Ahead of the Venice Film Festival revealing its initial lineup next week,
Variety has learned that Todd Phillips'
Joker is increasingly likely to make its worldwide debut at the festival at the end of next month, which is uncharted territory for a comic book movie and really speaks to the confidence Warner Bros. has in their latest DC Films entry.
It remains uncertain whether the studio views
Joker as a serious awards contender this fall or if they just wanted a big prestige debut for the non-traditional superhero film, but, regardless, a strong showing at Venice could go a long way in establishing a potential Oscar campaign for the film's star, Joaquin Phoenix.
In addition to
Joker, their report notes James Gray's
Ad Astra starring Brad Pitt and Tommy Lee Jones; Noah Baumbach's
Marriage Story starring Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver, Tom Harper's
The Aeronauts starring Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones; Fernando Meirelles'
The Pope starring Jonathan Pryce and Anthony Hopkins; Sylvester Stallone's
Rambo: Last Blood; Giuseppe Capotondi's
The Burnt Orange Heresy starring Mick Jagger; and David Michod's
The King starring Timothée Chalamet and Robert Pattinson are also likely to make the cut for Venice's initial lineup.
The Hollywood Reporter adds that Taika Waititi's dark comedy
Jojo Rabbit, which stars Scarlett Johansson and Roman Griffin Davis, may also open at Venice. However, it doesn't sound like Martin Scorsese's
The Irishman, which stars Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, will be ready in time for the annual film festival.
“Joker” centers around the iconic arch nemesis and is an original, standalone story not seen before on the big screen. Phillips’ exploration of Arthur Fleck (Phoenix), a man disregarded by society, is not only a gritty character study, but also a broader cautionary tale.
Joker features:
Director: Todd Phillips
Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck/Joker
Robert De Niro as Murray Franklin
Zazie Beetz as Sophie Dumond
Frances Conroy as Penny Fleck
Marc Maron as Ted Marco
Bill Camp in an undisclosed role
Glenn Fleshler in an undisclosed role
Shea Whigham in an undisclosed role
Brett Cullen as Thomas Wayne
Douglas Hodge as Alfred Pennyworth
Dante Pereira-Olson as Bruce Wayne
Brian Tyree Henry in an undisclosed role
Bryan Callen in an undisclosed role
Josh Pais in an undisclosed role
Joker laughs his way into theaters October 4