Willem Dafoe is up for appearing in a Joker movie, even if he's not technically the Clown Prince of Crime. For years, many Dafoe fans have lobbied for the acclaimed actor to play the Joker in a DC-based movie. The rumors have led to Dafoe weighing in on the possibility in a new interview with GQ, and as the Spider-Man: No Way Home star explains, he'd love to co-star with Joaquin Phoenix in a new movie about an imposter trying to take over the Joker's identity.

“There is something interesting about, like, if there was a Joker imposter. So it would be possible to have not dueling Jokers but someone that says to be the Joker that isn't the Joker. And that kind of opens up the possibility of an interesting story, particularly if you had Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker, and then you had someone who was either imitating or riffing off what he did. I fantasized about that. But other than that I am not talking to anybody [about it], you're the first one.”

Because Bruce Wayne is still so young in the Joker universe, it's going to be a while, if ever, before the Arthur Fleck Joker ever meets Batman. Even so, a sequel could be interesting with the right foil in place for this version of the character. A Joker imposter could provide a spin that will help the sequel stand out on its own, as the first film is so highly regarded and the rumored follow-up film runs the risk of feeling like a rehash if it doesn't go into a new direction.

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Warner Bros.

Todd Phillips directed Joker using a screenplay co-written with Scott Silver. The film serves as an origin story for Batman's greatest foe, following Joaquin Phoenix as a failed party clown who becomes Gotham's most notorious criminal. Its ending was ambiguous, which sort of leaves the door open for a sequel while also serving as a fitting end for the first movie even if no sequel is ever made.

With that all being said, Warner Bros. took notice of the mountains of money raked in by Joker's theatrical release. There have been reports of the studio having talks with Phillips about doing Joker 2, but the project has yet to get an official announcement. The hold-up might depend upon coming up with the right story that would justify making a second Joker. Maybe Dafoe's idea will get Phillips thinking and we could end up seeing him enter the fray as a wannabe Joker as well.

Time will tell if Joker 2 truly comes to be. Who knows if Dafoe's idea ends up becoming a part of it, but in the meantime, fans can check out his latest performance as a supervillain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After previously appearing as Green Goblin in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy, Dafoe reprised the role for the new film Spider-Man: No Way Home. That movie is still playing in theaters with many fans saying it's one of Dafoe's best performances yet.