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Martin Scorsese Might Be Producing A 'Batman' Spin-Off About The Joker

Jared Leto's not going to be in it either.

Well, it's been exactly four minutes since the last announcement of a comic book movie, luckily DC have us covered! According to 'Deadline', Martin Scorsese is set to produce a Batman spin-off all about the Joker's origin story.

According to the report on 'Deadline', DC and Warner Bros have eyed Todd Phillips, who wrote and directed 'The Hangover' trilogy, and Scott Silver, who wrote '8 Mile', to co-write the script of the film with Phillips also producing alongsie Scorsese.

What's confusing is how this Joker will fit into the current DC cinematic universe, well apparently... he won't at all.

We already saw Jared Leto's Hot Topic version of the Joker feature in 'Suicide Squad', and he's been confirmed to be appearing in the 'Suicide Squad' sequel, as well as a Harley Quinn spin-off.

From what 'Deadline' were reporting, not only would Leto not be attached to this version, but that it would stand outside the wider DC universe, and would be set in the early 80's as a "hard-boiled crime film". The intention is to make it feel less like a DC film and more like one of Scorsese's classics like 'Raging Bull' or 'Taxi Driver'. Which begs the question: why use one of DC's greatest villains to distance yourself from the DC tone?

Previous versions of the Joker were played by both Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger, and were both critically praised -- with Ledger often being held up as the greatest Joker of all time -- while Leto's fell short with critics and fans.

While Marvel has their cinematic universe mapped out until the sun explodes, DC seems to be approaching things in a more haphazard way. Currently we have the main tentpole of the Justice League. After 'Batman v Superman' and 'Wonder Woman', we've got 'Justice League' followed by solo outings with 'Aquaman' and 'The Flash'.

On the other side, we've got the continuation of 'Suicide Squad' with a sequel there, as well as a Harley Quinn spin-off which has been rumored to be based on 'Gotham Sirens', aka Harley ganging up with Catwoman and Poison Ivy to cause trouble. There is also a 'Batgirl' movie on the slate with Joss Whedon behind it.

After the incredible success of 'Wonder Woman', the next DC film to arrive in cinemas will be 'Justice League' on November 16.

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