The Joker Thread - Part 1

[Blade Hoarder]

A black actor can't play Joker! It's really important that the person behind the unrecognizable white make up and green hair is white!

 

[Fincher]

I don't think they'd avoid casting a black Joker or making him white after they did cast him. I do think there's some truth to that with other characters.

 

[Art Vandelay]

It's also worth noting that the Joker isn't some mugger, or two bit criminal. He's a grandiose, criminal mastermind. Plus, we have a black actor playing the police commissioner, and two (or more) white actors also playing criminals.

Joker also doesn't have to be perma white.

 

[AndyTrevino]

I literally can't think of a scene of Heath's where there WASN'T humor of some kind

The way he shoots his goon without looking or sheepishly walks over to the bank manager in the beginning

The magic trick/mockery of the mobsters the entire mob meeting scene

" There's only one spot open right now SO we're gonna have ... TRYOUTSSSm"

Dumping champagne out of a glass and pretending to drink it anyway

I mean the list goes on and on. I remember when my friends and I first went to see TDK they couldn't stop laughing at moments like those

But ya know . "He 2 $eriou$ , he ju$$a depre$$ed anarki$t in da kLaOwN mAyCuP, nAhT dA 1 TR00 J0KUR LOLOLOL"

Honestly, whether or not they decide to keep Leto for Matt Reeves' Batman movie or not (introduce a new version of The Joker with a new actor, etc) I just hope they make him witty and funny while still being scary i.e. Heath reading the boat speech off of a sheet of paper, Jack Nicholson singing showtunes while electrocuting a guy with his joybuzzer, Leto wearing Batman socks and flashy outfits in general and having his henchmen wear weird outfits, Joaquin dancing right after shooting Murray's corpse a second time, and let's not get into the comics because he has a TON of those.

 

[Invader Joker]

Leto is not even a possibility.

 

[Eddie Dean]

Leto will never play The Joker, in any form, in any movie, ever again.

 

[Da-Scribe]

I feel like some folks here really don't understand what whitewashing is.

 

[Rorschach2012]

I’m on board for Lakeith. I really think he might be the guy for the job.

I was watching the music video for Denzel Curry’s “Clout Cobain” and was thinking how cool it could be to have a black Joker. Also, dreads a la The Batman (2004) Joker are a must.

 

[WatchProtect]

I support Lakeith as Joker but I'd prefer hair like Lee Bermejos Joker over the dreads. I like the curly look

 

[AndyTrevino]

I feel like Nicholson had some of that class. The characterization and chubbier look just didn’t hit all the right notes. If Reeves is going to bring forth a new Joker, giving him a slick short hair look with a taste for classy clothes would be the way to go. No Leto bling bling, owning clubs though. Maybe a young Joker who feels like he’s a lost soul from a bygone era.

What frustrates me is that I feel like Leto could very easily fit that type of Joker to a T. You can kind of see it in certain scenes, but they're edited to the point of no return.

 

[shauner111]

You could do a black Joker, and now would be the time, instead of later (when you possibly have a white hero, a white Jim Gordon, a white mayor, etc etc). None of us want to see a bunch of “good white folks” trying to take down the one “evil black guy”. But if every race and gender are treated equally, like in this Reeves version. A black Mayor who wants to make a difference. A black Gordon. A white Bruce Wayne. A black Catwoman. Then it doesn’t come off unnatural. Of course, there’s always going to stupid articles written about the white hero taking down the black villain right? It could bring forth some interesting ideas but it could also come down to a simplistic “this movie is racist!”.

Maybe another solo Joker movie with Lakeith’s interpretation would be the best option?

 

[AndyTrevino]

Hopefully it's not too late for me to post, but I absolutely LOVE this scene. It's perfect for The Joker in general with the 50s-70s music, and I'm just a sucker for putting old-ish songs over dark/serious scenes for dramatic/ironic effect (like Layla in Goodfellas, In the Still of the Night in The Irishman, Baby Blue in the last episode of Breaking Bad, the guitar solo at the end of The Departed, etc).
I love how his walk transitioned into dancing, and the way the staff chased him back and forth like an old slapstick cartoon was also really cool. The big "The End" across the screen as Frank Sinatra's song ends just brings the whole scene together IMO

 

[Fincher]

I don't know Lakeith Stanfield, but I don't have a problem with a black Joker. Dreadlocks I'm not so sure about, though.

 

[AndyTrevino]

I’m on board for Lakeith. I really think he might be the guy for the job.

I was watching the music video for Denzel Curry’s “Clout Cobain” and was thinking how cool it could be to have a black Joker. Also, dreads a la The Batman (2004) Joker are a must.

Are those actually dreads? I'm just asking because that show had a super stylized aesthetic, so to me Joker's hair just looks "straight" for lack of a better term. He must use a sh*t-ton of gel to get it to stick out all over the place like that

 

[Da-Scribe]

Lakeith sporting this look, but with the clown makeup and green locs with the undercut would be dope imo.

Spoiler

 

[The Guard]

Like it's either that or...

Like, what? Make his skin extra dark/pure black? Which kinda ruins the whole thing of him being Joker?

Uh, wouldn't that result in him essentially looking like a racist caricature?

 

[emielaen]

the black around the eyes is definitely questionable, but this makeup doesn't look bad on him at all

edit: just saw someone else posted, but this is a better pic lol

 

[Boom]

Permawhite with this hairstyle (dark moss green):

And I know this was hit or miss with people when it came to Leto's Joker, but I liked the "no eyebrows" look.

Oh, and some suave ass suits.

 

[hellblazer103]

I don't have the energy to get into this. Just say you aren't interested in a black actor playing Joker and leave it at that, man. Nobody will think any less of you.

I'm cool with it. I'm just not cool with doing it just for the sake of doing it, to say "look! We did it!" And to overemphasize his race. It just seems like more or less the only reason Lakeith really wants to do it . Maybe I'm wrong, idk. I do like the idea he recently proposed of the Safdie Brothers directing a Joker film however. With a team up like that, maybe it'd work.

Lil Ze in City of God was actually extremely Jokerish, I'd actually go for that guy but I honestly have no idea if he's done English speaking roles

 

[Art Vandelay]

Lil Ze in City of God was actually extremely Jokerish, I'd actually go for that guy but I honestly have no idea if he's done English speaking roles

Dude, no joke, I almost posted a photo of him in this thread today, as an example of "black" hair I'd want for the Joker.

I don't think Leandro Da Hora speaks English, or even acts, these days.

 

[shauner111]

But that would be a great starting point for inspiration.

 

[hellblazer103]

Tbh, I love 2019 Joker, but... This might be a better Joker origin.


Actually, it IS a better one lol

 

[Blind Bat]

You could do a black Joker, and now would be the time, instead of later (when you possibly have a white hero, a white Jim Gordon, a white mayor, etc etc). None of us want to see a bunch of “good white folks” trying to take down the one “evil black guy”. But if every race and gender are treated equally, like in this Reeves version. A black Mayor who wants to make a difference. A black Gordon. A white Bruce Wayne. A black Catwoman. Then it doesn’t come off unnatural. Of course, there’s always going to stupid articles written about the white hero taking down the black villain right? It could bring forth some interesting ideas but it could also come down to a simplistic “this movie is racist!”.

Maybe another solo Joker movie with Lakeith’s interpretation would be the best option?

Anyone who would see a Lakeith Joker as the "evil black guy" being taken down by the "good white guy" is blatantly obsessed with race, imho.

My top 3 choices for Joker in this trilogy:
Rami Malek (my top choice, I think he'd be incredible)
Andrew Scott (Moriarty from the BBC Sherlock series, watching him in that I couldn't help seeing Joker)
Lakeith Stanfield (imagine seeing people wrestle with being both happy AND angry Joker is black haha)

 

[shauner111]

Not a fan of A Bug’s Life aka Rami Malek. Please no.

 

[CJ]

Yet another reason why I think the studio would shy away from it. First by race-swapping perhaps Gotham's most evil villain and making him black, then "whitewashing" him with makeup or chemical bleaching, it'd just be stepping into a minefield of potential controversy from multiple directions unnecessarily.

True, but considering this will be a rebooted Joker, who says he has to have a white face? They could give him a different look, so he is not in 'whiteface' but still keep key features like green hair and the purple tux.