By now it should be abundantly clear that Todd Philips'
Joker movie is very much doing its own thing and won't be taking influence from any previous incarnation of the iconic DC villain - and that includes the various versions of the Clown Prince of Crime we've met in the comic books over the years.
While chatting to
Empire, Philips confirmed that this new take on the character is going to be its own "unique beast;" In fact, the writer/director reveals that this isn't even a story about
The Joker at all.
“We didn’t follow anything from the comic-books, which people are gonna be mad about,” he explains.
“We just wrote our own version of where a guy like Joker might come from. That’s what was interesting to me. We’re not even doing Joker, but the story of becoming Joker. It’s about this man.”
While some people are inevitably going to have a problem with this, it does allow for a take on the infamous Batman baddie that we haven't seen before, at least.
How do you guys feel about Philips' comments? Drop us a comment in the usual place, and check out a new official still featuring Joaquin Phoenix's Arthur Fleck preparing to wreak havoc on Gotham, along with a batch of hi-res screencaps from the trailer.