Joaquin Phoenix looks pretty disturbing asJokerand Arthur Fleck in our latest look at the upcoming movie. Some DC fans have been a bit skeptical about Todd Phillips' upcoming take on the Clown Prince of Crime because he is taking the character in a new direction. Phoenix has said from the start that the movie was not going to be a normal superhero movie and from everything we’ve seen, he was not kidding around. This is going to be a lot more about the human element of the villain and has been described as a “cautionary tale.”
The latest image ofJoaquin PhoenixinJokeris actually two photos making up the character’s face. It’s from the cover of Empire Magazine and one side shows Arthur Fleck, while the other, much larger side, shows the villain taking over. It’s a truly haunting image and it fits in perfectly with the recently released trailer and the rest of the promotional material we have seen so far. Phoenix and Todd Phillips have done something completely new with the iconic villain.
Todd Phillips has already suggested DC fans hoping for acomic book-accurate storyline"skip"Joker. There have been more than a few fans who are not entirely happy to see the standalone movie without its comic roots, while others are looking forward to seeing something new and original. Keeping that in mind, the movie will reportedly premiere at theVenice Film Festivalfor possible awards season inclusion. With Joaquin Phoenix on board, the movie will certainly make a big splash at the festival, which could spill into Academy Award nominations at the same time.
Joaquin Phoenix was initially coy when asked about his participation inJoker. It was rumored for months that he was in talks with the studio, but it took a while for the official confirmation to be announced. With that being said, one has to wonder how the pitch meeting went between Todd Phillips and Warner Bros., which more than likely went through further changes when Phoenix came on board. Since the beginning, Phoenix has calledJokeragritty character studyinstead of some massive budget Hollywood production.
