The People’s Joker Reveals New Trailer Ahead of Expanded Theatrical Release

The People’s Joker has released a new trailer, giving viewers a new look at writer/director/producer/star Vera Drew’s parody film based on the DC Joker movie series, described as “a queer coming of age Joker Origin story.”

It’s been a very long road for The People’s Joker: the film was made by a collection of hundreds of artists working through the COVID pandemic; the satirical take on Joker (2019) made its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2022, only to be pulled over rights issues with DC/WB:

“People don’t want you to see this movie,” Drew said at the time. “I’m not getting into the specifics because my team will kill me, but people do not want you to see this movie and I cannot remember the last time anybody actually said that and meant it.”  

The film was acquired by Altered Innocence, and the production company struck a deal for North American distribution rights to the movie – something that Vera Drew shared with fans last December: 

“I am absolutely thrilled and humbled that Altered Innocence is helping me bring The People’s Joker to theaters this spring,” Drew said in a statement. “This movie started as a DIY community project for queer artists and I made it with my friends to process what it was like coming out as a trans woman working in the film and TV industry. It has been a long road freeing The People’s Joker and finding a release plan that rings true to the queer, anarchist spirit we had while making it. What better home than among Altered Innocence’s catalog of gorgeously gay and deliciously edgy films.”

The People’s Joker Cast & Story Details

“After years numbing herself with irony and an inhalant called Smylex, an unfunny aspiring clown grapples with gender identity, first love, and old foes all while founding an illegal comedy theater in Gotham City. It’s a queer coming of age Joker Origin story. Completely unlicensed by DC and Warner Brothers. 

Shot entirely on green screen, the work of over 200 independent, predominantly queer creators -artists, musicians, and animators- elevates the instantaneously illustrious feature beyond genre pastiche to an overflowing richness of mixed-media visuals across 2D, 3D, stop-motion, and more forms of animation.  

“Vera Drew has taken her own life experiences and traumas to craft an entirely new genre of cinema that blurs the lines between documentary, coming-of-age film, and parody,” said Altered Innocence founder Frank Jaffe. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to champion this bold, intelligent, and hilarious piece of queer cinema that audiences around the globe have fallen in love with.”

The People’s Joker will feature familiar actors playing some iconic DC characters. The cast includes cameos from Tim and Eric’s David Liebe Hart as Ra’s al Ghul, SNL’s Sarah Sherman as Lorne Michaels, Tim Heidecker, Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul), Maria Bamford (Netflix’s Big Mouth), and Scott Aukerman (Comedy Bang! Bang! podcast) all appearing along with Vera Drew, Lynn Downey (Amazon Prime Video’s Daisy Jones & The Six), Nathan Faustyn (SADDLED), and Kane Distler, in his film debut. People’s Joker will feature variations on DC characters including The Penguin, Scarecrow, Riddler, Bane, and Harley Quinn, plus DC locations like Smallville and Arkham Asylum.

At the end of last year, The People’s Joker was given a theatrical release, in cities that include Los Angeles, Austin, Texas; Denver, Colo., San Francisco; Seattle, Washington, and  Washington, D.C.