Alec Baldwin to play Batman's father in Joaquin Phoenix Joker film

Phoenix and Baldwin will be joined by Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, and Marc Maron

Alec Baldwin says 'black people love me' for role as Donald Trump (Getty Images)

Alec Baldwin will star opposite Joaquin Phoenix in Warner Bros.’ upcoming superhero movie, Joker.

The Saturday Night Live actor is set to play Thomas Wayne, the father of Bruce Wayne, AKA Batman. In the comics, Thomas plays a crucial part in Batman’s origin story when he’s gunned down, along with his wife Martha, in front of a young Bruce.

The murder is almost always depicted as a random mugging with Joe Chill committing the crime. However, Tim Burton’s Batman saw Jack Napier, the future Joker, responsible for the killing.

It’s unknown whether the same connection will be made here, since the project is said to veer from the traditional canon.

Sources have said the script paints Thomas Wayne as “a cheesy and tanned businessman” who evokes Donald Trump in the 1980s. Baldwin, of course, is well-known for his multiple appearances as Trump on Saturday Night Live, having recently earned a second Emmy nomination for the role.

Plot details remain thin on the ground, but rumour has it the movie will take place in the fictional Gotham City during the 1980s. The Hangover director Todd Phillips, who co-wrote the screenplay with Scott Silver and is helming the movie, called the comic-book adaptation an “exploration of a man disregarded by society [that] is not only a gritty character study, but also a broader cautionary tale.”

Joker has a budget of $55 million, significantly less than Warner Bros. tent-pole comic-book movies: the lowest budget recent DC movie has been Wonder Woman, at $149 million, while the highest was Justice League at $300 million.

Despite the lesser budget, the film boasts an impressive cast, with Phoenix and Baldwin set to be joined by Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, and Marc Maron.

Production begins later this year, with the tone of the movie said to be much darker and more experimental than recent DC movies. Joker will likely not be connected to Suicide Squad, which featured Jared Leto as the iconic villain.

There are currently multiple other Joker-orientated projects in development with Leto's version, including Suicide Squad 2, a solo movie, and a Harley Quinn-Joker spin-off.

The Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow production reaches cinemas 4 October 2019.

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