According to The Hollywood Reporter, Alec Baldwin has been tapped to join the star-studded cast of the stand-alone Joker film. Baldwin is expected to play Batman’s father Thomas Wayne, who is characterized by THR as a "cheesy and tanned businessman who is more in the mold of a 1980s Donald Trump." If that character description serves true, then Baldwin is the perfect person for the job.
After spending the last two years on and off impersonating Trump on popular sketch TV show Saturday Night Live, Baldwin has essentially mastered his portrayal of the man behind the book The Art of the Deal. Baldwin received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 2017 for his impersonation of The Donald.
Joker, which has been described as "more of a dark character study than a crime thriller," is slated for an Oct. 2019 release, and features a cast that includes Joaquin Phoenix playing the titular role, along with Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy, Robert De Niro, and Marc Maron. Beetz has been rumored to be assuming the role of Joker’s partner (and/or partner in crime) while De Niro is reportedly taking on the character of Murray Franklin, a talk show host who is "instrumental in the Joker’s origin." However, neither one of these designations have been confirmed.
Joker will be directed by Todd Phillips, who is known for getting behind the camera for The Hangover trilogy and Old School. The script has been co-written by Phillips and Scott Silver.
