Nearly 25 years after his passing, a new series of AI generated art imagines the late Chris Farley as Batman’s most famous arch-nemesis, the Joker. Best known for his tenure on the long-running late night sketch show Saturday Night Live, Farley joined the team between 1990 and 1995 alongside the likes of Chris Rock, Adam Sandler, Rob Schneider and David Spade. After appearing in a series of smaller roles in such films as Wayne’s World and Billy Madison, he would go on to star in his first two major leading roles alongside SNL co-star Spade in Tommy Boy and Black Sheep, which have garnered large cult followings, and headlined the 1997 comedy Beverly Hills Ninja.
SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY
Sadly, in December 1997, Farley passed away at the age of 33 from a drug overdose, ultimately drawing many comparisons to his hero and fellow SNL alum John Belushi, who died in similar circumstances 15 years prior. Following his unfortunate death, Farley had two more completed films released posthumously, Almost Heroes and Dirty Work. It would also later be revealed that Farley had partially recorded the voice-over for the title role in Shrek, but the role would later be rerecorded by his former SNL co-star Mike Myers, and now one fan has their own idea of what other iconic character he could've played.
Now, a new piece of AI art shared to Twitter by Billy Mays III envisions Chris Farley as The Joker, who many consider the most iconic DC super villain of all time. Featuring the late comedian in the Joker’s trademark purple suit and makeup, the end results give fans a good look at a casting decision they never knew they wanted. Check out the original post below:
While the Joker has been portrayed in live-action by several actors who all put their unique spin on the role, these AI art pieces will undoubtedly leave fans wondering what possibly might have been with Farley in the role. With his manic energy and over-the-top sensibilities, the late comedian could have created a memorable interpretation of Gotham’s Clown Prince of Crime. Given the actor was working at the time of Joel Schumacher’s tenure as Batman director, a Farley Joker probably would have fit in just fine with the likes of Jim Carrey's Riddler and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Mr. Freeze.
While Farley playing the Joker will never come to pass, DC fans still have plenty more to look forward to from the character moving forward. Though Warner Bros. Discovery are currently shaking up their plans for their DC film slate, it has already been confirmed that Joaquin Phoenix will be returning as the character Joker: Folie à Deux, a sequel to his own Academy Award-winning film. The Joker’s presence has also been teased in Matt Reeves’ The Batman universe, which is also on track to receive its own sequel as well. In the meantime, fans can keep themselves occupied by speculating which other actors, like Farley, may have brought something entirely new and unseen to the iconic role of the Joker.