If there is anything that is readily apparent after watching the first teaser for the upcoming Warner Bros./DC Films project “Joker,” it’s that director Todd Phillips is most definitely interested in telling his own story and isn’t beholden to any comic book lore. While the comic books have tried a few times to tell an origin story for Batman’s greatest villain, for the most part, Joker is a blank slate, ready for interpretation. And for the director, that’s an attractive proposition.
Speaking to Empire Magazine, Phillips explained that he isn’t interested in telling a specific comic book story for his upcoming film. Hell, he’s not even really interested in telling a Joker story.
“We didn’t follow anything from the comic books, which people are gonna be mad about,” said Phillips. “We just wrote our own version of where a guy like Joker might come from. That’s what was interesting to me. We’re not even doing Joker, but the story of becoming Joker. It’s about this man.”
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As for the man behind the makeup, actor Joaquin Phoenix, Phillips says that there really wasn’t ever a debate about who WB should cast in the role. The real question was whether or not Phoenix would be willing to take on such an iconic role in a comic book film.
“I think he’s the greatest actor,” the director said. “We had a photo of him above our computer while we were writing. We constantly thought, ‘God, imagine if Joaquin actually does this.’”
The first teaser for the “Batman” spin-off was one of the most popular trailers for WB all year, so it’ll be interesting to see if fans are willing to give the film a fair shake once they realize that Phillips isn’t going to be faithful to the source material. When directors deviate from the source material in superhero films, it can either go incredibly well (such as in the “Blade” franchise) or terribly wrong (Josh Trank’s “Fantastic Four”). Either way, it’s a gamble.
“Joker” arrives in theaters on October 4.