Fox probably wishes that Todd Phillips waited at least another full day before releasing the new poster for the upcoming “Joker” film starring Joaquin Phoenix. Yesterday, the studio released a poster and a teaser for its “Gotham” showing Cameron Monaghan’s version of the Joker. And let’s just say, it’s not good. Okay, not good is an understatement. “Gotham’s” Joker design is an affront to special effects masters around the world and should be ridiculed endlessly by everyone ages 5 to 105. Todd Phillips’ “Joker,” on the other hand, is nothing but a big improvement that puts the Fox series to shame.
In advance of the new “teaser trailer” coming tomorrow, director Phillips released a new poster showcasing Phoenix as the Clown Prince of Crime. And while there’s really not much to it, the image is pretty nice and does a great job showing the difference between this version of the comic book villain and previous incarnations.
The tagline, “Put on a happy face,” is actually pretty great, also, and shows that even though this is destined to be a much darker, grittier take on the character than what we’ve seen before, there’s still going to be that devilish humor that makes the character so great, to begin with. And if you’re a fan of Joaquin Phoenix (and if you’re not, check out last year’s “You Were Never Really Here” because that will convince you otherwise), it’s obvious that the actor revels in the chance to tackle roles that are a bit off-kilter. And if there’s one word to describe the Joker, off-kilter would be a good choice.
READ MORE: Marc Maron Describes DC’s ‘Joker’ Film As A “Character Study Of A Mentally Ill Person”
The new film not only stars Phoenix, but also features the acting work of Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, and Marc Maron, to name a few.
“Joker” is set to arrive in theaters on October 4, but make sure to come back here tomorrow to watch the new trailer.
