Joker origin movie: Has Joaquin Phoenix been confirmed as the Joker?

With a move continuing to confuse and, maybe, delight fans, Warner Brothers has announced big news regarding the Joker origin movie.

The fact that it’s going ahead at all, not to mention who stars as the painted-faced arch-nemesis of Batman, has shocked fans across the globe.

Has Joaquin Phoenix been confirmed as the Joker?

Yes, Warner Bros recently confirmed Joaquin Phoenix will be taking the lead role as the Joker.

But wait, you may ask – what happened to the Jared Leto standalone Joker movie?

The Leto movie is also going ahead.

The Joaquin Phoenix movie will reportedly be released under a different DC comics label than the Warner Bros’ mega superhero movies like Justice League and Wonder Woman.

Unlike the aforementioned superhero flicks, the Joaquin Phoenix Joker will have a far smaller budget.

The projected budget comes in at a price tag around the $50 to 60 million mark (£37 to 45m).

The director of The Hangover trilogy, Todd Phillips, will be heading the new movie.

Phillips co-wrote the screenplay with Scott Silver (The Fighter) and Emma Tillinger Koskoff (The Wolf of Wall Street) is the producer with Richard Baratta as the executive producer.

The Joker origin movie is set to start filming around September in 2018 in New York.

The official press announcement says: “The Joker film centres around the iconic arch nemesis and is an original, standalone story not seen before on the big screen.

“Phillips’ exploration of a man disregarded by society is not only a gritty character study but also a broader cautionary tale”.

The tone of the Phoenix-starring movie is said to have a darker tone than DC’s other forays into superhero movies, with Scandi-noir crime drama vibe.

The best guess estimate for the Joker origin movie’s release date is the later months of 2019.

Joaquin Phoenix won the best actor award at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival for Lynne Ramsey’s You Were Never Really Here.

His next project is Don’t Worry He Won’t Get Far on Foot, by Gus Van Sant’s, which opens Friday, July 13.