The Joaquin Phoenix JOKER Movie Starts Shooting In September

You might have assumed, given all the talking we've done about the project over the last few months, that Joker origin movie was a done deal. Joaquin Phoenix set to star, Todd Phillips onboard to direct, New York City all bought and paid for as a shooting location. Not so much! Turns out none of that was officially official until just now.

Per the Hollywood Reporter:

"The Joker origin movie is officially a go at Warner Bros. Joaquin Phoenix recently finalized his deal to star as the arch-nemesis of Batman and shooting will begin September in New York.

Todd Phillips is directing and co-wrote the script, which the studio describes as being an “exploration of a man disregarded by society [that] is not only a gritty character study, but also a broader cautionary tale.”

In case you've lost track, Todd Phillips' Joker origin movie (which, let's take a moment to note, is now being described as a "cautionary tale") is the 453rd Joker-related movie currently in some state of production at Warner Bros. In addition to this one, you've also got the Suicide Squad sequel, the Leto Joker standalone movie, a Harley Quinn/Joker Movie that may or may not still be happening, Joker VS. Predator, Home Alone 7: Joker's Wild, Werner Herzog's The Absence of Laughter, and a Netflix cooking/reality series hosted by the actual Joker. There are many, many more, and they will not stop until you are dead.

THR points out that Warner Bros. has yet to establish a release date for Phillips' Joker movie, which suggests they'll release the movie when it's damn well ready. This is an interesting wrinkle! Such logic and patience flies directly in the face of everything we've come to learn about how things operate under the DCU umbrella (seriously, folks: good move on that front). They also note that this film will be "more experimental in tone and content" than the average superhero joint, which probably goes a ways towards explaining why they're keeping the film's production budget down near $55M. 

Anyway, there's plenty more to come. Stay tuned for further updates as they roll in, and stay safe out there.