Later today, Warner Bros. will release the first trailer for
Joker. Directed by Todd Phillips, it stars Joaquin Phoenix as the Clown Prince of Crime and promises to tell a very different origin story for Batman's greatest villain. While it's too soon to say how many comic book fans will react to that, a description of that footage has been revealed and, well, it sounds pretty awesome.
Phillips was on hand to describe the movie as a "tragedy," and it was confirmed that
Joker is going to take place from Arthur Fleck's point of view. The filmmaker also pointed out that there's a lot of false information doing the rounds online about what the film actually is.
While this may not be the movie many fans wanted featuring the iconic bad guy, it sounds like a lot of interesting ideas are being brought to the table, and the trailer also includes first looks at Thomas and Bruce Wayne along with Fleck getting into full Joker mode.
So, to check out the breakdown of this trailer before it's released later, hit the "View List" button.
Arthur's Unhealthy Relationship With His Mom
The trailer kicks off with a shot of Gotham City (Manhattan doubles for that iconic location here rather than Chicago or Detroit) before showing Arthur talking to his therapist. A series of creepy smiles follow before he arrives home...and bathes his mother. Weird, right?
It's then that he says his mother tells him to put on a "happy face," and it seems like his relationship with her will be a catalyst for his eventual descent into madness.
Things Get Worse For Arthur
As we've seen in set photos, Arthur's job is to dress as a clown and spin a sign on a street corner. His luck keeps getting worse, though, as he's attacked by a group of thugs who rob and beat him. It seems like Gotham City is getting worse as he asks, "Is it me or are things getting crazier out there?"
There are also some shots of Arthur on a date with Sophie, another possible tragedy in the making.
Arkham Hospital
It seems as if Arkham Asylum was once known as Arkham Hospital, because Arthur is shown heading there (presumably to meet with his therapist) and we see an orderly played by
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse's Brian Tyree Henry.
As Arthur stands in an elevator, he looks extremely unnerved by a patient thrashing in a stretcher and it's then that he finally dons the clown makeup we've seen in set photos - his transformation into The Joker has seemingly begun.
The Wayne Family
The trailer then shows Thomas Wayne giving a speech about how Gotham City has lost its way, and he talks about how it's wrong for people to hide behind masks. There are a lot of angry onlookers, though, and they clash with the police.
Interestingly, it seems as if Arthur ends up meeting a young Bruce Wayne as we see The Joker reach through the gates of somewhere that could be Wayne Manor and pull on his lips in order to make the younger Bruce pull a smiley face. The prevailing theory is that these two may end up being half-brothers.
Meet The Joker
From there, we get to see Robert De Niro's talk show host as Arthur narrates the scene with, "I used to think my life was a tragedy. But now I believe it’s a comedy." We then see the Clown Prince of Crime dancing down a long set of stairs and the creepy final shot shows him in full makeup - but most definitely not smiling - as he steps into an elevator.
So, while this definitely sounds different, it has some potential, right? We'll get to watch this trailer later today but let us know your thoughts on this trailer breakdown in the comments section!