Joaquin Phoenix Standalone Joker Origin Film Is Happening!

When gossip surfaced online that Joaquin Phoenix may be the latest actor to play the crown prince of Gotham The Joker, it was met with skepticism.

According to Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. Pictures has confirmed a Joker origins film is happening.

Despite the news of a Jared Leto Joker origins film potentially coming too, Warner Bros are going ahead with plans for two films.

It seems Phoenix has recently finalized plans to play the iconic role with The Hangover director Todd Phillips lined up to direct. It’s expected the filming of the yet untitled film is due to start this September in New York.

Phillips describes the film “exploration of a man disregarded by society [that] is not only a gritty character study but also a broader cautionary tale.”

A promise of that this Joker film will be “different from comic book superhero movies.”

If reports are true, the budget for the film may only be around the $55 million mark, which is extremely low for a comic book film. As the word is there going for a darker film (potentially rating 15 upwards) more experimental than the Studio is used to. Plus it’s been labeled a ‘standalone’ film too.

There is also the small matter of DC Entertainment and their road into comic book filmdom. There’s no hiding from it, comparing it to Marvel’s MCU ‘disastrous’ is one word we could use to describe it. Film after film critically panned with only Wonder Woman giving DC any hope they could match Marvel. Then came along Justice League, so Warner Bros. will rightly be very cautious.

Unusually Warner Bros. doesn’t seem to have a release date in mind for this film. When it comes to comic book films many releases are usually preplanned release dates. The report does suggest, depending on certain factors this film might get a late 2019 release date.

So what do you think about the two Joker films? Should DC get their house in order before looking at spin-off/standalone films?