A recent interview with Empire reveals that the upcoming Joker movie starring Joaquin Phoenix will not be inspired by any of the DC comics. The film will be completely separate from any of the recent DCU movies, taking place in its own continuity — and it’s taking full advantage of that separation.
Joker writer, director and producer Todd Phillips (A Star is Born, The Hangover trilogy) is adamant in his Empire interview: “We didn’t follow anything from the comic-books, which people are gonna be mad about. 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.”
In reality, it seems the movie is focused more on the people involved than the source material. Arthur Fleck, the eventual clown prince of crime, was written specifically for Phoenix, according to Phillips. “I think he’s the greatest actor,” Phillips said. “We had a photo of him above our computer while we were writing. We constantly thought, ‘God, imagine if Joaquin actually does this.”
Here’s your answer:
Joker and his new look hit theaters this October. For more from the Todd Phillips interview, check out Empire’s latest edition, out July 11.
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