The upcoming ‘Joker’ film starring Joaquin Phoenix is officially happening with production on the movie expected to start in September…
The Joker will get an origin story after all.
For months there have been rumors swirling about a movie focused on Batman’s arch-nemesis with Joaquin Phoenix eyed for the lead role to play the Joker with Todd Phillips directing and co-writing the script alongside Scott Silver.
Now the project is officially happening after Phoenix closed his deal with the studio and production on the ‘Joker’ movie expected to start in September in New York.
Here’s the description of the ‘Joker’ movie from Warner Bros:
“An exploration of a man disregarded by society [that] is not only a gritty character study, but also a broader cautionary tale.”
Of course there have been a lot of questions about exploring the backstory of the Joker, who has largely remained shrouded in mystery for most of his appearances in the Batman comic book universe with the questions surrounding his machinations being one of the more eerie and fascinating parts of that character.
Can't wait –
Joaquin Phoenix’s standalone Joker movie #joker pic.twitter.com/1JTs4aDmYT— BossLogic (@Bosslogic) July 11, 2018
It appears the new movie will draw back the curtain on what drives the Joker — or at least this particular interpretation as this film starring Joaquin Phoenix is not expected to tie back into the larger DC film universe where Jared Leto also plays the Joker.
The new film is budgeted at around $55 million, which is far less than typical superhero fare as the plans for this movie are to be much more grounded in reality with a darker tone than other comic book films.
There’s no word yet on when the movie will land in theaters but it’s possible the stand alone ‘Joker’ film could arrive in early 2019.
H/T: Hollywood Reporter
