Warner Bros. has just revealed a new synopsis for the new Joker movie, directed by Todd Phillips and starring Joaquin Phoenix as “The Jester of Genocide” himself.
With the movie set to premiere at the Venice Internation Film Festival later this month, the studio has given us a brand new synopsis revealing key story details. The movie’s second trailer is expected to drop any day now.
The synopsis reads:
Director Todd Phillips “Joker” centers around the iconic arch nemesis and is an original, standalone fictional story not seen before on the big screen. Phillips’ exploration of Arthur Fleck, who is indelibly portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix, is of a man struggling to find his way in Gotham’s fractured society. A clown-for-hire by day, he aspires to be a stand-up comic at night…but finds the joke always seems to be on him. Caught in a cyclical existence between apathy and cruelty, Arthur makes one bad decision that brings about a chain reaction of escalating events in this gritty character study.
Joaquin Phoenix will be the fourth actor to play the iconic villain on the big screen with big boots to fill in the form of Heath Ledger and Jack Nicholson (Jared Leto not so much)
The Joker will also be screening at this year’s Toronto Internation Film Festival, where Joaquin Phoenix will be receiving the Tribute Actor Award.
Todd Phillips wrote the script with Scott Silver (the man who wrote 8 mile), it will be a stand-alone project set in a gritty, grounded 1980s Gotham City. Following failed comedian Arthur Fleck as his dark surroundings slowly seep into his soul. So this will be separate from the DC Extended Universe (thank god). Warner Bros. have said they’re taking guidance from Scorsese classics such as Taxi Driver and Raging Bull.
Starring Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck (The Joker), Zazie Beetz as Sophie Dumond (A cynical single mother and Arthur’s love interest), Frances Conroy as Penny Fleck (Arthurs Mother), Marc Maron as Ted Marco (Arthur’s agent), Brett Cullen as Thomas Wayne and Robert De Niro as Murray Franklin (A talk show host who plays a pivotal role in Arthur’s downfall).
The Joker movie will reach theatres on October 4, 2019
