With his leading role in the upcoming film Joker, Joaquin Phoenix is the fifth actor to portray DC Comics' clown prince of crime, aka Batman's nemesis, in person on the big screen. Todd Phillips' new movie explores the Joker's origin story. A trailer for Joker was released on Wednesday. The remaining four actors to play the Joker on the big screen are the late Cesar Romero, who played him in a 1966 movie based on a hit live-action series, Jack Nicholson, who starred in Tim Burton's 1989 film Batman, the late Heath Ledger, who won a posthumous Oscar for his portrayal of the character in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight, and Jared Leto, who played the role in David Ayer's 2016 film Suicide Squad. In addition, Zach Galifianakis provided the voice of the Joker in the Lego Batman Movie, while several other actors, such as Star Wars' Mark Hamill, have portrayed the Joker on various Batman animated shows, as well as in video games.<doc-sep>DC fans have reacted to the recent trailer for Joaquin Phoenix’s upcoming Joker film, drawing favourable comparisons to the late Heath Ledger’s take on the iconic Batman villain. Phoenix will portray a 1970s, Martin Scorsese-inspired version of the character, in a film directed by the Hangover’s Todd Phillips. Ledger would have turned 40 today. “Heath Ledger would be PROUD.” wrote a fan on Twitter. “The key to any Joker movie after Heath Ledger’s Oscars winning performance is finding someone who can make it their own and unique. I commend Jared Leto, but this, whether it works or not, is exactly the type of unique take that we need,” wrote another. “It’s really smart to treat the character as more sympathetic & present us with a slow decay & erosion of his mental state over time. I understand that a #Joker origin story goes against the core tenets of the character in many ways. But if they’re gonna do it, this is the way,” wrote journalist Brandon Katz. He continued, “All I ask of the fandom is that we hold ourselves to a higher standard and not spend the foreseeable future constantly comparing Joaquin Phoenix’s #Joker to Heath Ledger’s Joker. I think we can all agree how exhausting that will get.” One fan, sharing old photos of the two actors off set, wrote, “Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix were friends. So, how about we stop with the extreme comparisons of their Joker performances and propping up one to shit on the other? It’s disrespectful and tasteless.” They continued, “Heath would be proud of what his peer has accomplished.” See more reactions here: All I ask of the fandom is that we hold ourselves to a higher standard and not spend the foreseeable future constantly comparing Joaquin Pheonix's #Joker to Heath Ledger's Joker. I think we can all agree how exhausting that will get. — Brandon Katz (@Great_Katzby) April 3, 2019 Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix were friends. So, how about we stop with the extreme comparisons of their Joker performances and propping up one to shit on the other? It's disrespectful and tasteless. Heath would be proud of what his peer has accomplished. pic.twitter.com/eEC36URDfw — Autistic Wrestling Fan (@TBroomey) April 3, 2019 The key to any Joker movie after Heath Ledger’s Oscars winning performance is finding someone who can make it their own and unique. I commend Jared Leto, but this, whether it works or not, is exactly the type of unique take that we need. — Jeff D: Endgame (@JeffDLowe) April 3, 2019 Also, this shot from #JokerMovie is an homage to Heath Ledger in #10ThingsIHateAboutYou. You can't convince me otherwise. pic.twitter.com/Osx9Q1a4Ai — Keith Chow (@the_real_chow) April 3, 2019 Heath Ledger would be PROUD. pic.twitter.com/30bwFhKF80 — DC Comics ⚡ #Shazam (@UniversoDCnauta) April 3, 2019 Heath Ledger was a great actor - even without Joker. Today they released the first trailer of the new Joker movie and Heath Ledger is trending. Tomorrow is his birthday btw. He became only 28 and died when he was peaking. One of the greatest. Rest in peace 😔 — sj (@sun2jay) April 3, 2019 Heath Ledger was an iconic Joker but people have got to stop comparing every actor that takes on The Joker's role to Heath's interpretation of him. There is so many different faces and personalities of The Joker and seeing different actors portray the character is fascinating. — 🌺 Emily 🌺 (@OhMyEmz) April 3, 2019 I really, really hope we don't fall into the "Joker is gonna suck because Heath Ledger isn't here" realm. I know it's already happening, but we're talking about an iconic character that has been interpreted many times. That's like saying only Paul Robeson could play Othello. — Randy (@pamsson) April 3, 2019 Jack Nicholson's Joker is the Joker. Heath Ledger's Joker is the Joker. Cesar Romero's Joker is the Joker. Jared Leto's Joker is the Joker. Mark Hamill's Joker is the Joker. Joaquin Phoenix's Joker will be the Joker. There's room for more than one. Stop being stupid.#Joker pic.twitter.com/kukHCbZjb4 — Bernard Oliver (@boliver36) April 3, 2019 Ledger died just months before the release of The Dark Knight, in which he won great acclaim for his portrayal of the Clown Prince of Crime. Ledger won a posthumous Academy Award for his performance, which is often considered to be among the greatest screen villains of all time. Phoenix is a three-time Oscar nominee. The actor, who was in contention to play Doctor Strange in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, told Collider in an interview, “I take a lot of time and consideration when making decisions and what I’m gonna work on always.” He continued, “There is something very appealing about… working with Todd on this particular project. It feels unique, it is its own world in some ways, and maybe, mostly, it scares the fucking shit out of me or something. It might as well be the thing that scares you the most.” Also read: After Shazam, the DCEU no longer needs Batman and Superman The Joker trailer has been viewed 11 million times on YouTube and more than 12 million times on Twitter. The film is scheduled for an October release. Follow @htshowbiz for more ott:10<doc-sep>Warner Bros released the first trailer of the upcoming Joker film, starring Joaquin Phoenix as the popular Batman villain, a day after premiering it at the CinemaCon event in Las Vegas. “I used to think my life was a tragedy, but it’s a comedy,” says Arthur Fleck in the trailer. As advertised, the film owes a great debt - visually and thematically - to Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver. Arthur is an outcast living in a ‘70s, New York City inspired Gotham, mocked by others, with only his mother for company. There are several shots in the trailer that hint at an uncomfortably close relationship between Arthur and his mother, played in the film by Frances Conroy. It was previously reported that the role was offered to Frances McDormand. There are recurring shots of Arthur lying curled up on the floor, dancing on stairs, and others which highlight his grotesque physical appearance. We see Arthur routinely getting harassed, beaten up, and left to fend for himself in a ‘changing’ Gotham. There are also quick nods to the Batman (maybe?) and Arkham Asylum. We also see glimpses of his descent into madness, with brief shots of Arthur applying green hair dye and smearing makeup on his face. The film doesn’t appear to be based on any previous comic book origin of the character, but instead seems like an amalgamation of several storylines. Joker has been directed by an unusual choice for the material - The Hangover’s Todd Phillips. Phillips described the movie as a ‘tragedy’ at CinemaCon. “But that’s what happens when you set out to make an origin story about a character who doesn’t have an origin,” he said. The film is slated for a prime awards season release date in October. The film also stars Scorsese favourite Robert De Niro and Zazie Beetz. The Joker has previously been played in film by Oscar-winners Jack Nicholson, Heath Ledger and Jared Leto. Follow @htshowbiz for more ott:10<doc-sep>I had high expectations for the first trailer for Joker. There’s a lot of talent behind that lens and few actors working today can bring it as hard as Joaquin Phoenix. But I didn’t expect it to be that good. Appropriately considering Martin Scorsese is on board as executive producer, the film looks like a weird splice of Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy combined with elements from across the Batman franchise. But if you’re doing a new Joker, the gold standard everyone will be compared to is Heath Ledger’s Oscar-winning turn in The Dark Knight. More than a decade after that film hit cinemas, Ledger’s take on the role remains in the public consciousness. His Joker constantly pops up as a meme online, is a hugely popular Halloween costume and still features on T-shirts to this day. But Phoenix’s take on the role looks mind-blowingly amazing, so who’s going to come out on top? Well, as usual, Twitter has some passionate debates going on, and here’s a selection of what the community is discussing: Because no one should ever do anything after it's been done well. — ◦ Blank Wildest ◦ (@theskybandit) April 3, 2019 All this talk about Heath Ledger and how nobody is capable of surpassing his performance as the Joker will be silenced once #JokerMovie releases. Joaquin Phoenix is more than capable of outperforming Heath & I suggest you watch You Were Never Really Here if you doubt that. — Marshall (@LDR_Violence) April 3, 2019 Coringa do Coringa do Heath Ledger Joaquin Phoenix e o e o Batman do Batman do Christian Bale Ben Affleck pic.twitter.com/QuruYYmH6o — мe cнaмa de нarry poнa (@_wesleyalvs) April 3, 2019 Revisit The New Joker Trailer With Over 40 Hi-Res Screenshots 1 of 45 Click to skip MORE FROM THE WEB Click to zoom Hear me out, and do not crucify me for this, but Joaquin Phoenix has the potential to be the best Joker ever. He is a better actor than Heath Ledger was there’s no denying that. https://t.co/8Rk4hihR4w — KALEB HUGHES (@KalebHughes4) April 3, 2019 Didn’t think I would ever be hyped for a new Joker following Heath Ledger, but Joaquin Phoenix looks phenomenal in this one! #JokerMovie — حسن بن عبدالله آل الشيخ (@HasanAlShaikh) April 3, 2019 People, people. Maybe we can just accept that Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix can both be excellent Jokers and there’s no need to compete like this. That said, it’s a little intriguing that so few fans are comparing Phoenix’s Joker to Jared Leto’s. After a whirl of publicity in Suicide Squad, Leto feels like he’s already becoming something of a footnote in the character’s cinematic history. There are rumors that he’ll be returning to the role for an appearance in Birds of Prey, but with the actor busy with Morbius, it might be a while before he’s back as the clown. In the meantime, I’m hugely excited for Joker. If the film can live up to this trailer, it stands a chance of being one of the best superhero (supervillain?) movies ever. Let’s just hope that we’ll see Phoenix’s take on the character somehow facing off with Batman a couple of years into the future.<doc-sep>
Before footage of acclaimed actor Joaquin Phoenix surfaced Tuesday of him playing the villainous lead in Joker, he addressed how he would tackle the role differently from the late Heath Ledger. Ledger gave an electrifying performance as the Joker in 2008's The Dark Knight. The Australian actor died in January 2008, which was months before the Christopher Nolan-directed feature hit the big screen in July 2008. Ledger, who died of an accidental overdose ahead of The Dark Knight's release, was awarded a posthumous Oscar for his efforts in the Best Supporting Actor category in 2009. Ledger has often been regarded as one of the best actor's to portray the dark character to date, but Phoenix aims to bring something different to the role. In speaking to IndieWire in April 2018, the Academy Award winner said he'd be interested in tackling the Joker because he believed the character would be different from the one Ledger depicted in Nolan's 2008 feature. "I was thinking about it's interesting with comics there's different writers and artists that come on. It's different than this character from literature being uniquely that," Phoenix explained to IndieWire. "There are different interpretations. It's so interesting; I was just thinking about it today, it seems so unique in some ways to comic books. I think there's probably room for that." "Maybe it's like doing a play, like you always hear about people doing something, 'You should have seen this actor in this performance,' but then other actors do it and it's a different kind of film. I think that genre, comic books, kind of lends itself to having different people play the same character and interpret it in a different way. It's kind of built into the source material in some ways. I think it's cool when people do that," he added. Warner Bros. unveiled the first Joker trailer during a panel at CinemaCon on Tuesday. Director Todd Phillips, the man behind The Hangover franchise, described the film as a "tragedy" that will depict an "origin story about a beloved character with no definitive origin." The feature follows Arthur Fleck (Phoenix), a man who struggles to find success as a stand-up comedian, as he ventures down a murderous path to becoming the dark villain. Ledger gave a more in-depth look into his The Dark Knight preparation process during an interview with Empire in 2007. When he donned the clown makeup to play Joker, Ledger kept a diary to help get in character. "It's a combination of reading all the comic books I could that were relevant to the script and then just closing my eyes and meditating on it," Ledger said. "I sat around in a hotel room in London for about a month, locked myself away, formed a little diary and experimented with voices—it was important to try to find a somewhat iconic voice and laugh." "I ended up landing more in the realm of a psychopath—someone with very little to no conscience towards his acts. He's just an absolute sociopath, a cold-blooded, mass-murdering clown," he added. Joker is slated to hit theaters October 4.