First Look: Joaquin Phoenix ‘Joker’ makeup reveal

Director Todd Phillips released the following footage of Joaquin Phoenix as Joker in the upcoming film of the same name.

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Camera test (w/ sound). Joker.

A post shared by Todd Phillips (@toddphillips1) on Sep 21, 2018 at 10:00am PDT

This was the first look we got at Phoenix in his Joker makeup which is a combination of a throwback to Cesar Romero’s iconic portrayal of the “Clown Prince” with a little bit of John Wayne Gacy mixed in. Overall, the reaction to the video has been extremely positive with DC fans thirsting for a departure from the DCEU.

It should also be noted that this may not be the final look for the character.

Here’s a description of what we know about Phoenix’s Joker thus far via Wikipedia:

A failed stand-up comedian disregarded by society who is driven insane and becomes a psychopathic criminal mastermind. Phoenix is the seventh actor to portray the Joker in a film; prior to his casting, Leonardo DiCaprio had been considered. Phoenix had been interested in a low-budget “character study” of a comic book character and his agent recommended that he set up a meeting with Warner Bros. to discuss, but he ultimately declined. Phoenix later became interested when the project was announced, stating, “It feels unique, it is its own world in some ways, and maybe … It might as well be the thing that scares you the most”. Phoenix lost a considerable amount of weight in preparation.

As of this writing, Joker is set to release on October 4th, 2019 in the United States.