The Joker became a household name and one of the most popular villains ever since first appearing in Batman #1 in 1940. This maniacal character soon became the epitome of evil in the DC universe. Adorning an iconic purple suit, green hair and a red Cheshire smile, many actors have risen up to the challenge of portraying the character.
Cesar Romero was the first to play the Joker on screen, reprising his role from the Batman TV series, in 1966’s Batman: The Movie. The first modern interpretation of the character came from Jack Nicholson in the 1989 film Batman. Since then we’ve had Heath Ledger play his own version in The Dark Knight in 2008—a portrayal many came to greatly admire. Two years ago, Jared Leto took up the character in Suicide Squad.
So many jokers have graced the film screen, but there’s a new Joker in town.
It was announced earlier this year that Warner Bros. had in the works a new Joker solo film. It was to be an origin story into the whirlwind mind of the character. In previous films, audiences have never been introduced to what makes the Joker tick and where he came from. The film is set in the 1970s and 80s NYC.
It was wondered who would stand up to take on a new rendition of the Joker, and Joaquin Phoenix certainly has.
Set photos of Phoenix adorned in costume shows that he is more than sufficient to embody the Crown Prince of Crime. He is seen wearing a suit and tie common to the character. He even wears a god awful color combo of a dark magenta suit and emerald green shirt.
But, what makes Phoenix’s character different than previous incarnations is the widely recognized face paint. A released teaser video shows him wearing white clown makeup with blue eyes and a smeared red mouth. The cherry on top is Phoenix’s creepy and maniacal smile and dead eyes. Of course, there is the lime green hair we all love.
What’s most unexpected about the film is it being made as a stand-alone. The film has no association with the already existing DC cinematic heroes and storylines.
It is uncertain whether or not Phoenix’s Joker is a one time deal seeing as Warner Bros. wants to create different storylines with different actors.
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Joaquin Phoenix is the New Joker in Town: Image Credit: Todd Phillips, SplashNews
