Iwan Rheon
As on-screen villains go, few are more memorable than Iwan Rheon’s Ramsay Bolton. Bolton was pretty much Westeros’ very own Joker, complete with a maniacal laugh and masochistic tendencies. The only stumbling block here is that Rheon is set to play Maximus in the upcoming Marvel TV show, The Inhumans and while this film is not set in the DCEU, it is difficult imagining Marvel allowing him to jump ship and take on such an iconic role.
Bill Skarsgard
If internet buzz is anything to by, It is going to be the biggest movie of the next few months and lead actor Bill Skarsgard can expect a huge career boost off the back of it. While the film is not yet released, early rumours are that Skarsgard knocks it out of the park as the iconic Pennywise, and if that is the case there is no reason why he can’t take on The Joker. Skarsgard is also very young, 27 years old in fact, meaning he would be the perfect age to play The Joker in his early years.
Casey Affleck
Like Keaton, this would definitely be a piece of stunt casting, but Affleck is actually pretty well suited to the role. Not only is he an incredibly versatile actor, but he is also on a high right now following his Academy Award victory for Manchester by the Sea last year.
Affleck would also be able to pull off a more cowardly Joker, pre-transformation akin to his performance as Robert Ford in The Assassination of Jesse James, and he has shown throughout his career he is able to go to a darker place when the performance requires it.
Will Poulter
Before Bill Skarsgard finally took the role, Will Poulter was all set to take on the role of Pennywise in the upcoming It movie, and I’m in no doubt that he’d have absolutely nailed it.
Poulter brings an incredible intensity to every role and is able to switch from charming to terrifying at the drop of a hat. While Skarsgard will no doubt be brilliant as Pennywise, there is a part of me that will always want to see what Poulter could have done with the role, and with him just coming out of a career best performance in Katherine Bigelow’s Detroit, now would be the perfect time to give him his big break.
Rhys Wakefield
An unknown when compared to the rest of the actors on this list, Rhys Wakefield is best known for his performance as the lead purger in the original Purge movie. Wakefield has not done a whole lot since the success of the first movie, but the Australian born actor has got something of a cult following on the internet.
Wakefield’s finest feature, aside from the fact that he is ridiculously creepy, is his smile. Wakefield can strike a grin that can send chills down the spine and is incredibly reminiscent of Heath Ledger’s iconic smirk. While he has done very little of note in the last few years, Wakefield could be the perfect left of center choice for the next on-screen Joker.
Who do you think should be the next Clown Prince of Crime? Let us know in the comments below, and let Liam know on Twitter @liamhoofe
Smooth Moose says
27 is very young? I think Skarsgard would do well to avoid being typecast as evil clown characters, after ‘It’. James Franco would be an excellent choice – Also Joaquin Phoenix would be fucking terrifying.
Voice of Reason says
So wait, Liam. You mention Michael Keaton as playing the Joker, yet you don’t even for a second think of mentioning that he was friggin BATMAN!!!???
I can’t tell if you were being too hipster for this article, or if you genuinely just didn’t actually know that Michael Keaton played Batman. Either way, you pretty much lost ALL your comic book cred, dude.
Gary@FlickeringMyth says
“this is major stunt casting”
Doesn’t that give it away?
Voice of Reason says
I knew somebody was going to say that.
Casey Affleck is also mentioned as a piece of stunt casting. I guess because his brother was Batman?
So, shouldn’t Jake Gyllenhaal be a “piece of stunt casting” since he was in Donnie Darko, which had Drew Barrymore, who was also in the Val Kilmer Batman film (Batman Forever)?
I guess the term “stunt casting” seemed kind of ambiguous. In other words, suggesting that Batman play the Joker is pretty awesome. However, without putting it that way, it kind of loses its impact. “Stunt casting” can mean many things. For example, in the case of Casey Affleck being Ben Affleck’s brother it would interest me as a person to see the 2 brothers act together and I would think it was kinda funny that one is Batman and the other The Joker. But if they’re not even in the same movie, it kinda looses it’s novelty, to me at least. So that particular piece of “stunt casting” is meh. Yo know what I mean.
But if you cast freakin’ Batman as The Joker, well, now you’re doing something crazy. And it sounds crazy when you say it!
Gary@FlickeringMyth says
I see what you mean. I was only commenting on the fact that the mention of stunt casting made it seem obvious to me that Liam was well aware that Keaton had played Batman.
Also, Jake Gyllenhaal was in Brokeback Mountain with Heath Ledger, who was The Joker. I’m sure you could link every actor to Batman/The Joker with a few degrees of separation though.
MikeDK says
You need to go to bed, and don’t get up until you’ve found your mind.
Beverley says
Franco or Phoenix – no question!
MikeDK says
First off, the movie shouldn’t be made.
But if it is to be made, Gyllenhall all the way!