Joker, 2019

Joker is an upcoming American crime film distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures and based on the DC Comics character Joker. It is intended to be the first film in a series of DC-based films separate from the shared DC Extended Universe (DCEU).


The film is directed by Todd Phillips from a screenplay he wrote with Scott Silver, and stars Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker, along with Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Bill Camp, Frances Conroy, Brett Cullen, Glenn Fleshler, Douglas Hodge, Marc Maron, Josh Pais, and Shea Whigham. In Joker, a failed stand-up comedian is driven insane and becomes a psychopathic criminal mastermind.

Phoenix had been interested in a lower-budget character study-type film about a comic book villain since 2014. After deciding to deemphasize the shared nature of the DCEU, Warner Bros. and DC Films announced plans for a Joker-centered film in August 2017, with Phillips directing and producing, as well as co-writing with Silver. Martin Scorsese was also attached to produce, although he dropped out in July 2018 and was replaced by Emma Tillinger Koskoff. Principal photography began on September 10, 2018 in New York City, and eventually moved to Jersey City and Newark.

Joker is scheduled to be released on October 4, 2019.