Will 'Joker' Be Inspired By 'The Dark Knight?'

Yesterday, Joker director Todd Phillips shared the first official photo of leading man Joaquin [...]

By Russ Burlingame

Yesterday, Joker director Todd Phillips shared the first official photo of leading man Joaquin Phoenix in his hair and wardrobe from the film -- and it looks like that may have been timed to beat the paparazzi, since a handful of photos have been circulating on social media from the film shoot.

What is most interesting is not just a few different angles of Phoenix in costume, but the fact that the visual feels evocative of The Dark Knight, largely taken to be the definitive modern interpretation of the Clown Prince of Crime.

Does this mean that the film is a prequel to the Christopher Nolan-directed classic?

Of course not. For one thing, Phoenix (43) is not only older than Ledger's full-fledged Joker was when The Dark Knight was made (28 years old). Even if you assume (as we do) that it his character is unlikely to be over 40 in the film, he still doesn't look like a "young Heath Ledger."

That said, the aesthetic of Arthur Fleck certainly seems to match up with The Dark Knight's Joker, and that is almost certainly intentional.

Let's take a look at two photos side-by-side to illustrate the point.

First off, some photos taken behind the scenes on Joker:

There were a few general things we noticed: the disheveled, longish hair hanging in strands is the biggest one, of course, but there are other elements, too.

Arthur is seen wearing multiple layers of what looks like organic fabrics (wool or cotton, etc). We see his collared shirt, a vest, and a sweater over it. He also wears inexpensive dress shoes and white socks.

He has a generally haggard affect, with slumped shoulders, and generally looks like someone who dresses for a middle-management job with a modest income, and maybe got these clothes from a Salvation Army or somewhere similar.

Which, of course, feels a bit like this:

joker-dark-knight
(Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures)

If you were to take Arthur's general appearance and twist it to a Joker color scheme, you would come out with something very similar to The Dark Knight's Oscar-winning portrayal.

The question, then, becomes whether this is a surface-level similarity or whether there will be more to it. Might Arthur give us some clues as to where those scars came from...?

Joker is due in theaters next October. You can stream The Dark Knight for free on the newly-launched DC Universe app.

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