Sayak Basu
One of the most anticipated movies of 2019 is surely ‘Joker’. Interests skyrocketed as soon as the movie was announced. And now the movie is in the works and is scheduled to release sometime later this year. However, one thing to be kept in mind is that this movie is in no way related to the DC Cinematic Universe where we have seen movies like ‘Wonder Woman‘ (2017), ‘Justice League‘ (2017). This will be a much lower-budgeted, detailed character study, and a look inside the formation and growth of one of the most notorious villains in comic book history.
Earlier, Martin Scorsese had shown an interest in making a movie on the Joker, which did not happen. He was even attached to this picture as a producer but later dropped out. Filming for the movie began sometime around October 2018. In a later interview, a member of the cast said that Phoenix had lost so much weight at a time, that director Todd Phillips had to rewrite the entire screenplay as there was no chance to do reshoots once the production was over. Phillips had earlier impressed us with movies like ‘The Hangover’ (2003).
Joker Cast: Who is in it?
Initially, the producers had intended to cast Leonardo DiCaprio in the titular role, but the deal somehow did not work out. And Phoenix was also reportedly looking for an opportunity to work in a serious character study of a comic book character. When things fell into place, Phoenix got the role and became the fourth actor after Jack Nicholson, Heath Ledger, and Jared Leto to play this iconic character. Along with him, we shall also see the legendary Robert De Niro in this movie. De Niro is playing the role of a talk show host. Zazie Beetz, who was quite impressive with her performance in the series ‘Atlanta’ (2016-) is playing a character called Sophie Dumond. Dumond is playing the lady love of Arthur Fleck, the man who will later turn into Joker.
We shall also see the characters of Bruce and Thomas Wayne and their butler Alfred Pennyworth. We shall see Bruce Wayne when he was just a kid. Dante Pereira-Olson is playing his part. Alec Baldwin was initially cast as Thomas Wayne. However, schedules deterred him from being a part of this film. Douglas Hodge is donning the character of Alfred Pennyworth. Regarding his character, Phoenix has recently said, “It feels unique, it is its own world in some ways, and maybe, mostly, it scares the [crap] out of me or something. It might as well be the thing that scares you the most.” It can be said with certainty that the character of James Gorden will be present in the movie, but the production has not revealed the name of the actor who is playing the role.
Joker Plot: What is it about?
The plot of the movie has not been revealed in detail. But from what we have gathered, this movie will focus on the person Arthur Fleck and the reasons why he became Gotham’s Clown Prince of Crime. Fleck was not a bad guy from the beginning. He has a mother, probably a family. However, his career is not going anywhere and he has completely failed as a comedian. He is so tormented and disgusted by the workings of society, that he has a psychotic breakdown. And from here emerges his new persona, that of the Joker. The character is mentally unstable, but is a criminal mastermind, interested in testing the limitations of civilized society. The makers have also said that they are taking inspiration from Martin Scorsese movies like ‘Raging Bull’ (1980), ‘The King of Comedy’ (1982) and others. From this, we can determine that what will be the main focus of interest of the filmmaker is how a stand-up comedian went so far that he turned to a life of ruthless inhumanity.
It has also been said that the famous Joker story written by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland in 1988 called ‘The Killing Joke’ will also be a major inspiration for the film. In the story, we see how Joker turned into the criminal that he is, with excerpts of how he keeps tormenting Gotham, James Gorden, and Batman.
Joker Release Date:
Fans waiting for the film can rejoice since premiere date of the film has been announced. Joker is scheduled to release on October 4, 2019.
Joker Trailer:
Check out the trailer below and judge for yourself if you would like to see the film in October.
Read More: Upcoming Joaquin Phoenix Movies
