The world will soon have a new Clown Prince of Crime when Joker debuts. This time, he's a comedian played by Joaquin Phoenix, and he's ready to turn Gotham City's frown upside down no matter what it takes. A gritty, enigmatic trailer dropped on April 3, and between now and the film's October release date, imaginations are set to run wild. What's with the shot of him walking down Arkham Asylum's antiseptic hallways clutching a bouquet? What role will the still-intact Wayne family play in this twisted saga? What does a story about Gotham City without Batman even look like?
Only one thing is certain: this isn't going to be any old superhero film. Joker has ideas and ambitions that are totally new and untested, and we're willing to bet they'll impress. Here are all the reasons to get hyped about this brand new take on the Dark Knight's greatest nemesis, guaranteed to put a smile on your face.
Superhero movies are, of course, adaptations of superhero comics. By and large, this tends to be a one-to-one correlation. Captain America: The Winter Soldier takes its story from Marvel's Winter Soldier storyline, as penned by Ed Brubaker. Same goes for Civil War, Infinity War, and The Dark Knight Rises. Even when the inspirations are more oblique or more drastically changed, they can often be connected with a little research. Nolan's Batman might not be a complete adaptation of The Long Halloween or Batman: Year One, but he has mentioned both as explicit influences on his portrayal. The well-read observer can often, as a result, guess at what a superhero movie might contain before it premieres. No DC fan was surprised when Batman's spine was snapped — they'd already seen it happen in the Knightfall arc.
But what we know of Joker so far defies this. Arthur Fleck (purportedly the name of this Joker) does not align with any origin of the Joker ever published. What bits and pieces we've seen from promotional material resists attempts to connect the movie to any one story. It seems to be, by and large, entirely original in a way vanishingly few superhero movies have been.
Who is Arthur Fleck? What's up with his creepy laugh? Why is he taking care of his mom? We don't know — and that's astonishing.
It's not about Batman
Scene from Joker
This is not a Batman movie. He's not in the title, he's not in the synopsis, he's not on set. Sure, Bruce Wayne has been cast, but he's a child with no idea that he won't have parents in a handful of years. He's not the focus, the protagonist, or even, seemingly, a major player. This is a story about the Joker and the world that made him.
That's interesting enough on its own — the Joker has been proven to be a character who can carry a story more than once, across a variety of mediums. But just as the greatest Batman stories are often about the evil he faces down (The Killing Joke being, arguably, the most famous example), so too might this story be about the good the Joker stands in contrast to as much as it is about evil. We've seen plenty of stories about how Batman mirrors his enemies, but very few about his enemies mirroring him, reflecting all that makes him the dark protector of a twisted city. This film isn't just capable of being a great Joker story, but also, in portraying the world that made him, a great Gotham story as well. That's a perspective we rarely get, even in the comics.
Joaquin Phoenix is a world-class performer
Joaquin Phoenix Getty Images
Legendary actors aren't new to superhero movies. Heck, even the Joker himself has seen some world-class performers — Jack Nicholson, anyone? But more often than not, caped adventures are what springboard an actor to greater heights. Chris Evans was Captain America before he directed movies in his own right. Mary Jane Watson helped Kirsten Dunst become the kind of actress cast by Lars von Trier and Sofia Coppola. Wolverine made Hugh Jackman into the creative force given the room and funding to make dream projects like The Greatest Showman. Capes and cowls are what you start with, not what you aim for as an actor with big aspirations.
So it's not every day that an actor like Joaquin Phoenix steps up to play a denizen of Gotham City. Phoenix has won Grammy awards, been nominated thrice for Oscars, and garnered acclaim across genre and medium. From The Master to his soundtrack work for Walk the Line, he is a celebrated artist with vision, passion, and drive — and at 44, he brings a unique level of experience to a genre crowded with twenty-somethings. Phoenix isn't just a star we can count on to bring talent to the role — we can count on him to surprise us with his interpretive choices.
