Todd Phillips is bringing the Joker back to the big screen this coming October, with Joaquin Phoenix playing Arthur Fleck, a new take on the iconic DC character. But Phillips’ movie won’t be like the superhero movies we’re used to, co-star Marc Maron assures in a chat with NME.
“I think it’s a very interesting approach to this world,” Maron told the site. “The approach that Todd Phillips has taken is more of an origin story and a character study of a mentally ill person that becomes The Joker.”
Maron added, “It’s more of an intimate and gritty movie with a very specific scope. It’s going to be really interesting to see how it comes out.”
The cast also includes Frances Conroy, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Marc Maron, and Brett Cullen as Thomas Wayne, along with Bill Camp (Red Sparrow), Shea Whigham (Kong: Skull Island), Glenn Fleshler (“True Detective”), Josh Pais (“Ray Donovan”), Dante Pereira-Olson (You Were Never Really Here) and Douglas Hodge (“Penny Dreadful”).
While story details are being kept under wraps, it has been previously reported that the origin story for Batman’s nemesis will be more of a mid-budget crime thriller than a superhero blockbuster. The film was reportedly made on a $55 million production budget, with it being described as “darker and more experimental in tone and content.”
The screenplay for Joker is co-written by Phillips (The Hangover trilogy) and writer Scott Silver (The Fighter), and based on characters from DC. It’s being produced by Phillips and Bradley Cooper under their Joint Effort banner, and Emma Tillinger Koskoff. It’s executive produced by Richard Baratta, Joseph Garner and Bruce Berman.
The Joker will arrive on October 4, 2019.
