Todd Phillips Confirms 'Joker' Will Be Rated R

Director Todd Phillips and actor Joaquin Phoenix are keeping busy creating the origin story of Batman's arch nemesis, the Joker. While we wait for the film to hit theaters this October, the first trailer has certainly fed our excitement, as it proves Joker will be quite a dark and creepy tale.

Phillips recently took to Instagram to share some behind-the-scenes photos from the film and a fan asked what the official MPAA rating would be. Phillips responded, according to /Film: "It will be Rated R. I've been asked this a lot. Just assumed people knew. Sorry."

After watching the trailer, this answer makes more sense. The movie captures Arthur Fleck, who fails to become a stand-up comedian and ultimately, through his own madness and the violence around him, becomes the villain we so iconically know in the DC Universe.

As /Film points out, it's rare for superhero movies to go for R-ratings. Most famously, the Deadpool series was rated R and was well received by fans. The Wolverine spin-off, Logan, also went for the same rating. These are exceptions to the general rule.

Back in July, Phoenix said that the movie wouldn't fit the typical tropes for either a superhero or comic book movie: “I wouldn’t quite classify this as like any genre. I wouldn’t say it’s a superhero movie, or a studio movie or a … It feels unique."

Based on the trailer, "unique" seems to be the right word for it and fans are more curious than ever to see what happens with the backstory of the Joker--especially now that we have confirmation it's rated R.

Joker arrives in theatres on Oct. 4, 2019.