‘Joker’ Movie: Photos

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April 3, 2019 9:39AM EDT

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‘Joker’ Movie

‘Joker’ Movie — ‘Smile, though your heart is achin,’ sings Jimmy Durante in the first trailer for 2019’s ‘JOKER.’ In the 2019 flick, Joaquin Phoenix portrays failed comedian Arthur Fleck, and after facing a decaying Gotham City, transforms himself into the ‘Clown Prince of Crime.’ The film, directed by Todd Phillips (‘Road Trip, ‘The Hangover Trilogy,’ and ‘War Dogs’) and written by both Philips and Scott Silver (writer of ‘The Fighter,’ ‘8 Mile’), drew comparisons to ‘Taxi Driver,’ ‘Raging Bull,’ and ‘The King Of Comedy,’ as it seemingly takes a stark, realistic tone. The movie also features Robert De Niro (portraying a talk host who plays a role in Arthur’s downfall) Zazie Beetz (Arthur’s love interest) and Brett Cullen as Thomas Wayne (father of Bruce Wayne, aka Batman.) The film also seems to draw heavily from The Joker’s origins in Alan Moore and Brian Bolland’s 1988 graphic novel, ‘Batman: The Killing Joke,’ that painted the Joker (prior to his fall from grace) as a struggling comedian hit with tragedy.

With comic fans split on the movie – many still remaining loyal to Heath Ledger’s version of the character in ‘The Dark Knight’ – ‘Joker’ looks to deliver a killer punchline on Oct. 4…or this pratfall might fall flat at the box office.

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Joaquin Phoenix As The Joker

Joaquin Phoenix As The Joker — Joaquin Phoenix paints clown makeup on his face in a scene from ‘Joker.’ He’s one of many actors who has taken on the role of the evil clown.

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Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker Shows Off His Moves

Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker Shows Off His Moves — Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck gets all decked out in his red suit and clown makeup. He creepily dances down the steps in this scene.

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The Joker — Not Quite

The Joker — Not Quite — Before he was an iconic villain, the Joker was down on his luck. But there’s a rage that continues to fuel inside of him until he finally breaks.

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Zasie Beetz In ‘Joker’

Zasie Beetz In ‘Joker’ — Zasie Beetz plays Sophie Dumond in the film. She is best known for her role on ‘Atlanta.’

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Joaquin Phoenix As Arthur Fleck

Joaquin Phoenix As Arthur Fleck — ‘Joker’ will not be connected to the DCEU (DC Extended Universe). Joaquin’s villain will not pop up in any future DCEU movies.

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Joaquin Phoenix Is The Definition Of Brooding

Joaquin Phoenix Is The Definition Of Brooding — The ‘Joker’ movie has been in the works for a while. Before Joaquin signed on, Leonardo DiCaprio was in talks for the role.

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Arthur Fleck Shares A Laugh

Arthur Fleck Shares A Laugh — The first trailer, released on April 3, revealed Joaquin’s version of the Joker laugh. Like all the Jokers who have come before him, Joaquin puts his on twist on the cackle.

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Why So Serious, Arthur Fleck?

Why So Serious, Arthur Fleck? — Joaquin totally transforms into the character with creepy clown makeup. The tagline for the movie is: ‘Put on a happy face.’

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Arthur Fleck On Stage

Arthur Fleck On Stage — In the beginning, Arthur Fleck was a stand-up comedian. ‘Joker’ is all about the villain’s origin story.

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