Hot on the heels of that poster reveal, we now have a trailer for Joker – the villain-centric solo film for one of cinema’s most iconic baddies. This time it’s Joaquin Phoenix’s turn to don the distressed make-up, in what looks to be more a Martin Scorsese-inspired intense character drama than a typical comic book blockbuster. He plays Arthur Fleck, a failed stand-up whose fracturing mental state leads him into a life of clown-costumed crime in Gotham City. Watch the trailer below – and get a really good look at Phoenix in full Joker make-up.
You know you’re going to get something special with most Joaquin Phoenix performances – and he looks committed and compelling here. Could this be another essential take on the Joker to rank alongside Heath Ledger, Jack Nicholson and Mark Hamill? Sorry, Jared. There’s a confidence of tone and style evident here too, a promising showing from director Todd Phillips – a director best known for comedies like The Hangover, Starsky & Hutch, and Old School. Phillips co-wrote the screenplay with Scott Silver, so he obviously has a clear vision for what this Joker should be – even if the idea of giving the Clown Prince Of Crime a backstory is sacrilege to comic purists.
Also in the trailer we see Zazie Beetz as Sophie Dumond, a single mother who dates Arthur, plus a brief glimpse of Robert De Niro as talk show host Murray Franklin – said to be a relatively small but pivotal role in the film.
Find out exactly how Joker got those scars – or at least how he cracked in the '80s and went full-psychopath – when Joker hits UK cinemas on 4 October.
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