Joker movie with Joaquin Phoenix: First trailer, release date, cast and more – CNET

The Joker is the kind of comic book character who never gets old for fans. Everyone from Heath Ledger to Jack Nicholson to Jared Leto have their own spin on Batman’s grinning nemesis.

He’s almost as old as Batman, having made his comics debut in 1940. And this year, Joaquin Phoenix will present his own version of DC Comics’ laughing psychopath in the upcoming Warner Bros. Joker movie. With the film rumored to be given an R rating, it seems an adult version of the Clown Prince of Crime will take center stage.

The first trailer, out April 3, puts on a perversely happy face, revealing a dark and potentially disturbing story…


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Everything we know about the Joker movie

Warner Bros. a few words about the film, describing it to the Hollywood Reporter as an “exploration of a man disregarded by society [that] is not only a gritty character study, but also a broader cautionary tale.”

“I would not like it,” said Phoenix in an interview with ComicBook.com in 2018. “I would not say it’s a movie superhero, or a movie studio, the excitement of these films, and the size of them, these are the which are dealing with real life struggles.

Here’s the earliest released glimpse of Phoenix in the movie.

Filming began in September 2018. The movie is rumored to be working with a roughly $55 million budget.

Who’s making it?

This grown-up version of the Joker is co-written and directed by Todd Phillips, best known for adult comedies like The Hangover. Scott Silver, who wrote rap movie 8 Mile, is the other scriptwriter. And it’s executive-produced by cinematic legend Martin Scorsese.

The film boasts a seriously impressive cast. Along with Phoenix, Joker also stars  Alec Baldwin, Shea Whigham, Zazie Beetz and comedian Marc Maron. Robert De Niro is in it, which seems appropriate given the Taxi Driver-esque feel of the trailer.

Is Batman in it?

It does not look that way. The movie is not connected to the DC Extended Universe series of movies, so it’s a different version of the Joker than appeared in Suicide Squad. Bruce Wayne will appear, along with his trusty butler Alfred, and Wayne’s ill-fated father, proposing the movie is set before Bruce Wayne was orphaned and set to become Batman.

This movie is unconnected to the Gotham TV show, which also recounts the younger days of Bruce Wayne. Gotham will have its own, very different version of the Joker appearing in its upcoming final episode.

Is it based on a comic?

Not directly, as far as we can tell. The movie plot seems to be influenced by The Killing Joke, a 1988 comic exploring the Joker’s origins written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Brian Bolland. The comics often obscure the Joker’s real identity to maintain his mystical nightmarish, but this comic’s dark and character-based tone has been hugely influential ever since.

Although it’s not directly inspired by the plot of the Killing Joke, we’re definitely thinking about the serious and grown-up new movie.

Celebrity Sightings in New York City - September 24, 2018

Joaquin Phoenix movies scene for Joker in Brooklyn in September 2018.


Gotham

What we know about the plot

So far, plot details for Joker have been scarce. But on April 2, Warner Bros. Gave a presentation at industry events CinemaCon 2019 in Las Vegas That included a first look at Some footage. Phillips then added a cryptic message about the movie.  

“There’s been a lot of chatter about what this film is and what it is not,” he said. “When the marketing department at Warners asked me the other day to describe the movie, I said ‘I can not.’ They said at least tell us the genre, and I thought about it for a minute and said, ‘It’s a tragedy.'”

The first trailer suggests this is an original story for the Joker, whose real name in this version of the story is Arthur. The new video footage shows Arthur in therapy, talking about his mother.

“My mother always tells me to smile,” says Arthur in voiceover. “She told me I had a purpose, to bring laughter and joy to the world.”

When Arthur is attacked in the street, he decides to fight back. “Is it just me, or is it getting crazier out there?” Arthur says.

We then see Arthur slowly transforming into the Joker as he tries different clown looks. He goes from a green clown wig to dying his real hair green. Soon he donates to strikes and struts into the world.

“I used to think my life was a tragedy,” he says. “But now I realize it’s a comedy.”

When will Joker hit theaters?

Joker will be released in Australia on Oct. 3, 2019, and then worldwide on Oct. 4.


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Meet the (possible) cast of Joker

Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck / Joker

Marc Maron as Ted Marco

Robert De Niro as Murray Franklin

Alec Baldwin

Shea Whigham

Zazie Beetz as Sophie Dumond

Brett Cllen as Thomas Wayne

Dante Pereira-Olson as Young Bruce Wayne

Douglas Hodge as Alfred Pennyworth

Frances Conroy as Penny Fleck

Glenn Fleshler

Josh Pais as Hoyt Vaughn

Bill Camp

This article was originally published on April 3, 2019, and will be updated as news rolls in.

source: cnet.com