Director Todd Phillips and Warner Bros. are well into the casting process of the Joker standalone movie it was revealed that his mother Penny (Frances Conroy is in talks) and a talk show host Murray Franklin played by Robert De Niro would have supporting roles of the film.

Well, Omega Underground has exclusively learned of yet another meaty role which some might have thought was going to be for De Niro due to the age.

MR. WARNER Supporting Male (60-70) [MR. WARNER] male, Caucasian, 60s, a deeply-tanned, hair dyed so black it was almost blue, highly successful, New York City businessman, rumored to be running for Mayor. He’s a public figure in the city and a symbol of wealth [STRONG SUPPORTING]

Obviously, it doesn’t say if this character is a villain or not, but it does sound a lot like Rupert Thorne. An older businessman turned corrupt politican turned crime boss and longstanding Batman rogue. He’s usually depicted with white hair which suggests he’s in the right age-range and could easily be dying his hair.

Rupert Thorne was almost in Tim Burton’s Batman, as he appeared in a version of the script by Superman: The Movie’s Tom Mankiewicz. Thorne was going to be a political rivial of Thomas Wayne, as Thorne would have hired Joe Chill to kill him. He ended up being replaced with Jack Palance’s Carl Grisson, the gangster boss the Joker kills and then takes over his crime syndicate.

Could this unused plot detail be influencing the standalone?

However, Thorne could be either friend or foe of Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker as it’s not stated if he’s an antagonist or not.

Another possible character this could be is Vincent Falcone, the father of Carmine Falcone, who also has a connection to Thomas Wayne.

Warner might also be a cover for Wayne, but he seems a little too old to be playing Thomas Wayne.

As we previously reported filming will begin this September in New York City. Warner Bros. has recently set the Joker for the release date of October 4th, 2019.

SOURCE: OMEGA UNDERGROUND