The upcoming Joaquin Phoenix-led Joker film has officially wrapped filming. Set in the ’80s, the film will introduce fans to the titular character when he was still a struggling comedian known as simply Arthur Fleck. The narrative will be separate from the established DCEU lore, launching a brand new banner for DC Films that may be called DC Dark or DC Black.
It’s no secret that the public was initially skeptical of the idea of an origin film for the Clown Prince of Crime when it was first announced, but Warner Bros. and DC stuck with their plan and went ahead with production back in September. Eventually, people warmed up to the idea of the film when they got a better understanding of what it could become, given the people involved with the project coupled with the release of some of character portraits. Production was previously reported to have already wrapped up earlier this month, but director Todd Phillips confirms that they just finished today.
Phillips took it to his official Instagram account to announce that principal photography is finally done for Joker, teasing that the work will continue in the editing room. He also thanked his New York City (where the movie was shot entirely) crew for their work the last three months. Some faded text on a tile wall above his head in the photo appears to read: “No unsupervised patients allowed.” Take a look at the photo below:
With more than ten months to go before the film hits theaters, Phillips and his team have plenty of time to edit and finalize Joker’s theatrical cut during post-production. Unlike other movies in the comic book realm, the film has been mostly shot on location and utilized practical effects, which is expected to significantly diminish the time and effort spent on VFX work. Given this, a trailer could be coming sometime soon. Usually, first trailers roll out not long after production is done, but with a couple of the superhero projects on Warner Bros.’ docket such as Aquaman and Shazam!, the studio may wait until early next year to release a teaser trailer.
Plot specifics for Joker remain scant at the moment, but if narrative rumors come to fruition, it’s possible that Arthur is the illegitimate son of Thomas Wayne (Brett Cullen) - and it will be interesting to see how this huge development will be handled moving forward. Despite new storytelling opportunities that it will present in the future (like the eventual introduction of a version of Bruce Wayne/Batman not part of the DCEU), fans can enjoy the film as a standalone movie; a breath of fresh air in this age of interconnected stories in Hollywood.
More: Joker Origin Movie: Every Update You Need To Know
Source: Todd Phillips
- Aquaman Release Date: 2018-12-21 Shazam! Release Date: 2019-04-05 Joker Release Date: 2019-10-04 Birds of Prey Release Date: 2020-02-07 Wonder Woman 2 Release Date: 2020-12-25