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[SomTervo]

The only way this could really be pulled off, in an intelligent way true to Mr J, would be if there's a fakeout ending/switch and the protagonist wasn't really the Joker:

A) the Joker was an incidental side/support character in the school who pulled the protagonist's strings off screen

B) the whole thing is wrapped in an unreliable narrative, Usual Suspects style

If they play it totally straight this'll be a really hard sell.

 

[Unit 33]

What a load of drivel.

 

[FutureLarking]

They need to stop.

They're going to kill the Joker as a character. Leto and Ayer have already done enough damage.

Eh, Gothama origin story for their Joker hasn't been dumpster trash (or perhaps their actor is just damned good), there's hope

 

[Triggerhappytel]

Don't they know that origin stories for charismatic mysterious villains are the fucking worst?? Haven't they seen the Star Wars prequel trilogy?!

 

[ZackieChan]

well played, Zack

I'm sad to say that I sent a few early screening impressions into AICN back in the 90s/early 2000s

 

[Aizo]

No thanks to this movie. I don't believe it.

i'm in.

Did you just get that tag because of the recent thread where you mentioned Nickelback? hahahaha

 

[jelly]

Just trying to make Suicide Squad 2 look good.

 

[Triggerhappytel]

The only way this could really be pulled off, in an intelligent way true to Mr J, would be if there's a fakeout ending/switch and the protagonist wasn't really the Joker:

A) the Joker was an incidental side/support character in the school who pulled the protagonist's strings off screen

B) the whole thing is wrapped in an unreliable narrative, Usual Suspects style

If they play it totally straight this'll be a really hard sell.

I like your idea A. Regarding B, Was it The Killing Joke where there was his origin about a down-on-his-luck guy who has a really bad day and snaps, but then it all turns out to be a bullshit story? I'd be okay with that. Like in The Dark Knight where he has different stories about how he got his face scars.

 

[Jindrax]

What does a ''permanent smile imply''?

 

[Alienous]

What does a ''permanent smile imply''?

Edward Smileyface

 

[broncobuster]

The only way this could really be pulled off, in an intelligent way true to Mr J, would be if there's a fakeout ending/switch and the protagonist wasn't really the Joker:

A) the Joker was an incidental side/support character in the school who pulled the protagonist's strings off screen

B) the whole thing is wrapped in an unreliable narrative, Usual Suspects style

If they play it totally straight this'll be a really hard sell.

Ideally it's B but ultimately it's an elseworlds story that doesn't need to adhere to the usual ideas of Joker. Calling it a a Joker origin movie is almost misleading as it leads one to believe it's an origin for Leto's Joker or something. It'll be more along the lines of Lord of War, Goodfellas, Blow, Scarface, etc.

 

[Leo_Sagittarius]

I lost it at "super dark and real"

 

[Majin Boo]

 

[OléGunner]

WB are in imperious form at fucking near everything in the DCEU.
This sounds like a cluster fuck on steroids.

 

[Sojgat]

The only way this could really be pulled off, in an intelligent way true to Mr J, would be if there's a fakeout ending/switch and the protagonist wasn't really the Joker:

A) the Joker was an incidental side/support character in the school who pulled the protagonist's strings off screen

B) the whole thing is wrapped in an unreliable narrative, Usual Suspects style

If they play it totally straight this'll be a really hard sell.

I like it. This way they could do a sequel with a totally different origin story. Better yet, a Joker origin trilogy. Fuck it, Joker origin cinematic universe.

 

[Tareskog]

Lame! Why do we need origin storys for every single thing? Part of what makes in example the first two Alien movies great is that there is so much mystery. A lot is left to the imagination. This applies to a lot of pop culture. When I have made up a origin story and explanation in my head, the origin stories more than often is disapointing.

 

[TheRedSnifit]

Wanting to show off Joker's backstory is an unfortunate obsession writers can't shake off. Even Dini does so and removes a lot of the mystery in the otherwise fantastic Mask of the Phantasm.

I like your idea A. Regarding B, Was it The Killing Joke where there was his origin about a down-on-his-luck guy who has a really bad day and snaps, but then it all turns out to be a bullshit story? I'd be okay with that. Like in The Dark Knight where he has different stories about how he got his face scars.

The Killing Joke says at the end that it might not be entirely true, but the actual point was to create an actual origin while handwaving contradictions with The Man Behind the Red Hood (Joker's original backstory, which was basically the same thing). "Multiple choice past" kind of looses its bite when basically the same backstory is given over and over.

I go to bat (HUEHUEHUE) a lot for The Batman, but I think it handled his origin very well. He says he had "One rotten day" and we get a brief flashback of him falling into acid, but nothing actually specific. It hints at a tragic backstory without actually ruining the mystery.

 

[ZeoVGM]

Let's break this down:

1) De Niro

2) De Niro

3) The people who's film he adapted for the only Best Director win he ever got.

Todd Phillips is asking WB to get Scorsese to put his name on the movie for no other reason than his vision is apparently inspired by 3 completely different Scorsese films and he needs the shot of legitimacy a name like Scorsese's can give him.

It's a savvy call, because if you google Scorsese right now, all you get are shitty entertainment news "reports" calling the Joker movie his, although neither Variety or The Hollywood Reporter could confirm Scorsese had even been approached, much less agreed to the job.

So what reason would Scorsese have to lend this film the legitimacy of his brand without any real personal connection to the people making it?

Todd Phillips wants his Joker movie to have Marty's name on it so he just... gets to have it?

Really?

If anything I could see shitty stories like this causing him to bail, because so far as anyone appears to be concerned, this is HIS movie and he hasn't contributed thought one to its pre-creation. Imagine being Martin Scorsese and realizing every stupid idea Todd Phillips has while chasing this Joker movie down is goign to be attributed to you.

Right. You seemed to be implying that he wouldn't attach his name to this based on the idea of quality. And that's not true.

I don't know if his name will be attached to it. If I had to guess, it won't be. I was simply pointing out that he's not above putting his name on crap. Nothing more.

 

[Blade30]

Man I'm not even surprised anymore. WB/DC must be on a hell of a drug trip.

 

[Discotheque]

sounds boring. even if this is all just false information, Todd Phillips alone guarantees this will be a piece of crap movie. if they must make a Joker movie why this guy?!!

anyways if its gotta happen dump this wasteman writer/director and hire someone more interesting. also I nominate this guy for young joker:

biggest nutcase of the year.

getting Scorsese to produce this rings pretty hollow too, trying to get some semblance of quality behind it by slapping somebody's name onto the movie.

 

[Shadowhelper]

Holy shit this sounds demented in the worst way possible.

Scorsese producing doesn't mean anything. He was heavily involved with Vinyl and that was a legit turd. I doubt he would do much at all on the movie.

My god the OP is just filled with the names of turds. Rogan, Shuabs, and Todd Philips. A truly despicable group of people. You'd expect them to think the idea of a gritty Joker movie where he has a permanent smile to be a good one.

This sounds fucking atrocious. I also doubt it gets greenlit.

 

[MarkMclovin]

Todd Phillips?

Jesus fuck.

 

[SpaceWolf]

 

[Broken Joystick]

Bradley Cooper IS The Joker.

 

[OmegaSmash]

Is there anything that suggests this might actually be real?

 

[Hero]

How reputable is this site when it comes to rumors?

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

I really, really dislike the Joker with a permanent smile interpretation. I don't really like a Joker Origin movie in general, but if you have to do something give him the illness/disorder that makes him laugh at inappropriate times and make him laugh at a time of great heartache like his father being murdered (you COULD have both parents die and a family member or orphanage takes him in, but that's a little too on the nose for Batman's greatest villain) and laughing at the funeral could spark his new guardian to beat him. He can even have some psychotic break where he goes from laughing inappropriately but still feels emotions and some level of empathy to having psychotic breaks as a teenager. Then when he becomes the Joker something snaps and he no longer feels apathy.

This is if you have to do something. I'd prefer they didn't to be honest.

How is any of this a $15/ticket movie though?

Ain't nobody got time for a film skirting the line between child abuse torture porn and glorifying school shooters. The Joker isn't a hero, he's one of the worst mass murderers in history.