After seeing the two killing it on screen together in The Lighthouse, many fans are calling for Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe to reunite as Batman and the Joker in The Batman. For quite a while, Dafoe's name has come up often with DC fans discussing dream casting options for the Joker, and he has been depicted in the role many times with fan art. Now that Pattinson will be playing the next Batman, however, the idea of Dafoe playing the next Joker is once again picking up steam, as fans feel the Lighthouse reunion makes the casting that much more perfect.

As of now, there's no indication that the Clown Prince of Crime will even make an appearance in The Batman. With so many villains already confirmed to appear in the upcoming movie, bringing in the Joker at this point might be just a bit too much. Still, if the movie turns out well, there's a good chance Pattinson's Dark Knight will go on to face some of Gotham City's other most ruthless villains - including the Joker. Perhaps they can tease his appearance in a sequel with a post-credit scene. If they do, fans of The Lighthouse are going to be stoked if it turns out to be Dafoe.

Oddly enough, Willem Dafoe was in consideration to play the Joker at least once before. According to Dafoe, he was told by Batman '89 screenwriter Sam Hamm that his name had come up as a possible option as he had the right look for it. However, perhaps because Burton already had his sights set on Jack Nicholson, Dafoe never actually met with Burton to speak about the role or audition for it. "Hamm said something about how physi­cally I would be perfect for the part, but they never offered it to me," Dafoe revealed in an interview earlier this month.

Don't bet on seeing Willem Dafoe as the Joker in The Batman, but Pattinson's Batman will still have his hands pretty full in the movie. Confirmed to appear as villains are Colin Farrell as Oswald "Penguin" Cobblepot, Paul Dano as the Riddler, and Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman. Lending Batman a hand will be Jeffrey Wright as Commissioner James Gordon and Andy Serkis as Wayne Manor butler Alfred Pennyworth. Peter Sarsgaard and Jayme Lawson will also appear in the movie as a district attorney and a political candidate running for office in Gotham, respectively. A few other familiar characters from Batman lore just might appear as well.

Matt Reeves' The Batman is set to premiere in theaters on June 25, 2021. As we've seen with The Lighthouse, Pattinson has proven himself to be a fine actor and should do great in the movie, even if Dafoe probably won't be there as well as the Clown Prince of Crime. But that's not going to stop some of Dafoe's fans from keeping their fingers crossed. You can take a look at some of the tweets urging for Dafoe to play the Joker in The Batman or a potential sequel below.