In a year jam-packed with highly anticipated mega-budget Marvel superhero movies such as Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame, and Spider-Man: Far From Home, don’t be surprised if it’s a comic book movie from the DC camp that ends up stealing the year. No, I’m not talking about Shazam!, though earlier reviews indicate that it’s one heck of a fun ride. I’m referring to a smaller movie that centres around the most popular villain from Batman’s rogues’ gallery. That’s right! It’s The Joker.
The Joker starring acclaimed actor Joaquin Phoenix (Her) and helmed by Todd Philips (The Hangover franchise) is an R-rated prequel film that is reportedly set outside the main DCEU. In it, Phoenix plays a stand-up comedian named Arthur Fleck who is driven insane and becomes the Joker. The film has all the makings of a dark and gritty character study.
In an interview with NME, Marc Maron who also stars in this comic book movie confirms exactly that.
“I think it’s a very interesting approach to this world. I’ve been somewhat judgemental when it comes to comic book movies and I’ve got a little pushback in the press for being a hypocrite…The approach that Todd Phillips has taken is more of an origin story and a character study of a mentally ill person that becomes The Joker. It’s more of an intimate and gritty movie with a very specific scope. It’s going to be really interesting to see how it comes out.”
It’s obvious that The Joker is going to be another genre-transcending comic book movie very much in the vein of Logan. While Wolverine’s final outing was more of a modern-western, The Joker promises to be an intriguing crime-drama. Interestingly enough, the film is produced by legendary director Martin Scorsese and also stars Robert De Niro, both of whom respectively directed and played the leading role in Goodfellas and Casino, some of the most beloved crime-dramas of all time.
