Todd Philips’ ‘Joker’ Movie Set to Film in September
The Joker is heading back to the big screen. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Joaquin Phoenix has finalised his deal to star as the clown prince of crime, and the film is officially moving forward.
The film is described by Warner Bros as:
“[an] exploration of a man disregarded by society [that] is not only a gritty study, but also a broader cautionary tale.”
The Joker movie will chart the origins of Batman’s famous nemesis, possibly taking some influences from Alan Moore’s legendary story, The Killing Joke.
Filming is due to begin in New York this September, though no release date has yet been claimed by the studio.
That may seem unusual in the modern age of Super Hero blockbusters, but then The Joker isn’t your regular comic book movie. Described as a crime drama, with a (comparatively) small budget of approximately $55 million, The Joker is planned to be the first entry in the DC Dark/DC Black label.
Movies under the new label will not be part of the DC Films Universe. Instead, they will be smaller, stand alone, features, with modest budgets that allow them to be more experimental in both tone and content. A Joker movie with Jared Leto is also in the works. That movie, if it goes ahead, will be part of the DC Universe.
The lack of a release date also fits with DC Entertainment President Walter Hamada’s approach of not dating movies before they are ready, though now The Joker is moving into production we could hear something soon. Maybe as early as SDCC next week.
The Joker origin movie is directed by Todd Philips from a script by Philips and Scott Silver. A release date of late 2019 or 2020 is expected.
Chris is a lifelong fan of Disney, Star Wars and super heroes who can’t quite believe this golden age of movies and TV we’re living in. Having written blogs dedicated to Disney’s Aladdin musical and Star Wars Celebration, Chris is excited to be part of the MNN team.
