Joaquin Phoenix's JOKER is Said to Be a "Character Study of a Mentally Ill Person"
Director Todd Phillips’ upcoming Joker movie seems to be a very unique and different take on the character than anything we’ve seen before and I’m actually curiously excited to see what he and Joaquin Phoenix have done with the character.
The film is said to center around “the iconic arch-nemesis and is an original, standalone story not seen before on the big screen. The exploration of Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), a man disregarded by society, is not only a gritty character study, but also a broader cautionary tale.”
We now have some additional insight on the film to share with you thanks to actor Marc Maron (GLOW). While talking to NME, he explained why he joined the project, saying:
"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. Whatever I think, if you get a call and someone says, ‘Hey do you wanna do a scene with Robert De Niro and Joaquin Phoenix?’ your principals fall to the wayside."
The actor then went on to say that Phillips is delivering a very different kind of comic book movie and says that it will delve into mental illness and what would lead a person to take on this Joker persona.
"If it’s relative to what I think of Marvel movies then it’s like, ‘Yeah, of course I’m gonna do that’. Oddly, it’s not that kind of movie. 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."
I hope we get to see some footage from this movie soon. I’ve heard that the first trailer might drop with the release of Shazam!.
Joker is set in the ‘80s and is "meant to be different from other comic book superhero movies." The story is also said to "delve into what it took for the Joker to become a mastermind criminal," and rumor has it that the film’s story will revolve around Arthur Fleck, a failed comedian whose failures lead him into a life of crime.
The film also stars Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy, Brett Cullen, and Marc Maron.
Joker will be released in theaters on October 4th, 2019.