The first trailer for Todd Phillips’ Joker has premiered at CinemaCon

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

We’ll certainly be receiving our share of comic-book movies this year, but one of the most mysterious is Todd Phillips’ JOKER, which tells the story of Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), a failed stand-up comedian who is driven insane and becomes the psychopathic criminal mastermind known as the Joker. Our own Editor-in-Chief Paul Shirey is currently at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, and the lucky son of a gun has caught a glimpse of the first trailer. Check out what Paul had to say about the much-anticipated film below.

"I don't have a lot to say about the film, as it's still taking shape, but also because I want it to be a surprise. That said, there's been a lot of chatter about what this film is and what it isn't and most of it hasn't been accurate," Phillips told the CinemaCon audience. "When the marketing department at Warners asked me the other day to describe the movie, I said 'I can't.' They said at least tell me the genre and I thought about it for a minute and said 'it's a tragedy.'" Marc Maron (Glow), who plays Ted Marco in JOKER, also recently dropped a few details about the upcoming film, which he feels is a different breed of comic-book movie. "The approach that Todd Phillips has taken is more of an origin story and a character study of a mentally ill person that becomes The Joker," Maron said. "It’s more of an intimate and gritty movie with a very specific scope. It’s going to be really interesting to see how it comes out." Thankfully, the rest of us will get to see the JOKER trailer tomorrow so be sure to check back!

JOKER will hit theaters on October 4, 2019.