It’s as if DC Comics had a hold-my-beer moment with Marvel Studios getting a ton of press with websites going offline because of ticket pre-sales for Avengers: Endgame.
The day before Shazam! gets its theatrical bow, Warner Bros. has unleashed the first teaser to October’s Joker. The iterations of the Caped Crusader’s famous adversary seems to be changing as much as actors playing Spider-Man. We’ve had Oscar winners Heath Ledger (posthumous win for The Dark Knight) and Jared Leto (Suicide Squad) as the clown, now Joaquin Phoenix throws his hat into the ring in this origin story from Todd Phillips.
Yes, the same Todd Phillips that gave us Old School and The Hangover.
But, wow, this first teaser is a meticulous piece that asks audiences to “put on a happy face” as we witness Arthur Fleck (Phoenix) go from failed comic to be driven insane to becoming a criminal mastermind. Feeling like a combination of Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy it’s understandable why Martin Scorsese is attached in a producing capacity and that Robert De Niro has a supporting role as a talk-show host.
Set to open October 4, Joker also stars Zazie Beetz (Domino in Deadpool 2) as Arthur’s love interest, Frances Conroy (“Six Feet Under”) as Arthur’s mother, and Brett Cullen as billionaire Thomas Wayne.
