Warner Bros. has hired Alec Baldwin to appear opposite Joaquin Phoenix in its "Joker" origin film, playing the role of Thomas Wayne, the father of Batman, a.k.a. Bruce Wayne.

Variety first reported that Phoenix was in talks to play the Clown Prince of Crime. As soon as his deal was finalized, the studio gave the greenlight to a September start date with a budget in the moderate $55 million dollar range.

Jared Leto will not appear in this Joker film. Leto played the Joker in 2016's "Suicide Squad" and is expected to be back for the "Suicide Squad" sequel, along with another standalone Joker movie that will be separate from Phoenix's Joker project.

Source: Press Release