While it may be seen as a surprise pick, ultimately, it’s not a shock that “Joker” has its world premiere at this year’s Venice Film Festival. In fact, many speculated that would be the case almost a month ago. But having the film added as part of the official competition? That’s surprising.
However, when speaking with Variety, Venice festival director Alberto Barbera not only said that the film can stand up against any other in the competition, but “Joker” will likely compete for some major trophies come awards season.
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“Yes, as usual they said they wanted to be in a more protected situation [as with “A Star Is Born” last year, which launched out of competition],” revealed the festival director. “But then [director] Todd Phillips said: ‘I don’t care if I run the risk of not winning. Why shouldn’t I go in competition when I know what we’ve got on our hands?’
He continued, “I have to say, Warners was convinced pretty rapidly, because it’s a really surprising film. It’s the most surprising film we’ve got this year…This one’s going straight to the Oscars even though it’s gritty, dark, violent. It has amazing ambition and scope.”
Straight to the Oscars, huh? Wow, those are strong words for any film, let alone a comic book movie directed by the guy who did “The Hangover” trilogy. Alas, there is a lot of positive buzz about the film, largely contributed to the fact that Joaquin Phoenix and the rest of the cast is just a murderer’s row of talented, world-class actors.
That being said, when it was rumored that Venice would house the premiere of “Joker,” there was the overwhelming thought that it would have an out-of-competition slot. But here we are, with Todd Phillips’ ‘Batman’ spin-off competing against the likes of new films from directors Olivier Assayas, Pablo Larrain, Steven Soderbergh, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Noah Baumbach, and James Gray.
Venice 2019 begins August 28.