DC's live-action universe is completely unpredictable, as a ton of projects have been announced without any concrete release date set. Wonder Woman has been the only critical success, and franchise stars Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck may be on their way out the door. One of the most fascinating upcoming DC projects is Todd Phillips' Joker, which is set outside the DCEU. Starring Joaquin Phoenix as the title character, the upcoming blockbuster will give an origin story to the iconic villain, with the first images from the set being released courtesy of Todd Phillips himself. Joker is going to have a classic clown look for much of the film, and now Gotham actor Cameron Monaghan (aka Jerome) has thrown some shade the project's way. Check out his Tweet below.
Shots fired. It looks like Cameron Monaghan might be a little tiffed about yet another Joker character coming to live-action. And as such, he was sure to poke fun at Joaquin Phoenix's upcoming look through a not so subtle gif.
Cameron Monaghan's recent tweet is a gif from Mr. Roger's Neighborhood. In some episode of the beloved children's figure, Mr. Rogers puts on a clown mask, and it just happens to look exactly like Joaquin Phoenix will look like in Joker. While Monaghan was surely kidding, this faux feud will delight the many DC fans out there who are eager for as much Joker-related content as possible.
While he's only appeared in a handful of episodes, Cameron Monaghan's Jerome is arguably the most popular villain on Gotham. While not explicitly The Joker, the young actor has many of the same mannerisms as the iconic Batman villain, and has even inspired the people of the city to worship him at one point.
Joker as a concept is one that has elicited a mixed bag of emotions for hardcore DC fans. While some are eager for Joaquin Phoenix's performance and to see the character really explained for the first time, others take umbrage with this choice. Part of what makes The Joker so terrifying is that he doesn't have a clear motivation, and is essentially an agent of chaos. Just look at Heath Ledger's Oscar winning performance in The Dark Knight. Joker gave a different reason for his scars every time he explained them, and didn't have any goals other than to bring Gotham into anarchy. It's a scary concept, but now we'll get to see a fully formed origin story, perhaps explaining all the iconic Joker ticks we've come to know and love.
Joining Joaquin Phoenix in Joker is a pretty stacked cast including Zazie Beetz, Robert De Niro, Frances Conroy, and Marc Maron. Much of the character and the film's contents are being kept under wraps, so it's unclear exactly what type of story will follow the title character. But filming is under way now, so more information sounds imminent.
All will be revealed when Joker arrives in theaters October 4th, 2019. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
