Joaquin Phoenix is the New Joker, But Not as You're Used To Seeing Him
Director Todd Phillips has surprised us all with this post, giving us glimpse of how actor Joaquin Phoenix, plain-faced and absolutely normal, will appear in the 2019 Joker movie.
Simply captioned ‘Arthur’, it hints as the Joker’s previous life as Arthur Fleck, the man he was before he became the infamous villain.
The bold move is a far cry from Jared Leto’s tooth-capped and tattooed version of the infamous comic character in the 2016 Suicide Squad movie.
The incarnation is an insight into a more subdued side of the character, as imagined by Phoenix, Phillips and scriptwriter Scott Silver.
Prior to this film, the Joker’s backstory has previously been a question mark, with various versions available as the slippery villain constantly changed his story.
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This particular rendition, however, is inspired by Batman: The Killing Joke, an award-winning (but gruesome) Alan Moore graphic novel, considered by many to be the true origin story.
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The feature film is an “exploration of a man disregarded by society” and “not only a gritty character study, but also a broader cautionary tale,” Warner Bros explained.
This Joker depiction will most likely lean more towards Heath Ledger’s iconic Joker in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight series.
In the graphic novel, Joker’s given name is not disclosed, but he does have a career as a chemical company engineer and an aspiring stand-up comedian.
Joker won’t be the first villain to be humanised. Thanos from Avengers: Infinity Wars also comes to mind, because scarier than monsters that look mindlessly terrifying are those that live, breathe, feel and think like us.
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Despite this sneak peek, casting is still up in the air. Robert De Niro has been linked with a role as a talk-show host who becomes part of Arthur Fleck’s path towards villainy.
At one point Alec Baldwin was connected with the part of Thomas Wayne, philanthropist father to Bruce Wayne, who then goes on to become Batman.
The elder Wayne was described not as the respected, measured corporate leader as often portrayed, but as a “cheesy” businessman with comparisons to a 1980s Donald Trump.
As it is, Zazie Beetz is expected to play Fleck’s girlfriend, Frances Conroy his mother Penny, Marc Maron a talent agent, and Todd Phillips’ associate Bryan Callen is thought to pop up as another comedian.
Source: AFPRelaxnews
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