A couple of days ago it was reported that Alec Baldwin had joined the Joaquin Phoenix Joker movie as Thomas Wayne, father to the young Bruce Wayne who would eventually become the Batman.
Thomas Wayne for the movie is described as “a cheesy and tanned businessman who is more in the mold of a 1980s Donald Trump.”
Now Alec Baldwin has taken to social media to state it’s not happening.
“Let me state, for the record, that I have NOT been hired to play a role in Todd Phillips’ JOKER as some Donald Trump manque. That is not happening. Not. Happening,” Alec Baldwin posted on Twitter.
Let me state, for the record, that I have NOT been hired to play a role in Todd Phillips’ JOKER as some Donald Trump manque.
That is not happening.
Not.
Happening.— ABFoundation (@ABFalecbaldwin) August 29, 2018
As I noted in my own report on the matter, Alec Baldwin is actually known for making fun of President Trump on various Saturday Night Live skits.
I basically blasted the notion of Thomas Wayne being portrayed as a cheesy Donald Trump in the Joker movie offering it would upset fans on both sides of the political spectrum, which would be no good for the film or for the fans.
USA Today further reports that Alec Baldwin withdrew from the role, as he noted, “I’m sure there are 25 guys who can play that part.”
Alec Baldwin also cited “scheduling” issues, but we can guess that wasn’t really the factor as “scheduling issues” are sorted out prior to signing on for the role.
More than likely, Baldwin and his agent caught wind of the fan reaction and decided to bail, in addition to the description of the character not helping things.
Let’s just hope Warner Bros. realizes the mistake Hangover director Todd Phillips made with the goofy Thomas Wayne and fixes things. We don’t need any more characters like the Joel Schumacher Batman & Robin.
Joker
The Joker movie has an October 4, 2019 release date also starring Robert DeNiro as a talk show host; Deadpool 2’s Zazie Beetz is playing a single mom who catches the interest of the man who will become the clown prince of crime; Marc Maron is an agent responsible for getting the Joker on DeNiro’s talk show, with American Horror Story‘s Frances Conroy and Josh Pais also cast in the film.
The plot has been described as centering around the iconic arch nemesis of Batman and is an original, standalone story not seen before on the big screen. Director Todd Phillips’ exploration of a man disregarded by society is not only a gritty character study, but also a broader cautionary tale.
