Willem Dafoe Just Pitched His Wacky Idea For Joker 2

The Joker is arguably one of the most sought after roles in Hollywood, largely because of how multi-faceted the Clown Prince of Crime is. There are a number of different ways the "Batman" villain can be interpreted, and it's often given to an actor who can bring a devilish new atmosphere to the screen. In recent years, Joaquin Phoenix explored the clown's tragic origin story and tortured psyche in Todd Phillips' "Joker" — which won the Golden Lion award at the 76th Venice International Film Festival (via The Wrap).

Of course, Heath Ledger's unhinged terrorist in "The Dark Knight" made a lasting impact on many fans when the Christopher Nolan film debuted back in 2008. Aside from the big screen, Mark Hamill's psychotic voice work as the Joker is seen by many as the high bar for the character that everyone else has to meet. However, there's one star that most fans want to see as the Joker at some point in the future: Willem Dafoe. 

The Oscar nominee is no stranger to comic book roles, as he played Norman Osborn/Green Goblin in 2002's "Spider-Man," recently returning to play the villain in 2021's "Spider-Man: No Way Home." But fans all agree that he could deliver a brilliantly deranged version of the Joker on the big screen (via Reddit). The idea always seemed like a pipe dream, but Dafoe himself recently suggested his wacky idea for "Joker 2," which would put him face to face with Joaquin Phoenix's Joker.

When the actor recently spoke to GQ about his work in "Spider-Man: No Way Home," "The Northman," and Guillermo del Toro's "Nightmare Alley," he confessed that he's been thinking about what his version of the Joker would look like. However, Dafoe has a radical idea of how he'd approach it, saying that he'd like to play an imposter who's taken over the Joker identity. "There is something interesting about, like, if there was a Joker imposter." He also added, "So it would be possible to have not duelling Jokers but someone that [claims] to be the Joker that isn't the Joker."

Dafoe also thinks an "interesting story" for "Joker 2" would be if Arthur Fleck (Phoenix) grappled with someone taking credit for his work, saying what "if you had Joaquin Phoenix's Joker, and then you had someone who was either imitating or riffing off what he did." It's a tantalizing idea, and it's one that would likely make a lot of money at the box office. Remember, the 2019 film raked in $1.07 billion worldwide against an approximately $55 million budget (via Box Office Mojo), and even if the sequel didn't make as much money as the first film, it would probably be quite successful.

The "Spider-Man" star confessed, "I fantasised about that." But don't get your hopes up just yet, because this is the first time he's spoken about the idea in public, noting "I am not talking to anybody [about it], you're the first one." Maybe Todd Phillips should just add an "s" to the first film and make "Jokers." You're welcome, Warner Bros.