Willem Dafoe's idea for a possible Joker is perfect. The actor has been a fan-favorite casting for the Clown Prince of Crime for a long time. Whether or not that's going to happen remains to be seen. However, his pitch for the sequel could hit just the right mark.
Serving as a standalone origin story, Joker stars Joaquin Pheonix as Arthur Fleck and follows his gradual descent into becoming the Joker. Pheonix's performance was heavily praised among critics and viewers, and would even go on to receive an Academy Award for Best Actor, being the second to do so after the late Heath Ledger's turn in The Dark Knight. The film also became a commercial success, hence the possibility of a sequel being in development.
In an interview with GQ, Willem Dafoe shared his idea for a potential Joker 2, and it should be able to appease fans who hope to see him take on the role, even if it's not in the traditional sense. Following questions about whether or not he'd be playing the character, Dafoe said that he'd love to one day and even came up with the idea of Joaquin Pheonix's Arthur being at odds with a potential fake or copycat Joker. His words are as follows:
“There is something interesting about, like, if there was a Joker imposter. So it would be possible to have not duelling Jokers but someone that says to be the Joker that isn't the Joker. And that kind of opens up the possibility of an interesting story, particularly if you had Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker, and then you had someone who was either imitating or riffing off what he did. I fantasised about that. But other than that I am not talking to anybody [about it], you're the first one.”
Though the idea for Joker 2 is probably far from what fans would expect when it comes to casting Norman Osborn and the Green Goblin, seamlessly transitioning from a flawed yet decent man overcome by pride and ambition to a cackling, sadistic mass murderer. There's no reason to believe Dafoe couldn't pull this off again in Joker 2, and seeing him tap into his iconic villain performance opposite Joaquin Phoenix's Oscar-winning portrayal of an equally iconic villain would sure be a sight to behold. It would also be a perfect Marvel-DC crossover in disguise.
As of now, there are no reports of Joker 2 even happening, nor are there any indications that Dafoe will be portraying the Joker in the near-distant future. Still, if the sequel does happen and there's no other way for him to be cast (especially since rumors suggest Barry Keoghan will be Joker in Robert Pattinson's Batman universe,) Dafoe's pitch is a perfect opportunity to make it happen. For now, fans will just have to wait and see if Joker gets its sequel, and whether or not Gotham will need to make way for two Clown Princes of Crime.
