Director Todd Phillips “Joker” centers around the iconic arch nemesis and is an original, standalone fictional story not seen before on the big screen. Phillips’ exploration of Arthur Fleck, who is indelibly portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix, is of a man struggling to find his way in Gotham’s fractured society. A clown-for-hire by day, he aspires to be a stand-up comic at night…but finds the joke always seems to be on him. Caught in a cyclical existence between apathy and cruelty, Arthur makes one bad decision that brings about a chain reaction of escalating events in this gritty character study.
Three-time Oscar nominee Phoenix stars in the titular role alongside Oscar winner Robert De Niro as Franklin. The film also stars Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy, Marc Maron, Bill Camp, Glenn Fleshler, Shea Whigha, Brett Cullen, Douglas Hodge and Josh Pais.
Oscar nominee Phillips directs from a screenplay he co-wrote with Oscar-nominated writer Scott Silver, based on characters from DC. The film is produced by Phillips and Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper under their Joint Effort banner, and Oscar nominee Emma Tillinger Koskoff.
It will be in theaters nationwide October 4, 2019 and will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.
