Fresh off the news that Zazie Beetz may join the Joaquin Phoenix-headlined Joker, now comes word that none other than Robert De Niro is in talks for the picture.

Courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter, De Niro is in negotiations to play a talk show host who is key to the Joker becoming, well, the Joker.

If you remember, Martin Scorsese is on producing duties on Joker, and Scorsese and De Niro famously have a longstanding relationship. The duo have worked together on the likes of Mean Streets Taxi Driver, and Raging Bull.

The early blurb on the effort reads:

Under the director of Todd Phillips (The Hangover franchise), the new film centres around the iconic arch nemesis and is a standalone story not seen before on the big screen. Phillips’ exploration of a man disregarded by society is not only a gritty character study, but also a broader cautionary tale.

Phillips has put the screenplay together along with The Fighter’s Scott Silver, Scorsese is involved in a producing capacity.

Joker is being developed, as alluded to, away from the DC Extended Universe banner in which we have seen Jared Leto parading as the Clown Prince of Crime. Instead, Joker will be the first of a new banner of movie, believed to be labelled DC Black or DC Dark. Those pictures will exist away from the DCEU and tell more adult-orientated, darker tales.

At present, Joker is set for an October 4th, 2019 release.