Martin Scorsese has been tipped to co-produce a new Batman origins spin-off film about the Joker.

According to Hollywood news site Deadline, the DC Comics villain’s standalone movie will be a “gritty and grounded” crime effort set in Gotham City in the early 1980s.

It has been reported that it will be influenced by Scorsese’s earlier films, such as Taxi Driver or Raging Bull.

Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese (Brian Lawless/PA)

It is thought Jared Leto – who played the Joker in last year’s Suicide Squad, and who is reprising his role in its sequel as part of the DC extended universe – will not play the creepy criminal mastermind in the origins film.

The Hangover director Todd Phillips is set to direct and co-write the film with Scott Silver, who penned 8 Mile.

Phillips will also serve as co-producer, alongside Oscar-winner Scorsese.

Regram from @jaredleto: I'm not gonna kill you, I'm just gonna… #SuicideSquad #Joker @EmpireMagazine

A post shared by Suicide Squad (@suicidesquadmovie) on

The Joker film will not be a part of the DC extended universe and is part of another DC expansion to introduce more storylines involving its many characters.

The Joker has previously been played by the late Heath Ledger in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight in 2008, and Jack Nicholson in the 1989 Tim Burton film Batman.