It’s official. Joaquin Phoenix has finally put pen to paper, and will play the villainous Joker in a standalone film. Shooting is expected to commence in September, and we’re looking at a late 2019 release date, although this has not yet been confirmed. Excited? You should be.
What we know
At this point, the plot is still under wraps, but what we do know is that this is set to be an origin story based on Alan Moore and Brian Bolland’s hit comic, The Killing Joke. Todd Phillips (The Hangover) will sit in the director’s seat, and also co-wrote the script along with Scott Silver (8 Mile, The Fighter).
The budget is around the $55 million mark, which pales in comparison to films such as Suicide Squad that was produced on $175 million. Phillips described the endeavour as “an “exploration of a man disregarded by society [that] is not only a gritty character study, but also a broader cautionary tale.”
In other words, we’re looking at a quasi-experimental, dark, crime drama that will set itself apart from other comic book films we have seen to date. Or so we hope.
What we can expect
Joaquin Phoenix, quite possibly one of the most underrated actors in modern cinema, brings a certain pedigree to the stage. You might remember absolutely loathing him as the cruel tyrant Commodus in Gladiator, where he starred opposite Russel Crowe, or sympathising with him as he fell in love with a computer in Her. You definitely won’t forget him as Johnny Cash in the critically acclaimed biopic Walk the Line, or the beard he donned playing Jesus in Mary Magdalene.
His versatility and trademark scar-on-upper-lip give him a certain acting gravitas, and it’s only fitting that he will play one of the most tragic characters in the DC universe, the Joker. We might know him as the Clown Prince of Crime, with his famous, or infamous, grin and maniacal laugh, but there’s so much more to this character than the dark comedy, and that is what we can expect Phoenix to bring out.
A little bit about the backstory
Like many comic-book characters, there are many versions of how the Joker’s journey to crime began. But if Todd Phillips and Scott Silver used The Killing Joke as source material, then the backstory leans more towards tragic and empathic than the outright villainous as in the 1951 backstory, which portrayed him as a lab worker aliasing as the red hood to steal a million dollars from his employers so he could retire.
In The Killing Joke, he appears as a budding comedian with a pregnant wife, whom he cares deeply about. One failed act after the other lead him to the brink of desperation, and in this state, he agrees to help out a group of mobsters with a heist, for which he dons the red-hood (a very uncomfortable helmet-structure that he can barely see through).
The robbery goes terribly wrong, and with Batman on his tale, our tragic character jumps into toxic water and emerges disfigured. In a horrible twist of events, he loses his wife and unborn child, is driven to insanity, and with his new, slightly inhuman appearance, he becomes the Joker. And breathe.
Final conclusions
Although we are still waiting to hear more about the plot, and will get a better feel of the film from the inevitable trailer releases, if they do it right, then this could be the comic-book film of the century. It has all the makings of a great film, that can cut across the genres, and present audiences with a memorable cinematic experience.
So far, Todd Phillips has mostly directed comedies, and so he will really have to step up to the plate for this one, especially if he’s going to tone down the humour and bring on the grit.
Oh yes, and Jared Leto’s stand-alone Joker film is also still in development (sigh).
Are you excited about Joaquin Phoenix playing the Joker?
