THE PEOPLE'S JOKER Director Promises That "Everyone Is Going To Be Able To See This Film Soon"

THE PEOPLE'S JOKER Director Promises That "Everyone Is Going To Be Able To See This Film Soon"

The People's Joker director Vera Drew has released a statement following her decision to pull the movie from the TIFF, promising that the rights issues will not result in the film being shelved...

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By MarkCassidy - Sep 21, 2022 07:09 AM EST
Filed Under: Joker

Following the disappointing, though not totally unexpected news that queer coming-of-age satire set in the Batman universe, The People's Joker, had been pulled from the Toronto International Film Festival after just a single screening over alleged “rights issues,” director Vera Drew has released a statement promising that the film will see the light of day.

Drew reveals that the ongoing legal woes associated with the project have resulted in her pulling The People's Joker from all future festival screenings, but reassures those hoping to see the film that they will be able to do so - first in theatres, then on home release - at some point down the line.

"As The People’s Joker team and I work to resolve our previously reported “rights issues” and come up with a release plan, I have decided to pull our film from all future film festivals for the time being," Drew writes. "I didn’t come to this decision lightly. It sucks and hurts more than you’ll ever know. We had literally 10 incredible festivals all over the world ready and willing to exhibit this film. I’ve been looking forward to traveling with the movie since we started making it."

"It’s taken all the emotional strength and courage I have in me to recalibrate my brain into accepting that this is what is best for the future of our film and that this is not where the story ends; it’s just the beginning. I promise that everyone — everywhere — is going to be able to see this film soon, first in a theater and then in the comfort of their home. Stick with me. I’ll keep you posted every step of the way that I can. And you know where you can all send your angry letters."

While Drew's optimism is encouraging, depending on how stringently Warner Bros. is able to impede its release, it could be quite some time before The People's Joker hits our screens.

The official synopsis from TIFF reads: “With comedy criminalized in Gotham City, the show is the only government-sanctioned space for funny people, but only those who will toe the party line. Disillusioned by a botched audition, Vera partners with a birdlike slacker to found their own alternative comedy troupe, attracting not only a rogues’ gallery of would-be comics, but also the ire of a fascistic caped crusader.”

You can check out the teaser trailer below.

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MosquitoFarmer
MosquitoFarmer - 9/21/2022, 7:33 AM
Oh good, cause we were all worried...
GhostDog
GhostDog - 9/21/2022, 7:37 AM
Warner Bros:
LiteraryJoe
LiteraryJoe - 9/21/2022, 8:29 AM
@GhostDog - That poor little girl just wanted to help.
GhostDog
GhostDog - 9/21/2022, 8:51 AM
@LiteraryJoe - one of the few times I got mad at Mike’s character.
LiteraryJoe
LiteraryJoe - 9/21/2022, 11:53 PM
@GhostDog - Agreed. But I think it's that same episode that he wrecks that street gang, and he made up for it. I also liked getting to see exactly how worked up he gets about his son, so much so that he can't control his outburst at Kaley(?) despite wanting to be in her life.
Kumkani
Kumkani - 9/21/2022, 7:41 AM
Call me Jon Snow because I don't want it
DrSmoonk
DrSmoonk - 9/21/2022, 7:46 AM
no one gives a crap about a stupid film, with bad costumes and wigs, trying to make it's own mark on the DC universe without any prior licensing agreement or consideration ofthe characters they're ripping off. This story could have been told without butchering and ripping off DC characters, but the creators of this content (i use "content" because it looks like something you'd find on youtube from a bunch of kids making a home movie) wanted some traction. They were probably betting ong getting publicity from a stunt like this.

Lo and behold, Josh and his terrible news team start reporting on it. Not only are they so desperate for content to post here, that they get all their news articles from the DCEUleaks and MarvelStudioSpoilers reddit subs (they don't have any industry sources AT ALL), they're so despreate for any kind of traction, thatthey continue to post irrelevant, pointless articles about indie content creators. I remember a few years ago a post about some B-Movie with two "typical blondes" vs area 51 or something. So bad.

This site is a joke.
ScaryTerry
ScaryTerry - 9/21/2022, 7:53 AM
@DrSmoonk - You’re free to stop coming around at any time.
noahthegrand
noahthegrand - 9/21/2022, 7:55 AM
@DrSmoonk - if superheroes are modern mythology people should have the right to comment on and reinterpret them. This is fair use and parody. I don’t know why I would ever root for a massive corporation to prevent someone’s artistic vision from being seen. Does it seem cheap? Yes, but that’s not the point. Compared to a big budget Batman movie it seems cheap. But if we understand the resources the creators had available to them, it’s intimate connection to the writer’s own life story, and seeing what they accomplished anyway, this is obviously a passion project and labor of love.
TheWalkingCuban
TheWalkingCuban - 9/21/2022, 8:07 AM
@noahthegrand - they’re modern, not ancient, ancient geeeks weren’t getting sued “the city-state of Athens vs Plato”
noahthegrand
noahthegrand - 9/21/2022, 8:15 AM
@DrSmoonk - honestly I’d prefer more weird offbeat news. It gives the site some much needed variety from arguments about she hulk
TheWalkingCuban
TheWalkingCuban - 9/21/2022, 8:22 AM
@noahthegrand - right, arguments about weird off beat news
19Batman84
19Batman84 - 9/21/2022, 8:38 AM
@DrSmoonk - why do you keep coming on the site then if its such a joke?
Origame
Origame - 9/21/2022, 7:46 AM
Good optimism, but come on. You're project clearly references the batman characters as part of its identity and selling point without a hint of satirizing those characters. How tf did you think you could just get away with that?

Wb will crush you.
CorndogBurglar
CorndogBurglar - 9/21/2022, 8:42 AM
@Origame - Thats what pisses me off. And then for them to say "And you know where you can all send your angry letters." As if they did nothing wrong here.

It's really annoying.
Origame
Origame - 9/21/2022, 9:21 AM
@CorndogBurglar - honestly I'm not even angry at them. But this is along the lines as someone playing the knockout game, then when one of the people he knocks out presses charges he acts like it's such a tragedy he's getting arrested. Like, just remember the basic law.
REMIMARKS
REMIMARKS - 9/21/2022, 7:46 AM
Who is waiting in line to see this?
TheWalkingCuban
TheWalkingCuban - 9/21/2022, 7:47 AM
VictorAlonzo
VictorAlonzo - 9/21/2022, 7:48 AM
noahthegrand
noahthegrand - 9/21/2022, 7:51 AM
This does fall under fair use and parody laws. Same situation as “Escape From Tomorrow” which Disney ignored. WB is just swinging their dick around because of Zaslav being in charge.
CorndogBurglar
CorndogBurglar - 9/21/2022, 8:55 AM
@noahthegrand - I'm definitely no expert on Fair Use and Parody laws. But neither is anybody else because the law is intentionally written to be vague.

But Fair Use basically falls into 2 categories: Commentary and Criticism, and Parody.

Commentary and Criticism is basically like when you are writing a review, and you use direct quotes or copy a paragraph from book in order to critique it.

This movie definitely does not fall within Commentary and Criticism.

So that just leaves Parody, which is the vague part.

A parody is a work that ridicules another, usually well-known work, by imitating it in a comic way. Judges understand that, by its nature, parody demands some taking from the original work being parodied. Unlike other forms of fair use, a fairly extensive use of the original work is permitted in a parody in order to “conjure up” the original.

Does that mean you can make an entire movie using the setting, characters, and places from a copyrighted franchise? It doesn't really sound like it. Not only that, but this movie's purpose also isn't to Parody Batman and that world. It's a gay coming of age movie that is using copyrighted content to gain some recognition. They could tell this same story without using DC and the Batman universe. Which, I would think disqualifies it from being a Batman parody.
CorndogBurglar
CorndogBurglar - 9/21/2022, 8:58 AM
@noahthegrand - And not only the things I said above, but the creator themselves even called this "an illegal queen coming of age movie". It's the film's tag line for God's sake lol. They knew exactly what they were doing.
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