Joaquin Phoenix's menacing first look as The Joker revealed

Set to be directed by Todd Phillips, the upcoming Joker Origins film will serve as a prequel to Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight which came out in 2008 and Joaquin Phoenix will be portraying the role of menacing Joker, reported The Hollywood Reporter.

Director Todd Phillips has shared the first official look of the actor as the Clown Prince of Crime, hot on the heels of several set videos and pictures being leaked online.



And it's spine-chilling, to say the least.

While the picture doesn’t show Phoenix in full makeup, it truly shows Phoenix's character in the upcoming film. However, unlike prequels of the film, we finally know a name. According to Phillips’ post, Phoenix's character will be called Arthur.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BnzF1teH-yK/?utm_source=ig_embed

And that's just not it!

In the leaked videos from set, Arthur can be seen having an animated discussion with a large man dressed up like a clown. Their conversation takes them to the streets, where we can see Arthur cackling and smoking a cigarette.

The film, the first solo movie centred around the popular Batman villain, is being executive produced by legendary film-maker Martin Scorsese.

PHOTO: JUST JARED

It has been reported that the film will be inspired by Scorsese’s The King of Comedy and Taxi Driver. Certainly, the leaked videos reveal the time period to be around the ‘70s, considering the old-school taxi cabs that drive past.

The film also stars Robert De Niro in a supporting role, who played the lead in both King of Comedy and Taxi Driver to great acclaim.

Phoenix is a three-time Oscar nominee, considered one of the most acclaimed actors of his generation. He was previously courted to star in Doctor Strange, but passed on that role, which went to Benedict Cumberbatch.

PHOTO: JUST JARED

The Joker has been previously played on screen by Cesar Romero in the '60s TV show, Jack Nicholson in Batman (1989), Heath Ledger in his Oscar-winning performance in The Dark Knight (2008) and most recently by Leto in 2016’s Suicide Squad. There are plans for Leto to reprise his role in at least two different projects.

After the disappointing critical reception to their DC Extended Universe of movies, Warner Bros hopes for the Joker movie to start a new spin-off series of one-shot movies.

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