Getty ImagesEarlier this month it was confirmed that Joaquin Phoenix was going to play Batman’s arch nemesis, the Joker, in a new movie that would tell the Clown Prince of Crime’s origin.
Now, just ahead of Comic-Con, Warner Bros. have revealed some new information about the long rumoured movie including its title and when it’ll be released.
According to Variety, the film’s simply called Joker and it’s set to be released on October 4, 2019.
Warner Bros.Which gives director Todd Phillips just over a year to shoot and edit an entire movie, an ambitious timeframe for a film that’s supposed to launch a new movie label.
Thankfully for Phillips, Joker is set to be a bit of a stripped back affair, compared to other more bombastic CGI extravaganzas like Justice League or Infinity War, which should make it relatively easy to get out on time.
It’s been reported that the film has a budget of just $55 million, a paltry amount when compared to the bloated budgets of other superhero movies but, as a colleague of mine pointed out recently, more than enough for some white face paint and a purple tuxedo.
Warner Bros. As of now, all we know for definite is that a script is in place and that, according to The Hollywood Reporter, the film will be an ‘exploration of a man disregarded by society [that] is not only a gritty character study but also a broader cautionary tale.’
Supposedly though the film will be set in the 1980s and will tell the humble origin of the man who will one day terrorise the citizens of Gotham with his lethal practical jokes.
Not only that there are rumours swirling that none other than Robert DeNiro, the young Vito Corleone himself, is being eyed for a potential role in the film.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about the Joker release date is it will put it slap bang in the middle of the American award season.
Could Warners be hoping for a repeat performance from the Harlequin of Hate at the 2019 Oscars?
After all, it was Heath Ledger and his iconic performance as the Joker in The Dark Knight that won the studio the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor back in 2008.
Who knows though? After all, not all Jokers are created equal and for every Mark Hamill and Heath Ledger out there, there’s also a Jared Leto.
Speaking of which, if you’re a fan of less critically acclaimed Jokers, Leto’s version of the character is supposedly getting his own solo film which, unlike Joaquin’s version, will exist in the same shared universe as the Justice League and Suicide Squad.
So that’s exciting I guess if you’re into that whole thing…
Joker is set to terrorise cinema patrons on October 4, 2019.
More of a concept than a journalist, Tom Percival was forged in the bowels of Salford University from which he emerged grasping a Masters in journalism.
Since then his rise has been described by himself as ‘meteoric’ rising to the esteemed rank of Social Editor at UNILAD as well as working at the BBC, Manchester Evening News, and ITV.
He credits his success to three core techniques, name repetition, personality mirroring, and never breaking off a handshake.