The cast of the Joaquin Phoenix Joker film is looking to be something to really look forward to. The DCEU separate film will tackle the origin story of one of the greatest villains in pop culture. Set in the 1980s, the film will see Joaquin Phoenix as the titular character, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Marc Maron and now Alec Baldwin as Thomas Wayne. What’s interesting about Bruce Wayne’s father is that the role was close to being played by Aragorn himself, Viggo Mortensen.
Before Baldwin got the part, Mortensen was initially offered the part but he decided to pass on the opportunity according to industry insider, Jeff Sneider. Sneider revealed on Twitter:
BREAKING: Alec Baldwin to play Thomas Wayne in the JOKER movie. This is the role that Viggo Mortensen passed on. I'm told that Wayne Manor will be a location in the film. The plot thickens…
— Jeff Sneider (@TheInSneider) August 27, 2018
We don’t have much information as to why he decided to pass up on the chance but damn. It would have been amazing to see Mortensen in a major film again. Some reactions from fans in the comments seem to indicate dismay as Mortensen has not been in a lot of mainstream films. His role in The Lord of the Rings trilogy is no doubt iconic and he definitely would have been a great Thomas Wayne.
Baldwin may be quite good too since he is a really good actor but he is mostly popular in the comedic realm. One can say that Baldwin is much more popular having been in more major films recently including the recent action masterpiece Mission: Impossible- Fallout. Mortensen is a two time Academy Award nominee and although this film has that with the likes of Phoenix and De Niro, he would have definitely provided one hell of a Thomas Wayne. Baldwin would no doubt be good too and at this point, we’ll just wait to see how this film turns out.
Source: Jeff Sneider
