'The Joker' Described as 'Character Study of a Mentally Ill Person'

We have all come to know and fear the Joker of the DC Comics universe. The role has been taken on by a number of iconic actors, such as the late Heath Ledger, Jared Leto, and as of this fall, Joaquin Phoenix will join the mix. The route that this origin story is taking puts Phoenix in the role of a failed stand-up comedian named Arthur Fleck who is driven insane in the wake of his failure and becomes the Joker. The film also stars Marc Maron of Netflix’s GLOW, who opened up about the film in an interview with NME.

“I’ve been somewhat judgmental when it comes to comic book movies and I’ve got a little pushback in the press for being a hypocrite,” the 55-year-old actor commented. “The approach that Todd Phillips has taken is more of an origin story and a character study of a mentally ill person that becomes The Joker. It’s more of an intimate and gritty movie with a very specific scope. It’s going to be really interesting to see how it comes out.”

In addition to Maron and Phoenix, Robert De Niro has a role in the film as well. Maron said of working with the iconic actor, “It was great to meet him and it was great to see him work. I wasn’t really besides myself because they do become people very quickly. When you’re not shooting you are just hanging around. Still, he’s Robert De Niro and the subtleties of how he does what he does is innate and amazing to watch.”

We’ll be keeping an eye out for the Joker when the film hits theaters October 4, 2019.

[h/t: IndieWire]