When talking about the DC Universe, the Joker has undoubtedly been one of the most interesting characters ever. A portrayed villain with a tragic backstory, the comic book character’s intriguing story in the comics is what enchanted them with him in the first place. And as complex a character as he is, not everyone has been able to do justice to him on the big screen.
But among those who have done justice to him and even been greatly commended for the same — like Joaquin Phoenix and the ever legend, the late Heath Ledger — Leonardo DiCaprio would have been another inclusion in the list, as can be derived from a fan art that portrays him as the perfect choice for the homicidal maniac ever.
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Leonardo DiCaprio As Joker Would Have Been Beyond Creepy
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When the 2019 masterpiece Joker was still in development and yet to bring in an actor for the titular character, Leonardo DiCaprio was among the ones highly speculated to be on his way to finally making his big screen appearance as a comic book character.
This news came after reports of filmmaker Martin Scorsese being connected with the project as well as its executive producer. But as per The Hollywood Reporter, the Taxi Driver director was only brought overboard as Warner Bros. wanted to use him for bringing DiCaprio into the DC Universe.
However, the lack of concrete evidence for the same as well as no comments from the mentioned celebrities with Martin Scorsese soon after leaving the project to focus on The Irishman only made this report go down the drain as yet another rumor that never came true.
Nonetheless, it didn’t stop fans from imagining the Titanic alum as Batman’s nemesis. And the fan art that followed is exactly what hinted that Leonardo DiCaprio would have, in fact, been as perfect of a choice for the homicidal maniac as Heath Ledger, if not better.
As per the fan art created and shared by @royy_ledger on Instagram, the Inception star was seen in the most accurate traditional look of the Clown Prince of Crime: same green hair, same white skin, same red smeared mouth, and an ever more chilling madman look in his eyes.
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Judging from his look in the fan art, had Leonardo DiCaprio actually taken on the role of Joker and graced the audiences with the same spine-chilling appearance, he would have been nothing short of winning not only another Oscar but the hearts of DCU fans worldwide as well.
How Joaquin Phoenix Ended Up As The Joker Instead
While this fan art of Leonardo DiCaprio would have unquestionably aroused all the more desire to watch The Wolf of Wall Street star in the complete character of the Ace of Knaves, that dream was instead fulfilled by Joaquin Phoenix, with director Todd Phillips claiming (via New York Times):
“We wrote the movie [Joker, 2019] for Joaquin [Phoenix].”
Despite that, it took a lot of persuading from The Hangover director’s side for almost three months, which included answering tons of Phoenix’s questions about the character as well.
Thankfully, by the end, after a scad of “fruitful disagreements” between the actor and the director, drastic weight loss (52 pounds!) on the side of Phoenix, and studying dances from famous dancers and training for the same with choreographers, Joaquin Phoenix was finally ready for Joker.
And all that hard work most certainly paid off, considering the worldwide critical acclamation along with tons of accolades including an Oscar that the Napoleon star ended up bagging for 2019’s masterpiece, Joker.
