The latest project from Warner Bros and DC has the most random names attached to it.

The studios are in the early stages of a DCEU spin-off that tells the origin story of iconic villain the Joker.

Deadline, who broke the news, reports that Todd Phillips (whose credits include Old School, The Hangover trilogy and War Dogs) is co-writing the script with 8 Mile scribe Scott Silver. Silver also co-wrote the screenplay for The Fighter, for which he was nominated for an Oscar.

Phillips will direct the movie, and Martin Scorsese will produce it with Phillips. According to Deadline, ‘this will be the first film under a new banner that has yet to be named in which WB can expand the canon of DC properties and create unique storylines with different actors playing the iconic characters.’

The Joker was first brought to the big screen by Jack Nicholson after which Heath Ledger took on the role in an Oscar winning performance for 2008’s The Dark Knight. More recently, Jared Leto played the Joker in Suicide Squad and though his performance garnered less acclaim than his predecessors, he is set to reprise the character for Suicide Squad 2. However, he won’t be playing the Joker in this origins movie, which will likely focus on a younger actor.

The new film will apparently be ‘a gritty and grounded hard-boiled crime film set in early-’80s Gotham City,’ which sounds like it’s right up Scorsese’s alley.

Tweeters have been quick to express their displeasure at the news: