DC's Joker Origin Film Eyeing Robert De Niro For Supporting Role

A new batch of character descriptions for the Joker origin movie have reportedly surfaced—along with news that Robert De Niro is being eyed for a part. Despite the mixed reception Jared Leto's Joker got in Suicide Squad, everyone was still shocked when it was announced DC was working on a separate film involving the Crown Prince of Crime that would tell his origin and recast the role. Even more shocking was the reveal that Todd Phillips of the Hangover franchise would be writing and directing, while veteran filmmaker Martin Scorsese would wade into the comic book waters and produce.

The Joker origin movie will start filming this fall according to multiple reports, so we'll know a lot more before long. The onset of reveals should also confirm whether Joaquin Phoenix is truly playing the title role, adding to the already surreal production. With so much of the DC film slate up in the air, the fact that this unprecedented project is moving forward is certainly intriguing. And now, another interesting wrinkle has been added.

That Hashtag Show is reporting that Robert De Niro is being eyed for a supporting role in the Joker origin movie. Their sources were able to pass them multiple character descriptions, with it appearing a slew of new players will be invented for the film. De Niro is being considered for the role of Murray Franklin, with the only information known that the role will be 'Male (65-75) Caucasian.' There's no telling if De Niro is even interested in a film like this, but the involvement of Phoenix and long-time collaborator Scorsese will certainly sweeten the deal. Check out the rest of the character descriptions below:

Penny: Supporting female (60-74), Caucasian. Lower class, very attractive in her younger days, still feels that way about herself. But recently her health has started failing, and she's nearly bedridden in her Lower East Side apartment which she shares with her grown son who just moved back home. She's obsessed with her former employer and can't believe that this is what her life has come to, that she has ended up here, like this.

Sophie Dumond: Supporting female (27-34), to play African American or to play Latina. Not beautiful, has a hardness to her, a single mother living on the Lower East Side, doing the best she can, trying to make ends meet; worn out by the grind of the city. She understands how the system is stacked against her and the people in her community, how unjust it all is for them. She's just trying to catch a break.

Randall: Supporting male (40-59), Caucasian. Thinks he's the wisest and most knowledgeable person in any room he's in, tries to present himself as a mentor to everybody, but is really just looking out for himself, burly.

Gary: Supporting male (30-49), any ethnicity to play a dwarf. Randall's best friend, he's good-natured and a buddy to his colleagues at work, one of the only decent people in the whole movie.

Hoyt Vaughn: Supporting male (50-69), any ethnicity. The old-school manager of hotel staff. He's seen it all, and finds it difficult to give a shit about much of anything anymore.

Detective Garrity: Supporting male (50-59), any ethnicity. Police Detective in a city on the brink; a by-the-book cop, worn down by all his years on the force. He doesn't care about or take into consideration any of the societal or political ramifications of his cases.

Detective Burke: Supporting male (30-39), any ethnicity. A Police Detective and Garrity's partner; he's an asshole, who gets off by being in a position of authority. Being a cop is how he defines himself.

It's possible that the names used could be to obscure who they really are, a common practice in superhero movies. But THS has been told that the new film will not only exist outside of the DCEU, but won't be particularly tied to the comics either. The Joker has had a mysterious and changing origin across mediums, so there's certainly plenty of room to reinvent him on the big screen. What's more, but it looks as if DC and Warner Bros. are attempting a more grounded and less fantastical story, meaning familiar comic book characters may not be in the mix.

We've heard that a new label called DC Dark or DC Black could be used for the Joker origin movie, which would be the first in a proposed line of new projects set in their own continuity. The names, of course, seem to imply the long-gestating Justice League Dark could also be a part of this universe, as it's been said it will exist separate from the DCEU. The line of films could also all be standalones, avoiding the challenging feat of world-building that's alluding the DCEU since it began. Whatever the case may be, it sounds as if we'll learn a lot more about the new Joker film before long.