‘The Batman’: Would Macaulay Culkin Make a Good Joker?
The idea of Robert Pattinson playing the upcoming version of The Batman has already made a lot of people wonder what kind of dialect coaches are being brought in to tame RPatt’s British accent. While we know he’ll be good as Batman based on his dramatic chops in other films beyond Twilight, many fans are hoping to see another famous name play The Joker.
We’ve wondered if Joaquin Phoenix’s upcoming portrayal of The Joker would qualify to be in a standalone film with Pattinson eventually. Others are hoping Macaulay Culkin ultimately takes the role.
Why Macaulay Culkin, in particular? We can see numerous reasons, though it’s really only a pipe dream at this point.
What persuaded fans to think Macaulay Culkin would make a great Joker?
As usual, internet rumors can spark a wildfire of speculation, and it’s no different with this Culkin/Joker idea. According to MovieWeb, it all started strictly by social media “rumors”, though it’s unknown who really put the bug in everyone’s ear.
There isn’t any official report of Culkin being signed to play The Joker. However, artist Bryan Zap recently posted a photoshopped picture of Culkin in Joker makeup to forward the idea that it was more than plausible.
Let’s look a little more in-depth at Macaulay Culkin to see why him playing The Joker does have some logic. You can start by looking at recent pics of Culkin with his more mischievous side being obvious. Recent pics of him project a sophisticated smirk that shows he just might be The Joker of Hollywood.
Part of this is attributable to his current The Onion-like satire site: Bunny Ears.
Poking fun at celebrity makes Culkin suitable for being a devious Joker
This satirical side of Macaulay Culkin has made him a more interesting former child star. People love that he is capable of poking fun at his past. Some former child stars take themselves a little too seriously. They become parodies of themselves and fail to capture the public’s imagination as adults.
Culkin’s ability to satirize celebrity and showbiz in-general has been a great asset in gaining him more attention. With his strong presence on social media, he’s upped his game. This has allowed him to be eligible for the role of a lifetime.
Maybe this was by design so he could finally land a role that could make him iconic all over again. Playing The Joker would obviously reinvent his career and place him back onto the A-list acting field.
As you can see from the Photoshop Joker makeup on Culkin, he’d be (eerily) perfect in the role.
Would Culkin take the role, or prefer being independent?
The trappings of fame are one reason Macaulay Culkin ended up leaving showbiz for a time when he was a teenager. Ironically, the search for fame is one of the underlying themes of The Joker with Joaquin Phoenix. With these overlapping, we once again see how much of a meta art world we’re living in.
Assuming there is any truth to Culkin landing The Joker role, would he really accept it knowing how much it would change his acting trajectory? In our view, it appears he’s railing somewhat against A-list fame and staying close to an independent mindset with his website and occasional acting roles.
Playing The Joker in The Batman would change everything and likely make his iconic Home Alone role a distant memory. Most likely, though, the Joker idea was just a meme gone wild and won’t become reality.
Unlike The Joker who goes insane from being shunned by society, perhaps Culkin knows A-list stardom could potentially turn him into a different kind of crazy Joker.
