It’s finally here. The first trailer for Phoenix’s Joker origin story. And boy does this look like a very unique take on the Clown Prince of Crime. If anything the first teaser feels like the first look at an Oscars-season contender. But maybe that’s what Warner Bros are hoping for?
Certainly, the studio is taking a different approach after the critical and box office disappointments of their shared universe, the DCEU.
A period piece, Joker is set in the early 1980s and sees Phoenix play a failed stand-up comedian called Arthur Fleck.
The film’s premise reads: “In 1981, a failed stand-up comedian, disregarded by his society, turns to a life of crime and chaos in Gotham City.
“[Joker] is not only a gritty character study, but also a broader cautionary tale.”
Directed by The Hangover’s Todd Phillips, Joker was co-written by The Fighter’s Scott Silver.
The film also stars Deadpool 2’s Zadie Beetz and Robert De Niro as a talk show host.
To many fans, the late Ledger’s Joker is the most iconic incarnation of the Batman villain.
The actor has a posthumous Oscar for the role, but perhaps Phoenix is now in for a turn?
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While Batman won’t feature in Joker, his father Thomas Wayne, played by Brett Cullen, was the man on the TV in the trailer.
Meanwhile, Dante Pereira–Olson plays a young Bruce Wayne in the film.
It’s not clear yet if Joker will connect to Matt Reeves’ young Batman movie, which is set for release in 2021.
Joker is released in UK cinemas on October 4, 2019.