Joker: Trailer, cast, release date and everything we know about Joaquin Phoenix’s origin movie

One of the greatest movie villains of all time is soon to be back in cinemas, with Joaquin Phoenix set to star as the Joker in a highly anticipated new film.

The Joker’s backstory has previously been explored in detail in comics and animated films but this is the first time the character’s story will be focused on in a live action movie.

Having brought vulnerable characters to life in The Master and Her, as well as providing a terrifying screen presence in Lynne Ramsay’s visceral You Were Never Really Here, Phoenix seems like an ideal talent to tell the origin story of Batman’s greatest adversary.

His performance will inevitably be compared to that of the masterful Heath Ledger and the charismatic Jack Nicholson, but Phoenix is sure to bring something entirely his own to the role.

It looks to be a particularly bleak take on the character, judging by the gritty trailers, and it promises to be one of the most intriguing origin comic book stories of recent times.

Here's everything we know about the project so far.

The plot

The movie is officially described as “[Director Todd] Phillips’ exploration of Arthur Fleck (Phoenix), a man disregarded by society, is not only a gritty character study, but also a broader cautionary tale.”

The movie is set in early 80s Gotham and follows Fleck’s journey from struggling stand-up comedian to notorious Gotham villain.

It was initially rumoured that the film will draw heavily on Alan Moore and Brian Bolland’s 1988 graphic novel The Killing Joke. However, Phillips has since revealed that the story is original, and not based on any pre-existing subject material.

“We didn’t follow anything from the comic books, which people are gonna be mad about,” Phillips told Empire. “We just wrote our own version of where a guy like Joker might come from. That’s what was interesting to me. We’re not even doing Joker, but the story of becoming Joker. It’s about this man.”

The cast

Along with Phoenix, Robert De Niro leads an impressive cast. In a role reminiscent of his unforgettable turn as Rupert Pupkin in the King of Comedy, the legendary actor will allegedly appear as talk show host Murray Franklin, who ends up being instrumental in Fleck’s eventual slide into criminality. Comedian Marc Maron is also set to appear as a booking agent on the talk show.

Six Feet Under actress Frances Conroy plays Fleck’s mother Penny, while Deadpool star Zazie Beetz and Black Mirror’s Douglas Hodge will also appear alongside Bill Camp.

Meanwhile, Alec Baldwin was initially reported to be starring in the film as the father of Bruce Wayne and business magnate Thomas, before revealing he’d pulled out of the project.

Instead, Ghost Rider’s Brett Cullen will play the role, which is rumoured to be “a cheesy and tanned businessman … more in the mold of a 1980s Donald Trump.”

The trailer

http://players.brightcove.net/1348423965/default_default/index.html?videoId=6079310483001

Joker trailer

The final Joker trailer hints at the film's gritty tone, following Fleck's troubled day to day life. At one point we see the aspiring stand-up comedian being ridiculed by De Niro's chat show host Murray Franklin, which appears to be one of the events that sparks his descent into madness and criminality.

He then takes to the streets as his new alter-ego Joker, inspiring a revolt and causing hundreds to take to the street wearing clown masks. He becomes an infamous name, which leads to being invited to perform on TV by Franklin, who had initially mocked him.

Phoenix's Joker

Fans first got to see the latest incarnation of the villain when early test footage was revealed by director Phillips in 2018, showing Phoenix gradually morphing into the Joker. Fans can expect a less exaggerated incarnation of the character.

The production images and trailers show a more stripped-down Joker in traditional clown makeup — less like the manic look of Ledger and more like a toned-down Jack Nicholson.

The director

Todd Phillips is certainly an unconventional choice for the project, but an intriguing one nonetheless.

The director is principally known for comedy, having helmed all three Hangover movies, as well as OId School, Road Trip, and the (admittedly terrible) reboot of Starsky & Hutch.

He has experience in drama too though, having brought grit and high-action sequences to screen with his last film War Dogs.

He’s also proven he’s not a one-dimensional talent, having worked as a producer on musical romantic drama A Star Is Born and brought chaos to the screen in Project X.

Phillips is reuniting with War Dogs cinematographer Lawrence Sher. They’ll be joined by Selma designer Mark Friedberg and Ocean’s 8 casting director, Shayna Markowitz.

Release date

The film is released in the UK on October 4 2019, with its premiere due to the take place at the Venice Film Festival on August 31.