Joker is an upcoming American psychological thriller film directed by Todd Phillips, who co-wrote the screenplay with Scott Silver. The film, based on DC Comics characters, stars Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker. Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, it is intended to launch DC Black, a series of DC-based films separate from the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). Joker is set in 1981 and follows Arthur Fleck, a failed stand-up comedian who is driven insane and turns to a life of crime and chaos in Gotham City. Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy, Brett Cullen, Marc Maron, Bill Camp, Shea Whigham, Glenn Fleshler, Douglas Hodge, and Brian Tyree Henry, among others, appear in supporting roles.
Development of a standalone Joker film began in 2016 and was confirmed in August 2017, after Warner Bros. and DC Films decided to deemphasize the shared nature of the DCEU. Phillips was set to direct, produce, and co-write the script—inspired by Martin Scorsese's films Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and The King of Comedy—with Silver. Scorsese was attached to produce early in production but left due to other obligations. Phoenix became attached to the project in February 2018 and was cast that July, and the majority of the cast had signed on by August. Principal photography began in September 2018, taking place in New York City, Jersey City, and Newark and concluded the following December.
Joker will premiere at the 76th Venice International Film Festival on August 31, 2019, and is scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States on October 4, 2019.
Contents
Premise
In 1981, a failed stand-up comedian turns to a life of crime and chaos in Gotham City, slowly rising to become a frightening legend.[2][3]
Cast
Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck / Joker:[3]
A mentally ill, impoverished stand-up comedian disregarded by society.[4][3][5] Prior to his casting, Leonardo DiCaprio had been considered.[6] Phoenix had been interested in a low-budget "character study" of a comic book character, and said the film "feels unique, it is its own world in some ways, and maybe [...] It might as well be the thing that scares you the most".[7] Phoenix lost 52 pounds in preparation,[8][9] and based his laugh on "videos of people suffering from pathological laughter".[10]
Robert De Niro as Murray Franklin:[11]
A talk show host who plays a role in Arthur's downfall.[12] De Niro said his role in Joker pays homage to his character from The King of Comedy (1983), Rupert Pupkin, who is a comedian obsessed with a talk-show host.[11]
Zazie Beetz as Sophie Dumond:[13]
A cynical single mother and Arthur's love interest.[13][14] Beetz, a "huge fan" of Phoenix, said that it was "an honor" to work with him,[15] and that she learned a lot working with him on set.[16]
Frances Conroy as Penny Fleck: Arthur's mother.[17]
Brett Cullen portrays Thomas Wayne, a billionaire philanthropist running for mayor of Gotham.[18] Unlike the source material, he plays a role in the Joker's origins and is less sympathetic than traditional incarnations.[19] Alec Baldwin was initially cast in the role, but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts.[20][21] Douglas Hodge plays Alfred Pennyworth, the butler and caretaker of the Wayne family,[22] and Dante Pereira-Olson plays Bruce Wayne, Thomas's son, who, in his adulthood, becomes the Joker's archenemy, Batman.[23][24]
Additionally, Marc Maron portrays Ted Marco, Arthur's agent,[25][26] while Bill Camp and Shea Whigham play officers in the Gotham City Police Department.[2] Glenn Fleshler appears as a comedian,[5] Brian Tyree Henry appears as a nurse,[27] and Bryan Callen appears as a stripper.[28] Josh Pais has been cast in an undisclosed role.[5]
Production
Development
Joker director Todd Phillips in 2016
Between 2014 and 2015, Joaquin Phoenix was interested in acting in a low-budget "character study"-type film about a comic book villain like the Joker.[7] Phoenix had previously declined to act in the Marvel Cinematic Universe because he would have been required to play the roles he was offered, like the Hulk and Doctor Strange, in multiple films.[29] He did not believe his idea for a film should cover the DC Comics character Joker, however, as he believed that character had been depicted in a similar way before, and tried to think of a different one. Phoenix's agent suggested setting up a meeting with Warner Bros., but he declined.[7] Similarly, Todd Phillips had been offered to direct comic-based films a number of times, but declined because he thought they were "loud" and did not interest him. According to Phillips, Joker was born from his idea to create a different, more grounded comic book film.[8]
Phillips pitched the idea for Joker to Warner Bros. after his film War Dogs premiered in August 2016. During the premiere, Phillips realized "War Dogs wasn't going to set the world on fire and I was thinking, 'What do people really want to see?'"[8] He proposed that DC Films differentiate its slate from the competing Marvel Studios' by producing low-budget, standalone films.[30][31] Indeed, after the successful release of the standalone feature Wonder Woman (2017), DC Films decided to deemphasize the shared nature of its DC-based film franchise, the DC Extended Universe (DCEU).[32] In August 2017, Warner Bros. and DC Films revealed plans for the film, with Phillips directing and co-writing with Scott Silver, and Martin Scorsese co-producing with Phillips.[33] The announcement of the film was met with mixed reactions and caught Jared Leto, who portrays the Joker in the DCEU, off-guard.[6]
By September 2017, Warner Bros. was considering casting Leonardo DiCaprio as the Joker, hoping to use his frequent collaborator Scorsese's involvement to lure him,[6] but by February 2018, Phoenix was Phillips' top choice for the role.[34] Padraig Cotter of Screen Rant noted that since the film was a standalone story, Phoenix would not have to appear in sequels like he would have in the Marvel offer.[29] Phoenix said when he learned of the film, he became excited because it was the kind of film he was looking to make, describing it as unique and stating it did not feel like a typical "studio movie".[7] However, it took Phoenix some time to commit to the role, as it intimidated him and he felt "oftentimes, in these movies, we have these simplified, reductive archetypes, and that allows for the audience to be distant from the character, just like we would do in real life, where it's easy to label somebody as evil, and therefore say, 'Well, I'm not that.'"[35]
The script draws inspiration from Scorsese films such as Taxi Driver (1976), Raging Bull (1980), and The King of Comedy (1983),[33] as well as Phillips' Hangover Trilogy.[36] While the film's premise was inspired by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland's graphic novel Batman: The Killing Joke (1988), which depicts the Joker as a failed stand-up comedian,[3][8] Phillips said it does not "follow anything from the comic books... That's what was interesting to me. We're not even doing Joker, but the story of becoming Joker."[37] Rather, he used elements of the Joker lore to produce an original story,[38] which he wanted to be as authentic as possible.[8] Phillips said he and Silver wrote the script with Phoenix in mind: "The goal was never to introduce Joaquin Phoenix into the comic book movie universe. The goal was to introduce comic book movies into the Joaquin Phoenix universe."[35] According to producer Emma Tillinger Koskoff, it took some time to get approval for the script from Warner Bros., partly due to concerns over content. Similarly, Phillips commented that while the yearlong writing process faced "a zillion hurdles," he eventually overcame them.[8]
Pre-production
Following the disappointing critical and financial performance of Justice League (2017), Walter Hamada replaced Jon Berg as the head of DC-based film production at Warner Bros.[39] Hamada sorted through the various DC films in development, canceling some while advancing work on others. The Joker film was expected to begin filming in late 2018 with a budget of $55 million, "a fraction" of the usual budget for a comic book-based film.[1] The deal with Phoenix was finalized in July 2018,[40] after four months of persuasion from Phillips.[8] Immediately afterwards,[40] Warner Bros. officially green-lit the film,[41] titled it Joker, and gave it an October 4, 2019, release date.[42] Warner Bros. described the film as "an exploration of a man disregarded by society [that] is not only a gritty character study, but also a broader cautionary tale".[3] Warner Bros. was also aiming for an R-rating from the Motion Picture Association of America.[43]
Scorsese's longtime associate Koskoff joined to produce,[44][45] although Scorsese left his producing duties due to other obligations.[44] Scorsese considered instead serving as an executive producer, but was preoccupied with his film The Irishman.[8] It was also confirmed that the film would have no effect on Leto's Joker[46] and it was expected to be the first in a new series of DC films unrelated to the DCEU.[1] The same month, Robert De Niro and Zazie Beetz were being eyed for supporting roles.[47][13] Beetz was cast,[14] and De Niro entered negotiations a month later.[12][48] Frances McDormand declined an offer to portray the mother of the Joker, and Frances Conroy was in talks for the role.[49][17] At the end of July, Marc Maron, who had recently finished filming the third season of the web television series GLOW,[26] and Bryan Callen joined the cast.[25][50] Alec Baldwin was cast as Thomas Wayne on August 27, but dropped out two days later due to scheduling conflicts.[20] Production began on September 2, 2018.[51]
Filming
A corrugated silver metal subway train sits with its doors open in a station. Its rollsign reads "0 Local / To Old Gotham all times / Downtown & Tricorner".
A New York City Subway C train with a rollsign for the fictional 0 train left over from filming for Joker
Principal photography commenced on September 10, 2018 in New York City,[52][53] under the working title Romeo.[54] Shortly after filming began, De Niro, Brett Cullen, Shea Whigham, Glenn Fleshler, Bill Camp, Josh Pais, and Douglas Hodge were announced to have joined the film, with Cullen replacing Baldwin.[55][5] Bradley Cooper also joined the film as a producer.[56] The director of photography was Lawrence Sher, with whom Phillips had previously collaborated with for his Hangover films.[5] On September 22, a scene depicting a violent protest took place in Brooklyn, although the station was modified to look like Bedford Park Blvd.[57] In late September 2018, filming of robbery scenes took place at the First Central Savings Bank in Astoria, Queens.[58] According to Beetz, Phillips rewrote the entire script during production; because Phoenix lost so much weight for the film, there would not be an opportunity for reshoots. She recalled: "we would go into Todd's trailer and write the scene for the night and then do it. During hair and makeup we'd memorize those lines and then do them and then we'd reshoot that three weeks later."[59]
Production moved to New Jersey afterward. Filming in Jersey City started on September 30 and shut down Newark Avenue, while filming in November (starting on November 9) shut down Kennedy Boulevard. Filming in Newark began on October 13 and lasted until October 16.[54] Shortly before filming in Newark began, SAG-AFTRA received a complaint that extras were locked in subway cars for more than three hours during filming in Brooklyn, a break violation. However, the issue was quickly resolved after a representative visited the set.[60] That month, Dante Pereira-Olson and Douglas Hodge joined the cast.[22] Whigham said towards the end of October the film was in "the middle" of production, adding that it was an "intense" and "incredible" experience.[2] By mid-November, filming had moved back to New York.[61] Filming wrapped on December 3, 2018,[62] with Phillips posting a picture on his Instagram feed later in the month to commemorate the occasion.[63]
Post-production
Phillips confirmed he was in the process of editing Joker in March 2019.[64] At CinemaCon the following month, he stated the film was "still taking shape" and said it was difficult to discuss, as he hoped to maintain secrecy.[65] Phillips also stated that most reports surrounding the film were inaccurate, which he felt was because it is "an origin story about a character that doesn't have a definitive origin."[66] Brian Tyree Henry was also confirmed to have a role in the film.[27] The visual effects were provided by Scanline VFX and Shade VFX and supervised by Matthew Giampa and Bryan Godwin, with Erwin Rivera serving as the overall supervisor.[67]
Music
In August 2018, Hildur Guðnadóttir was hired to compose the film's score.[68]
Marketing
Phillips has promoted the film by posting set photos on his Instagram feed.[69] On September 21, 2018, he released test footage of Phoenix in-costume as the Joker, with "Laughing" by The Guess Who accompanying the footage.[70] At CinemaCon on April 2, 2019, Phillips unveiled the first trailer for the film,[27] which was released online the following day.[71] The trailer, prominently featuring the song "Smile" performed by Jimmy Durante, generated positive responses, with some commentators comparing it to Taxi Driver and Requiem for a Dream and praising Phoenix's performance.[72][73] Writers described the trailer as dark and gritty,[74] with ComicBook.com's Jenna Anderson feeling it was more like a psychological thriller than a comic book film.[27] Mark Hamill, who voiced the Joker in the 1992 cartoon Batman: The Animated Series, expressed enthusiasm in a Twitter post.[75][76] Conversely, io9's Germain Lussier said the trailer revealed too little and that it was too similar to photos Phillips posted on Instagram. While he still felt it exhibited potential, Lussier overall thought the trailer was not "a home run."[77] The trailer received over eight million views in the first few hours of release.[78]
On August 25, 2019, Phillips released six brief teasers that contained flashes of writing, revealing the second trailer would be released on August 28.[79] Filmmaker Kevin Smith commended the trailer, stating he thought the film "would still work even if [DC Comics] didn't exist" and praising its uniqueness.[80]
Release
Joker will premiere at the Venice Film Festival on August 31, 2019.[81] It will also screen at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 9, 2019,[82] and is scheduled to be released theatrically by Warner Bros. Pictures on October 4, 2019.[83]
Box office projection
BoxOffice magazine analyst Shawn Robbins expects Joker to gross $60–90 million during its opening weekend in North America.[84]
Future
In contrast to modern comic book films, Joker was intended to be a standalone film with no planned sequels.[65] However, Phillips said in August 2019 that he would be interested in making a sequel, depending on the film's performance and if Phoenix is interested.[36] Warner Bros. intends for Joker to launch DC Black, a line of DC Comics-based films unrelated to the DCEU with darker, more experimental material, similar to comic imprints such as Elseworlds.[30][85]
Development of a standalone Joker film began in 2016 and was confirmed in August 2017, after Warner Bros. and DC Films decided to deemphasize the shared nature of the DCEU. Phillips was set to direct, produce, and co-write the script—inspired by Martin Scorsese's films Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and The King of Comedy—with Silver. Scorsese was attached to produce early in production but left due to other obligations. Phoenix became attached to the project in February 2018 and was cast that July, and the majority of the cast had signed on by August. Principal photography began in September 2018, taking place in New York City, Jersey City, and Newark and concluded the following December.
Joker will premiere at the 76th Venice International Film Festival on August 31, 2019, and is scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States on October 4, 2019.
Contents
Premise
In 1981, a failed stand-up comedian turns to a life of crime and chaos in Gotham City, slowly rising to become a frightening legend.[2][3]
Cast
Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck / Joker:[3]
A mentally ill, impoverished stand-up comedian disregarded by society.[4][3][5] Prior to his casting, Leonardo DiCaprio had been considered.[6] Phoenix had been interested in a low-budget "character study" of a comic book character, and said the film "feels unique, it is its own world in some ways, and maybe [...] It might as well be the thing that scares you the most".[7] Phoenix lost 52 pounds in preparation,[8][9] and based his laugh on "videos of people suffering from pathological laughter".[10]
Robert De Niro as Murray Franklin:[11]
A talk show host who plays a role in Arthur's downfall.[12] De Niro said his role in Joker pays homage to his character from The King of Comedy (1983), Rupert Pupkin, who is a comedian obsessed with a talk-show host.[11]
Zazie Beetz as Sophie Dumond:[13]
A cynical single mother and Arthur's love interest.[13][14] Beetz, a "huge fan" of Phoenix, said that it was "an honor" to work with him,[15] and that she learned a lot working with him on set.[16]
Frances Conroy as Penny Fleck: Arthur's mother.[17]
Brett Cullen portrays Thomas Wayne, a billionaire philanthropist running for mayor of Gotham.[18] Unlike the source material, he plays a role in the Joker's origins and is less sympathetic than traditional incarnations.[19] Alec Baldwin was initially cast in the role, but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts.[20][21] Douglas Hodge plays Alfred Pennyworth, the butler and caretaker of the Wayne family,[22] and Dante Pereira-Olson plays Bruce Wayne, Thomas's son, who, in his adulthood, becomes the Joker's archenemy, Batman.[23][24]
Additionally, Marc Maron portrays Ted Marco, Arthur's agent,[25][26] while Bill Camp and Shea Whigham play officers in the Gotham City Police Department.[2] Glenn Fleshler appears as a comedian,[5] Brian Tyree Henry appears as a nurse,[27] and Bryan Callen appears as a stripper.[28] Josh Pais has been cast in an undisclosed role.[5]
Production
Development
Joker director Todd Phillips in 2016
Between 2014 and 2015, Joaquin Phoenix was interested in acting in a low-budget "character study"-type film about a comic book villain like the Joker.[7] Phoenix had previously declined to act in the Marvel Cinematic Universe because he would have been required to play the roles he was offered, like the Hulk and Doctor Strange, in multiple films.[29] He did not believe his idea for a film should cover the DC Comics character Joker, however, as he believed that character had been depicted in a similar way before, and tried to think of a different one. Phoenix's agent suggested setting up a meeting with Warner Bros., but he declined.[7] Similarly, Todd Phillips had been offered to direct comic-based films a number of times, but declined because he thought they were "loud" and did not interest him. According to Phillips, Joker was born from his idea to create a different, more grounded comic book film.[8]
Phillips pitched the idea for Joker to Warner Bros. after his film War Dogs premiered in August 2016. During the premiere, Phillips realized "War Dogs wasn't going to set the world on fire and I was thinking, 'What do people really want to see?'"[8] He proposed that DC Films differentiate its slate from the competing Marvel Studios' by producing low-budget, standalone films.[30][31] Indeed, after the successful release of the standalone feature Wonder Woman (2017), DC Films decided to deemphasize the shared nature of its DC-based film franchise, the DC Extended Universe (DCEU).[32] In August 2017, Warner Bros. and DC Films revealed plans for the film, with Phillips directing and co-writing with Scott Silver, and Martin Scorsese co-producing with Phillips.[33] The announcement of the film was met with mixed reactions and caught Jared Leto, who portrays the Joker in the DCEU, off-guard.[6]
By September 2017, Warner Bros. was considering casting Leonardo DiCaprio as the Joker, hoping to use his frequent collaborator Scorsese's involvement to lure him,[6] but by February 2018, Phoenix was Phillips' top choice for the role.[34] Padraig Cotter of Screen Rant noted that since the film was a standalone story, Phoenix would not have to appear in sequels like he would have in the Marvel offer.[29] Phoenix said when he learned of the film, he became excited because it was the kind of film he was looking to make, describing it as unique and stating it did not feel like a typical "studio movie".[7] However, it took Phoenix some time to commit to the role, as it intimidated him and he felt "oftentimes, in these movies, we have these simplified, reductive archetypes, and that allows for the audience to be distant from the character, just like we would do in real life, where it's easy to label somebody as evil, and therefore say, 'Well, I'm not that.'"[35]
The script draws inspiration from Scorsese films such as Taxi Driver (1976), Raging Bull (1980), and The King of Comedy (1983),[33] as well as Phillips' Hangover Trilogy.[36] While the film's premise was inspired by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland's graphic novel Batman: The Killing Joke (1988), which depicts the Joker as a failed stand-up comedian,[3][8] Phillips said it does not "follow anything from the comic books... That's what was interesting to me. We're not even doing Joker, but the story of becoming Joker."[37] Rather, he used elements of the Joker lore to produce an original story,[38] which he wanted to be as authentic as possible.[8] Phillips said he and Silver wrote the script with Phoenix in mind: "The goal was never to introduce Joaquin Phoenix into the comic book movie universe. The goal was to introduce comic book movies into the Joaquin Phoenix universe."[35] According to producer Emma Tillinger Koskoff, it took some time to get approval for the script from Warner Bros., partly due to concerns over content. Similarly, Phillips commented that while the yearlong writing process faced "a zillion hurdles," he eventually overcame them.[8]
Pre-production
Following the disappointing critical and financial performance of Justice League (2017), Walter Hamada replaced Jon Berg as the head of DC-based film production at Warner Bros.[39] Hamada sorted through the various DC films in development, canceling some while advancing work on others. The Joker film was expected to begin filming in late 2018 with a budget of $55 million, "a fraction" of the usual budget for a comic book-based film.[1] The deal with Phoenix was finalized in July 2018,[40] after four months of persuasion from Phillips.[8] Immediately afterwards,[40] Warner Bros. officially green-lit the film,[41] titled it Joker, and gave it an October 4, 2019, release date.[42] Warner Bros. described the film as "an exploration of a man disregarded by society [that] is not only a gritty character study, but also a broader cautionary tale".[3] Warner Bros. was also aiming for an R-rating from the Motion Picture Association of America.[43]
Scorsese's longtime associate Koskoff joined to produce,[44][45] although Scorsese left his producing duties due to other obligations.[44] Scorsese considered instead serving as an executive producer, but was preoccupied with his film The Irishman.[8] It was also confirmed that the film would have no effect on Leto's Joker[46] and it was expected to be the first in a new series of DC films unrelated to the DCEU.[1] The same month, Robert De Niro and Zazie Beetz were being eyed for supporting roles.[47][13] Beetz was cast,[14] and De Niro entered negotiations a month later.[12][48] Frances McDormand declined an offer to portray the mother of the Joker, and Frances Conroy was in talks for the role.[49][17] At the end of July, Marc Maron, who had recently finished filming the third season of the web television series GLOW,[26] and Bryan Callen joined the cast.[25][50] Alec Baldwin was cast as Thomas Wayne on August 27, but dropped out two days later due to scheduling conflicts.[20] Production began on September 2, 2018.[51]
Filming
A corrugated silver metal subway train sits with its doors open in a station. Its rollsign reads "0 Local / To Old Gotham all times / Downtown & Tricorner".
A New York City Subway C train with a rollsign for the fictional 0 train left over from filming for Joker
Principal photography commenced on September 10, 2018 in New York City,[52][53] under the working title Romeo.[54] Shortly after filming began, De Niro, Brett Cullen, Shea Whigham, Glenn Fleshler, Bill Camp, Josh Pais, and Douglas Hodge were announced to have joined the film, with Cullen replacing Baldwin.[55][5] Bradley Cooper also joined the film as a producer.[56] The director of photography was Lawrence Sher, with whom Phillips had previously collaborated with for his Hangover films.[5] On September 22, a scene depicting a violent protest took place in Brooklyn, although the station was modified to look like Bedford Park Blvd.[57] In late September 2018, filming of robbery scenes took place at the First Central Savings Bank in Astoria, Queens.[58] According to Beetz, Phillips rewrote the entire script during production; because Phoenix lost so much weight for the film, there would not be an opportunity for reshoots. She recalled: "we would go into Todd's trailer and write the scene for the night and then do it. During hair and makeup we'd memorize those lines and then do them and then we'd reshoot that three weeks later."[59]
Production moved to New Jersey afterward. Filming in Jersey City started on September 30 and shut down Newark Avenue, while filming in November (starting on November 9) shut down Kennedy Boulevard. Filming in Newark began on October 13 and lasted until October 16.[54] Shortly before filming in Newark began, SAG-AFTRA received a complaint that extras were locked in subway cars for more than three hours during filming in Brooklyn, a break violation. However, the issue was quickly resolved after a representative visited the set.[60] That month, Dante Pereira-Olson and Douglas Hodge joined the cast.[22] Whigham said towards the end of October the film was in "the middle" of production, adding that it was an "intense" and "incredible" experience.[2] By mid-November, filming had moved back to New York.[61] Filming wrapped on December 3, 2018,[62] with Phillips posting a picture on his Instagram feed later in the month to commemorate the occasion.[63]
Post-production
Phillips confirmed he was in the process of editing Joker in March 2019.[64] At CinemaCon the following month, he stated the film was "still taking shape" and said it was difficult to discuss, as he hoped to maintain secrecy.[65] Phillips also stated that most reports surrounding the film were inaccurate, which he felt was because it is "an origin story about a character that doesn't have a definitive origin."[66] Brian Tyree Henry was also confirmed to have a role in the film.[27] The visual effects were provided by Scanline VFX and Shade VFX and supervised by Matthew Giampa and Bryan Godwin, with Erwin Rivera serving as the overall supervisor.[67]
Music
In August 2018, Hildur Guðnadóttir was hired to compose the film's score.[68]
Marketing
Phillips has promoted the film by posting set photos on his Instagram feed.[69] On September 21, 2018, he released test footage of Phoenix in-costume as the Joker, with "Laughing" by The Guess Who accompanying the footage.[70] At CinemaCon on April 2, 2019, Phillips unveiled the first trailer for the film,[27] which was released online the following day.[71] The trailer, prominently featuring the song "Smile" performed by Jimmy Durante, generated positive responses, with some commentators comparing it to Taxi Driver and Requiem for a Dream and praising Phoenix's performance.[72][73] Writers described the trailer as dark and gritty,[74] with ComicBook.com's Jenna Anderson feeling it was more like a psychological thriller than a comic book film.[27] Mark Hamill, who voiced the Joker in the 1992 cartoon Batman: The Animated Series, expressed enthusiasm in a Twitter post.[75][76] Conversely, io9's Germain Lussier said the trailer revealed too little and that it was too similar to photos Phillips posted on Instagram. While he still felt it exhibited potential, Lussier overall thought the trailer was not "a home run."[77] The trailer received over eight million views in the first few hours of release.[78]
On August 25, 2019, Phillips released six brief teasers that contained flashes of writing, revealing the second trailer would be released on August 28.[79] Filmmaker Kevin Smith commended the trailer, stating he thought the film "would still work even if [DC Comics] didn't exist" and praising its uniqueness.[80]
Release
Joker will premiere at the Venice Film Festival on August 31, 2019.[81] It will also screen at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 9, 2019,[82] and is scheduled to be released theatrically by Warner Bros. Pictures on October 4, 2019.[83]
Box office projection
BoxOffice magazine analyst Shawn Robbins expects Joker to gross $60–90 million during its opening weekend in North America.[84]
Future
In contrast to modern comic book films, Joker was intended to be a standalone film with no planned sequels.[65] However, Phillips said in August 2019 that he would be interested in making a sequel, depending on the film's performance and if Phoenix is interested.[36] Warner Bros. intends for Joker to launch DC Black, a line of DC Comics-based films unrelated to the DCEU with darker, more experimental material, similar to comic imprints such as Elseworlds.[30][85]
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