Warner Bros. is continuing to develop their DC film slate in the most interesting of ways. In addition to the number of DCEU films currently in development, they have launched a new series of films that are not set in the DCEU. These standalone films will be much darker takes on the characters involved. And it all starts with an untitled Joker origins film.

Written and directed by Todd Phillips, the film will be separate from the other DCEU films. The project was first announced late last summer. Jared Leto is still signed on to play the Clown Prince of Crime, having first appeared in Suicide Squad, and is expected to reprise his role in the Joker and Harley Quinn spinoff and other DCEU related titles. However, the plan for this movie was to cast someone else in the role. And now it looks like the director has found his actor. According to new reports, Joaquin Phoenix is close to inking a deal that will see him become the Joker.

“You had my curiosity, but now you have my attention.” That Leonardo DiCaprio quote could be applied to the Joker origins film we found out about recently. When it was announced, I was curious at how a film that is separate from the DCEU could work. And did anyone really need a Joker film.

But now comes word that Warner Bros. is actually looking at DiCaprio to potentially fill the lead role. Considering that Martin Scorsese is producing, and the actor has appeared in five of his films, this couldn’t be a more perfect pairing. More on the story below.

I sure hope you like the Joker and Harley Quinn, geeks. Because a whole lot of them are incoming. We first saw the Batman villains together in Suicide Squad, played by Jared Leto and Margot Robbie. The actors will also be reprising the roles in the upcoming Suicide Squad 2 and Gotham City Sirens. On top of all of that, we just found out two days ago that a Joker origins movie separate from the established DC extended universe is being developed. That project, however, will cast someone new to play the diabolical prankster.

Now comes word of a new project in the works. The movie, which doesn’t have a title yet, will focus on the Joker and Harley Quinn characters, with Leto and Robbie due to play them here as well.

The origin of the Joker has always been a bit ambiguous, but the common basis of his ascension to become the clown prince of crime is that he fell into a vat of acid that bleached his skin pure white, dyed his hair green, his lips were colored ruby red. Of course, because there is no definitive story, everyone has a different interpretation. And now it looks like Warner Bros. wants to tell that story on the big screen by giving the Joker his own origins film.

Various reports confirm WB and DC are in the early stages of developing a Joker origins story. The Wolf of Wall Street‘s Martin Scorsese will be one of the film’s producers, while The Hangover‘s Todd Phillips is in talks to direct and co-write the script with 8 Mile‘s Scott Silver. More on the story below.

For the most part, WB’s animated take on DC heroes has had PG-13 tones, but the upcoming adaptation of Batman: The Killing Joke will receive an R-rating. Based on the Alan Moore and Brian Bolland‘s famous comic book storyline of the same name, the animated direct-to-video feature will be close to its source and have voice actors Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill reprising their roles as Batman and The Joker, respectively.

Now a new trailer has appeared showing us just how close the animated feature will be to its storyline. Check it out below.