Alec Baldwin Out As Thomas Wayne In Joker Solo Feature
by Erik Amaya
It seems the jokes of Warner Bros. Pictures’ upcoming Joker have begun even before the cameras roll. For one: Alec Baldwin will not appear in the film after all.
As previously reported, the 30 Rock veteran was in talks to appear in the film as Thomas Wayne, the famous Gotham City philanthropist whose violent death in an alley motivates his son to become the Bat-Man. But according to The Hollywood Reporter, Joker will re-envision Wayne as a vain 1980s real estate mogul; a caricature born of the current president and his shenanigans 30+ years ago. At least, that seemed to be the case Monday, but one person refuting that interpretation of the character was Baldwin himself.
The actor took to his Twitter account Wednesday to set the record straight:
Let me state, for the record, that I have NOT been hired to play a role in Todd Phillips’ JOKER as some Donald Trump manque.
That is not happening.
Not.
Happening.— ABFoundation (@ABFalecbaldwin) August 29, 2018
Baldwin is, of course, famous for playing the current president on Saturday Night Live, making the reinvention of Thomas Wayne a fairly believable detail in the original reporting. But it also stands to reason that Baldwin would be uninterested in playing that role by any other name. And, to be honest, reshaping Thomas Wayne in that light is a shockingly uninspired take. While the film is divorced of any DC Film continuity, the character’s genuine empathy is a hallmark; even if it is a trait his son never quite worked out. A caricature of Wayne meant to poke fun at the current administration would give the film a very short shelf-life. But whatever the take director Tod Phillips has planed, Baldwin will not be a part of it. As Slashfilm points out, the actor subsequently told USA Today that he will not appear in the film due to schedule conflicts and “I’m sure there are 25 guys who can play that part.”
Joker arrives in theaters on October 4th, 2019.
