Todd Phillips opens up about the ongoing Joker controversy

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

With less than two weeks to go until Todd Phillips' JOKER takes center stage in theaters across the globe, concerns about the film serving as a catalyst for real-world violence continues to rise with each passing day. Yesterday saw the release of a letter to Warner Bros. from concerned survivors and family members of the Aurora, Colorado shooting, who in 2012 were left traumatized after a gunmen wearing body armor and armed with multiple weapons opened fire on a crowded theater, killing 12 and injuring 70 others. Warner Bros. responded to the group's call for support from the studio to help combat the rise of gun violence in America with a statement of their own, which you can read for yourself below:

“Gun violence in our society is a critical issue, and we extend our deepest sympathy to all victims and families impacted by these tragedies. Our company has a long history of donating to victims of violence, including Aurora, and in recent weeks, our parent company joined other business leaders to call on policymakers to enact bi-partisan legislation to address this epidemic. At the same time, Warner Bros. believes that one of the functions of storytelling is to provoke difficult conversations around complex issues. Make no mistake: neither the fictional character Joker, nor the film, is an endorsement of real-world violence of any kind. It is not the intention of the film, the filmmakers or the studio to hold this character up as a hero."

While Warner Bros. was quick to express sympathy for the survivors of THE DARK KNIGHT RISES incident, they announced no plans to increase donations to any programs that help educate others about the dangers of gun violence, nor did the studio endorse the violent actions of Joaquin Phoenix's character, Arthur Fleck.

Today, AP Entertainment has posted a clip from a brief one-on-one interview with the film's director, Todd Phillips, who says that it isn't fair to link his film with real-world violence. At one point in the interview, Phillips goes so far as to say that "It's a fictional character in a fictional world that's been around for 80 years," citing the Joker's long-standing history as the Clown Prince of Crime. Shortly thereafter, Phillips compares Phoenix's Arthur Fleck to a character like John Wick, who Phillips says "is a white male who kills 300 hundred people," and that moviegoers who experienced the film were "hooting and hollering" during the intense action. You can watch the clip in its entirety below:

While Phillips' words are bound to upset many who've spoken out against the film in recent times, there will indefinitely be a select group of individuals who're ready and willing to come to the project's defense. Art is subjective after all, and the manner in which it will be interpreted by any one person is unpredictable. For the time being, we can only hope that JOKER won't be interpreted as a call to arms for those who chose to view the film as something more than entertainment.

In the upcoming film, Joaquin Phoenix stars as Arthur Fleck, a failed stand-up comedian who is driven insane and becomes the psychopathic criminal mastermind known as the Joker. Joining Phoenix for the criminal-led cautionary tale are Robert De Niro, Marc Maron, Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy, Brian Tyree Henry, Brett Cullen, Bill Camp, and Josh Pals, among others.

JOKER will take center stage in theaters beginning on October 4th.