Robert De Niro
Robert De NiroReuters

Joaquin Phoenix's upcoming venture on the Joker just got more exciting. If recent reports will come true then the legendary actor Robert De Niro is all set to play an integral role in the upcoming Warner Bros movie.

According to Deadline, the 74-year-old veteran actor is all set to share screen space with Phoenix in the upcoming Joker origin film. The Academy Award-winning actor will portray a talk-show host who will play a crucial part in the life of Arthur Fleck aka Joker. He somehow will help in Fleck's evolution to become the Clown Prince of Crime, subsequently becoming Batman's archenemy.

The upcoming Joker movie is unlike anything fans have ever witnessed in the past. As recently reported, the movie's plot is supposed to be set in the Gotham city in the early 1980s. Many have even speculated the film will reportedly show how Batman and Joker are brothers.

The budget of the film is set under $55 million, significantly lower than most comic book adaptations. The stand-alone feature promises to explore the drama behind the characters, not just a fight between Joker and Batman.

Joaquin Phoenix
Actor Joaquin Phoenix attends the 85th Academy Awards nominees luncheon in Beverly HillsReuters

Meanwhile, De Niro was last seen in Taylor Hackford's comedy-drama The Comedian. The story followed a comic icon's journey to re-invent himself. The film opened to negative reviews from fans and critics alike. Despite the negative reception, however, The Comedian won De Niro the Hollywood Comedy Award.

The Hollywood star is currently busy filming Martin Scorsese's The Irishman. The film will feature De Niro as Frank Sheeran, a labor union leader and alleged hitman for the Bufalino crime family. The movie has caught the attention of many since it features De Niro and another Hollywood veteran, Al Pacino alongside each other.

It will also feature Academy award-winning Al Pacino as Jimmy Hoffa, who served as the President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters union from 1958 until 1971. Following Godfather Part II, The Irishman is the fourth film to star both De Niro and Pacino. It will release on Netflix somewhere in 2019.

Apart from The Irishman, the award-winning actor will also play the role of a retired grandfather in the upcoming family comedy movie, The War with Grandpa. The film will center the life of Peter (Oakes Fegley) and how it is changed upside down when he is forced to give up his room to his grandfather (De Niro). The film, based on the book written by Robert Kimmel Smith, is being directed by Tim Hill.