The Batman Fans Already Know Who They Want As The Next Joker

Thumbnail Image by Nickolas Benaglio → https://www.instagram.com/p/BWgcFTaFUkX/

Bat-fans are quickly forming a consensus opinion about who they would like to see playing the next Clown Prince of Crime.

The roster of villains for the upcoming The Batman may already be set, but it seems only a matter of time before the next cinematic incarnation of the Joker arrives to vex Robert Pattinson's Dark Knight. The fan favorite choice for the role: Willem Dafoe, who co-starred with Pattinson in last year's Robert Eggers-directed psychological horror flick The Lighthouse.

Now, it's obvious that fans have no say in casting Hollywood productions, and you never know - The Batman just might flop spectacularly, thereby failing to even earn a sequel. Having said that, we're going to go ahead and file this fan-casting under "W" for "Why the hell didn't we think of that?" - because yeah, now that the notion of Dafoe as the Joker is out there, it certainly seems like the definition of a no-brainer.

The veteran actor is possessed of a wiry physicality which is perfect for the role; his facial structure and toothy grin are also custom-made for Jokerdom, as evidenced by some twisted fan art courtesy of Instagram user thesithlordjoker. His role in The Lighthouse demonstrated in one fell swoop that he has incredible chemistry with Pattinson, and also that his skill at portraying wild-eyed craziness as an actor has in no way diminished over the years. To top it all off, he already has experience filling the shoes of an iconic supervillain. But we'll get to that in a bit.

Fans on Twitter have been psyching themselves up to see Willem play "da foe" of Pattinson's Batman - see what we did there? - ever since The Lighthouse dropped last October. The flick is essentially a two-man stage production with Dafoe and Pattinson continually one-upping each other in the crazy department, and the two actors' intense chemistry had light bulbs popping up over the heads of Bat-fans far and wide.

Twitter user SEALkraven set the scene for the idea, writing:

"Willem Dafoe as Joker, in a post-credit scene of The Batman. Just imagine." Keep watching the video to see that the Batman fans already know who they want as the next Joker!

#Joker #BattinsonJoker #WillemDefoeJoker