23 Aug – Move away Batman, its Joker's time to shine! Warner Bros and DC are currently developing an origin story of DC beloved villain, The Joker, with "The Hangover" helmer Todd Phillips on board to direct and co-write the screenplay with Scott Silver from "8 Mile", reports Deadline. Martin Scorsese is also in talks to produce the movie alongside Phillips. To be placed under a new but yet-to-be-named banner under DC Comics, the standalone film will allow the studio to create unique storylines with different actors playing some of DC's iconic characters without having to bother with the current cinematic universe. As such, Jared Leto, who recently played as the Clown Prince of Crime in David Ayer's "Suicide Squad", would not be featured in the upcoming project, with the studio looking to cast a possibly younger actor for the role. Delving into what it took for the Joker to become to mastermind criminal that he is today, the movie is said to be set in the early '80s Gotham City with more of the vibe of a gritty crime drama than a comic book movie. The Batman archenemy has been previously portrayed by Jack Nicholson, Mark Hamill, Cesar Romero and Heath Ledger, earning the latter an Oscar in the 2008's "The Dark Knight". Despite not being in this movie, fans can anticipate Leto's reprisal in the "Suicide Squad" sequel as well as the upcoming Harley Quinn spinoff, "Gotham City Sirens".