Earlier this week, we got our first look at Joaquin Phoenix in character for Todd Phillips as-yet-untitled Joker movie. Posted by Phillips alongside the simple caption "Arthur," the image depicted a greasy Phoenix - with nary a hint of the Jokerdom to come. Fitting, for a screen take said to bring a King of Comedy-esque new psychological take on the character, but a bit surprising to people expecting colourful facepaint.
Turns out, Phillips' "Arthur" post was, fittingly, just a setup - to a punchline delivered today, in a post entitled "Joker":
Repost from #toddphillips1:
— Warner Bros. Pictures (@wbpictures) September 21, 2018
Camera test (w/ sound). Joker. pic.twitter.com/R9W2QqKwNS
How's he look? Honestly, the face paint is highly reminiscent of Heath Ledger's take on the character, though less like a dirty maniac and more like a circus clown who only had one minute to put on his makeup before going on. Maybe he got distracted by the Joker images being projected into his face. We've all been in that situation, Arthur. We get it.
Worth noting: this is just a camera test. Phoenix's expressions are likely purely a test of how the makeup acts under different conditions. This isn't a scene from the movie. Hell, it might not even be the final makeup. We'll see what transpires over the coming months, leading up to Joker's release on October 4th of next year.
What do you think? You dig? Or is this not enough to really go on? Those are the only two options.