Willem Dafoe Wants To Play Joker In ‘Folie á Deux’ Sequel

With the recent shake-ups at Warner Bros. Discovery, fans have taken to the internet to suggest actors to play their favorite DC Comics characters. Now it seems Willem Dafoe, best known for his role for Green Goblin in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man films, has thrown his own name in for the role of the Joker.

This isn’t the first time fans have called for Dafoe to play the Joker. Back when it was announced that Todd Phillips would be working on a mature version of the character in 2019’s Joker, many fans called for Dafoe to be cast before Joaquin Phoenix was attached to the role in February 2018. When asked about the fan outcry on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Dafoe had this to say:

“You know, talk to Warner Bros… I floated an idea a while ago, but it didn’t quite happen, so… Listen, I didn’t really float it to them. I just mentioned it in an interview and then it kind of went out on the internet. But I thought it would be cool for me to play an imposter — like slipstreaming his thing.”

The interview being referred to is a GQ interview from 2022 where Dafoe claimed he fantasized about starring opposite Phoenix in a sequel to Joker. However, with production of the sequel Joker: Folie à Deux now well underway, it’s unlikely we’ll be seeing him as the Clown Princeo of Crime anytime soon.

What to expect from the Joker sequel

Joker followed Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck as he transformed into the Clown Prince of Crime, the sequel now looks set to show Lady Gaga’s Harleen Quinzel following him into madness.

After the first film ended with Arthur Fleck in Arkham State Hospital, it’s likely that – as in previous iterations – Harleen Quinzel will start out as the Joker’s psychiatrist. Plot details are being kept under wraps but the a significant chunk of the sequel is expected to take place in Arkham.

Todd Phillips, who helmed the first Joker movie, is returning to the director’s chair for Folie à Deux, working from a script he co-wrote alongside Scott Silver. Production is expected to begin this December for a October 2024 release.

The cast of Folie à Deux also features Brendan Gleeson, Zazie Beetz, Catherine Keener, Jacob Lofland and Harry Lawtey.

The first Joker movie is currently available on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, DVD and digital formats.