For 30 seconds, Alec Baldwin was set to play a Donald Trump-like Thomas Wayne in the upcoming, totally real, Joker origin movie starring Joaquim Phoenix. But that’s not happening anymore, as Baldwin confirmed publicly on his Twitter account. (Also sort of like Trump.)
On Wednesday, Baldwin tweeted “for the record” that he is not playing “a role” in Todd Phillips’ film about Batman’s greatest nemesis, The Joker.
“I have NOT been hired to play a role in Todd Phillips’ JOKER as some Donald Trump manque,” wrote Baldwin. “That is not happening. Not. Happening.”
Mere days ago, TheWrap and Deadline reported that Baldwin had signed on to play Thomas Wayne, the father of Bruce Wayne whose murder in a Gotham City alley inspires Bruce to become Batman. The role was most recently played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan (The Walking Dead) in Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
In another report from The Hollywood Reporter, Baldwin’s take on Thomas Wayne would have resembled a “cheesy and tanned businessman” resembling 1980s-era Donald Trump. Given that Thomas Wayne was a noted philanthropist and a decent human being, it was a rather unexpected characterization for anyone familiar with the comics.
Fans of the comics are paying close attention to the character of Thomas Wayne, as Warner Bros. is likely to adapt the 2011 comic book event Flashpoint, which depicted an alternate reality where Thomas Wayne survived and became Batman. However, Phillips’ Joker isn’t planned as a part of the “DC Extended Universe,” so it won’t share continuity with films like Man of Steel, Batman v Superman, and Suicide Squad, where Jared Leto plays The Joker.
The Joker is scheduled to be released on October 4, 2019.
