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While speaking to GQ recently, Spider-Man: No Way Home star Willem Dafoe revealed his interest in portraying The Joker's version and Joaquin Phoenix in the rumored sequel. The actor gave an interesting idea about the potential Joker 2, which has been rumored to be in the ideation stage at Warner Bros.
Willem conceptualized an idea where he said,
"If there was a Joker imposter. So it would be possible to have not duelling Jokers but someone that [claims] to be the Joker that isn't the Joker."
He further added that he "fantasized" about portraying a version of the character imitating Joaquin Phoenix's original Joker in a film. Dafoe said he had not pitched the idea to anyone before this interview.
DC fans are ecstatic over Willem Dafoe's interest in playing the Joker
The four-time Oscar-nominated actor has already portrayed Spider-Man villain Green Goblin in two films. Willem Dafoe has been the fan-favorite choice to portray the "clown prince of crime" in live-action. After he reprised Green Goblin/ Norman Osborn in Spider-Man: No Way Home, fans reiterated their wishes for him to play the Joker.
Several concept arts of Dafoe as the "Jester of Genocide" have been making rounds on the internet ever since Heath Ledger portrayed the character and tragically passed away.
Why Willem Dafoe's idea about a potential Joker sequel makes perfect sense
Dafoe told GQ,
"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."
The 66-year-old actor's idea of a Joker copycat will allow him and Phoenix to be in a potential film opposite each other. This possible storyline may also end up with both versions teaming up.
A similar idea was established in a 2020 comic trilogy, Batman: Three Jokers, which explored the Joker's possibility of being three different individuals.
Previously, some fans wanted Willem Dafoe to portray the Joker in Matt Reeves' The Batman sequels, opposite Robert Pattinson's Batman/Bruce Wayne. However, Eternals star Barry Keoghan was rumored to be in talks for the role. Later, the actor's brother tweeted that the rumors were true before deleting the tweet.
If the rumors are true, Willem Dafoe's concept regarding a "Joker imposter" is an excellent way to cast the actor in the role of Joker. Dafoe could also potentially replace Jared Leto's Joker in the DCEU. The cinematic universe will be softly rebooted with the upcoming Flash movie, which will feature the event known as Flashpoint.
