Brett Cullen to Replace Alec Baldwin as Thomas Wayne in ‘Joker’
Veteran actor Brett Cullen has been cast as Batman’s father Thomas Wayne in the upcoming Warner Bros. “Joker” film, an individual with knowledge of the project tells TheWrap.
Cullen replaces Alec Baldwin who had to drop out due to a scheduling conflict.
The film, set to be directed by Todd Phillips, will star Joaquin Phoenix as the clown prince of crime.
Thomas Wayne first made his appearance in Detective Comics #33 (Nov. 1939) in Batman’s origin story. He is the father of Bruce Wayne — who is Batman — husband of Martha Wayne and was a gifted physician and philanthropist in Gotham City. When Dr. Wayne and his wife are murdered in a street robbery after a screening of Tyrone Power’s “Zorro,” the young Bruce Wayne becomes inspired to fight crime as the vigilante Batman.
While story details are being kept under wraps, TheWrap previously reported that the origin story for Batman’s nemesis will be more of a mid-budget crime thriller than a superhero blockbuster.
Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow will co-produce the film. Emma Tillinger Koskoff and Richard Baratta, whose producing credits include Martin Scorsese’s “The Wolf of Wall Street,” are attached as producers. The film will be released on Oct. 4, 2019, with production set to begin in New York in September.
Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Marc Maron and Frances Conroy — as the Joker’s mother — round out the rest of the cast.
Cullen is repped is by Domain Talent.
Comicbook.com first reported the news.
Read original story Brett Cullen to Replace Alec Baldwin as Thomas Wayne in ‘Joker’ At TheWrap
