The reveal of Joaquin Phoenix with the classic Joker makeup is on the internet. The reveal comes from director Todd Phillips’ Instagram, just five days after posting the first picture of Phoenix as Arthur Fleck, otherwise known as the Clown Prince of Crime.
Warner Bro. Pictures then tweeted the announcement saying, “Camera test (w/sound). Joker.
Repost from #toddphillips1:
Camera test (w/ sound). Joker. pic.twitter.com/R9W2QqKwNS— Warner Bros. Pictures (@wbpictures) September 21, 2018
The video shows Phoenix dressed as the newly named character Arthur Fleck, standing nonchalantly as the camera pushes closer to his face. While the song “Laughing” by The Guess Who plays, flashes of a clown face appear over Phoenix’s, until the merge together revealing the actor as the Joker.
Warner Bros. Pictures sent out a press release about the upcoming film.
โJokerโ centers around the iconic arch nemesis and is an original, standalone story not seen before on the big screen.ย Phillipsโ exploration of Arthur Fleck (Phoenix), a man disregarded by society, is not only a gritty character study, but also a broader cautionary tale.”
The prince of clowns true name is never established in DC Comics. Since first appearing in Batman Number 1 in 1940, the Joker’s origin story doesn’t give his character a name. His moniker is born after being a criminal on the run from Batman. He dives into a vat of chemicals to escape the Dark Knight, leading to his disfigurement and scaring, adopting the name the Joker.
There is no telling how this new Joker fits in to the established lore of the DC movie universe. Jared Leto is set to reprise his role as the Joker in 2016’s Suicide Squad, in his own standalone film. That puts two Joker’s in the DCEU, while DC Comics currently has three running around Gotham. This will be the fifth time the character has appeared in a live action series.
The film started shooting on September 17th and is scheduled to release October 4th, 2019.
