‘The Joker’: Joaquin Phoenix Comments on What Makes His Movie Unique

Much to the dismay of Jared Leto fans, and die-hard supporters of franchise continuity, Warner Bros. is moving forward with a Joker origin film starring Joaquin Phoenix as the iconic DC villain.

Up until recently, everything could be written off as a rumor, with Phoenix himself dodging questions regarding the project. However, earlier this week, the new Joker movie was officially announced and is set to head into production this year.

While he may have been sketchy on the details of this movie in previous interviews, Phoenix finally opened up about his take on the Joker when speaking to Collider. As he described the upcoming film, which will be directed by The Hangover helmer Todd Phillips, Phoenix said that it’s unlike anything he’s seen before.

“I wouldn’t quite classify this as like any genre,” Phoenix said of the upcoming film. “I wouldn’t say it’s a superhero movie, or a studio movie or a … It feels unique, and I think more then anything, and probably the most important thing, is Todd seems very passionate about it and very giving, and so that’s exciting. I think, underneath the excitement of these films, and the size of them, there are these incredible characters that are dealing with real life struggles. And sometimes that is uncovered and exposed, and sometimes it isn’t, and so I always felt, like, there were characters in comics that were really interesting and deserve the opportunity to be kind of studied. And so I think that’s what Todd sees appealing about this idea.”

Even before the official announcement was made, many fans believed that this Joker tale would be vastly different from other versions of the character that have appeared on the big screen in the past. Not only did reports state that the movie would be a gritty, ’80s era crime noir, but the film’s reported budget was also much, much lower than any other DC movie in recent years. Phillips is expected to be working with just over $50 million for this venture, which is significantly cheaper than the likes of Suicide Squad, Justice League, or Wonder Woman.

Everything is pointing to this Joker movie being something completely unique, and that might be the best idea that DC has had in some time.

Are you excited for Joaquin Phoenx and Todd Phillips‘ take on the Joker? What are you expecting from the movie? Let us know by sounding off in the comments!