Batman arch-enemy the Joker remains one of the most popular comic book movie characters, with audiences forever hungry for a new interpretation of the character. With director Matt Reeves' The Batman on the cinematic horizon, all eyes are on who will eventually be cast as the Clown Prince of Crime for this revamped take on Gotham's Dark Knight.
Well, these pieces of fan art suggests an actor who already has some experience in the clowning business, IT star Bill Skarsgård, who has become well-known for his performance as the shape-shifting tormenter Pennywise.
"Here is a quick edit and concept of Bill Skarsgård as a horror and a Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth inspired Joker in The Batman."
"Here is a quick edit of Bill Skarsgård as The Joker, inspired by Batman: The Animated Series and The Man Who Laughs in a potential The Batman sequel."
"Here is a quick edit and concept of Bill Skarsgård as the Joker in a potential The Batman sequel."
"A concept of Robert Pattinson as Batman and Bill Skarsgård as the Joker in The Batman."
"Here is a concept for Bill Skarsgard as the Joker in The Batman or a potential sequel.
"Here is a concept and recreation of "Tango with Evil" by Alex Ross with Bill Skarsgård as the Joker and Amanda Seyfried as Harley Quinn."
"Here is a mugshot and concept of Bill Skarsgård as The Joker."
"Here is a edit and concept of Bill Skarsgård as The Joker, inspired by Arkham Origins in a potential The Batman sequel."
The images comes to us from the social media artist William Gray, who regularly renders fan casting ideas and theories in stunning realism, allowing our collective imaginations to take form. The image sees Bill Skarsgard in familiar Joker regalia, including his signature makeup, green hair, and purple coat. The artist has taken inspiration from one of the most celebrated versions of that character, that of Batman: The Animated Series, in which the character is voiced by Mark Hamill. They have also gone back to the roots of the Joker sprinkling the look with the visage of the protagonist from The Man Who Laughs, the 1920's horror/romance that inspired the initial creation of the Joker.
Skarsgard's appearance is in stark contrast the most recent incarnations of the character, with this Joker looking quite well put-together, clean-cut almost, as opposed to the tattoo-covered Jared Leto version, or even the boldly different look of Joaquin Phoenix's Joker.
The role is certainly one that Bill Skarsgard could pull off, with the actor having already had a long career in movies and television, often portraying creepy characters. In addition to his masterfully disturbing performance as Pennywise in the IT series, he also starred in Hulu's Castle Rock where he again cast a mysterious, chilling presence. It is, of course, his experience already playing a deadly clown that put him in fans' minds in the first place, and though this may make him a painfully obvious choice, you could certainly do worse than Skarsgard suiting up as the Joker and taking on Robert Pattinson's Caped Crusader.
The Batman will introduce audiences to a much earlier version of the crime fighter than they're perhaps used to, with Matt Reeves stating that he "...just felt like well, what I'd love to do is to get a version of this Batman character where he's not yet fully formed. Where there's something to do in this context with who that guy would be in this world today and to ground him in all of these broken ways. Because at the end of the day, this guy is doing all of this to deal with trauma in his past."
The movie is being directed by Matt Reeves, who wrote the screenplay with Mattson Tomlin. It stars Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne / Batman, with Zoë Kravitz, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright, John Turturro, Peter Sarsgaard, Jayme Lawson, Andy Serkis, and Colin Farrell rounding out the ensemble cast.
The Batman is currently expected to arrive in theaters on October 1st, 2021. This comes to us from the official instagram William Gray.