Summary
- DC Studios still hasn’t confirmed the introduction of the Joker and Harley Quinn into the rebooted DC Universe.
- Fan art depicts Austin Butler and Samara Weaving as the DCU’s new Joker and Harley Quinn.
- The Joker and Harley Quinn likely won’t debut in the DCU anytime soon, as there are other depictions of these characters already stealing the show.
New versions of the Joker and Harley Quinn have been imagined in dark fan art ahead of their potential debut in the rebooted DC Universe. Filmmaker James Gunn and producer Peter Safran, co-CEOs of DC Studios, announced the reboot of the DCEU into the new DCU back in January 2023. This included Gunn revealing many upcoming characters set to appear in the new DCU, some of whom will be making their live-action debuts, but while the likes of Superman, Batman and Supergirl will be reinvented, there’s been no word on the fates of two of DC Comics’ most iconic villains.
The Joker and Harley Quinn haven’t yet been confirmed to be appearing in the new DC Universe, though as two of Batman’s most memorable villains, it’s very likely they will be. Fan-casting has placed many brilliant actors in these coveted roles, but new DCU art shared by Jaxson Derr casts Elvis and Dune: Part Two star Austin Butler as the Joker, and Ready or Not and Hollywood actor Samara Weaving as Harley Quinn.
This art depicts a darker future for the Joker and Harley Quinn in the DCU, which could inform DC Studios’ upcoming introduction of Gotham City and Batman.
Casting The Joker For DC’s New Batman Movie – 10 Actors Perfect For James Gunn’s Reboot
James Gunn will introduce the DCU’s new Batman in The Brave and the Bold, but which actor should play a new iteration of the Joker in the reboot?
Why The DC Universe Should Avoid Introducing The Joker & Harley Quinn Too Soon
In recent years, there have been many depictions of the Joker in live-action, so this terrifying DC Comics might be running the risk of becoming over-saturated. Since Heath Ledger’s Joker appeared in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight in 2008, Jared Leto, Barry Keoghan and Joaquin Phoenix have also portrayed the villain, in the DCEU, Matt Reeves’ The Batman and Todd Phillips’ Joker, respectively. Phoenix’s depiction of Arthur Fleck’s Joker in his DC Elseworlds universe is immensely popular, with 2019’s Joker becoming the first R-rated movie to hit $1 billion at the box office, and even earning Phoenix an Academy Award.
The Joker made his live-action debut in 1966’s
Batman
TV series and movie, portrayed by Cesar Romero, while Mia Sara brought Harley Quinn into live-action for the first time in 2002’s
Birds of Prey
series.
The fact that Phoenix’s popular Joker has been introduced so recently means it might be a mistake for the DC Universe to introduce a new version soon. The same can be said for Harley Quinn, as Margot Robbie’s performance was one of the strongest aspects of the DCEU, and Lady Gaga is expected to deliver an Oscar-worthy Harley Quinn in 2024’s upcoming Joker: Folie à Deux. Audiences are still waiting for Keoghan’s Joker to get resolution following his cameo in 2022’s The Batman, so the DC Universe should let these versions breathe before debuting its new Joker and Harley Quinn.