If you are passionate about the entire ‘Batman’ saga (both the one directed by Tim Burton and the Christopher Nolan series), the peculiar superhero with the appearance of a bat who, in “real” life, stands out for being a businessman of recognized prestige and wide popularity, it is more than likely that you are eagerly awaiting -and also perhaps with some anxiety- the arrival in theaters of ‘Joker’, which will be officially released on October 4, 2019 .
What do we know about ‘Joker’
With a confirmed duration of 2 hours and 2 minutes , we find ourselves before a truly amazing Joker, as we have never seen him before, and breaking the stereotypes that many of us have about this peculiar character.
The peculiar character of Joker will be played by Joaquin Phoenix , and we will be introduced to an Arthur Fleck (the original name of the fearsome clown) rejected by society, with a story that inquires about his origins and how he ended up forming his figure to become an iconic villain.
Although it is true that at the beginning, with the first news, many followers were surprised by the choice of Phoenix for the role, especially after the incredible performances of Jack Nicholson (‘Batman’, 1989) and especially Heath Ledger (‘Batman’). : The Dark Knight’, 2008), according to the first images we have seen of the film – among which is the official trailer – it seems that the choice would have been successful.
Joaquin Phoenix’s doubts when representing the new Joker
However, we know that Joaquin Phoenix does not work with just anyone , and according to his filmography, he does not choose any role at random. Instead, the Oscar-nominated actor continues to keep his distance from Hollywood, shying away from commercial blockbusters in favor of working with lesser-known auteurs.
In fact, Phoenix himself has turned down roles like the Hulk (to replace Edward Norton) or the Blood Doctor for Marvel.
And when it was his turn to play the Joker, he had some doubts about whether he should become the new clown, or if he should turn him down. In the words of Phoenix himself, “it took me a while to commit”. However, it seems that he does not doubt the choice: “Now, when I look back, I don’t understand why”.
Joaquin Phoenix has revealed that he had doubts about taking the role of the Joker | Warner Bros. Pictures
When asked why so many doubts, and if it was partly due to the fear of assuming the role of such an iconic character both in the comics and on the screen, the actor says that “there was a lot of fear, yes, but I always say that there is motivating fear and debilitating fear. There’s the fear that you can’t take a step, and there’s another kind of fear where you’re wondering ‘ok, what do we do
‘… And you’re digging deeper and deeper. I love that kind of fear. It guides us, makes us work harder.”
In addition, Phoenix adds that there was another reason not to participate in the project. “I think oftentimes in these movies we have these stripped down and simple archetypes, and that allows the audience to be distant from the character, just like we would be in real life, where it’s easy to label someone as evil , and therefore So say: ‘Well, I’m not that’”.
“And yet we are all guilty. We have all sinned. And I thought here was this movie, and these characters, where it wouldn’t be easy for you as an audience. There are times when you will feel connected to him, supporting him, and times when you should reject him. And I like the idea of challenging the audience , and challenging myself to explore a character like this.”
Todd Phillips, the director of ‘Joker’ (2019), has been quite clear
In the words of the director himself, Todd Phillips, there was only one person who could have played this version of the Joker : “We wrote this script for Joaquin, it’s true” . “Joaquin knows it. Half the reason we wanted to try to write it was, ‘Man, imagine if we got Joaquin. He thinks about what we could do.’”
And Phillips is even clearer when he says that the main goal was not precisely to introduce Joaquin Phoenix into the comic book movie universe, but rather the other way around: “The goal was to introduce comic book movies into the comic book universe.” of Joaquin Phoenix.
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