The LEGO BATMAN is quickly becoming the bizarro, comedy BATMAN (moreso maybe than the West/Ward series). They got Will Arnett and Michael Cera as the caped crusader and his trusted sidekick, respectively, and to face off against them, they’re trying to get Zach Galifianakis to sign on as The Joker.
Yes, Zach Galifianakis as The Joker. Let that sink in for a hot second.
Before you balk, consider two things. One, that this is clearly going the comedic, child-friendly route, which immediately castrates the clown prince of crime of most of the sadism and wanton murder/terrorism that is traditionally associated with the character. Two, that the finest Joker V.O. to date has been performed by Mark Hamill, who, at the time of his first TAS episode, was still best remembered for whining about power converters and screaming at his father. Cut to almost a quarter century later, and you have folks arguing that his interpretation still trumps the BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR-WINNING turn by Heath Ledger. So, yeah, keep your mind open.
This voice cast is making this seem less and less than rushed cash-grab opportunism, and more like something that could be more of a natural progression from THE LEGO MOVIE than a straightforward Emmet/Wyldstyle-fronted sequel. Galifiankis doing The Joker seems like one of those ridiculous notions that could totally pay off, particularly if the actor/comedian doesn’t lean on his trademark tics and tropes, and goes for something new and hopefully somewhat sinister.
And remember, this wouldn’t be the first time Galifianakis stepped in to play the villain in a spinoff to a successful animated film:
LEGO BATMAN continues to wing it on May 18th, 2018.
