There's no doubt that DCEU fans are eager to experience Todd Phillips' JOKER starring Joaquin Phoenix this October, but many can't help but wonder if the Scorsese-looking crime thriller will indeed put a smile on their face. Personally, I'm cautiously optimistic about the film, though recently, Cameron Bailey told the Toronto Sun that Phillips' JOKER is a "cinematic achievement on a high level."
But who is Cameron Bailey to make such a claim, you ask? As it happens, Bailey is the co-head and artistic director of the Toronto International Film Festival, where JOKER is set to be the first comic book-related film screened as a Gala highlight.
“First of all it’s terrific. So it should play on our largest stage,” Bailey exclaimed to the Toronto Sun. He then added, “But it’s a really original take on comic book movies and on the Joker character in particular. It’s not based on an existing story, it has one of the greatest actors in modern cinema, Joaquin Phoenix, in the lead, and Robert De Niro is in it as well, one of the best actors that has ever lived.”
Fanboying aside, Bailey also made a point of noting that JOKER takes place outside of the DCEU continuity. Many would agree that this gives the film an automatic leg-up, seeing as DC's films have been quite the mixed bag over the past few years. To be honest, the same could be said about Marvel's cinematic offerings. However, the numbers don't lie, and after the monumental success of both AQUAMAN and SHAZAM!, DC could continue its upswing should JOKER prove to be a bonafide smash.
“It’s set in the late ’70s, early ’80s and it feels like it was made then. It’s gritty in its look,” Bailey said. “It has references to Martin Scorsese’s filmmaking and it feels like a cinematic achievement on a high level. Although it’s working with very populist material, it has great ambition. That’s why it’s a Gala.”
Earlier, while attending Germany's CCXP Cologne convention, JOKER executive producer Michael R. Uslan said that Phillips' villain-centric feature is "Unlike and comic book movie you've ever seen."
Lofty promises aside, JOKER is poised to change the game for superhero cinema. Granted, we've seen DC deliver dark and gritty films before, but there's something about the tone and atmosphere of JOKER that feels … different? Who knows? I could just be blowing smoke, but Bailey's reaction to the film makes it sound as if we're in for something special. I sure hope so, for as much as I love comic book films, it would be a boon for the genre if someone were to come along and break the mold.
JOKER will take the cinematic stage on October 4.