The final trailer for the upcoming Joker film has been released much to everyone’s pleasure. Joaquin Phoenix will be bringing the villain to life through his portrayal of Arthur Fleck, a troubled man who works as a clown by day while pursuing his dream of standup comedy at night. Todd Philips, the mind behind The Hangover, The Hangover Part II, and The Hangover Part III directed the movie and in a piece by the LA Times noted that Joker will be a “slow burn.” Philips expanded on the film saying “No one is going to fly in it. No buildings are going to collapse. It’s just going to be on the ground so to speak.” This description sounds like a far cry from Jared Leto’s portrayal of the joker, who’s off-screen antics drowned out a pedestrian performance in 2016’s Suicide Squad. Adding in a purple Lamborghini, a sound track that included Skrillex, and face tattoos, it is clear that Phoenix's rendition will be the tonal opposite of what we last saw.
Instead moviegoers will be treated to a serious character study this time around. In order to emphasize this new direction, DC and Warner Bros intend for Joker to be a standalone story, separate from the DC universe at large. Joker is set to release on October 4 and aside from Phoenix will star Zazie Beets, Robert DeNiro, and Marc Maron. You can check out the trailer at the top of the page.