Boyd Holbrookis the latest actor to announce their wish to play the iconic DC comics villain,The Joker. Holbrook is no stranger to starring in comic book adaptations, having played the secondary antagonists inLoganand Netflix’sThe Sandman, and he seems to have taken a liking to play bad guys.
However, two comic book adaptations are enough for Holbrook right now, unless he gets the opportunity to play the Joker, in which case, he’d jump right in. Here’s what Holbrook toldMen’s Healthrecently when asked if he’d take up another comic book role.
“I just really want to play characters that are foreign to me. Selfishly, because that’s where I get to get my point of view on a different culture, or a different perspective that’s someone else’s, that’s not mine. I feel like The Sandman is pretty high on my bar. I’m never the kind of guy to be closed-minded like I’d never do that, I’d never do that. It really depends. I mean, I think now that we’re talking, The Joker… that character seems to be endlessly reincarnated in an interesting way. Sometimes the anchor is fun, but usually those secondary characters are really great to play. There are just more keys on the keyboard.”
While it would be great to see Holbrook’s take on the Joker, that spot is currently occupied by two very talented actors: Joaquin Phoenix and Barry Keoghan, who both play the clown prince of Gotham in separate universes. And there are big plans for both of them as well. Phoenix is set toreturn inJoker: Folie à Deux,with Lady Gaga potentially playing Harley Quinn, and with the wayThe Batmanended, Keoghan’s Joker will likely play a crucial role in the sequel.
However, since Jared Leto is seemingly done as the Joker, and DC and WB appear to be bringing back Ben Affleck as Batman, Holbrook could play the character in the main DCEU timeline. After all, fans never really got a proper face-off between Affleck’s brooding Batman and Leto’s punk-inspired Joker. Boyd Holbrook, with his incredible charisma and menacing appearance, could be brilliant as a comic-accurate yet modern Joker, but the likelihood of that happening is next to zero.
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Unless DC is going for a Joker multiverse, in the vein of Marvel’sLoki,where multiple Jokers from different universes vie to take over Gotham, then it seems unlikely we’ll get any other Joker in the DCEU for now. But Boyd Holbrook fans have much to look forward to.
Holbrook, who broke out with Netflix’s riveting crime thrillerNarcos, is currently wowing audiences with his menacing turn asThe Corinthian in Netflix’sThe Sandman. Holbrook was picked for the role over the likes of Liam Hemsworth and Dacre Montgomery, and he didn’t disappoint as the sadistic villain.
Holbrook will next appear in FX’sJustified: City Primevalalongside Timothy Olyphant and inIndiana Jones 5. Holbrook is particularly excited aboutIndiana Jones 5as he gets to reunite withLogandirector James Mangold andwork with Harrison Ford, who he recently praised as “ripping and roaring” for his age. Holbrook’s role is being kept under wraps inIndiana Jones 5.
You can also check out Holbrook inThe Officestar B.J. Novak’s directorial debut,Vengeance, which debuted in theaters on July 29.
