Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker releases on October 4, 2019.A new still from Joaquin Phoenix’s upcoming Joker is out. Phoenix is without the clown makeup in the image and can be seen staring into the TV screen. Director Todd Phillips has shared the image on his Instagram account. Phillips has been sharing images and videos from the movie ever since it was confirmed. After announcing the wrap up in December, this is the first image we have seen of the film. The caption hints that the film is in its editing stage.
Phillips’ Joker has no connection with the larger DC Extended Universe (DCEU). We do not know if DCEU even exists anymore, as Warner Bros has made it clear there is less focus on building a cinematic universe in their DC brand and instead filmmakers will be allowed to execute their visions in independent films.
Joker is based on the iconic Batman villain. It is a low budget comic-book film (with reportedly 55 million dollars production costs) that traces Arthur Fleck, a comedian who goes insane and becomes a criminal mastermind.
Phoenix has previously hinted that the film will be a deep character study and not a typical comic-book adaptation with complex visual effects and CGI.
Joker also stars Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Bill Camp, Frances Conroy, Brett Cullen, Glenn Fleshler, Douglas Hodge, Marc Maron, Josh Pais, and Shea Whigham. Phillips is writing the screenplay with Scott Silver.
There is no Batman, but the film does have a Thomas Wayne, Bruce Wayne’s father who gets murdered in a Gotham City alley along with his wife in Batman lore. Cullen plays the role. De Niro plays the role of a talk show host, who is “instrumental” in driving Arthur insane.
Joker releases on October 4, 2019.
