Entertainment

Zach Galifianakis Is Going To Be The Best Joker

by Orli Matlow

The Lego Movie was such an incredible hit, gifting us with countless quotable quotes and the song "Everything is Awesome," that fans are awaiting the followup in this lovable franchise. Well, the next movie will be Lego Batman, a spinoff starring Will Arnett's deep-voiced and dopey Caped Crusader, and thankfully that's not the only thing we know about the sequel. Wednesday Variety reported that Zach Galifianakis will play The Joker in Lego Batman, opposite Arnett's Batman and Michael Cera's Robin. As an Arrested Development superfan, it never occurred to be that GOB and George Michael Bluth would someday be Batman and Robin, and I certainly never pegged Galifianakis as the wildly famous Batman villain. Then again, this is the Lego Movie universe we are dealing with here. And when I think about it, Galifianakis is kind of perfect.

This stacked cast of comedy greats will arrive in theaters February 10, 2017, exactly three years after the original Lego Movie, and the film will be directed by Lego Movie's animation supervisor, Chris McKay. So you know this is going to be good.

And while Galifianakis seems like a strange choice to join the ranks of Heath Ledger, Jack Nicholson, and Jared Leto in The Joker role, I'm pretty prepared to argue for the comedian's ability. Here are the six big reasons why Galifianakis will be great as Batman's most formidable opponent:

1. He Has No Respect for Authority

Galifianakis' "Between Two Ferns" persona has no respect for the President of the United States. The Joker is a notorious anarchist, who doesn't even believe in authority at all, other than his own. That works.

2. He Has the Laugh Down

One of the creepiest parts of the Joker is his maniacal laugh, and Galifianakis' laugh in Dinner for Schmucks is almost as creepy.

3. He's Not Crazy About Superheroes

Galifianakis cited the fact that he is now 45 years old as to why he is no longer interested in superheroes anymore during an interview with MTV UK, but what about supervillains? They're the opposite of superheroes, so they're cool for a 45-year-old to spend time thinking about, right?

4. He Can Be Violent (Well, Pretend Violent)

Like the Joker, Galifianakis and get violent (in the name of comedy, as evidenced by the "Between Two Ferns" featuring Justin Bieber). Bonus: Both Galifianakis' and The Joker's belligerence are intended to teach people a lesson.

5. He Breaks the Rules

Galifianakis smoked a joint on TV. HE SMOKED A JOINT ON TV! (It was on Bill Maher's show on HBO, which technically isn't TV, but still.) To paraphrase The Dark Knight, "some people just want to watch the joints burn."

6. He Can Pull Off The Weirdness

While Alan from The Hangover has a heart of gold and just wants to make friends, if you heighten his weirdness and his manic energy, that guy is not too far off from the Joker. Just sayin'.

What I'm trying to say is this casting is the stuff of dreams — you know, what tigers dream of when they take a little tiger snooze.