If there is anyone involved with the upcoming film “Joker” that should be able to explain why everyone who is upset over the film’s plot is wrong, it should be Todd Phillips. The man who directed the upcoming thriller, and co-wrote it alongside Scott Silver, is probably the one person on the planet that knows exactly what the film is trying to say. And so, despite WB already releasing a statement about “Joker” and the potential violence that could be inspired by the film, Phillips is now speaking up about his thoughts on the recent controversies and why he thinks everyone is freaking out about nothing.
Speaking to the AP, Phillips was asked about the issues surrounding “Joker,” primarily the situation with the families of the victims of the 2012 Aurora mass shooting, which happened at a movie theater screening “The Dark Knight Rises,” and the worry expressed by some who have seen the film that the plot might inspire folks to commit similar horrific acts.
READ MORE: The U.S. Military Is Concerned About Potentially Violent “Incels” At ‘Joker’ Screenings
“I think that Aurora is obviously a horrible, horrible situation… but even that is not something you blame on [‘The Dark Knight Rises’],” the filmmaker said.
Phillips continued, “Quite frankly, if you do your own research about Aurora, that gentleman wasn’t even going in as Joker. That was misreported. His hair was dyed red. He was having, obviously, a mental breakdown and there’s something horrible about it. But it wasn’t related to it outside of the fact that it happened at a movie theater. This is not the thing that the movie is trying to represent.”
Obviously, Phillips is expressing an opinion that has been shared by many people that hate to see specific art dragged into the conversation when some lunatic does something terrible. And he’s right that despite reports saying that the murderer was inspired by the Batman villain, there’s no evidence that firmly says that’s true.
The filmmaker goes on to talk about how the violence of the film shouldn’t be looked at any differently than the violence of other projects, specifically pointing out everyone’s favorite assassin, John Wick.
“The movie still takes place in a fictional world,” explained Phillips. “It can have real-world implications, opinions, but it’s a fictional character in a fictional world that’s been around for 80 years.”
He added, “And the one that bugs me more is the toxic, white male thing when you go, ‘Oh, I just saw “John Wick 3.” He’s a white male who kills 300 people and everybody’s laughing and hooting and hollering.’ Why does this movie get held to different standards? It honestly doesn’t make sense to me.”
Now, some might call into question the way that Phillips compares the villainous Joker (and his murder spree) and the heroic John Wick and his revenge. While both are violent individuals, and both do carry legions of fans, there is a distinct difference that the filmmaker fails to comment on. “Joker” shows all this violence and revenge from the point of view of a mentally ill, evil person that is striking back at a world that he feels slighted by, while John Wick is strictly out for revenge against the bad people that killed the folks closest to him.
But obviously, this is a debate that will rage on and won’t be solved anytime soon. “Joker” will arrive in theaters on October 4.
Writer-director Todd Phillips says it isn't fair to link his #JokerMovie to real-world violence: "It's a fictional character in a fictional world that's been around for 80 years." pic.twitter.com/NcT4d9fjOQ
— AP Entertainment (@APEntertainment) September 24, 2019