Joker (2019)

Joker is a 2019 American psychological thriller film directed and produced by Todd Phillips, who co-wrote the screenplay with Scott Silver.

The film, based on DC Comics characters, stars Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker. Joker provides a possible origin story for the character; set in 1981, it follows Arthur Fleck, a failed stand-up comedian whose descent into insanity and nihilism inspires a violent countercultural revolution against the wealthy in a decaying Gotham City. Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy, Brett Cullen, Glenn Fleshler, Bill Camp, Shea Whigham, and Marc Maron appear in supporting roles. Joker was  produced by Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Films, and Joint Effort, in association with Bron Creative and Village Roadshow Pictures, and distributed by Warner Bros.

Directed by: Todd Phillips

Produced by: Todd Phillips, Bradley Cooper, Emma Tillinger Koskoff

Written by: Todd Phillips, Scott Silver

Based on Characters by: DC Comics

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix

Music by: Hildur Guonadottir

Cinematography: Lawrence Sher

Edited by: Jeff Groth

Production companies: Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Films, Joint Effort, Bron Creative, Village Roadshow Pictures

Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures

Release date:August 31, 2019 (Venice), October 4, 2019 (United States)

Running time: 122 minutes Country United States Language English Budget $55–70 million Box office$1.061 billion

Phillips conceived Joker in 2016 and wrote the script with Silver throughout 2017. The two were inspired by 1970s character studies and the films of Martin Scorsese (particularly Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy), who was initially attached to the project as a producer. The graphic novel Batman: The Killing Joke (1988) was the basis for the premise, but Phillips and Silver otherwise did not look to specific comics for inspiration. Phoenix became attached in February 2018 and was cast that July, while the majority of the cast signed on by August. Principal photography took place in New York City, Jersey City, and Newark, from September to December 2018. Joker is the first live-action theatrical Batman film to receive an R-rating from the Motion Picture Association of America, due to its violent and disturbing content.

Release

• Home media 

      Joker was released on Digital HD on December 17, 2019, and will be released on DVD, Blu-ray and Ultra HD Blu-ray on January 7, 2020. It will be available on HBO Max when it launches in 2020.