The director of The Hangover trilogy is the latest to take the reins of the DC universe, delivering his own spin on a certain smiling infamous villain. Todd Phillips’ Joker will arrive this fall and timed with this week’s release of Shazam!, Warner Bros. have now unveiled the first trailer. Originally set to be executive produced by Martin Scorsese, this preview certainly shows off the influence of the director, from Taxi Driver to The King of Comedy, as well aping a bit from David Fincher’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo when it comes to its title design.
The standalone feature, starring Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker, is set in 1981 Gotham and follows Arthur Fleck, a failed stand-up comedian who goes down a dark path. Also starring Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Bill Camp, Brian Tyree Henry, Frances Conroy, Brett Cullen, Glenn Fleshler, Brian Tyree Henry, Douglas Hodge, Marc Maron, Josh Pais, and Shea Whigham, see the trailer and poster below.
Joker opens on October 4.