Warner Bros. has greenlit a standalone Joker origin film which will star Joaquin Phoenix. Another Joker standalone with Jared Leto in the lead is already in the works. Phoenix’s film has been given the moderate budget range of 55 million dollars.

The Joker is back once again to send the streets of Gotham into chaos. This time, the psychopath with the warped sense of humour is set to be played by Joaquin Phoenix. The actor is known most significantly for starring in Gladiator and Her.

According to Variety, Warner Bros. has given the go-ahead for its production to start in September, immediately after establishing a deal with Phoenix. The budget of this film is set around 55 million dollars, which as far as a superhero, or in this case, a supervillain movie goes, is somewhat average.

This movie is rumoured to explore the Jester of Genocide’s origin story with Philips from the Hangover franchise helming the project as co-writer and director. Scott Silver will also be joining him as the co-writer. Emma Tillinger Koskoff is on board for producing the film with Richard Baratta taking up the role of the executive producer.

According to reports, the movie will follow a much more gritty path and delve into how the Joker became the maniacal criminal mastermind he is now known to be. The story is going to be set in the 80’s and will follow more of a criminal drama route than seen in the comics. It is said that the film will be much more “darker and more experimental in tone and content.”

The announcement of this movie has left fans in a frenzy of sorts, and not necessarily the good kind. With a standalone movie on the Jester with Jared Leto in the lead already on the cards, another one seems to be a bit of an overkill. Fans of the DC Universe are getting a bit tired of the continuous on-screen portrayal of the maniac with a method.

Since The Dark Night trilogy, everyone talks about the iconic universe that Christopher Nolan managed to create. Out of all the actors who have donned the role of the Batman’s arch-enemy, Heath Ledger seems to remain throned as a fan-favourite Clown Prince of Crime.