Joaquin Phoenix on Why The Joker Movie Scares Him
The superhero and villain movies are roaring more than ever right now. Once the news hit that Joaquin Phoenix was going to star in the new Joker standalone movie (one that’s a part of the DC Dark era and will not be in the same timeline as the DC movies that already came out).
Once people knew Phoenix was up to do the Joker, everyone was more than ecstatic for him to take on the role of the Joker. I love how the fans are open for new Joker actors, even if the comments on Jared Leto’s Joker were quite mixed. Some confusing things are going on like The Batman movie is possibly going to connect to this movie, which seems very unlikely. What we do know is that the film got its title ‘Romeo,’ and that Todd Phillips will base the storyline on Alan Moore’s The Killing Joke. The movie is officially set to start production in September.
Joaquin Phoenix sat down with Collider and talked about the upcoming movie starting production; he was more open then back in February when Phoenix was in talks for the role. Here is what he had to say about the movie:
“I take a lot of time and consideration when making decisions and what I’m gonna work on always. So, in some ways, the process, which is obviously reading a script and meeting a filmmaker and then continuing to have meetings and discussions with Todd [Phillips]. I think he’s very impressive and he seems to have a very interesting understanding of this world and what he’s trying to say. And so there is something very appealing about that and working with him 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.” – Joaquin Phoenix to Collider
While the interviewer and Phoenix were talking about the film, he said he thought about a movie like this years ago. Here is what Phoenix thought a few years ago:
“Three or four years ago, I called my agent and said ‘Why don’t they want to take one of these characters and just make a lower budget film about it, a movie but a character study, and why not take one of the villains?’ And I thought, ‘You can’t do the Joker, because, you know, it’s just you can’t do that character, it’s just been done.’ So I was trying to think of other characters, and he said ‘I’ll set up a general meeting with Warner Bros.’ And I said ‘I’m not gonna go, I can’t go to a general meeting.’ So I completely forgot about it, and so then I heard about this idea, I was like, ‘Oh that’s so exciting, that’s the kind of experience I wanted to have, with a movie based on a comic character.’ I felt like you could get something on screen.”
Of course, we’re happy it’s finally happening! Why it only now happened is not so much of a mystery, but we’re sure DC is now ready to move on to bigger things. DC Comics started a new part of the Warner Bros. group called DC Dark, where the extent the characters of DC to more movies with a smaller budget but with more artistic freedom. I can’t wait for those movies to hit the theaters, it feels like they finally have a plan to take charge of the theaters.
What do you think of Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker? Do you think he should be afraid or does he have nothing to worry about to take on this role? Let us know in the comments below.
Romeo, the Todd Phillips directed DC Dark movie will start productions in September. No further release dates are announced.
Currently graduated with a B.A.
in music management. When she was a child you
would always see her with a piece of paper and a pencil,
drawing or writing the pages away. A daydreamer.
