Warner Bros. Pictures
After watching the first trailer for the Joker movie starring Joaquin Phoenix my first reaction was, “Whoa. This might actually be really good.”
Hard to believe, especially since we’re all seen Jack Nicholson, Heath Ledger, Jared Leto, and even Cesar Romero play The Crown Prince of Crime before, but Joaquin Phoenix and director Todd Phillips (Old School, The Hangover) may have actually broken some new ground with the character.
What’s new about this iteration of the Joker is the fact that unlike previous versions, this time it appears that we will get a full-blown origin story for the man, at least in this movie, named Arthur Fleck.
Based on this first trailer, the movie will take it’s time revealing exactly how Fleck descended into madness and turned into the villainous Joker.
“My mother always tells me to smile and put on a happy face — she told me I had a purpose to bring laughter and joy to the world,” Fleck says in the trailer.
Fleck’s mother appears to be a strong influence in the direction his life takes as he struggles to find a place in 1980s Gotham.
“There’s been a lot of chatter about what this film is and what it isn’t and most of it is not accurate,” Philips told the audience of movie theater owners at CinemaCon in Las Vegas on Tuesday, reports EW. “But it’s expected when you set out to make an origin story about a beloved character who basically has no definitive origin.”
Joker, which also stars Zazie Beetz and Robert De Niro, is scheduled to hit theaters on October 4th of this year.
Check out the first trailer and some of the reactions to it below…
This is definitely a darker, more grounded Gotham, plagued by a lunatic dressed like a clown. Arkham State Hospital appears - the teaser is set to Nat King Cole’s “Smile”. Way more of a psychological thriller. DC’s darkest movie yet?#Joker #CinemaCon pic.twitter.com/2lQ5uMSdtX
— Erik Davis (@ErikDavis) April 2, 2019
#Joker trailer: Looks like a really dark and twisted character study. Joaquin Phoenix is living in the role and this will no doubt be another inspired and manic performance from him. If you’re missing the “dark” DC, then here’s your medicine. #CinemaCon
— JoBlo.com (@joblocom) April 2, 2019
https://twitter.com/philthethrill/status/1113437480924143617
#joker trailer is simply amazing not your average comic book film
— MDPeezyTM (@mdp_tm) April 3, 2019
https://twitter.com/Edward_N0rt0n/status/1113437280449040384
Is it possible to give an Oscar just from a trailer #Joker #JoaquinPhoenix
— Muhammad Nazmi (@nazmigendutt) April 3, 2019
Yeah, people seem to be pretty hyped.