The Justice League may be hitting the screen in a couple months with “Batman v Superman,” but let us not forget the franchise that first brought the likes of Batman, Wonder Woman, Superman, and Green Lantern together BEFORE “Batman v Superman.” That’s right, I’m talking about the highly successful “Lego Movie.”

While a sequel to the 2014 animated film is most definitely in the works (and set for a 2018 release), the folks over at Warner Animation Group will first be releasing a “Lego Batman Movie” spinoff, with Will Arnett set to return as the whiny, angsty, and hilarious voice of Batman. Last August it was announced that comedian Zach Galifianakis hopped on board to perform the voice of the Joker, the Batman’s arch nemesis.

There have been many iconic interpretations of the Clown Prince of Crime, including but not limited to the live-action performances from Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger, and of course, we can’t forget the amazing job Mark Hamill did at bringing the animated version of the character to life in “Batman: The Animated Series” (among many other titles). Needless to say, Hamill pretty much set the bar, not only for the Joker, but for any clown-based characters in animation.

In a recent interview with Collider, Galifianakis had the following to say about the few sessions he’d had so far for the film:

 “It’s fun! I’ve only done a couple of sessions. Will Arnett is playing Batman. It’s crazy! I’m lucky. I was telling diarrhea jokes in coffee houses ten years ago, so I’m very fortunate.”

The outlet went on to bring up the legacy of the character, as well as Hamill’s performance in the past. 

“Yeah. I didn’t know that Mark Hamill does a cartoon version until I got the job and people would tell me. I hear his is fantastic. I don’t want to listen to it because my confidence will be very low.”

The purist in me cried out in pain when I read that, but that being said, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. First off, the “Lego” interpretations are more tongue-in-cheek than anything else, so there’s really no limit to what Galifianakis can bring to the character, because in this world, the rules are all different. To top it all off, the actor’s willful ignorance on Hamill’s performance could go far to ensure he brings a unique interpretation to the character. As we’ve learned in the past, actors going for radically different approaches to the same character seems to go a long way in helping the audience to forget prior interpretations.

What do you think of Galifianakis’ comments? What kind of a performance do you think/hope he will bring to the Joker? Let us know in the comments down below!

“The Lego Batman Movie” will hit theaters on February 10, 2017.

SOURCE: Collider