‘Joker’: Joaquin Phoenix Debuts His Clown Makeup in Todd Phillips’ First Look Screen Test — Watch
Zack Sharf
Less than a week after debuting the first look at Joaquin Phoenix in “Joker,” director Todd Phillips has taken to Instagram once again to unveil a first look camera test of the actor that provides viewers’ first look at Phoenix in full-blown clown makeup. The makeup job is more formal than Heath Ledger’s messy look in “The Dark Knight,” but Phoenix’s wicked smile is just as sinister.
“Joker” is a prequel film set in 1980s that tracks the Joker’s rise from a failed stand-up comedian named Arthur Fleck into Gotham City’s most feared mob lord. The movie, backed by Warner Bros. but not an official entry in the studio’s DC Extended Universe, also stars Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, and Francis Conroy. Specific plot details are remaining under wraps, but rumor has it the film is going for a vibe similar to Martin Scorsese’s “The King of Comedy.” Scorsese is listed as an executive producer.
Phoenix has long considered the idea of joining a superhero movie (he was in contention for Marvel’s “Doctor Strange”), and his casting as one of the movie famous villains in media has drawn considerable attention to “Joker.” The actor can currently be seen in “The Sisters Brothers,” now playing in select theaters.
Warner Bros. will release “Joker” in theaters October 4, 2019. Watch the screen test below.
