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3 Things We Know About The DCEU’s Batman/Joker Plans

Is Warner’s Bros.’ DCEU Just Trolling Us, Or Do They Actually Have a Winning Strategy?

Dominic Altier
Aug 24, 2017 · 7 min read
courtesy DC Comics

Lately, it seems like the joke may have been on us regarding the Warner Bros./DCEU movie plans. We’ve heard about movie release dates that don’t come to fruition (Shazam/Black Adam), multiple directors and script changes (Flash, Batman), massive reshoots and editing (Suicide Squad)… and then Wonder Woman happened. This movie was so good I found myself blissfully forgetting about the previous potential DCEU missteps, and beginning to look forward to the next phase of the DCEU; if only they could keep that momentum moving forward without other release distractions. The news that has come from Warner Bros. this week has been a bit of a head scratcher for me, and I’m a little conflicted about the recent direction they are taking. Reactions have been a bit mixed, and some are a little confused as to what this all means, but fear not; I’m here to break it all down and hopefully sort it all out for you. Here are the three big takeaways from this weeks DC news.

1. The Batman Will Be A Stand Alone Film Completely Separate from the DCEU*

In an interview with director Matt Reeves about the success of his film, War for the Planet of the Apes, Reeves had the following to say about his upcoming Batman film, “What they said was, ‘Look, it’s a standalone, it’s not part of the extended universe.’” Reeves also went on to state that Warner Bros. was very interested in his personal take on the Batman and that it could potentially spark a trilogy of films. This news released on the heels of rumors that Ben Affleck could be vacating the role of Batman as early as this Fall’s Justice League movie. This move would make sense, after all, why start an entirely different unrelated take on Batman but keep the same actor?

courtesy DC Comics

This news does not bother me all that much. I know many people on the interwebs have been disappointed and upset about the idea of a Batman movie(s) that exist outside of the extended universe of DC movies, and I get that, but a Batman take coming from Matt Reeves is something that that is interesting. For starters he’s no slouch; The Apes trilogy that just wrapped up is being hailed by some as one of the best trilogies of all-time, putting it into discussions with classics like the Lord of the Rings, and the Dark Knight Trilogy. We’ve also heard that this movie will be more of a detective film, following Batman as he is solving a mystery; putting pieces together that lead him to his villain. I think this is an exciting take on the Batman story and one we haven’t seen on film to date. As I said earlier, I completely understand how some people could be apprehensive about this. This departure from the DCEU could be confusing, and it could be convoluted, and it might just be a bad movie too, but I like the risk they are taking with this idea, and hopefully, it pays off because, in the end, all we really want is a great movie right?

2. There Is A Scorsese Led Joker Origin Story In The Works

courtesy of the LA Times

The Scorsese backed (he’s producing) Joker Origin story will be a gritty crime story set in the ’80’s that will have a similar feel to Taxi Driver and Raging Bull. This take on the Joker is going to be written by Todd Phillips (The Hangover) and Scott Silver (8 Mile), Phillips will direct with him and Scorsese producing. This movie, very much like the Batman movie above, will have no connection to any other DC movie, but will be a stand alone film that won’t feel like a comic movie at all, but rather focus on being a grounded crime movie. This Joker origin is in the early stages of development, with Phillips and Silver just beginning to write the script and no date set for a release.

I have to admit I’m split on this one. On the one hand, this is a Scorsese take on THE JOKER. Who the hell ever thought we’d be talking about that happening?! He is one of the most iconic filmmakers in history, and he’s attached to comic book movie; we live in a truly beautiful time. On the other hand, one of the things that make the Joker such iconic character is that he doesn’t have an origin story. His origin has been written, retconned, and rewritten to a point where how the character began has never been confirmed. The writers of the Batman comics have even had some fun with this by making it so that the Joker himself is in on the ‘joke’; making up multiple stories about his origin. That mystique is one of the elements I’ve loved about the Joker; it makes him more like the boogie man; a terrifying presence only here to watch the world burn. I don’t know if having his origin mapped out is something that will work; it might be amazing, but it’s a gamble.

Another interesting item to note is that this movie will also be a one off film not connected to the greater DCEU. Honestly, I’m better with this film being a stand alone movie than I am with the Batman movie because they have a real opportunity here. If they are steering this origin film to be like Taxi Driver or Raging Bull, then I want it to go fucking full speed ahead and be elevated to a level where this is a film, not just another building block in a comic book movie universe. I want this to be full tilt on par with Gangs of New York; give me the 1–2 punch of violent action and a true-to-life story. It has to leave all the comic tropes behind and elevate the genre. The beautiful thing about it being a one off is that since it is a gamble if the Joker origin movie isn’t well received we aren’t locked in to this being the Joker for the next 5–10 years. I say let’s see what happens.

3. There Is a Joker/Harley Quinn Movie In Production Starring Jared Leto and Margot Robbie

What? That is right; it was confirmed yesterday that a Joker/Harley Quinn movie is also in the works and that it is in the DCEU. This is about the time I was wondering if Warner Bros. was epic-ly trolling us all. Glenn Ficarra and John Requa (This Is Us, Crazy Stupid Love) are in final negotiations to write and direct a movie centering on these two iconic Batman villains. Right about now you might be saying something like ‘what the fuck, two different Jokers?’ It’s going to be okay. Being described as a criminal love story, or a twisted take on When Harry Met Sally, this movie is said to be being fast-tracked and is expected to come out sometime after the Suicide Squad sequel.

courtesy Warner Bros. Studios

Although it does seem odd to have two Joker-centric movies happening at the same time, I am looking forward to seeing the Joker and Harley Quinn together again. They were by far the best part of Suicide Squad, and I’d be interested in another movie that focuses only on them. It remains to be seen what part Batman will play in either of these Joker takes, but I’d find it hard to believe he won’t show up in at least one of these movies. If I were a betting man, I’d think he would be more likely to show up in the Joker/Harley Quinn movie than in a stand alone Joker film.


Not much else is known about these movies at this time, but it does seem like Warner Bros. is doubling down on two separate threads in their movie making strategy. The first is following that conventional ‘Marvel’ way of world-building, and the second is to create a string of grounded stand alone movies separate from the existing universe. This is a fascinating move on their part, these new stand alone projects are very intriguing, and I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of stories they can tell in this format.

That’s how I see it guys, I hope this consolidated all the info that’s out there and helped to give you some clarity on what Warner Bros. is planning for their DC properties. What do you guys think? Is this a bad move on Warner Bros.’ part? Are you like me, and you’re looking forward to seeing what they produce? Let me know in the comments below. Also be sure to follow me on Twitter @TheWeeklyMovie, on Facebook @TheWeeklyMovies, and on Instagram @theweeklymovie. As always thanks for reading, and I’ll see you at the movies.


*This article was published prior to Matt Reeves’ Twitter statements on 8/24. According to his latest statement The Batman will fall in line with the greater DCEU. He said via his Twitter account,

So there it is, Batman is Batman and I’m still looking forward to Matt Reeves’ take on this character.

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