"Joker" will become even more entangled in "Batman" lore, casting two extremely familiar characters.

ComicBook.com has the scoop that both young Bruce Wayne (the future Batman) and his caretaker and eventual butler, Alfred Pennyworth, will be appearing in the spinoff flick. Dante Pereira-Olson will be playing Bruce, and Douglas Hodge ("Red Sparrow," "Black Mirror") is playing Alfred.

Pereira-Olson's casting will serve as a mini-reunion with titular "Joker" star Joaquin Phoenix. The pair previously worked together in the 2017 thriller "You Were Never Really Here," in which Pereira-Olson played the younger version of Phoenix's character.

In addition to Bruce Wayne and Alfred, Thomas Wayne, Bruce's father, will also have a role in "Joker." The character (played by Brett Cullen, who replaced the blink-and-you-missed-it casting of Alec Baldwin) is reportedly being portrayed as a cheesy, overly-tan, Trump-style businessman.

Those characters join an exceptionally starry supporting cast, which includes Robert De Niro, Frances Conroy, Marc Maron, and Zazie Beetz. Director Todd Phillips has already released several sneak peeks of his actors in character, and the flick looks like it will be setting itself apart from previous portrayals of the familiar DC villain.

"Joker" is due in theaters on October 4, 2019.

[via: ComicBook.com]