Ever since it’s premiere in August at the Venice Film Festival, where the film ended up winning the top prize, the Golden Lion, “Joker” has found itself at the center of a hot-button debate. Will the Todd Phillips-directed film potentially inspire violent folks to commit horrible acts? Or is the film clearly a cautionary tale that aims to point a mirror at society and help illustrate how desperate people can end up turning into monsters?
Even with the comic book film only being screened at festivals before it’s upcoming release, people have already drawn lines in the sand and staked their claim as to which side they’re on. You know, because the internet.
This led to a select number of family members of victims that were killed during the 2012 Aurora shooting in a movie theater penning an open letter to the CEO of Warner Bros. about the troubling plot of “Joker,” and how the film might portray the villain as the hero of the story. The letter asked WB to step up and help implement steps that would perhaps curb future incidents of violence.
Now, WB has finally responded and firmly defends its film, while also explaining that the studio is already involved with anti-violence campaigns. However, the crux of the statement is about “Joker” and how the studio believes that the film is absolutely not an endorsement of the villain’s psychopathic behavior.
“Make no mistake: neither the fictional character Joker, nor the film, is an endorsement of real-world violence of any kind,” the statement reads. “It is not the intention of the film, the filmmakers or the studio to hold this character up as a hero. “
Of course, intent is very different from reality. There doesn’t seem to be anyone out there that actually believes that Phillips or his star, Joaquin Phoenix, are actually intending to present Joker as a sympathetic, or even heroic, character. However, we’ve seen instances in the past where bad people take the wrong message from films. But no matter, WB is not going to alter the film in any way before it is released.
“Joker” arrives in theaters on October 4.
Here’s the entire statement from WB (via Deadline):
“Gun violence in our society is a critical issue, and we extend our deepest sympathy to all victims and families impacted by these tragedies. Our company has a long history of donating to victims of violence, including Aurora, and in recent weeks, our parent company joined other business leaders to call on policymakers to enact bi-partisan legislation to address this epidemic. At the same time, Warner Bros. believes that one of the functions of storytelling is to provoke difficult conversations around complex issues. Make no mistake: neither the fictional character Joker, nor the film, is an endorsement of real-world violence of any kind. It is not the intention of the film, the filmmakers or the studio to hold this character up as a hero. “