability to lure you in and make you feel comfortable and then snap the second you get too close. I think Roth would bring a new dimension to the classic character that is both enthralling and a little terrifying. I know he's already been the Abomination, but I believe he's better suited for the Joker.
Travis: Marvel’s Abomination as DC’s Joker. Sure, I’m in. What I like about Roth is his career has been everywhere, yet he still hasn’t headlined anything defining. He’s still the kind of actor you need to name a few projects before someone says, “Oh, yeah, I know that guy.” But his resume definitely backs up a role like the Joker, and if he could grin a bit wider, I’d enjoy seeing him take a stab at the character.
Did we leave someone off or get someone totally wrong? Let us know in the comments and we’ll discuss your comments on this week’s episode of the Flix Junkies podcast.
Travis Poppleton has been covering movie news, film reviews and live events for Deseret News and KSL.com since 2010 and co-hosts the FlixJunkies podcast. You can contact him at tspoppleton@gmail.com.
About the Author: John Clyde
John has been writing about movies, news, sports and pretty much anything awesome for more than five years. John is the co-host of the Flix Junkies podcast and will always entertain you with his stories. John is an alumnus of both Utah Valley University and BYU. He, his wife and their two children call Salt Lake City home.
