Last week we learned that The Joker movie starring Joaquin Phoenix (directed by Todd Phillips and produced by Martin Scorsese) would be moving forward with a relatively small $55 million budget. The Hashtag Show reports that the movie is targeting to begin filming in New York City in September, and now they claim to have some casting news as well.

The Hashtag Show published a list of supporting characters that will be joining Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker, and one of them is going by the name of Murray Franklin. It’s unclear if that’s a code name for a more well known character in the DC universe, but The Hashtag Show says that Phillips and Scorsese are hoping to cast legendary actor Robert De Niro in the role. De Niro is no stranger to playing mob-type roles, and has worked with Scorsese in many classic movies over his career.

The Joker movie has been described as a “gritty and grounded hard-boiled crime film set in early-’80s Gotham City”, so it’d be a great fit for someone like De Niro. This should just be taken as a rumor for now, but if it pans out, we’ll have one of the biggest actors as part of the DC universe.

Do you hope this rumor turns out to be true and we see Robert De Niro in the Joker movie? Let me know in the comments below.

SOURCE: The Hashtag Show