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Distraught, Arthur enters Sophie's apartment unannounced. Penny was sent to Arkham for allowing the abuse. Penny then raised Arthur with her abusive boyfriend, who later died in jail. In denial, Arthur visits Arkham State Hospital and steals Penny's file, which states she was a narcissist who adopted Arthur while working as a housekeeper for the Waynes in the 1950s. Thomas tells him that he is not his father, and Penny is not his biological mother. Arthur's idol, popular late-night talk show host Murray Franklin, presents clips of Arthur's failed performance on his show and mockingly calls him a 'joker'.Īrthur confronts Thomas at a film theatre. Penny suffers a stroke and is hospitalized. He goes to Wayne Manor, where he meets Thomas's young son Bruce, but flees after a scuffle with family butler Alfred Pennyworth. Arthur intercepts a letter from Penny to Thomas, alleging that he is Thomas's illegitimate son, and berates his mother for hiding the truth. Sophie attends Arthur's stand-up routine, which goes poorly he laughs uncontrollably, and his jokes fall flat. Budget cuts shut down the social service program, leaving Arthur without his medication. The killings are condemned by their employer, billionaire mayoral candidate Thomas Wayne, but protesters begin donning clown masks in Arthur's image. While riding home on the subway still wearing his clown makeup, Arthur is mocked and beaten by drunk businessmen from Wayne Investments he fatally shoots two of them in self-defense and murders the third as he attempts to flee. Arthur pursues a relationship with his neighbor, single mother Sophie, and invites her to see his routine at a comedy club.Īrthur is fired from his job at a children's hospital when he accidentally exposes the gun despite his explanation that it was given to him by Randall, who denies this.

After Arthur is attacked by street urchins, his co-worker Randall gives him a revolver for self-defense. He suffers from a neurological disorder that causes him to have random, uncontrollable laughing fits, requiring medication for which he depends on social services to obtain.

A sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux, is set for release on October 4, 2024.Īrthur Fleck is a clown and aspiring stand-up comedian who lives with his mother, Penny, in crime-ridden Gotham City during the early 1980s recession. The film also received numerous accolades. It grossed over $1 billion, the first R-rated film to do so and became the sixth-highest-grossing film of 2019 during its theatrical run. The film was a box office success and set records for an October release. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise directed toward Phoenix's performance, Phillips's direction, the visual style, editing, musical score, and cinematography, while the tone, portrayal of mental illness, and handling of violence divided opinions. Joker premiered at the 76th Venice International Film Festival on August 31, 2019, where it won the Golden Lion, and was theatrically released in the United States on October 4. Joker is the first live-action theatrical Batman film to receive an R rating from the Motion Picture Association. Principal photography took place in New York City, Jersey City and Newark, from September to December 2018. Phoenix became attached in February 2018 and was cast that July, while the majority of the cast signed on by August. The film loosely adapts plot elements from Batman: The Killing Joke (1988), and The Dark Knight Returns, but Phillips and Silver otherwise did not look to specific comics for inspiration.

#Joker actor new driver#

The two were inspired by 1970s character studies and the films of Martin Scorsese, particularly Taxi Driver (1976) and The King of Comedy (1982), who was initially attached to the project as a producer.

Phillips conceived Joker in 2016 and wrote the script with Silver throughout 2017. Pictures and DC Films in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, Bron Creative and Joint Effort. Pictures, Joker was produced by Warner Bros. Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz and Frances Conroy appear in supporting roles. Set in 1981, it follows Arthur Fleck, a failed clown and aspiring stand-up comic whose descent into mental illness and nihilism inspires a violent countercultural revolution against the wealthy in a decaying Gotham City. The film, based on DC Comics characters, stars Joaquin Phoenix as Joker. Joker is a 2019 American psychological thriller film directed by Todd Phillips, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Scott Silver.