Vera Drew's The People's Joker, a queer coming-of-age comic book parody, was pulled from the Toronto International Film Festival last September after just a single screening over alleged “rights issues.”
The mixed-media satire follows an aspiring clown (played by Drew) struggling with her gender identity while dreaming of being cast in a TV sketch show among a cast of Jokers and Harlequins.
The film, which contains multiple references to the Clown Prince of Crime and other Batman-related properties, was reportedly pulled after Warner Bros. served a cease and desist to both TIFF and Drew due to copyright infringement, even though the opening title card clearly states: “This film is a parody and is at present time completely unauthorized by DC Comics, Warner Brothers or anyone claiming ownership of the trademarks therein (eg. Joker, Batman etc.).”
Even so, this development probably shouldn't have come as too big a shock when the trailer proudly proclaims the project to be “an illegal comic book movie about a transgender clown named Joker.”
According to Variety's synopsis, the “absurdist semi-autobiographical dark comedy stars Drew as a painfully unfunny aspiring clown called Joker the Harlequin. Her character grapples with her gender identity while unsuccessfully attempting to join the ranks of Gotham City’s sole comedy program in a world where comedy has been outlawed. Uniting with a ragtag team of rejects and misfits, Joker the Harlequin forms an illegal anti-comedy troupe that puts her on a collision course with the devious caped crusader controlling the city."
We weren't sure if The People's Joker would ever see the light of day, but the rights were acquired by Los Angeles-based distributor Altered Innocence, and the film will open in theaters on April 5.
“Vera Drew has taken her own life experiences and traumas to craft an entirely new genre of cinema that blurs the lines between documentary, coming-of-age film, and parody,” said Altered Innocence founder Frank Jaffe. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to champion this bold, intelligent and hilarious piece of queer cinema that audiences around the globe have fallen in love with.”
You can check out the teaser trailer below.
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.”