The Joker‘s returning to the silver screen next year in an all-new interpretation. Todd Phillips’ untitled solo movie will be set apart from the mainstream DC movie universe and will tell the origins story of the Clown Prince of Crime in what promises to be a 1980s-set crime drama, partially inspired by the gangster films of Martin Scorsese (who’s also producing). And, as all fans know by now, the man bleaching his face and dying his hair green for the lead role is Joaquin Phoenix.
Joker lovers have welcomed Phoenix’s casting with open arms so far, with many being inspired to create fan art that imagines what the actor (previously linked with Marvel’s Doctor Strange a few years ago) could look like as Batman’s nemesis. Each creator has put their own spin on it, too, and this latest effort from @Camw1n runs with the idea of locking the Joker behind bars in Arkham Asylum.
Check it out below:
This is definitely a classic Joker image, as despite being locked up inside the grimy psychiatric institution, the criminal laughs maniacally to himself because, as he always does, he knows he’ll soon be back out on the streets of Gotham. Weirdly, though it happens all the time in the comics, this scene has never been realized before in the movies. Jared Leto came the closest in Suicide Squad, as he was depicted as having therapy sessions with Harley Quinn, but we never saw the classic image of the Joker cackling away inside his padded cell.
It’s possible the upcoming film could build up to that point, but to start with, it looks set to strip away the familiar facets of the character. That said, there’ll still be connections to the wider Batman mythos. For one, Thomas Wayne, father of Bruce, will appear. Alec Baldwin was briefly signed on to play him, but his exit leaves the part open for the moment.
Joaquin Phoenix will debut his Joker when the villain’s own vehicle hits cinemas on October 4th, 2019.
