Todd Phillips, the director of Joker, has explained why the film is not a typical comic book origin movie.
Everything about Joker seems to be different from what we have come to expect with comic book movies in recent times. The film seems to be far more grounded and character-focused. Todd Phillips and star Joaquin Phoenix have attempted to make a gritty crime drama that happens to be starring a man that will become the Joker.
The director has also said that the film is not your typical origin story, explaining in Warner Bros. production notes (via ComicBook.com) that telling a typical Joker story was never of interest to him:
“I love the complexity of Joker and felt his origin would be worth exploring on film, since nobody’s done that and even in the canon he has no formalized beginning. So, [co-writer] Scott Silver and I wrote a version of a complex and complicated character, and how he might evolve…and then devolve. That is what interested me—not a Joker story, but the story of becoming Joker.”
SEE ALSO: Todd Phillips says Joker was never meant to compete with Marvel
The reviews for Joker have been very positive for the most part but, of course, the true test will be how audiences respond to the movie when it hits cinemas in October. Fingers crossed we have a classic on our hands.
Joker centres 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.
Joker is set for release on October 4th 2019 and stars Joaquin Phoenix (The Sisters Brothers), Robert De Niro (Goodfellas), Zazie Beetz (Deadpool 2), Bill Camp (Red Sparrow), Frances Conroy (American Horror Story), Brett Cullen (Narcos), Glenn Fleshler (Billions), Douglas Hodge (Penny Dreadful), Marc Maron (GLOW), Josh Pais (Motherless Brooklyn), Shea Whigham (Kong: Skull Island), Douglas Hodge (Robin Hood) and Dante Pereira-Olson (You Were Never Really Here).
