Joaquin Phoenix Joker Batman Todd Phillips

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Joaquin Phoenix addressed social media buzz about possibly becoming the next actor to play The Joker, telling Fandango Monday that he’s not averse to jumping into the world of comic book movies… if the conditions are right.

“I see it as any other movie,” Phoenix told Fandango. “I wouldn’t say… ‘I won’t do Westerns.’ It depends on what it is. I don’t really care about the genre, I care about the character and the filmmaker. If you have the ability to transcend the genre, then that’s what you want to do. So I wouldn’t say, hands down, no – I wouldn’t do that kind of movie.”

Also Read: 'Joker' Origin Film to Portray Batman Villain as Failed '80s Comedian (Exclusive)

Talk surrounding Phoenix and The Joker kicked up two months ago when reports surfaced that he had signed on for the role in an upcoming solo film about the origins of Gotham City’s Clown Prince of Crime. Phoenix later denied that he had signed for the role, but did quip that the idea “sounds amazing.”

Whether or not Phoenix does end up in the lead role, insiders have told TheWrap’s Umberto Gonzalez that the Joker film — which will be directed by Todd Phillips (“The Hangover”) — will portray character as a failed ’80s comedian, who turned into Batman’s infamous nemesis after bombing with audiences.

Also Read: Tommy Wiseau Wants to Be the Next Joker

The premise is inspired by “The Killing Joke,” Alan Moore’s famed Batman story that was one of the first to give Joker an origin story, and by Martin Scorsese’s 1982 dark satire “The King of Comedy,” which stars Robert De Niro as a delusional comedian who stalks and kidnaps famed talk show host Jerry Langford (played by Jerry Lewis) in the hopes of getting his big break. Scorsese is attached to The Joker project as a producer.

Insiders tell TheWrap that the project is aiming for a production start this summer or fall, but could be further delays for script rewrites.

Phoenix, meanwhile, can next be seen in Gus Van Sant’s latest film, “Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot,” which premiered at Sundance this year and will be released by Amazon Studios on July 13.

11 DC Comics Superheroes and Villains Who Deserve R-Rated Movies (Photos)

With R-rated films like "Logan" brutalizing the box office, an insider tells TheWrap that DC Films would "100 percent" make R-rated superhero movies with the right characters. Here are a few suggestions for characters dark enough to demand an R rating.
1. Justice League Dark

Warner Bros. Animation and DC Entertainment released a successful R-rated "Justice League Dark" animated movie, and there's no reason they can't do the same in live action.
DC Comics
2. Suicide Squad 2

The first "Suicide Squad" focused on hardened criminals, but they kept things PG-13. They could do a lot more damage with an R rating.
Warner Bros.
3. Deadshot

Warner Bros. is looking to spin off Will Smith's hardened "Suicide Squad" character. An R-rating would make a lot of sense, given that he's a professional assassin.
Warner Bros.
4. Gotham City Sirens

Warners is also looking to spin off Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn character from "Suicide Squad." We all know the streets of Gotham are deadly enough to deserve an R rating.
DC Comics
5. Lobo

A film about DC's badass alien bounty hunter Lobo is in development, with Jason Fuchs developing a screenplay. An alien can't be expected to abide by MPAA standards.
DC Comics
6. Black Adam

Dwayne Johnson is attached to star as outlaw "Black Adam" for New Line. In the comics, Black Adam rules his own nation — the fictional Middle Eastern country Kahndaq — as a beloved, if violent, dictator. R territory for sure.
DC Comics
7. Nightwing

Bruce Wayne's former ward Dick Grayson set off on his own in the comics, and is expected to get his own movie as well in "Nightwing." R is for Robin.
DC Comics
8. Red Hood

If DC Films is making a "Nightwing" movie, how about focusing on another Bat-underling? Ex-Robin Jason Todd came back from the dead to avenge his killing as Red Hood, and a PG-13 probably can't contain all his rage.
DC Comics
9. Arkham Asylum

The video game series featuring all of Gotham City's craziest villains could easily lend itself to a film in the vein of David Fincher's "Seven."
DC Comics
10. Deathstroke

DC Comics assassin Deathstroke is the villain in the upcoming "The Batman," and if he merits a spinoff, it would be hard to imagine it as anything but an R movie.
DC Comics
11. The Batman

Making "The Batman" R-rated would send a signal that DC Films isn't messing around. In the "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" Ultimate Edition, Batman was at his most Frank Miller violent and brutal.
Warner Bros.
If you like this gallery, check out this list of the 14 Biggest Superhero Movies Opening in 2017, From ‘Power Rangers’ to ‘Wonder Woman’ (Photos)

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An insider tells TheWrap that DC Films would ‘100 percent’ make R-rated superhero movies with the right characters — here are few that would be perfect

With R-rated films like "Logan" brutalizing the box office, an insider tells TheWrap that DC Films would "100 percent" make R-rated superhero movies with the right characters. Here are a few suggestions for characters dark enough to demand an R rating.

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