Rumors Are Swirling Around the Possibility That Johnny Depp Will Be Cast as the Joker

At this point in his career, Johnny Depp has been a huge part of several franchises. He’s the lead character in the Pirates of the Caribbean series, and he also plays the main antagonist in the Harry Potter prequel franchise Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Now, rumors have begun circulating about Johnny joining another major franchise.

Is the actor joining the DC universe? Rumor has it, there may be a new Joker in town. 

Johnny has long been one of the most successful actors on the planet, but he has yet to take on a role that involves a major comic book character. That could all change, as new reports suggest Warner Bros. is considering hiring him to play the Joker. According to We Got This Covered, the studio has started looking for actors to play the famous Batman villain in a sequel to the Robert Pattinson-led The Batman, which will hit theaters in 2021. 

Johnny is reportedly one of the prime candidates for the part. We Got This Covered suggested that the actor would be a natural fit for the “eccentric Joker,” which makes sense given some of Johnny’s past roles. 

Although plenty of actors have taken on the role of the Joker throughout the character’s time on the big screen, the 56-year-old would certainly be among the more high profile actors to take on the job. In the past, the role has been played by Jack Nicholson, as well as Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix in performances that won both men Oscars. 

If Johnny were to take the part in an eventual sequel to The Batman, he wouldn’t necessarily be stepping in for any other actor. While Jared Leto had played the part in Suicide Squad, it seems unlikely that Warner Bros. will ever use him again for another film. As for Joaquin, his film was intentionally disconnected from the rest of the DC universe and set years before the present. 

Although Johnny may be cast an eventual sequel to The Batman, the first movie in the series still has to be released and perform well. That film, directed by Matt Reeves, will star Robert Pattinson as the Batman. Robert will be joined by an eclectic array of actors to fill out the rest of the film’s cast, including Colin Farrell as The Penguin, Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman, and Paul Dano as The Riddler. 

Andy Serkis, John Turturro and Jeffrey Wright will all appear in the film as well. Shooting for the project just recently got underway, and Matt has already teased what Robert’s Batman suit will look like. Not many details are known about the plot of the film yet, but fans are hoping that it becomes a worthy successor to the Batman trilogy that was directed by Christopher Nolan and starred Christian Bale. Now, they may be hoping that Johnny will join in on the fun someday soon.