The best comic book movies are the ones that break the mould and transcend its very “genre.” The ones that are less a “superhero movie” and more a “film that has superheroes in it.” I think of films like Nolan’s The Dark Knight (crime-thriller), Logan (western-drama) and Captain America: The Winter Soldier (espionage-action). And it looks like Joker, starring Joaquin Phoenix will be one such film, according to the film’s executive producer Michael E. Uslan at least.
In an interview with ComicBook.com, Uslan first talked about the oversaturation of superhero films.
“Todd Phillips is the filmmaker there, and Todd had an incredible vision for this. All I can tell you is, in my humble opinion, the world is getting a little oversaturated with comic book movies and TV everywhere we turn. When I pick up a newspaper and find out that, ‘Oh my goodness, on May 5th, 2027, Ant-Man 5 is gonna open, I better write that down in my calendar,’ the world’s gone a little bit haywire. So not being a great fan in any media of oversaturation, I love when something comes out and it’s different, and it’s unique.”
Later, the long-time Batman producer claimed that this Joker movie will be unlike any comic book film that has come before, even comparing it to the crime masterpieces of Martin Scorsese.
“I thought Guardians of the Galaxy was different and unique when it came out. I thought Deadpool was different and unique when it came out. This Joker movie is different and unique and it’s unlike any comic book movie you’ve ever seen. It’s maybe more like a Martin Scorsese, low-budget film noir crime drama, but I have all the faith in the world in Todd, the brilliantly talented Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro. It’s an incredible, incredible group of people that’s brought this to life.”
Martin Scorsese is actually one of the producers of the film, but it’s unclear as of now as to how much involvement Scorsese actually had in the creative process of Joker. Whatever the case, the trailer for the Todd Philips-directed film is absolutely phenomenal. If the film lives up to its potential, this could be one of those comic book movies that generate a lot of buzz during awards season as well.
Joker will be laughing its way into theatres this 3 October 2019.
