2026 will mark a new television debut for the Joker, partially thanks to Planet of the Apes franchise director Matt Reeves, one of the hottest names in superhero cinema following his take on the Dark Knight’s mythos in 2022’s The Batman. While that fan-favorite film has a sequel in the works, there is another Reeves-led project that Joker fans should be paying close attention to.
When it comes to the DC Universe on screen, Reeves is a name fans are seeing more and more. In addition to his Elseworlds take on Batman, the director is also co-producing the upcoming body horror film Clayface for James Gunn’s DCU and the puppet-animation hybrid Dynamic Duo movie starring Dick Grayson and Jason Todd.
Split image of Colin Farrell as Oz Cobb in The Penguin, Batman in Batman: Caped Crusader, and Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga as Arthur Fleck and Lee Quinzel in Joker Folie a DeuxCustom image by Niall Gray
He is also an executive producer for the ongoing animated series Batman: Caped Crusader, a spiritual successor to Batman: The Animated Series. It is this show that Joker fans should pay particular attention to, as the Clown Prince of Crime is set to fully debut in Season 2 as a “very different” Joker.
Batman: Caped Crusader Confirms a Very Different Joker for Season 2
James Tucker Teases a Golden Age–Inspired Take on the Clown Prince of Crime
Batman in Caped Crusader over an image of Batman in the animated seriesCustom Image By Karlis Wilde
Anyone who watched Season 1 of Batman: Caped Crusader knows the series puts a unique twist on Batman lore and its characters. Thanks to an interview with The Direct, co-showrunner James Tucker has now confirmed that the Joker will continue the show’s approach of exploring different and less mainstream takes on DC’s most iconic figures.
In the interview, Tucker teased that viewers can expect a “new take” on the Clown Prince of Crime compared to more mainstream adaptations, such as those featuring Mark Hamill and Jack Nicholson. However, fans who have “read comics for a long, long, long, long time” may find this Joker more familiar, as the show draws heavily from Golden Age Batman comics of the 1930s through 1950s.
When discussing Matt Reeves’ involvement in Caped Crusader, Tucker emphasized the creative freedom behind the series, explaining: “…we weren’t given a mandate to match what he was doing [with The Batman]. He’s been very accommodating in that he understands our show is separate from what he’s doing in the movies and he gets where our influences are coming from and he understands it.”
Fans will remember that the Joker was teased in Season 1, Episode 10, “Savage Night,” when the finale closed with hostages laughing uncontrollably to their deaths and an obscured Joker brandishing a needle while declaring, “Perfect.” As a result, anticipation is high for the Joker’s full Season 2 debut, which promises a version that feels genuinely fresh.