'Joker' Movie: Alec Baldwin to Play Bruce Wayne's Father

THR ^ | 8-27-18 | Borys Kit

[dynachrome]

Baldwin is the latest high-profile actor to join the project, which is scheduled to begin shooting in two weeks. Robert De Niro, Deadpool 2 breakout Zazie Beetz and Glow actor Marc Maron are already on the call sheet.

Phoenix is set to portray the DC Comics villain in a film that is more moderately budgeted and darker than the studio’s other DC-based movies that make up its shared universe. The project is also described as more of a dark character study than a crime thriller, with Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy as the tonal watchwords.

Baldwin has been tapped for the role of Thomas Wayne, who in Batman lore is the father of Bruce Wayne, the future caped crusader.

But this being a movie project that will veer off-center from the traditional Batman canon, sources say the script paints Thomas Wayne as a cheesy and tanned businessman who is more in the mold of a 1980s Donald Trump.

[mowowie]

nice lineup

talk about alienating half of your potential customer base before shooting even starts...

[a fool in paradise]

The Marvel characters have no alter egos like in the comics. They are superheoes 24-7 in or out of costume. That wasn’t marvel comics. Marvel comics were a lot of soap opera.

[clearcarbon]

"the script paints Thomas Wayne (baldwin) as a cheesy and tanned businessman who is more in the mold of a 1980s Donald Trump.’"

[dynachrome]

And one Batman rerun, me and a buddy got a real laugh out of was some sort of beach episode where Joker and Batman were surfing. Alan Hale (”The Skipper”) played a counterman at the diner whose name was “Gilligan” LOL.

[RetiredTexasVet]

I’m sure they will add Hollywood twists like Batman’s father transitioning into his mother and Bruce marrying Batboy in a Las Vegas quickie wedding.

[dynachrome]

heh. You’ve heard the rumors about Batman and Robin?

See National Enquirer for Batboy.

[Caipirabob]

Lol! Yes...The “Bat nipples”. Singlehandedly responsible for turning the batman outfit from a vision of dread into a gimp-suit.

[BenLurkin]

[rktman]

Does assclown Baldwin die in the movie? Or for real? If not, no point in seeing it. Well, no point seeing it anyway.

[WKUHilltopper]

A better role for Baldwin would be to play batman’s turd.

[BenLurkin]

[Cvengr]

I always liked Caesar Romero as the Joker, but I have to admit, Keith Ledger played a great role.

[NurdlyPeon]

What Marvel has gotten right, and Warner has gotten wrong from the beginning is that Marvel puts its comic books on the screen. Warner makes crappy modern movies using its comic book characters as licensed properties.

Thank you. I have never heard the issue summed up and expressed so succinctly and so insightfully.

[Flaming Conservative]

I loved the Christian Bale Batman movies; didn’t see the newer ones. Ben Affleck as Batman? Uh...no. The earlier versions were too campy for my tastes, and I will NOT be watching whatever this newest incarnation is, if for no other reason, than Robert De Niro being in it. The man is despicable. Ditto Alex Baldwin.

[P.O.E.]

Alec Baldwin is a big load.

[vigilence]

Perfect,my real life clowns portraying comic book characters.

[YogicCowboy]

Basically agree.

I think that Marvel is going to lose that in inverse proportion to the SJW narratives taking hold.

I am not looking forward to Phase IV.

[EdnaMode]

De Niro AND Baldwin in the same movie. Pass.

[Dr. Sivana]

The Marvel characters have no alter egos like in the comics. They are superheroes 24-7 in or out of costume. That wasn’t marvel comics. Marvel comics were a lot of soap opera.

The first two iterations of Spiderman were soap opera enough. I didn't see the third one. Thor is a special case (no real secret identity), as would Sub-Mariner if he ever got a movie. Ant-Man played a lot with the alter ego back story, but I never read his comic book, so I can't compare, especially this really seems to be Ant Man II. Avengers wouldn't have time for the alter ego stuff. I didn't see Iron Man.

Actually, I grew up reading DC and Fawcett comics, finding the Marvel stuff dreary by comparison. So I am more of an expert of what Warner got wrong than on what Marvel got right. I only knew that when I watched Spiderman and to a lesser degree Thor and Captain America, I felt like I was watching a comic book turned into a movie, which is what a comic book lover wants. What I could stomach of watching the Superman movies made me feel like I was watching a movie with characters based on Superman. The 1966 Batman movie (pre-Warner) had a similar problem, but at least they had fun with it. But Mario Puzo couldn't even get past one lousy movie without violating the bedrock DC principal that you cannot change the past.

[BillyBoy]

>> Well, the murder of Bruce Wayne’s parents was a defining factor in his decision to become the Bat Man, so as long as the scene is in there, it will be worth watching. <<

Yeah, I don't think audiences are familiar with this event after the first 4,347 times they showed it on screen. We definitely need to see his origin story yet again. I think it's been a whole 2 weeks now since the last time they depicted that in a TV show or movie.