'Joker' Trailer: Joaquin Phoenix Becomes The Clown Prince Of Crime

Our first full look at the Joaquin Phoenix Joker movie is here. What do you think? Will this seemingly crazy idea pay off and result in a great movie, or was this a huge mistake? No matter how Joker turns out, we can say with some certainty that it's definitely not going to be your standard DC comic book movie. Completely separate from every other DC film so far, Joker is a character study about a mentally ill individual who eventually transforms into the Joker. Watch the Joker trailer below.

It took a while, but I've come around to being excited for Todd Phillips' Joker movie. While I wouldn't exactly call myself a fan of Phillips' work so far, I'm very much into the cast he's put together here: Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Bill Camp, Frances Conroy, Marc Maron, and Shea Whigham. And then, of course, there's Joaquin Phoenix in the lead. Phoenix is a phenomenal actor – maybe the best working today. He never half-asses or phones-in a performance, and I have no doubt that no matter how Joker turns out, he'll bring something new and exciting to a part that's already been portrayed several times by several great actors.

Joker "centers around the iconic arch-nemesis and is an original, standalone story not seen before on the big screen. The exploration of Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), a man disregarded by society, is not only a gritty character study, but also a broader cautionary tale." Phillips is pulling inspiration from several sources here. Sure, there's a little Killing Joke thrown in, but it also looks like the director has borrowed a thing or two from Martin Scorsese's misunderstood The King of Comedy (which also featured Joker co-star Robert De Niro).

If you were hoping Joker would connect to on-going DC and WB film series' like Aquaman or Wonder Woman, think again. This is a stand-alone movie, and kicks-off a new direction for Warners. This week's Shazam! is still very much in the previous cinematic universe Warners was building for their DC characters, but going forward, the studio is going to be less interested in connecting their movies, and more focused on telling good stories that can stand up on their own. I can't say I'm disappointed by this decision.

Joker opens October 4, 2019.