After winning hearts and minds at CinemaCon this week, Warner Bros. Pictures’ continued onward with its now public campaign for the October 4 release, Joker. The latest incarnation from Todd Phillips now presents a non-universal take on the iconic DC Comics villain that might even have you pining over a few “what would’ve been’s” or “could’ve been’s” with this new venture starring Oscar nominee Joaquin Phoenix in the title role.
“Joker” centers around the iconic arch nemesis and is an original, standalone story not seen before on the big screen. Phillips’ exploration of Arthur Fleck (Phoenix), a man disregarded by society, is not only a gritty character study, but also a broader cautionary tale.
I’m inclined to believe Zazie Beetz is co-writer Phillips’ own exercise on Joker’s main squeeze, Harley Quinn. Either way how this plays out, I’m curious to see what Joker brings with The Fighter scribe Scott Silver also penning, and with Phillips producing with Bradley Cooper.
So far, the Joker teaser lends the kind of strong, cerebral visual of the internalized anarchy that spills from Phoenix’s narration onto the streets of Phillips’ own Gotham City. It’s a damn good sampling of what’s to come as we approach the Fall, and with the summer comic-con period approaching, I say expect an official trailer come at least by July.
The film is also one of six titles in a new deal for the studio’s distro partnership with CJ4DPLEX for its multi-sensory 4DX theatrical format wherever its installed, so if you’re down, I say look into it.
