Joker Origin Movie: 9 Key Influences You'll See In Joaquin Phoenix's Performance
What, you laughing at me?
With a creepy teaser soundtracked by The Guess Who's Laughing, Joaquin Phoenix's Joker has been revealed in all his smiling, crazy glory.
Phoenix's take on the character will first introduce us to Arthur Fleck, a wannabe stand-up comedian whose failing career leads him to don the face paint, break out the hair dye, and begin a new life as the Clown Prince of Crime. A movie about the origin of Batman's arch-nemesis without the Caped Crusader himself is a tough sell, but this first little teaser does a great job of doing exactly that.
That first image has been accompanied by some set leaks, which further showcase what we can expect from Phoenix's take on the iconic character. It's obviously still very early days - the movie is still around a year away from its cinematic release - but it already looks about a world away from Jared Leto's damaged take.
While Phoenix and director Todd Phillips are very much doing their own unique thing, there are nonetheless a number of inspirations - from the pages of DC Comics and otherwise - that we can already see at play with the character.