Joaquin Phoenix officially set to star in Joker origin film

Joaquin Phoenix will portray mad Batman villain the Joker in a new origin movie, following months of rumours about the project.

The Walk the Line star has been attached to the film for quite a while, but he has consistently played coy about the gossip, telling Collider in April (18) he simply didn't know if he had the part.

All doubt has now disappeared after bosses at Warner Bros. signed a contract with Phoenix for the lead role in the DC Comics picture.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Joaquin will begin shooting the movie in New York in September (18).

The outlet reports the budget for the blockbuster will be in the range of $55 million (£42 million).

Todd Phillips, the man behind the camera for the hit The Hangover comedy franchise, is directing the film from a script he co-wrote with Scott Silver.

Studio bosses describe the plotline as an "exploration of a man disregarded by society (that) is not only a gritty character study, but also a broader cautionary tale".

Joaquin isn't the only star set to play the Joker in a new film - Jared Leto will reprise his Suicide Squad role as the villain in a standalone spinoff.

Phoenix has previously discussed Leto's work as the Joker and revealed he would take the character in a different direction than his predecessors.

"I think that genre, comic books, kind of lends itself to having different people play the same character and interpret it in a different way," he told Collider. "It's kind of built into the source material in some ways. I think it's cool when people do that."

Joaquin's Joker film could be released as early as 2019.