Comic book fans worldwide have been obsessed with the Joker since his creation and for a good reason. The Joker represents the standard bearer for a villain, one who is the total opposite of the hero he antagonizes.Â
The movie world has also been obsessed with the character, as the lineage of actors who have portrayed him on screen and voiceover, a la Mark Hamill, have only increased his exposure and popularity. Now Warner Brothers has released details on the upcoming Joker movie starring Joaquin Phoenix in the titular role. Â
It looks to start filming this fall and is to be directed by The Hangover’s Todd Phillips and possess a budget of $55 million. When the news officially broke that Phillips would direct, many fans took to Twitter, expressing their outrage, concerned he did not possess the disposition to carry out a serious movie.
The only plot details that they are disclosing at this time is that it will be set in the 1980s and it will go into his early days as a failed comedian. While these details may sound confusing as far as continuity (or a live-action version of The Killing Joke), fans can rest assured it will be separate from the DCEU and be under a new brand, DC Dark or DC Black.
At one point Martin Scorsese was attached to direct because of the rumor mill stating that Leonardo DiCaprio was to be the Joker, but now he may produce. None of those details are certain and can be considered conjecture.
This movie looks to be a godsend for DCEU fans, despite the initial outrage as they will be getting an origin story of one of its most recognizable characters and will feature one of the greatest acting talents of our time. Even though we like not having his full origin, we’ll see what this film cooks up.
