Rumors are beginning to circulate about Macaulay Culkin portraying the Joker inThe Batman, and many fans are actually responding positively to the idea. There have not been any official reports to suggest Culkin has been cast or is even in contention for the part, but the rumor definitely has people talking. To be honest, Culkin’s name probably isn’t the first to come to mind for most people when fan casting the Clown Prince of Crime, but it’s not all that difficult to imagine. To see what it might be like, artist Bryan Zap took to Instagram to post an image of Culkin in that distinct Joker makeup, and it shows it’s really not as crazy as it may at first sound.
Of course, we all knowMacaulay Culkinbest for his run as a child star in the ’90s. He famously appeared as Kevin McCallister inHome Aloneand its sequelHome Alone 2: Lost in New York, co-starring with Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern. Some of his other major roles as a child actor includeMy Girl,The Good Son,Uncle Buck,The Pagemaster, andRichie Rich. At the height of this run, Culkin was considered to be the most successful child actor since Shirley Temple in the 1930’s.
By 1994, Culkin decided to take a break from acting, perhaps to enjoy what was left of his youth. He resumed his career nearly a decade later in 2003 with the Michael Alig biopicParty Monstersin the lead role. As an adult, Culkin went on to appear in movies likedSaved!andSex and Breakfastin addition to TV shows such asKingsandThe Jim Gaffigan Show. Most recently, he starred in Seth Green’s directorial debut movieChangeland, appearing alongside Breckin Meyer, Brenda Song, and Randy Orton. If Culkin can manage tosnag the role of the Joker, it could wind up becoming his biggest role yet.
Directed by Matt Reeves,The Batmanwill take place in a separate universe from the DCEU, meaning this version of the Dark Knight will not be a younger version of Ben Affleck’s Bruce Wayne. The story will follow a 30-year-old Bruce at the start of his crimefighting career, focusing specifically on his detective skills. The only name officially confirmed for the cast at this point isTwilight SagastarRobert Pattinson, whose casting has also brought about quite a bit of discussion with fans. Opinions seem to be split on the casting, as those supporting the choice point to Pattinson’s many dramatic acting roles which have proven him to be something so much more than Edward Cullen.
To be clear, there have been no official reports about Culkin actually playing the role at this time. However, when we consider there had been rumors about Robert Pattinson playing Batman months before the news was made official, then Culkin playing Joker is certainly a possibility. In the meantime, we’ll seehow Joaquin Phoenix does with the rolewhenJokerpremieres in theaters on Aug 13, 2025. Below, you can also check out the fan art of Culkin as the Clown Prince of Crime, courtesy ofBryan Zap on Instagramas well as some Twitter reactions to the rumor.
