Warner Bros.
When Warner Bros. first revealed that they were developing a Joker origin story a few years back, there was arguably no one on the internet as frustrated as I was.
My argument was that makes the character of the Joker so uniquely legendary is his lack of origin. It’s his lack of a true identity that poses the most threatening existential threat to Batman’s life-consuming mission: can evil ever be truly stopped if everybody has it inside of them?
Simply put, regardless of the prestige involved with the film — and Todd Phillips, Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Marc Maron, and Frances Conroy is an undisputed murder’s row of talent, no doubt — I felt that the film’s very existent betrayed the fundamental idea of the Joker: that this is a “man” so evil, so lost in insanity, so the off-the-moral-grid, that even the Dark Knight himself — the world’s greatest detective — can’t figure out who that man is.
But, with the release of the legitimately excellent trailer and various quotes from those involved with the project, my outlook on the film has become more positive.
And now, with just under two months until the film’s release, Joaquin Phoenix has already racked in his first award for his performance, effectively building even more positive vibes around the film.
According to the Toronto Star, Phoenix is set to be presented with the Tribute Actor Award for his performance in Joker.
“Displaying both raw instinct and consummate technical skill, Joaquin Phoenix is the complete actor, and one of the finest in contemporary cinema. Over three decades, he has brought a piercing truth to each groundbreaking role. TIFF is thrilled to be celebrating an artist of his caliber with this inaugural award. We can’t wait for Festival audiences to experience his electric turn in Joker,” TIFF co-head Cameron Bailey said when announcing the award.
Yup, I give in… I’m officially pumped AF for this movie.